1 Now when Rachel saw that AGen 29:31she bore Jacob no children, 1Lit Rachelshe became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “B1 Sam 1:5, 6Give me children, or else I die.” 2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has AGen 20:18; 29:31withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 She said, “AGen 16:2Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may BGen 50:23; Job 3:12bear on my knees, that 1Lit from her I too may be builtAGen 16:2through her I too may have children.” 4 So AGen 16:3, 4she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has 1Lit judgedAPs 35:24; 43:1; Lam 3:59vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him 2I.e. He judgedDan. 7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With 1Lit wrestlings of Godmighty wrestlings I have 2Heb niphtal, related to Naphtaliwrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “1Lit With fortune! Some versions read Fortune has comeHow fortunate!” So she named him 2I.e. FortuneGad. 12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “1Lit With my happiness!Happy am I! For women ALuke 1:48will call me happy.” So she named him 2I.e. happyAsher.

14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found ASong 7:13mandrakes 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 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 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 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my 1Heb sachar, related to Issacharwages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband 1Heb zabal, related to Zebulun. Some translate will honorwill dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then A1 Sam 1:19, 20God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and BGen 29:31opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has AIs 4:1; Luke 1:25taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “AGen 35:17May the Loʀᴅ 1Lit add to me; Heb Josephgive me another son.”

25 Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “AGen 24:54, 56Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26  “Give me my wives and my children AGen 29:18, 20, 27; Hos 12:12for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have 1Lit servedrendered you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If now 1Lit I have found favor in your eyesit pleases you, stay with me; I have divined AGen 26:24; 39:3, 5; Is 61:9that the Loʀᴅ has blessed me on your account.” 28 He 1Lit saidcontinued, “AGen 29:15; 31:7, 41Name me your wages, and I will give it.” 29 But he said to him, “AGen 31:6You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have 1Lit beenfared with me. 30  “For you had little before 1Lit meI came and it has 2Lit broken forthincreased to a multitude, and the Loʀᴅ has blessed you 3Lit at my footwherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 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 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every AGen 31:8speckled and spotted sheep and every black 1Lit sheepone among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33  “So my 1Lit righteousnesshonesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my 2Lit wages which are before youwages. 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 Laban said, “1Lit Behold, would that it might beGood, let it be according to your word.” 35 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 1Lit handcare of his sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob 1Lit took to himselftook fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was 2Lit onin the rods. 38 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 1Or conceivedmated when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks 1Or conceivedmated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob separated the lambs, and 1Lit set the facesmade 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 Moreover, whenever the 1Lit bound ones; i.e. firm and compactstronger of the flock 2Or conceivedwere mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might 3Or conceivemate by the rods; 42 but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the 1Lit bound ones; i.e. firm and compactstronger Jacob’s. 43 So AGen 12:16; 13:2; 24:35; 26:13, 14; 30:30the man 1Lit broke forthbecame exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.