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1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”

2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s stead, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3 And she said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”

4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for a wife; and Jacob went in unto her.

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6 And Rachel said, “God has [b]judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” therefore called she his name Dan.

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

8 And Rachel said, “With [c]mighty wrestlings have I [d]wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.”

9 When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

10 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bore Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, “How fortunate[e]!” and she called his name Gad[f].

12 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bore Jacob a second son.

13 And Leah said, “How happy[g] am I! for the daughters will call me happy;” and she called his name Asher[h].

14 And Reuben went out in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes[i] 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 And she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Will you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he shall lie with you tonight, for your son’s mandrakes.”

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

17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18 And Leah said, “God has given me my [j]hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband;” and she called his name Issachar.

19 And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 And Leah said, “God has given me a good dowry; now my husband will [k]dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons;” and she called his name Zebulun.

21 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

23 And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, “God has taken away my reproach;”

24 and she called his name Joseph, saying, “The LORD [l]gave me yet another son.”

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, “Send me away, that I may return to my own land and to my country.

26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go: for you know my service whereas I have served thee.”

27 And Laban said unto him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay a while longer; for I see now that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”

28 And he said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.” should be checked

29 And he said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me.

30 For you had little before I came, and now it has increased to a multitude; and the LORD has blessed you [n]wherever I turned; so when shall I provide for my own house also?”

31 And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything; but if you will do something for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

32 I will go through through the flocks today, and take out every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire.

33 So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.”

34 And Laban said, “It shall be according to your word.”

35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons;

36 and he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 And Jacob took him rods of fresh [o]poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

38 And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink.

39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them in with Laban’s flock.

41 And whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods;

42 but for the feeble among the flock, he did not put them in; thus the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and handmaids and servants, and camels and donkeys.

[6] Hebrew dan, he judged.

[8] Hebrew wrestlings of God.

[8] Hebrew niphtal, he wrestled.

[11] The name ‘Gad’ means fortune; with fortune; another reading is, Fortune is come.

[13] Hebrew With my happiness!

[13] That is, Happy.

[14] Or, love apples

[18] Hebrew sachar.

[20] Hebrew zabal, he dwelt.

[24] Hebrew joseph.

[30] Hebrew broken forth.

[30] Hebrew at my foot.

[37] Or, storax-tree