1Da det gik op for Rakel, at hun ikke kunne få børn, blev hun jaloux på sin søster. „Giv mig børn—eller jeg dør!” klagede hun til Jakob. 2Men så blev Jakob vred. „Er jeg måske Gud? Det er ikke min skyld, at du ikke kan få børn!”
3Da sagde Rakel: „Gå ind til min tjenestepige Bilha, så hun kan blive gravid, og jeg kan få et barn ved hjælp af hende.” 4Så gav hun Jakob Bilha til kone, og han lå hos hende. 5Hun blev gravid og fødte en søn. 6Rakel kaldte ham Dan.30,6 Et ordspil med „skaffe ret”. „Gud har skaffet mig min ret,” sagde hun, „han har hørt min bøn og givet mig en søn.” 7Rakels tjenestepige Bilha blev igen gravid og fødte endnu en søn. 8Rakel kaldte ham Naftali.30,8 Et ordspil med „min kamp”. „Jeg har holdt ud i kampen med min søster,” sagde hun, „og jeg har fået min belønning.”
9I mellemtiden tænkte Lea, at hun nok ikke fik flere børn selv. Derfor gav hun Jakob sin tjenestepige Zilpa til kone, 10og Zilpa fødte snart en søn, 11som Lea kaldte Gad.30,11 Et ordspil med „held”. „Hvor er jeg heldig!” udbrød hun. 12Zilpa fødte endnu en søn, 13som Lea kaldte Asher.30,13 Et ordspil med „velsignet”. „Hvor er jeg velsignet,” sagde hun. „De andre kvinder vil sige det samme.”
14En dag midt i hvedehøsten, hvor Ruben var ude i marken, fandt han nogle kærlighedsfrugter,30,14 Alrunerod. Man mente, at hvis en kvinde spiste dem, havde hun større chance for at blive gravid. og han tog dem hjem til sin mor Lea. Rakel opdagede det og tiggede Lea om at give hende nogle af dem. 15Lea svarede fortørnet: „Først stjal du min mands hjerte—og nu vil du tage min søns kærlighedsfrugter!” „Jeg vil lade ham sove hos dig i nat som betaling for kærlighedsfrugterne,” sagde Rakel.
16Så om aftenen, da Jakob var på vej hjem fra høstarbejdet, gik Lea ham i møde. „I nat skal du sove hos mig,” sagde hun, „for jeg har betalt for dig med nogle kærlighedsfrugter, som min søn fandt.” Den nat sov de så sammen. 17Og Gud bønhørte Lea, så hun blev gravid igen og fødte sin femte søn. 18Ham kaldte hun Issakar.30,18 Et ordspil med „løn”. „Gud har belønnet mig, fordi jeg gav min tjenestepige til min mand,” sagde hun. 19Senere blev hun gravid igen og fødte sin sjette søn. 20Hun kaldte ham Zebulon.30,20 Et ordspil med „gave”. „Gud har givet mig en vidunderlig gave til min mand,” sagde hun. „Nu må han da respektere mig, for jeg har givet ham seks sønner.” 21Senere fødte hun også en datter, som hun kaldte Dina.
22Derpå greb Gud ind i Rakels situation. Han hørte hendes bøn, og hun blev gravid. 23-24Hun fødte en søn, som hun kaldte Josef.30,23-24 Et ordspil med „borttage” eller „give en mere”. „Gud har borttaget min skam,” sagde hun. „Må han give mig endnu en søn!”
Jakobs velstand
25Kort tid efter at Rakel havde født Josef, sagde Jakob til Laban: „Nu vil jeg gerne rejse hjem. 26Lad mig tage af sted med mine koner og mine børn. Du ved, at jeg har betalt for dem ved at arbejde for dig i mange år.”
27„Åh, du må ikke forlade mig,” indvendte Laban. „Jeg har jo set, hvordan Herren har velsignet mig på grund af dig. 28Sig mig, hvad du forlanger i løn, så vil jeg betale det.”
29Jakob svarede: „Du ved selv, hvor trofast jeg har tjent dig gennem årene. Din husdyrflok er vokset enormt. 30Faktisk ejede du kun lidt, inden jeg kom, men nu er du blevet en velstående mand—takket være Herrens velsignelse over alt, hvad jeg har foretaget mig. Men hvad med mig selv? Hvornår kan jeg begynde at tænke på min egen families ve og vel?”
31„Hvad skal du have i løn?” spurgte Laban igen.
Jakob svarede: „Du skal ikke give mig noget som helst. Der er bare én ganske lille ting, du skal gøre for mig, for at jeg vil fortsætte med at have opsyn med din hjord: 32Lad mig straks i dag gå ud og fjerne alle de brogede og plettede får og geder og alle de mørke lam fra din hjord! Dem skal du give mig som løn. 33For at du kan vide, at jeg er en ærlig mand, kan du når som helst inspicere den flok, der skal være min løn. Hvis du finder nogle hvide får eller nogle geder, der ikke er brogede eller plettede i min hjord, ved du, at jeg har stjålet dem fra dig.”
34„Det er en aftale!” sagde Laban, 35men samme dag fjernede han selv alle de brogede og plettede geder (ja, alle dyr med noget hvidt) og alle de mørke lam fra hjorden. Dem overgav han til sine sønner 36og bad dem flytte deres lejr tre dagsrejser bort fra det sted, hvor Jakob var. Og Jakob blev tilbage og passede resten af hans hjord.
37Men Jakob tog friske grene fra poppel-, mandel- og platantræer og skrællede noget af barken af, så der kom hvide striber på grenene. 38Så placerede han grenene ved vandtrugene, så dyrene kunne se dem, når de kom for at drikke. 39Når dyrene parrede sig foran grenene, fik de afkom, som var stribet, plettet eller broget. 40Jakob tog de plettede og brogede unge dyr til sin egen hjord. I parringstiden lod han sine voksne får og geder være sammen med de stribede får og geder og de mørke geder i Labans hjord. På den måde fik Jakob flere og flere får og geder, som var hans, og han tog sig af både dem og Labans får og geder. 41Hver gang de stærke dyr parrede sig, placerede Jakob grenene foran dem, 42men når de svage dyr gjorde det, lod han være. På den måde kom de svage lam til at tilhøre Laban, og de stærke kom til at tilhøre Jakob. 43Resultatet blev, at Jakobs hjord både forøgedes og forædledes, og han blev en velstående mand med masser af slaver, kameler og æsler.
1And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.30.3 have…: Heb. be built by her 4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 5And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.30.6 Dan: that is, Judging 7And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 8And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.30.8 great…: Heb. wrestlings of God30.8 Naphtali: that is, My wrestling: Gr. Nephthalim 9When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 10And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. 11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.30.11 Gad: that is, A troop, or, company 12And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son. 13And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.30.13 Happy…: Heb. In my happiness30.13 Asher: that is, Happy
14¶ And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. 15And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes. 16And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.30.18 Issachar: that is, An hire 19And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.30.20 Zebulun: that is, Dwelling: Gr. Zabulon 21And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.30.21 Dinah: that is Judgment
22¶ And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.30.24 Joseph: that is, Adding
25¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. 26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 27And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 28And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 29And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?30.30 increased: Heb. broken forth30.30 since…: Heb. at my foot 31And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: 32I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. 33So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.30.33 in time…: Heb. to morrow 34And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37¶ And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. 41And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
