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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 30 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/genesis/30.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/genesis/30-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > Genesis 30</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../genesis/29.htm" title="Genesis 29">◄</a> Genesis 30 <a href="../genesis/31.htm" title="Genesis 31">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/genesis/30.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> and through her I can have a family, too.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Rachel named him Dan,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Rachel named him Naphtali,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Leah named him Gad,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> for she said, “How fortunate I am!” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And Leah named him Asher,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”</p><p class="reg">Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>She named him Issachar,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>She named him Zebulun,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">g</span></a> for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>And she named him Joseph,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">h</span></a> for she said, “May the LORD add yet another son to my family.”</p><p class="hdg">Jacob’s Wealth Increases</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>“Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">i</span></a> the LORD has blessed me because of you. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>“What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.</p><p class="reg">Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-41.htm"><b>41</b></a></span>Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-42.htm"><b>42</b></a></span>But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/30-43.htm"><b>43</b></a></span>As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:3 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">bear children on my knees.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:6 </span><span class="it">Dan</span><span class="ft"> means “he judged” or “he vindicated.”</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:8 </span><span class="it">Naphtali</span><span class="ft"> means “my struggle.”</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:11 </span><span class="it">Gad</span><span class="ft"> means “good fortune.”</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:13 </span><span class="it">Asher</span><span class="ft"> means “happy.”</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:18 </span><span class="it">Issachar</span><span class="ft"> sounds like a Hebrew term that means “reward.”</span><br><span class="fn">g</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:20 </span><span class="it">Zebulun</span><span class="ft"> probably means “honor.”</span><br><span class="fn">h</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:24 </span><span class="it">Joseph</span><span class="ft"> means “may he add.”</span><br><span class="fn">i</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">30:27 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">I have learned by divination that.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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