Genesis 30:1–21

The Sons of Jacob

¹Now when Rachel saw that ^ashe bore Jacob no children, 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?”

³She said, “^aHere is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may ^bbear on my knees, that ¹through her I too may have children.”

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

⁵Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

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

⁷Rachel’s maid 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.

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

¹⁰Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

¹²Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

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

¹⁴Now in the days of 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 may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶When 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.

¹⁷God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

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

²⁰Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband ¹will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

²¹Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.