^30:3She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with⁵ her so that she can bear⁶ children⁷ for me⁸ and I can have a family through her.”⁹

^30:4So Rachel¹⁰ gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with¹¹ her. ^30:5Bilhah became pregnant¹² and gave Jacob a son.¹³

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Footnotes

5 Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
6 After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
7 The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
9 Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and 125 בָנָה).
10 Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
12 Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
13 Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.” So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.” So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Then she said, “Here is my servant girl Bilhah; go in to her that she may bear children as my surrogate. Then I will even have children by her.” Then she gave him Bilhah, her female slave, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son for Jacob.

KJV 1900King James Version

And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

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