Genesis 29:31–30:24

Leah and Rachel Compete for Jacob’s Love

³¹When the Lord saw Leah was unloved, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel had none. ³²Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben ^[Here’s My Son^[, because she said, “Certainly, the Lord has seen my misery; now my husband will love me!” ³³She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “Certainly, the Lord has heard that I’m unloved, and he also has given me this son.” So she named him Simeon ^[Hearing^[. ³⁴She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me because I’ve given him three sons.” So she named him Levi ^[Attached^[. ³⁵She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah ^[Praise^[. Then she stopped having children. 

30TH CHAPTER

¹Rachel saw that she could not have children for Jacob, and she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” 

²Jacob became angry with Rachel and asked, “Can I take the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 

³She said, “Here’s my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her. She can have children for me, and I can build a family for myself through her.” ⁴So she gave him her slave Bilhah as his wife, and Jacob slept with her. ⁵Bilhah became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Jacob. ⁶Rachel said, “Now God has judged in my favor. He has heard my prayer and has given me a son.” So she named him Dan ^[He Judges^[. 

⁷Rachel’s slave Bilhah became pregnant again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob. ⁸Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle^awith my sister, and I have won!” So she named him Naphtali ^[My Struggle^[. 

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as his wife. ¹⁰Leah’s slave Zilpah gave birth to a son for Jacob. ¹¹Leah said, “I’ve been lucky!” So she called him Gad ^[Luck^[. 

¹²Leah’s slave Zilpah gave birth to her second son for Jacob. ¹³Leah said, “I’ve been blessed! Women will call me blessed.” So she named him Asher ^[Blessing^[. 

¹⁴During the wheat harvest Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrakes.^bHe brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 

¹⁵Leah replied, “Isn’t it enough that you took my husband? Are you also going to take my son’s mandrakes?” 

Rachel said, “Very well, Jacob can go to bed with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 

¹⁶As Jacob was coming in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You are to sleep with me,” she said. “You are my reward for my son’s mandrakes.” So he went to bed with her that night. ¹⁷God answered Leah’s prayer. She became pregnant and gave birth to her fifth son for Jacob. ¹⁸Leah said, “God has given me my reward because I gave my slave to my husband.” So she named him Issachar ^[Reward^[. 

¹⁹She became pregnant again and gave birth to her sixth son for Jacob. ²⁰Leah said, “God has presented me with a beautiful present. This time my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun ^[Honor^[. 

²¹Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 

²²Then God remembered Rachel. God answered her prayer and made it possible for her to have children. ²³So she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” ²⁴She named him Joseph ^[May He Give Another^[ and said, “May the Lord give me another son.”