1 But Rachel had not borne Jacob any children, and so she became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “I can't take the place of God. He is the one who keeps you from having children.”
3 She said, “Here is my slave Bilhah; sleep with her, so that she can have a child for me. In this way I can become a mother through her.” 4 So she gave Bilhah to her husband, and he had intercourse with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor. He has heard my prayer and has given me a son”; so she named him Dan. 7 Bilhah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “I have fought a hard fight with my sister, but I have won”; so she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah realized that she had stopped having children, she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob as his wife. 10 Then Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “I have been lucky”; so she named him Gad. 12 Zilpah bore Jacob another son, 13 and Leah said, “How happy I am! Now women will call me happy”; so she named him Asher.
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the fields and found mandrakes, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.”
15 Leah answered, “Isn't it enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you are even trying to take away my son's mandrakes.”
Rachel said, “If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”
16 When Jacob came in from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You are going to sleep with me tonight, because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes.” So he had intercourse with her that night.
17 God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave to my husband”; so she named her son Issachar. 19 Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 She said, “God has given me a fine gift. Now my husband will accept me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. 21 Later she bore a daughter, whom she named Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he answered her prayer and made it possible for her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has taken away my disgrace by giving me a son. 24 May the Lord give me another son”; so she named him Joseph.
Jacob's Bargain with Laban
25 After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go, so that I can return home. 26 Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you.”
27 Laban said to him, “Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob answered, “You know how I have worked for you and how your flocks have prospered under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went. Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests.”
31 “What shall I pay you?” Laban asked.
Jacob answered, “I don't want any wages. I will continue to take care of your flocks if you agree to this suggestion: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and take every black lamb and every spotted or speckled young goat. That is all the wages I want. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I have been honest. When you come to check up on my wages, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn't black, you will know that it has been stolen.”
34 Laban answered, “Agreed. We will do as you suggest.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them, 36 and then went away from Jacob with this flock as far as he could travel in three days. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 Jacob got green branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them. 38 He placed these branches in front of the flocks at their drinking troughs. He put them there, because the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 So when the goats bred in front of the branches, they produced young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob kept the sheep separate from the goats and made them face in the direction of the streaked and black animals of Laban's flock. In this way he built up his own flock and kept it apart from Laban's.
41 When the healthy animals were mating, Jacob put the branches in front of them at the drinking troughs, so that they would breed among the branches. 42 But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones. 43 In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.
1 Nu Rahel tja muna kutja ke nakupandukira Jakob ovanatje, arire tja ṱesupa nerumbi re na tja ku Jakob: “Ndji pa ovanatje poo me ṱokukoka!”
2 Jakob arire tja pindikire Rahel na pura a tja: “Ami owami Ndjambi are, ngwe ku pata okumuna ovanatje?”
3 Nu Rahel arire tja tja ku Jakob: “Omukarere wandje omusuko Bilha eye ngo; karare pu ye kutja eye e ndji pandukire omuatje ngu ma rire owandje; komuano mbwi otji me rire ina yomuatje mena re.” 4 Neye opa yandjera omukarere we omusuko Bilha komurumendu we a karare pu ye. 5 Nu Bilha wa rira otjingundi, na pandukire Jakob omuzandu. 6 Rahel opa tjera: “Ndjambi we ndji pe ousemba, nu wina we ndji zuvire ongumbiro yandje ne ndji pe omuzandu.” Neye ope mu rukira Dan. 7 Nomukarere wa Rahel ingwi Bilha wa rira otjingundi rukwao na pandukire Jakob omuzandu outjavari. 8 Rahel arire tja tja: “Ami mba rwa otjirwa otjizeu tjinene nerumbi randje, nungwari ami mba toṋa.” Neye ope mu rukira Naftali.
9 Nu Lea tja muna kutja kena ku muna ovanatje rukwao, wa yandja omukarere we omusuko wena Silpa ku Jakob a rire omukazendu we. 10 Silpa arire tja pandukire Jakob omuzandu. 11 Lea wa tja: “Owami omuṋingandu”, ne mu ruku Gad. 12 Nomukarere wa Lea, Silpa, wa pandukira Jakob omuzandu outjavari. 13 Nu Lea wa tja: “Owami omuṋingandu! Nu nambano ovakazendu mave ndji ruku Omuṋingandu.” Neye ope mu rukire Aser.
14 Nu moruveze rwomakondero wovikokotwa Ruben wa ya mokuti na kamuna ko ovihape vyorusuvero, mbya eterera ku ina Lea. Nu Rahel wa tja ku Lea: “Arikana, ndji pao ko kovihape vyorusuvero vyomuzandu woye.”
15 Lea arire tja ziri a tja: “Kapuwo tji we ndji yeka omurumendu wandje, nu ngunda mo kondjisa okundjiyeka otjihape tjorusuvero tjomuzandu wandje wina are?”
Rahel arire tja tja: “Tji we ndji pe otjihape tjorusuvero tjomuzandu woye, nu mo rara puna Jakob ouṱuku mbuno.”
16 Nu Jakob tja kotoka ongurova okuza mokuti, Lea arire tje mu tjakanene nomambo nga: “Ove rara puna ami ouṱuku mbwi, orondu ami mbe ku randa notjihape tjorusuvero tjomuzandu wandje.” Nu Jakob otja karara pu Lea ouṱuku mbo.
17 Nu Ndjambi wa zuvira ongumbiro ya Lea; neye a rire otjingundi, na pandukire Jakob omuzandu outjatano. 18 Lea arire tja tja: “Ndjambi we ndji pe ondjambi yandje, orondu tji mba yandja omukarere wandje omusuko komurumendu wandje.” Neye we mu ruka Isakar. 19 Nu Lea wa rira otjingundi rukwao na pandukire Jakob omuzandu outjahamboumwe. 20 Lea wa tja: “Ndjambi we ndji pe otjiyandjewa otjiwa; nambano omurumendu wandje eha ma twa pu ami, orondu ami mbe mu pandukira ovazandu hamboumwe.” Eye otje mu ruka Sebulon. 21 Nu kombunda eye we mu pandukira omukazona, ne mu ruku Dina.
22 Ndjambi we rizemburuka na Rahel ne mu zuvire ozongumbiro ze, ne mu pe omuatje. 23 Neye wa rira otjingundi na panduka omuzandu. Neye wa tja: “Ndjambi wa isa po ohoṋi pu ami yokuhinakumuna ovanatje.” 24 Nope mu rukira Josef na tja: “Muhona nge ndji pe omuzandu warwe rukwao.”
Outumbe wa Jakob
25 Kombunda yongwatero ya Josef, Jakob wa tja ku Laban: “Ndji esa mbi tjinde, mbi yaruke kehi retu. 26 Ndji pa ovakazendu mbu mba ungurira pove, novanatje vandje kutja mbi yende. Ove omuini hapo mo tjiwa kutja okuungura kwandje kwa ṱekire pi.”
27 Laban arire tja tja ku ye: “Ndji yandjera okuhungira otjiṋa hi: Ami mba muna kutja Muhona we ndji sera ondaya mena roye.” 28 Tjazumba a hungire komurungu a tja: “Twa ko ondjambi yoye, nami me ku sutu.”
29 Nu Jakob we mu zira a tja: “Ove omuini mo tjiwa kutja mbe ku ungurira vi, nokutja ozonyanda zoye za tumbara tjinene kehi yondjeverero yandje. 30 Orondu ozo za ri ouṱiṱi ngunda ambi hiye ya; nambano za takavara tjinene. Muhona we ku sera ondaya mu avihe, mbi mba tjita. Nu nambano imba ovondjuwo yandje hi keveungurire ruṋe?”
31 Nu Laban wa pura ku Jakob a tja: “Hi ku sute tjike?”
Nu Jakob wa zira nai: “Ami hi nokuvanga ondjambi; ove tji mo tjiti ihi ami tji me hungire, nu ami me ku ṱakamisire ozonyanda zoye komurungu. 32 Ndinondi ami me tuurunga mokati kozonyanda zoye azehe. Me tuku mo ozonyanda azehe ozombinḓe nozombonde; ozondjona azehe ozonḓorozu, nozongombo ozombonde nozombinḓe; inḓa onḓu maze rire ondjambi yandje. 33 Nu ku imbyo kombunda opu mo munine ouṱakame wandje; ove tji weya okutara ondjambi yandje, nami tji mbi nongombo, ndji he ri ombinḓe poo ombonde poo onḓu, ndji he ri onḓorozu, otji mo tjiwa kutja oyo ya vakwa.”
34 Nu Laban wa zira a tja: “Osemba, eṱe matu tjiti nao otja tji wa hungire!” 35 Nungwari eyuva tjingero ndo Laban wa tuka ozongombo ozondume zotuvao nozombonde, nozongombo ozonḓenḓu azehe, nḓa ri ozombinḓe nozombonde, nu nḓa ri nouvara ouvapa; wina wa tuka ozonḓu ozonḓorozu azehe, na twako ovazandu ve okuzetjevera. 36 Laban wa zapo pu Jakob na kayenda oure wondjira yomayuva yetatu nozonyanda ze. Nu Jakob wa ṱakamisa inḓa ozonyanda za Laban, nḓa sewa po.
37 Jakob wa pora otutavi twomaso oruhapo komutjenya nomuvapu nomutete, na tatura mo otuvao otuvapa kutja otutavi tu kare notuvao otuvapa mu two. 38 Eye wa twa itwi otutavi momurungu wozonyanda momatemba omahiriro. Eye we tu twa mbo, tjinga aaze hambwa tji maze ya okunwa. 39 Nozonyanda tjinga aaze hambwa mokati kouti mbo za kwata oungombona wotuvao nouvinḓe noumbonde.
40 Nu Jakob wa tuka inḓa ozonḓu ne ze tarisa ouhunga na inḓa ozombinḓe na inḓa ozonḓorozu mokati kozonyada za Laban; neye we ritjitira otupanda twe peke, ne he ze twa mozonyanda za Laban.
41 Naruhe ozonyanda inḓa omaremba tjiyaze paha okuhambwa, Jakob otjaa twa outi mbo momurungu wozonyanda momatemba omahiriro kutja ze hamberwe pouti mbo. 42 Nungwari eye kaa twa po outi momurungu wozonyanda inḓa nḓa rambuka kutja inḓa ozondambi ze rire oza Laban, nu inḓa ozonḓune ze rire oze. 43 Mokamanga eye wa karira omurumendu omutumbe tjinene. Eye wa ri notupanda otuingi twozonyanda novakarere nozongamero nousino.
