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, Rachel envied her sister, and 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?”

And Jacob’s anger was aroused 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.”

So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”

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

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

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

And 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 judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name 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 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.

Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name 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 Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

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

And 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, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.

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

And 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, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name 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 in the days of wheat harvest 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 that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie 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.

When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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.” And he lay with her that night.

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

And God listened 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.

Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

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

Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a 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.

And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

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

Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name 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 listened to her and opened her womb.

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

And 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.”

So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.” Jacob’s Agreement with Laban

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.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my 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 my service 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, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.”

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

Then he said, “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.

So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been 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 what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”

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 thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:

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 there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these 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 righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”

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

And Laban said, “Oh, that it were 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 that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand 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.

Then he put 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.

Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed 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.

And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive 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 conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth 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.

Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves 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.

And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might 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 flocks were 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.

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