Genesis 30

²For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.

³¹When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

¹¹And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

³⁰A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

³for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

²So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

³Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”

¹⁹But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

⁵But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the Lord had closed her womb.

³⁶Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me?

²³He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

¹²Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?

²So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

³So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

¹¹“We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the Lord make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

²²While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

¹⁰and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”

²⁴Moreover, Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

²He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

¹¹This is what the Lord says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight.

¹Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,

⁵⁹You have seen, O Lord, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!

¹Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.

²⁴Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O Lord my God, and do not let them gloat over me.

¹⁶Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

²⁵The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

³²And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon.

²⁴So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

²⁵When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled.

²¹Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

⁶“Listen to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”

¹³Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

²³Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the Lord; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”

²⁵The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

⁴So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

³⁵And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

¹⁷And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.

³So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

¹⁹Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

²⁰Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.

²¹He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the Lord’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”

¹¹But you who forsake the Lord, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

²⁶And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

¹⁶The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

⁴⁸For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

²⁶And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

²⁰Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

⁹but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well:

¹⁷The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

¹³The mandrakes send forth a fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, new as well as old, that I have treasured up for you, my beloved.

³⁰He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

¹³Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us?

³I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

⁹Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?

¹⁰He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.

¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?

⁴⁷And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were.

⁷The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

²⁰So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

²⁶“Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.

²⁷I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him,

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

²²Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,

⁶Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

¹⁴Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

¹⁵He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

²³The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

¹⁸Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.

¹³The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

³²From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

¹³Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

²³The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

¹³Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

¹⁴Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.

¹⁰where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

¹⁴The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.

²When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

²⁶They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.

¹⁵These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.

³¹When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

⁹He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!

¹⁹The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the Lord, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.

²⁰So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

²¹Later, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

³Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

¹But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.

²⁵“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

³¹When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

²⁷to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

⁵But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the Lord had closed her womb.

⁶Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her.

¹In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.

²⁴The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

²²Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.

²³The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

²This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

⁸from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.

¹³Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the Lord with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,

¹⁴with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,

⁵⁴Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

⁵⁶But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

³Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.

¹⁵Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹³And there at the top the Lord was standing and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

⁵⁵Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.

³⁰Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.

¹²Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep.

⁶You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

¹⁹Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”

²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her.

³¹“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.

³⁸I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock.

³⁹I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.

²⁴and that night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

⁹Their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

¹³“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”

²¹the Lord was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

²²And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.

²And the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

³When his master saw that the Lord was with him and made him prosper in all he did,

¹⁵Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

¹⁹Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”

⁶You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

³⁸I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock.

³⁹I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.

¹⁸Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.

²²Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.

²³Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men,

⁵and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

⁶And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

⁸If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

¹⁴See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

¹⁰For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

⁴The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.

⁵And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel,

⁸If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.

¹⁰When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

³⁵That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.

²³May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. For the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not extend my hand against the Lord’s anointed.

⁶He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.

³⁷You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.

²¹The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

¹²For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities:

¹⁴In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

⁵I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified.

⁷I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

¹²As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!

²⁹Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”

⁹Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

⁸The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with its beauty.

⁹Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

¹⁰When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

³⁵Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.

³⁶And the Lord gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

⁴⁰As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

³⁸I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock.

⁴²If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

⁹Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

¹⁰When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

¹³and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.

¹⁴He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

³⁵“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

³⁰Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The Lord has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”

²And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.

¹⁶He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

¹¹Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.