1And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children , Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob , Give me children , or else I die . 2And Jacob ’s anger was kindled against Rachel : and he said, Am I in God’s stead , who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3And she said, Behold , my maid Bilhah , go in unto her ; that she may bear upon my knees , and I also may obtain children by her . 4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her . 5And Bilhah conceived , and bare Jacob a son . 6And Rachel said , God hath judged me , and hath also heard my voice , and hath given me a son : therefore called she his name Dan . 7And Bilhah Rachel ’s handmaid conceived again , and bare Jacob a second son . 8And Rachel said , With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed : and she called his name Naphtali .
The Birth of Children through Surrogacy
9When Leah saw that she had left off bearing , she took Zilpah her handmaid , and gave her to Jacob to wife. 10And Zilpah Leah ’s handmaid bare Jacob a son . 11And Leah said , Fortunate ! and she called his name Gad . 12And Zilpah Leah ’s handmaid bare Jacob a second son . 13And Leah said , Happy am I ! for the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name Asher.
The Mandrakes and Leah's Fertility
14And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest , and found mandrakes in the field , and brought them unto his mother Leah . Then Rachel said to Leah , Give me , I pray thee , of thy son ’s mandrakes . 15And she said unto her , Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son ’s mandrakes also ? And Rachel said , Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son ’s mandrakes . 16And Jacob came from the field in the evening , and Leah went out to meet him , and said , Thou must come in unto me ; for I have surely hired thee with my son ’s mandrakes . And he lay with her that night . 17And God hearkened unto Leah , and she conceived , and bare Jacob a fifth son . 18And Leah said , God hath given me my hire , because I gave my handmaid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar . 19And Leah conceived again , and bare a sixth son to Jacob . 20And Leah said , God hath endowed me with a good dowry ; now will my husband dwell with me , because I have borne him six sons : and she called his name Zebulun . 21And afterwards she bare a daughter , and called her name Dinah .
The Birth of Dinah and God's Favor
22And God remembered Rachel , and God hearkened to her , and opened her womb . 23And she conceived , and bare a son : and said, God hath taken away my reproach : 24and she called his name Joseph , saying, Jehovah add to me another son . 25And it came to pass , when Rachel had borne Joseph , that Jacob said unto Laban , Send me away , that I may go unto mine own place , and to my country . 26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee , and let me go : for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee . 27And Laban said unto him , If now I have found favor in thine eyes , tarry : for I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake . 28And he said, Appoint me thy wages , and I will give it . 29And he said unto him , Thou knowest how I have served thee , and how thy cattle have fared with me . 30For it was little which thou hadst before I came , and it hath increased unto a multitude ; and Jehovah hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned : and now when shall I provide for mine own house also ? 31And he said , What shall I give thee ? And Jacob said , Thou shalt not give me aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me , I will again feed thy flock and keep it . 32I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one , and every black one among the sheep , and the spotted and speckled among the goats : and of such shall be my hire . 33So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when thou shalt come concerning my hire that is before thee : every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats , and black among the sheep , that , if found with me , shall be counted stolen . 34And Laban said , Behold , I would it might be according to thy word . 35And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted , and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted , every one that had white in it , and all the black ones among the sheep , and gave them into the hand of his sons ; 36and he set three days ’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob : and Jacob fed the rest of Laban ’s flocks . 37And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar , and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them , and made the white appear which was in the rods . 38And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink ; and they conceived when they came to drink . 39And the flocks conceived before the rods , and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled , and spotted . 40And Jacob separated the lambs , and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the black in the flock of Laban : and he put his own droves apart , and put them not unto Laban ’s flock . 41And it came to pass , whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive , that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters , that they might conceive among the rods ; 42but when the flock were feeble , he put them not in : so the feebler were Laban ’s, and the stronger Jacob ’s. 43And the man increased exceedingly , and had large flocks , and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses .