Genesis 29:31-30:8

New International Version

Jacob’s Children

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,^(A) he enabled her to conceive,^(B) but Rachel remained childless. ³² Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.^(C) She named him Reuben,^[a](D) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.^(E) Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,^(F) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.^[b](G)

³⁴ Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,^(H) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.^[c](I)

³⁵ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.^[d](J) Then she stopped having children.^(K)

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,^(L) she became jealous of her sister.^(M) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

² Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,^(N) who has kept you from having children?”^(O)

³ Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,^(P) my servant.^(Q) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”^(R)

⁴ So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.^(S) Jacob slept with her,^{(T) 5} and she became pregnant and bore him a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;^(U) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”^(V) Because of this she named him Dan.^[e](W)

⁷ Rachel’s servant Bilhah^(X) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”^(Y) So she named him Naphtali.^[f](Z)