Problems between Rachel and Leah
1 Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me some children!”
2 But Jacob became upset with Rachel and answered, “Don't blame me! I'm not God.”
3 “Here, take my servant Bilhah,” Rachel told him. “Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine.”
4 Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah, 5 and they had a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, because she said, “God has answered my prayers. He judged in my favor and has given me a son.” 7 When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son, 8 Rachel said, “I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!” So she named the boy Naphtali.
9 When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah, 10 and they had a son. 11 “I'm really lucky,” Leah said, and she named the boy Gad. 12 When they had another son, 13 Leah exclaimed, “I'm happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am.” So she named him Asher.
Love Flowers
14 During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them, 15 but Leah said, “It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too.”
“All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”
16 That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, “You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers.”
They slept together that night, 17 and God answered Leah's prayers by giving her a fifth son. 18 Leah shouted, “God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant,” and she named the boy Issachar.
19 When Leah had another son, 20 she exclaimed, “God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons.” So she named the boy Zebulun. 21 Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22-23 Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. “God has taken away my disgrace,” she said. 24 “I'll name the boy Joseph, and I'll pray that the Lord will give me another son.”
Jacob and Laban
25 After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreement and let me return to my own country. 26 You know how hard I've worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”
27-28 But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
29 Jacob answered:
You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. 30 You didn't have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.
31 “How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked.
Then Jacob told him:
I don't want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I'll take care of your sheep and goats. 32 Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I've been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren't, they've been stolen from you.
34 “I agree to that,” was Laban's response. 35 Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them. 36 Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days' journey.
37 Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled. 38 Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there 39 in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled.
40 Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.
41 When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there. 42 But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left. 43 Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.
1 Rahele kati ebona kuti aatowanila Jakubo bana kathamila nkulu uwe fupa. Ngono kadwa Jakubo kati, “Mundipe bana, kuzhe kwa ikoko, ndowofa.”
2 Jakubo kagwadzila moyo Rahele kati kunli, “Apa ndimu tjimo tje Ndzimu iwo wakathama kuti usibe ne bana kene?”
3 Rahele kabe eti, “Bhiliha nlandakadzi wangu woyu, nginani naye mu ng'umba ndizo andiwanile bana kuti namibo ndibake nsha.” 4 Ndizo kampa nlandakadzi uwe Bhiliha kube nkadzi. Jakubo kangina naye mu ng'umba 5 ngono kazwisenga kan'wanila mwana we tjilisana. 6 Rahele kabe eti, “Ndzimu wandikumbula, wahwa kukumbila kwangu ukandipa mwana we tjilisana.” Ngekwa ikoku kampa zina eti Dani. 7 Nlandakadzi wa Rahele Bhiliha katola ntumbu kakale ngono kawanila Jakubo mwana we tjilisana. 8 Ipapo Rahele kati, “Ndagwisana kwazo ne nkulu wangu ngono ndakunda.” Ndizo kampa zina kati Nafutali.
9 Kukati Liya ebona kuti aatjawana bana katola nlandakadzi uwe Zilipa kampa Jakubo kube nkadzi. 10 Zilipa nlanda wa Liya kawanila Jakubo mwana we tjilisana. 11 Ipapo Liya kati, “Ndina phazha seni!” Ndizo kantumila kati Gadi. 12 Zilipa nlanda wa Liya kawanila Jakubo mwana we tjilisana we bubili. 13 Ngono Liya kati, “Ndashatha seni! Bakadzi banowondidana kushatha.” Ndizo kantumila eti Asheri.
14 Kukati mu nsi we kuvungwa koroni, Rubheni kabhuda kayenda mu shango ngono kawana malolo kabuya nawo kuna mmeyabe Liya. Rahele kati kuna Liya, “Ndokumbila kuti undipebo mamwe e malolo e mwana uwo.”
15 Liya kadabila eti, “Kanti auzogutshika nge kunditolela nlume wangu? Ngono ngwenu woshokotola ne malolo e mwanangu kene?”
Rahele kabe eti, “Kwakalulwama ungalala nawe busiku igogu kumisa malolo e mwana uwo.”
16 Ndizo kukati Jakubo ebuya madekwana edwa ku shango, Liya kabhuda kunonshanganidza. Ngono kandwa kati, “Nasi monolala kundili ngoti ndamutapa nge malolo e mwanangu.” Ndizo kanolala naye busiku igogo.
17 Ndzimu ukahwa Liya kazwisenga kawanila Jakubo mwana we tjilisana we bushanu. 18 Liya kabe eti, “Ndzimu wandipa mbhayilo ngoti ndapa nlume wangu nlandakadzi wangu.” Ndizo kantumila eti Isakari. 19 Liya kazwisenga kakale kawanila Jakubo mwana we tjilisana we butathatu. 20 Ngono kabe eti, “Ndzimu wandipa tjipo tjakanaka. Tjibaka tjino nlume wangu unowonditeta ngekuti ndan'wanila bakololo bali tathatu.” Ndizo kantumila kati Zebuluni. 21 Shule kwe tjibaka kawana mwana we tjianadana kantumila kati Dina.
22 Ndzimu ukakumbula Rahele ukan'dabila ukanthama kuti abe ne mbeleko awane bana. 23 Kazwisenga ngono kawana mwana we tjilisana ndizo kabe eti, “Ndzimu wandidusa shoni.” 24 Kantumila zina kati Josefa ngono kabe eti, “Yahwe ngabandipaphidzile nge mmwe mmbisana.”
Tjidumano tja Jakubo na Labani
25 Kwakati Rahele asinotshibama Josefa, Jakubo kadwa Labani kati, “Imani nditjiyenda ndibgwilile kanyi kwedu ku shango ya kanyi kwedu. 26 Tjindipani bakadzi bangu ne bana bangu bandakashingila ndizo ndiyende. Moziba kuti ndakamushingila ku ngapani.”
27 Koga Labani iye kati kunli, “Ndokumbila kuti ha kuamutjilika gala usiyende. Ndakabona kuti Yahwe bakandikombolela nge kuko. 28 Leba mbhailo waunoshaka ndowokupa iwo.”
29 Jakubo kabe endwa eti, “Moziba kuti ndakamushingila tjini ne kuti zwithuwo zwenyu moziba kuti ndakazwitjengeta zubuyanana kungapani. 30 Ndakati ndiswika pano makabe muna zwithuwo zwishomanana, koga ngwenu zwawanda kwazo. Yahwe bakamukombolela pamwe ne pamwe pandakabepo. Ngono ngwenu imi nsha wangu ndowoushingila lini?”
31 Labani kabhuzwa kati, “Ndikupeni?”
Jakubo kadabila eti, “Musindipe tjimwe. Ha mungadumana ne tjandinokumbila ndingadwilila ndilisa zwithuwo zwenyu. 32 Imani ndipalame pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzenyu dzose nasi nditheule pkhwizana imwe ne imwe ina manjanja ne ina mibala ne thema ne mbudzi imwe ne imwe ina manjanja ne mibala. Ndidzo dzinowobe mbhailo wangu. 33 Kugalikabgwe kwangu ndiko kunowondimila tjibaka tjimwe ne tjimwe muzha kuwobona mbhailo wangu. Mbudzi imwe ne imwe yandinowobe ndi nayo isina mabala kene manjanja, kene pkhwizi imwe ne imwe isi thema kowotogwa kuti ndaikwiba.”
34 Labani kadabila eti, “Kwakalulwama. Ngakube sekwa waleba.” 35 Mu zhuba ilelo Labani katheula mbudzi ndume dzose dzakabe dzina mizila kene mibala ne hadzi dzose dzakabe dzina manjanja ne mibala ne pkhwizana thema dzose kadzipa bana babe kuti badzitjengete. 36 Ipapo kazwithubukanya na Jakubo thambo inolizana gwendo gwe mazhuba matatu. Jakubo kasala elisa zwithuwo zwa Labani zwakasala.
37 Jakubo katola thabi nyolo dze mpopula ne dze alimondi ne mpulane kadzithama mizila mitjena nge kudzisubula makwati etjuluka mamwe esubula etjuluka kusala kuna mizila mitema ne mizila mitjena. 38 Kabe ebiga thabi idzedzo dzakasubugwa pa migoro inong'wisigwa zwithuwo vula kuti ilingisane ne zwithuwo ha zwizha kung'wa. 39 Ndizo zwithuwo zwikakwiigwa zwili mbeli kwe thabi idzedzi ngono zwikazwala bana bana mizila ne manjanja ne zwibadzi.
40 Jakubo katheula pkhwizana ngono kathama kuti zwithuwo zwasala zwilingisane ne zwithuwo zwa Labani zwina mizila ne zwitema. Ndizo kathubukanya zwithuwo zwizwe ne zwa Labani.
41 Kwakabe kuti zwithuwo zwakasima zwikwiigwa, Jakubo ebiga thabi pa migoro mbeli kwe zwithuwo kuti zwikwiigwe pejo ne thabi. 42 Koga kwakabe kuti akukwiigwa zwithuwo zwisakasima asingabige thabi pazwili. Ndizo zwithuwo zwisakasima zwikabe zwa Labani zwakasima zwikabe zwa Jakubo. 43 Nge zila yakajali, Jakubo kafuma kabe ne zwithuwo zwinjinji ne balandakadzi ne balandalume ne kamela ne madonki.