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!”

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “ Give me children, or else I die.”

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

Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

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.”

She said, “ Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.”

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

So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

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

Bilhah conceived 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.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore 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.

Rachel’s maid Bilhah 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.

So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And 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 stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

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

Leah’s maid Zilpah 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, “ How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

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

Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a 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.

Then Leah said, “ Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So 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 in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me 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 she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return 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.

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

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

God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a 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.

Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

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

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

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 gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

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

Afterward she bore a daughter and named 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 God gave heed to her and opened her womb.

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

So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

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

She named him Joseph, saying, “ May the Lord give me another son.” Jacob Prospers

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.

Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “ Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own 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 depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered 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.”

But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.”

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

He continued, “ Name me your wages, 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.

But he said to him, “ You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle 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 to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household 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.

So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep 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 your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs 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 my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.”

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

Laban said, “ Good, let it be according to your word.”

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.

So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care 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 put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

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.

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was 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.

He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink.

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

So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, 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 made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them 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.

Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by 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 flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler 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.

So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.