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.
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.