Genesis 29:16–30:24

¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was ^abeautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.

¹⁸Now Jacob ^aloved Rachel, so he said, “^bI will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

¹⁹And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.”

²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they were in his sight but a few days ^abecause of his love for her.

Laban Deceives Jacob

²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may ^ago in to her.”

²²And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.

²³Now it happened in the evening that he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her.

²⁴Laban also gave his servant-woman Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a servant-woman.

²⁵Now it happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “^aWhat is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you ^bdeceived me?”

²⁶But Laban said, “It is not ¹the practice in our place to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷“Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which ^ayou shall serve with me for another seven years.”

²⁸And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

²⁹Laban also gave his servant-woman Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant-woman.

³⁰So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed ^ahe loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with ¹Laban for ^banother seven years.

³¹And Yahweh saw that Leah was ¹unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

³²So Leah conceived and bore a son and named him ¹Reuben, for she said, “Because Yahweh has ^2aseen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

³³Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “^aBecause Yahweh has ¹heard that I am ²unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.

³⁴And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will be ¹joined to me because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named ^aLevi.

³⁵And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will ¹praise Yahweh.” Therefore she named him ^2aJudah. Then she stopped bearing.

CHAPTER 30

The Sons of Jacob

¹Then Rachel saw that ^ashe bore Jacob no children, so ¹she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “^bGive me children, or else I die.”

²Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has ^awithheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

³And she said, “^aHere is my maidservant Bilhah, go in to her that she may ^bbear on my knees, that ^1cthrough her I too may obtain children.”

⁴So ^ashe gave him her servant-woman Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

⁵And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

⁶Then Rachel said, “God has ^1arendered justice to me and has indeed listened to my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him ²Dan.

⁷And Rachel’s servant-woman Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

⁸So Rachel said, “With ¹mighty wrestlings I have ²wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

⁹Then Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, so she took her servant-woman Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

¹⁰And Leah’s servant-woman Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

¹¹Then Leah said, “¹How fortunate!” So she named him ²Gad.

¹²And Leah’s servant-woman Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

¹³Then Leah said, “¹Happy am I! For women ^awill call me happy.” So she named him ²Asher.

¹⁴And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found ^amandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵But 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 will lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶Then Jacob came in from the field in the evening. And 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.

¹⁷And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

¹⁸And Leah said, “God has given me my ¹wages because I gave my servant-woman to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

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

²⁰And Leah said, “God has gifted me a good gift; this time my husband ¹will honor me because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

²¹Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

²²Then ^aGod remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and ^bopened her womb.

²³So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has ^ataken away my reproach.”

²⁴And she named him Joseph, saying, “^aMay Yahweh ¹give me another son.”