1 W hen Rachel saw that she had not given birth to any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I am going to die!”

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die!

2 T hen Jacob became angry with Rachel. He said, “Am I taking God’s place, Who has kept you from giving birth?”

And Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children?

3 T hen she said, “Here is Bilhah, the woman who serves me. Go in to her, and let her give birth for me. Even I may have children through her.”

And she said, See here, take my maid Bilhah and have intercourse with her; and she shall deliver it upon my knees, that I by her may also have children.

4 S o she gave Bilhah to him for a wife, the woman who served her. And Jacob went in to her.

And she gave him Bilhah her maid as a wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her.

5 B ilhah was going to have a child and she gave birth to a son.

And Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son.

6 T hen Rachel said, “God has done the right thing for me. He has heard my voice and has given me a son.” So she gave him the name Dan.

And Rachel said, God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son; so she named him Dan.

7 B ilhah, the woman who served Rachel, was going to have another child. And she gave birth to another son for Jacob.

And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 S o Rachel said, “I have fought a hard fight with my sister, and I have won.” She gave him the name Naphtali.

And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings I have struggled with my sister and have prevailed; so she named him Naphtali.

9 L eah saw that she had stopped giving birth. So she took Zilpah, the woman who served her, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

When Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she gave Zilpah her maid to Jacob as a wife.

10 A nd a son was born to Jacob through Zilpah, the woman who served Leah.

And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son.

11 T hen Leah said, “Good things have happened to me!” So she gave him the name Gad.

Then Leah said, Victory and good fortune have come; and she named him Gad.

12 A second son was born to Jacob through Zilpah, the woman who served Leah.

Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob second son.

13 T hen Leah said, “I am happy! For women will say that I am happy.” So she gave him the name Asher.

And Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher.

14 D uring the time of gathering grain, Reuben went out in the field and found some fruit. He brought it to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s fruit.”

Now Reuben went at the time of wheat harvest and found some mandrakes (love apples) in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray you, some of your son’s mandrakes.

15 B ut Leah said, “Is it not enough to take my husband? Would you take my son’s fruit also?” So Rachel said, “Jacob may lie with you tonight if you give me your son’s fruit.”

But answered, Is it not enough that you have taken my husband without your taking away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Jacob shall sleep with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.

16 W hen Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went to meet him. She said, “You must sleep with me tonight. For I have paid for you with my son’s fruit.” So he lay with her that night.

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, You must sleep with me, for I have certainly paid your hire with my son’s mandrakes. So he slept with her that night.

17 A nd God heard Leah and she gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

And God heeded Leah’s, and she conceived and bore Jacob fifth son.

18 L eah said, “God has given me my pay because I gave my husband the woman who serves me.” So she gave him the name Issachar.

Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar.

19 L eah was going to have another child and she gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

And Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob sixth son.

20 T hen Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will live with me, because I have given birth to six sons.” So she gave him the name of Zebulun.

Then Leah said, God has endowed me with a good marriage gift; now will he dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she named him Zebulun.

21 L ater she gave birth to a daughter, and gave her the name Dinah.

Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her Dinah.

22 T hen God remembered Rachel. God listened to her, and made her able to have a child,

Then God remembered Rachel and answered her pleading and made it possible for her to have children.

23 a nd she gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.”

And she became pregnant and bore a son; and she said, God has taken away my reproach, disgrace, and humiliation.

24 S he gave him the name Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”

And she called his name Joseph and said, May the Lord add to me another son.

25 W hen Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so I may go to my own place and my own country.

When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my own place and country.

26 G ive me my wives and my children for whom I have served. Let me leave, for you know how much I have served you.”

Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the work which I have done for you.

27 B ut Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me. I have learned that the Lord has brought good to me because of you.”

And Laban said to him, If I have found favor in your sight, I pray you; for I have learned by experience and from the omens in divination that the Lord has favored me with blessings on your account.

28 T hen he said, “Tell me what you want to be paid, and I will pay it.”

He said, State your salary and I will give it.

29 J acob said to him, “You know how much I have served you and how I have cared for your cattle.

Jacob answered him, You know how I have served you, and how your possessions, your cattle and sheep and goats, have fared with me.

30 F or you had little before I came. But now it has become very much. The Lord has brought good to you everywhere I turned. But when will I be able to give much to those of my own house also?”

For you had little before I came, and it has increased and multiplied abundantly; and the Lord has favored you with blessings wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own house also?

31 L aban said, “What should I pay you?” Jacob said, “Do not pay me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again feed and take care of your flock.

said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me anything, if you will do this one thing for me, and I will again feed and take care of your flock.

32 L et me go through your whole flock today. Let me take out of it every sheep and every goat that has spots, and every black lamb. These will be my pay.

Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted animal and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

33 S o my fair actions will answer for me later, when you come to look at what I have been paid. If you find any sheep or goat without spots or any lamb that is not black, you may think of them as stolen.”

So later when the matter of my wages is brought before you, my fair dealing will be evident and answer for me. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the sheep, if found with me, shall be counted as stolen.

34 A nd Laban said, “Good! Let it be done as you say.”

And Laban said, Good; let it be done as you say.

35 T hat day Laban took out all the male goats with spots and all the female goats with spots, every one with white on it, and every black sheep. And he put them into the care of his sons.

But that same day removed the he-goats that were streaked and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every black lamb, and put them in charge of his sons.

36 T hen he traveled three days away from Jacob. And Jacob was left to care for the rest of Laban’s flocks.

And he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob was then left in care of the rest of Laban’s flock.

37 T hen Jacob took green sticks of three kinds of trees. And he cut white marks in them, showing the white which was in the sticks.

But Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white in the rods.

38 H e took these sticks which he had cut and set them in front of the flocks, in the place where the flocks came to drink. And the animals mated when they came to drink.

Then he set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred and conceived when they came to drink,

39 S o the flocks mated in front of the sticks. And the young that were born had spots.

The flocks bred and conceived in sight of the rods and brought forth lambs and kids streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 T hen Jacob divided the lambs. He made the flocks look toward Laban’s flock of the animals which were black or with spots. And he put his own flocks by themselves. He did not put them with Laban’s flock.

Jacob separated the lambs, and he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves by themselves and did not let them breed with Laban’s flock.

41 W hen the stronger animals of the flock were mating, Jacob would put the sticks in the water in front of the flock so they would mate by the sticks.

And whenever the stronger animals were breeding, Jacob laid the rods in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed and conceive among the rods.

42 B ut when the flock was weak, Jacob did not put the sticks in. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones went to Jacob.

But when the sheep and goats were feeble, he omitted putting the rods there; so the feebler animals were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 J acob became very rich. He had large flocks and camels and donkeys, and men and women servants.

Thus the man increased and became exceedingly rich, and had many sheep and goats, and maidservants, menservants, camels, and donkeys.