1Raheli alipoona hamzalii Yakobo watoto, akamwonea ndugu yake wivu. Hivyo akamwambia Yakobo, “Nipe watoto, la sivyo nitakufa!”
230:2 2Fal 5:7; Mwa 16:2Yakobo akamkasirikia, akamwambia, “Je, mimi ni badala ya Mungu, ambaye amekuzuia usizae watoto?”
330:3 Mwa 16:2Ndipo Raheli akamwambia, “Hapa yupo Bilha, mtumishi wangu wa kike. Kutana naye kimwili ili aweze kunizalia watoto na kwa kupitia yeye mimi pia niweze kuwa na uzao.”
430:4 Mwa 16:3-4Hivyo Raheli akampa Yakobo Bilha awe mke wake. Yakobo akakutana naye kimwili, 5Bilha akapata mimba, naye akamzalia Yakobo mwana. 630:6 Za 35:24; 1Sam 1:20; Yos 19:40Ndipo Raheli akasema, “Mungu amenipa haki yangu, amesikiliza maombi yangu na kunipa mwana.” Kwa sababu hiyo akamwita Dani.30:6 Dani maana yake Anahukumu, yaani Mungu amenipa haki yangu.
7Bilha mtumishi wa kike wa Raheli akapata mimba tena, akamzalia Yakobo mwana wa pili. 830:8 Hos 12:3-4; Hes 1:42Ndipo Raheli akasema, “Nilikuwa na mashindano makubwa na ndugu yangu, nami nimeshinda.” Kwa hiyo akamwita Naftali.30:8 Naftali maana yake Nimeshindana nami nimeshinda.
930:9 Mwa 29:16Lea alipoona kuwa amekoma kuzaa watoto, alimchukua mtumishi wake wa kike Zilpa, naye akampa Yakobo awe mke wake. 10Mtumishi wa Lea yaani Zilpa, akamzalia Yakobo mwana. 1130:11 Mwa 35:26; Kut 1:4Ndipo Lea akasema, “Hii ni bahati nzuri aje!” Kwa hiyo akamwita Gadi.
12Mtumishi wa kike wa Lea akamzalia Yakobo mwana wa pili. 1330:13 Lk 1:48Ndipo Lea aliposema, “Jinsi gani nilivyo na furaha! Wanawake wataniita furaha.” Kwa hiyo akamwita Asheri.30:13 Asheri maana yake Nimefurahi, yaani Mungu amenifurahisha.
1430:14 Wim 7:13Wakati wa kuvuna ngano, Reubeni akaenda shambani akakuta tunguja, ambazo alizileta kwa Lea mama yake. Raheli akamwambia Lea, “Tafadhali nakuomba unipe baadhi ya tunguja za mwanao.”
1530:15 Isa 7:13Lakini Lea akamwambia, “Haikukutosha kumtwaa mume wangu? Je, utachukua na tunguja za mwanangu pia?”
Raheli akasema, “Vema sana! Yakobo atakutana nawe kimwili leo usiku, kwa malipo ya tunguja za mwanao.”
16Kwa hiyo Yakobo alipokuja kutoka shambani jioni ile, Lea akaenda kumlaki, akamwambia, “Lazima ukutane nami kimwili. Nimekukodisha kwa tunguja za mwanangu.” Kwa hiyo akakutana naye kimwili usiku ule.
1730:17 Mwa 25:21Mungu akamsikiliza Lea, naye akapata mimba akamzalia Yakobo mwana wa tano. 1830:18 Hes 1:8, 24Ndipo Lea akasema, “Mungu amenizawadia kwa kumpa mume wangu mtumishi wangu wa kike.” Kwa hiyo akamwita Isakari.30:18 Isakari maana yake Zawadi, yaani Mungu amenizawadia.
19Lea akapata mimba tena akamzalia Yakobo mwana wa sita. 2030:20 1Pet 3:7Ndipo Lea aliposema, “Mungu amenizawadia kwa zawadi ya thamani sana. Wakati huu mume wangu ataniheshimu kwa sababu nimemzalia wana sita.” Kwa hiyo akamwita Zabuloni.30:20 Zabuloni maana yake Heshima.
2130:21 Mwa 34:1Baadaye akamzaa mtoto wa kike akamwita Dina.30:21 Dina maana yake Tetea haki, yaani Mungu amenitetea katika mashindano yangu.
2230:22 Mwa 11:30Ndipo Mungu akamkumbuka Raheli, akasikia maombi yake na akafungua tumbo lake. 2330:23 Isa 4:1; Lk 1:25Akapata mimba na akamzaa mwana na kusema, “Mungu ameniondolea aibu yangu.”
2430:24 Mwa 35:17Akamwita Yosefu30:24 Yosefu maana yake Yeye na aongeze, yaani Mungu na aniongezee. na kusema, “Bwana na anipe mwana mwingine.”
Makundi Ya Yakobo Yaongezeka
2530:25 Mwa 24:54Baada ya Raheli kumzaa Yosefu, Yakobo akamwambia Labani, “Nipe ruhusa nirudi katika nchi yangu. 26Nipe wake zangu na watoto, ambao nimetumika kuwapata, nami niende zangu. Unajua ni kazi kiasi gani ambayo nimekufanyia.”
2730:27 Mwa 26:24Lakini Labani akamwambia, “Ikiwa nimepata kibali machoni pako, tafadhali ukae. Nimegundua kwa njia ya uaguzi kwamba Bwana amenibariki kwa sababu yako.” 2830:28 Mwa 29:15Akaongeza kumwambia, “Taja ujira wako nami nitakulipa.”
29Yakobo akamwambia, “Unajua jinsi ambavyo nimekutumikia na jinsi ambavyo wanyama wako walivyolishwa vizuri chini ya uangalizi wangu. 30Kidogo ulichokuwa nacho kabla sijaja kimeongezeka sana, naye Bwana amekubariki popote nilipokuwa. Lakini sasa, ni lini nitashughulikia mambo ya nyumba yangu mwenyewe?”
31Labani akamuuliza, “Nikupe nini?”
Yakobo akamjibu, “Usinipe chochote lakini kama utanifanyia jambo hili moja, nitaendelea kuchunga na kuyaangalia makundi yako. 3230:32 Mwa 31:8, 12Niruhusu nipite katika makundi yako yote leo niondoe humo kila kondoo mwenye mabakabaka au madoadoa, kila mwana-kondoo mweusi na kila mbuzi mwenye madoadoa au mabakabaka. Hawa watakuwa ujira wangu. 33Uadilifu wangu utanishuhudia siku zijazo, kila utakapochunguza ujira ambao umenilipa mimi. Mbuzi yeyote wangu ambaye hana mabakabaka wala madoadoa, au mwana-kondoo ambaye si mweusi, atahesabika ameibwa.”
34Labani akasema, “Ninakubali na iwe kama ulivyosema.” 35Siku ile ile Yakobo akawaondoa beberu wote waliokuwa na mistari au madoadoa na mbuzi wake wote waliokuwa na mistari au madoadoa (wote waliokuwa na alama nyeupe juu yao) na wana-kondoo weusi wote, akawaweka chini ya uangalizi wa wanawe. 36Kisha Labani akamwacha Yakobo kwa mwendo wa safari ya siku tatu kati yake na Yakobo, wakati Yakobo akiendelea kuchunga lile kundi la Labani lililobaki.
3730:37 Yer 1:11Hata hivyo, Yakobo, akachukua fito mbichi zilizokatwa wakati huo huo za miti ya mlubna, mlozi na mwaramoni akazibambua ili mistari myeupe ionekane katika fito hizo. 3830:38 Kut 2:16Kisha akaweka fito alizozibambua kwenye mabirika yote ya kunyweshea mifugo, ili ziwe mbele ya makundi walipokuja kunywa maji. Wanyama walipokuja kunywa maji, hali wakiwa wanahitaji mbegu, 39wakapandwa hizo fito zikiwa mbele yao. Wanyama waliopata mimba mbele ya hizo fito walizaa wanyama wenye mistari, madoadoa na mabakabaka. 40Yakobo akawatenga wadogo wa kundi peke yao, lakini akazielekeza nyuso za hao waliobaki kwenye wale wenye mistari na weusi waliokuwa mali ya Labani. Hivyo akatenga makundi yake mwenyewe, na wala hakuwachanganya na wanyama wa Labani. 41Kila mara wanyama wenye nguvu walipohitaji mbegu, Yakobo aliweka zile fito kwenye mabirika mbele ya hao wanyama, ili wapandwe karibu na hizo fito, 42lakini ikiwa wanyama walikuwa wadhaifu hakuziweka hizo fito. Hivyo wanyama wadhaifu wakawa wa Labani, na wanyama wenye nguvu wakawa wa Yakobo. 4330:43 Mwa 12:16Kwa njia hii Yakobo akastawi sana, tena akawa na makundi makubwa, watumishi wa kike na wa kiume na ngamia na punda.
1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’
2Jacob became angry with her and said, ‘Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?’
3Then she said, ‘Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.’
4So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6Then Rachel said, ‘God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.’ Because of this she named him Dan.30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
7Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8Then Rachel said, ‘I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.’ So she named him Naphtali.30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11Then Leah said, ‘What good fortune!’30:11 Or ‘A troop is coming!’ So she named him Gad.30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
12Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13Then Leah said, ‘How happy I am! The women will call me happy.’ So she named him Asher.30:13 Asher means happy.
14During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.’
15But she said to her, ‘Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?’
‘Very well,’ Rachel said, ‘he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.’
16So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. ‘You must sleep with me,’ she said. ‘I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ So he slept with her that night.
17God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18Then Leah said, ‘God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.’ So she named him Issachar.30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
19Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20Then Leah said, ‘God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honour, because I have borne him six sons.’ So she named him Zebulun.30:20 Zebulun probably means honour.
21Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, ‘God has taken away my disgrace.’ 24She named him Joseph,30:24 Joseph means may he add. and said, ‘May the Lord add to me another son.’
Jacob’s flocks increase
25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me on my way so that I can go back to my own homeland. 26Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.’
27But Laban said to him, ‘If I have found favour in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.’ 28He added, ‘Name your wages, and I will pay them.’
29Jacob said to him, ‘You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?’
31‘What shall I give you?’ he asked.
‘Don’t give me anything,’ Jacob replied. ‘But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-coloured lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-coloured, will be considered stolen.’
34‘Agreed,’ said Laban. ‘Let it be as you have said.’ 35That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-coloured lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-coloured animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so that they would mate near the branches, 42but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
