Genesis 29:16–30:24

¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. ¹⁷Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. ¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”ⁱ

¹⁹Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” ²⁰So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with^E her.” ²²So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. ²³That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. ²⁴And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

²⁵When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”

²⁶Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. ²⁷Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

²⁸And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. ²⁹And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. ³⁰Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.^a

JACOB’S SONS

³¹When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected,^b he opened her womb;^c but Rachel was unable to conceive.^{d 32}Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben,^A for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction;^e surely my husband will love me now.”

³³She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The Lord heard that I am neglected and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.^B

³⁴She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.^C

³⁵And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah.^Df Then Leah stopped having children.

30When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!”^g she said to Jacob.

²Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring^E from you!”

³Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me^Fh so that through her I too can build a family.” ⁴So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. ⁵Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.^G

⁷Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God,^H I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.^I

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. ¹¹Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”^J and she named him Gad.^K

¹²When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, ¹³Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,”ⁱ so she named him Asher.^L

¹⁴Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field.^j When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?”

“Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

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

¹⁷God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.^A

¹⁹Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰“God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.^{B 21}Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

²²Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.^{k 23}She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”^{l 24}She named him Joseph^C and said, “May the Lord add another son to me.”^m