1 Raquel, vendo que não dava filhos a Jacó, teve inveja de sua irmã: "Dá-me filhos, disse ela ao seu marido, senão morro!"2 E Jacó irritou-se com ela. "Acaso, disse ele, posso eu pôr-me no lugar de Deus que te recusou a fecundidade?"3 Ela respondeu: "Eis minha serva Bala: toma-a. Que ela dê à luz sobre os meus joelhos e assim, por ela, terei também filhos."4 Deu-lhe, pois, por mulher sua escrava Bala, da qual se aproximou Jacó.5 Bala concebeu e deu à luz um filho a Jacó.6 Disse então Raquel: "Deus fez-me justiça. Ele ouviu minha voz e deu-me um filho." Por isso ela o chamou Dã.7 Bala, escrava de Raquel, concebeu de novo e deu à luz um segundo filho a Jacó.8 Raquel disse: "Lutei contra minha irmã junto de Deus, e venci!" E deu ao menino o nome de Neftali.9 Lia, vendo que não concebia mais, tomou sua escrava Zelfa e deu-a por mulher a Jacó.10 Zelfa, escrava de Lia, deu à luz um filho a Jacó.11 Lia disse: "Que sorte!" E chamou-o Gad.12 Zelfa, escrava de Lia, deu à luz um segundo filho a Jacó.13 Lia disse: "Que felicidade! As mulheres me chamarão ditosa." E chamou-o Aser.14 Um dia, por ocasião da ceifa, Rubem saiu ao campo e, tendo encontrado umas mandrágoras, levou-as à sua mãe Lia. Raquel disse a Lia: "Rogo-te que me dês as mandrágoras do teu filho."15 Lia respondeu: "Já não é bastante o teres tomado meu marido, para que queiras ainda as mandrágoras do meu filho?" "Pois bem, tornou Raquel, em troca das mandrágoras do teu filho, que ele durma contigo esta noite."16 À noite, quando Jacó voltou do campo, Lia saiu-lhe ao encontro: "Vem comigo, disse-lhe ela, eu te aluguei em troca das mandrágoras do meu filho." E Jacó dormiu com ela aquela noite.17 Deus ouviu Lia, que concebeu e deu à luz um quinto filho a Jacó.18 "Deus, disse ela, recompensou-me por eu ter dado minha escrava ao meu marido." E o chamou Issacar.19 Lia concebeu ainda e deu à luz um sexto filho a Jacó.20 E disse: "Deus deu-me um belo presente; agora meu marido habitará comigo, pois que lhe dei à luz seis filhos." E o chamou Zabulon.21 Depois disso, deu à luz uma filha, a quem chamou Dina.22 Lembrou-se Deus de Raquel, ouviu-a e tornou-a fecunda.23 Raquel concebeu e deu à luz um filho. "Deus, disse ela, tirou o meu opróbrio."24 E chamou-o José, dizendo: "Dê-me o Senhor ainda outro filho!"25 Tendo Raquel dado à luz José, Jacó disse a Labão: "Deixa-me partir para a minha casa, na minha terra.26 Dá-me minhas mulheres e meus filhos, pelos quais te servi, a fim de que eu me vá; tu sabes quanto tempo servi em tua casa."27 Labão respondeu-lhe: "Se achei graça aos teus olho... reconheço que o Senhor me abençoou por causa de ti.28 Fixa-me o que devo dar-te, ajuntou ele, e dar-te-ei."29 Jacó disse-lhe: "Tu sabes como te tenho servido, e como aumentaram os teus rebanhos graças a mim.30 Tinhas pouca coisa, antes de minha chegada, e tudo aumentou depois. O Senhor abençoou-te a cada um dos meus passos. Agora, quanto a mim, quando trabalharei eu para minha casa?"31 "Que te hei de dar?", disse Labão. Jacó respondeu: "Não me darás nada. Se aceitas o que te vou propor, continuarei a apascentar e guardar o teu rebanho.32 Vou hoje passar pelo meio de todos os teus rebanhos e pôr à parte, entre os cordeiros, todo o animal manchado, malhado ou negro, e entre as cabras, tudo o que é manchado ou malhado: isto será o meu salário.33 Minha justiça testemunhará em meu favor para o futuro, quando vieres verificar o meu salário: tudo o que não for malhado ou manchado entre as cabras e negro entre os cordeiros, considerar-se-á como roubado."34 "Está bem, disse Labão, seja como dizes."35 Naquele mesmo dia, pôs ele à parte os bodes malhados e manchados, todas as cabras malhadas ou manchadas, todas aquelas que estavam marcadas de branco, e todos os cordeiros negros; confiou-os aos seus filhos,36 e pôs à distância de três dias de jornada entre ele e Jacó, o qual apascentava o resto do rebanho de Labão.37 Jacó tomou então varas verdes de álamo, de amendoeira e de plátano; tirou-lhes parte da casca, fazendo faixas brancas e deixando a nu o samo.38 Colocou as varas assim preparadas sob os olhos das ovelhas, nas pias e nos bebedouros onde vinham beber. Indo a beber, entravam em calor.39 E como entrassem no calor do coito diante dessas varas, concebiam cordeiros riscados, manchados e malhados.40 Jacó punha-os à parte, e voltava a face dos animais para o que era malhado e negro no rebanho de Labão. Constituiu assim rebanhos para si, que não se misturaram aos de Labão.41 Além disso, Jacó só punha suas varas nos bebedouros sob os olhos das ovelhas em calor, a fim de que seu coito se fizesse perto das varas, quando se tratava de ovelhas vigorosas.42 Quando eram fracas, não punha as varas, de sorte que os cordeiros raquíticos eram para Labão e os vigorosos para ele.43 Este homem tornou-se assim extremamente rico, e teve muitos rebanhos, escravas e escravos, camelos e jumentos.

1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, and if not, I die.2 And 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?3 And she said, Behold, here is my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for wife, and Jacob went in unto her.5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.7 And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.8 And Rachel said, Contests of God have I contended with my sister, I have also prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.9 When Leah now saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her to Jacob for wife.10 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a son.11 And Leah said, Good luck hath come: and she called his name Gad.12 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore a second son unto Jacob.13 And Leah said, To my happiness; for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.14 And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and he brought them unto Leah his mother; then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, some of thy son’s mandrakes.15 And she said unto her, Is it not enough that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldst thou also take away my son’s mandrakes? And Rachel said, Therefore shall he be with thee to–night for thy son’s mandrakes.16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Unto me thou must come in; for surely I have obtained thee as a reward with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.18 And Leah said, God hath given me my reward, because I have given my maid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.19 And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son unto Jacob.20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun.21 And afterward she bore a daughter, and she called her name Dinah.22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.23 And she conceived, and bore a son; and she said, God hath taken away my reproach.24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, The Lord shall add to me another son.25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place, and to my country.26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service with which I have served thee.27 And Laban said unto him, If I could but find favor in thy eyes; I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give them.29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and what thy cattle hath become with me.30 For it was a little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased into a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming; and now when shall I provide also for my own house?31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me the least; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:32 I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted lamb, and every brown lamb among the sheep, and whatever is spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be after this my reward.33 And my righteousness shall testify for me in time to come, when it shall come with my reward 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.34 And Laban said, Well, let it be according to thy word.35 And he removed on that day the he–goats that were ring–streaked and spotted, and all the she–goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white on it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.36 And he put a space of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the flocks of Laban that were left.37 And Jacob took himself rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and peeled thereon white streaks, laying bare the white which was on the rods.38 And he set the rods which he had peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink, just before the flocks, and where they conceived, when they came to drink.39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth ring–streaked, speckled, and spotted.40 And these lambs did Jacob separate, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring–streaked, and whatever was brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban’s cattle.41 And 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.42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler belonged to Laban, and the stronger to Jacob.43 And the man increased exceedingly, and he had many flocks, and maid–servants, and men–servants, and camels, and asses.