¹ Vidjevši Rahela da Jakovu ne rađa djece, postade zavidna svojoj sestri pa reče Jakovu: "Daj mi djecu! Inače ću svisnuti!"

² Jakov se razljuti na Rahelu te reče. "Zar sam ja namjesto Boga koji ti je uskratio plod utrobe?"

³ A ona odgovori: "Evo moje sluškinje Bilhe: uđi k njoj, pa neka rodi na mojim koljenima, da tako i ja steknem djecu po njoj."

⁴ Dade mu dakle svoju sluškinju Bilhu za ženu, i Jakov priđe k njoj.

⁵ Bilha zače te Jakovu rodi sina.

⁶ Tada Rahela reče: "Jahve mi je dosudio pravo. Uslišao je moj glas i dao mi sina." Stoga mu nadjenu ime Dan.

⁷ Rahelina sluškinja Bilha opet zače i rodi Jakovu drugoga sina.

⁸ Tada Rahela reče: "Žestoko sam se borila sa sestrom, ali sam pobijedila." Tako mu nadjenu ime Naftali.

⁹ A vidjevši Lea da je prestala rađati, uzme svoju sluškinju Zilpu pa je dade Jakovu za ženu.

¹⁰ I kad je Leina sluškinja Zilpa rodila Jakovu sina,

¹¹ Lea uskliknu: "Koje sreće!" Tako mu nadjenu ime Gad.

¹² Leina sluškinja Zilpa rodi Jakovu i drugog sina,

¹³ i Lea opet uskliknu: "Blago meni! Žene će me zvati blaženom!" Tako mu nadjenu ime Ašer.

¹⁴ Jednoga dana, u vrijeme pšenične žetve, namjeri se Ruben u polju na ljubavčice te ih donese svojoj majci Lei. I Rahela reče Lei: "Daj mi od ljubavčica svoga sina!"

¹⁵ A Lea odgovori: "Zar ti nije dosta što si mi oduzela muža pa još hoćeš da od mene uzmeš i ljubavčice moga sina?" Rahela odgovori: "Pa dobro, neka s tobom noćas leži u zamjenu za ljubavčice tvog sina."

¹⁶ Kad je Jakov navečer stigao iz polja, Lea mu iziđe u susret pa reče: "Treba da dođeš k meni, jer sam te unajmila za ljubavčice moga sina." One je noći on s njom ležao.

¹⁷ Bog usliša Leu; ona zače te Jakovu rodi petog sina.

¹⁸ Onda Lea reče: "Bog mi je uzvratio nagradom što sam ustupila svoju sluškinju svome mužu." Stoga sinu nadjenu ime Jisakar.

¹⁹ Lea opet zače i rodi Jakovu šestoga sina.

²⁰ Onda Lea reče: "Bog me obdari dragocjenim darom; sada će mi moj muž dati darove: tÓa rodila sam mu šest sinova." Tako mu nadjenu ime Zebulun.

²¹ Zatim rodi kćer te joj nadjenu ime Dina.

²² Uto se Bog sjeti Rahele: Bog je usliša i otvori njezinu utrobu.

²³ Ona zače i rodi sina te reče: "Ukloni Bog moju sramotu!"

²⁴ Nadjene mu ime Josip, rekavši: "Neka mi Jahve pridoda drugog sina!"

²⁵ Pošto je Rahela rodila Josipa, Jakov reče Labanu: "Pusti me da idem u svoj zavičaj!

²⁶ Daj mi moje žene za koje sam te služio i moju djecu da mogu otići: tÓa dobro znaš kako sam te služio."

²⁷ A Laban mu odgovori: "Ne idi, ako si mi prijatelj. Znam da me Jahve blagoslivljao zbog tebe."

²⁸ I nadoda: "Odredi plaću koju želiš od mene, i dat ću ti."

²⁹ On mu odgovori: "Ti dobro znaš što je moja služba značila za te i kako je tvome blagu bilo sa mnom.

³⁰ Malenkost što si je imao prije nego sam ja došao povećala se vrlo mnogo, jer kuda god sam prolazio Jahve te blagoslivljao na mojim koracima. A sad je vrijeme da poradim i za svoj dom."

³¹ On upita: "Koliko da ti platim?" Jakov odgovori: "Nemoj mi platiti ništa! Ako mi učiniš ovo, opet ću na pašu goniti i čuvati tvoje stado.

³² Daj da prođem danas kroz tvoje stado i od njega izlučim svaku garavu ovcu i svaku šarenu ili napruganu kozu! Neka to bude moja plaća!

³³ A ubuduće kad budeš svojim očima provjeravao moju naplatu, moje će poštenje biti svjedok za mene: nađe li se među mojim kozama ijedna koja ne bude šarena ili naprugana, ili među ovcama koja ne bi bila garava, neka se smatra ukradenom!"

³⁴ Laban reče: "Dobro, neka bude kako si kazao."

³⁵ Ali toga dana Laban izluči naprugane i šarene jarce i sve riđaste i šarene koze - svaku koja je na sebi imala bijelo - i sve garave ovce pa ih preda svojim sinovima.

³⁶ I odande gdje je Jakov pasao ostatak Labanova stada udalji se za koja tri dana hoda.

³⁷ A Jakov uzme zelenih mladica od topola, badema i platana; na njima izreza bijele pruge, otkrivši bjeliku na mladicama.

³⁸ Pruće tako isprugano postavi u korita, u pojila iz kojih se stoka napajala. A kako se stoka parila kad je na vodu dolazila,

³⁹ to su se jarci parili uz pruće, pa su koze kozile prugaste, riđaste i šarene kozliće.

⁴⁰ Tako je i ovce Jakov bio izlučio i glave im okrenuo prema prugastima ili posve garavima što su bile u Labanovu stadu. Tako je za se namicao posebna stada koja nije miješao s Labanovim stadima.

⁴¹ Osim toga, kad bi se god dobro uzrasla stoka parila, Jakov bi stavio pruće u korita, baš pred oči živine, tako da se pari pred prućem.

⁴² Ali ga pred kržljavu marvu nije stavljao. Tako je kržljava zapadala Labana, a dobro razvijena Jakova.

⁴³ Čovjek se tako silno obogatio, stekao mnogu stoku, sluge i sluškinje, deve i magarad.

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

² He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

³ There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.

⁴ Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

⁶ He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷ He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸ They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

⁹ While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

¹⁰ It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

¹⁴ Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

²⁰ Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

²² Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

²³ It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

²⁴ Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

²⁶ Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷ Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

²⁸ Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

²⁹ Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

³² Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."

³³ She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.

³⁴ She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.

³⁵ She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.