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Genesis 29:15-30:24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

15 [a]Laban said to him: “Should you serve me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the older was called Leah, the younger Rachel. 17 Leah had dull eyes,[b] but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18 Because Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”[c] 19 Laban replied, “It is better to give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet they seemed to him like a few days because of his love for her.(A)

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may consummate my marriage with her, for my term is now completed.” 22 So Laban invited all the local inhabitants and gave a banquet. 23 At nightfall he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he consummated the marriage with her. 24 Laban assigned his maidservant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant. 25 In the morning, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban: “How could you do this to me! Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why did you deceive me?” 26 Laban replied, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter before the firstborn. 27 Finish the bridal week[d] for this one, and then the other will also be given to you in return for another seven years of service with me.”(B)

28 Jacob did so. He finished the bridal week for the one, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 Laban assigned his maidservant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob then consummated his marriage with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Thus he served Laban another seven years.(C)

Jacob’s Children.[e] 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he made her fruitful, while Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben;[f] for she said, “It means, ‘The Lord saw my misery; surely now my husband will love me.’”(D) 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “It means, ‘The Lord heard that I was unloved,’ and therefore he has given me this one also”; so she named him Simeon.[g] 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, since I have now borne him three sons”; that is why she named him Levi.[h] 35 Once more she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “This time I will give thanks to the Lord”; therefore she named him Judah.[i] Then she stopped bearing children.(E)

Chapter 30

1 When Rachel saw that she had not borne children to Jacob, she became envious of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children or I shall die!”(F) 2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Can I take the place of God, who has denied you the fruit of the womb?”(G) 3 She replied, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Have intercourse with her, and let her give birth on my knees,[j] so that I too may have children through her.”(H) 4 So she gave him her maidservant Bilhah as wife,[k] and Jacob had intercourse with her. 5 When Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob, 6 Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; indeed he has heeded my plea and given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.[l] 7 Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob, 8 and Rachel said, “I have wrestled strenuously with my sister, and I have prevailed.” So she named him Naphtali.[m]

9 When Leah saw that she had ceased to bear children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 So Leah’s maidservant Zilpah bore a son for Jacob. 11 Leah then said, “What good luck!” So she named him Gad.[n] 12 Then Leah’s maidservant Zilpah bore a second son to Jacob; 13 and Leah said, “What good fortune, because women will call me fortunate!” So she named him Asher.[o]

14 One day, during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and came upon some mandrakes[p] in the field which he brought home to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 Leah replied, “Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you must now take my son’s mandrakes too?” Rachel answered, “In that case Jacob may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 That evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You must have intercourse with me, because I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So that night he lay with her, 17 and God listened to Leah; she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 Leah then said, “God has given me my wages for giving my maidservant to my husband”; so she named him Issachar.[q] 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob; 20 and Leah said, “God has brought me a precious gift. This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun.[r] 21 Afterwards she gave birth to a daughter, and she named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and made her fruitful. 23 She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has removed my disgrace.”(I) 24 She named him Joseph,[s] saying, “May the Lord add another son for me!”

Jacob Outwits Laban.[t]

Footnotes

  1. 29:15–30 Laban’s deception and Jacob’s marriages. There are many ironies in the passage. Jacob’s protest to Laban, “How could you do this to me?” echoes the question put to Abraham (20:9) and Isaac (26:10) when their deceptions about their wives were discovered. The major irony is that Jacob, the deceiver of his father and brother about the blessing (chap. 27), is deceived by his uncle (standing in for the father) about his wife.
  2. 29:17 Dull eyes: in the language of beauty used here, “dull” probably means lacking in the luster that was the sign of beautiful eyes, as in 1 Sm 16:12 and Sg 4:1.
  3. 29:18 Jacob offers to render service (Jos 15:16–17; 1 Sm 17:25; 18:17) to pay off the customary bridal price (Ex 22:15–16; Dt 22:29).
  4. 29:27 The bridal week: an ancient wedding lasted for seven days; cf. Jgs 14:12, 17.
  5. 29:31–30:24 The note of strife, first sounded between Jacob and Esau in chaps. 25–27, continues between the two wives, since Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (29:30). Jacob’s neglect of Leah moves God to make her fruitful (29:31). Leah’s fertility provokes Rachel. Leah bears Jacob four sons (Reuben, Levi, Simeon, and Judah) and her maidservant Zilpah, two (Gad and Asher). Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah bears two (Dan and Naphtali). After the mandrakes (30:14–17), Leah bears Issachar and Zebulun and a daughter Dinah. Rachel then bears Joseph and, later in the land of Canaan, Benjamin (35:18).
  6. 29:32 Reuben: the literal meaning of the Hebrew name is disputed. One interpretation is re’u ben, “look, a son!”, but here in Genesis (as also with the names of all the other sons of Jacob), it is given a symbolic rather than an etymological interpretation. Name and person were regarded as closely interrelated. The symbolic interpretation of Reuben’s name, according to the Yahwist source, is based on the similar-sounding ra’a be‘onyi, “he saw my misery.” In the Elohist source, the name is explained by the similar-sounding ye’ehabani, “he will love me.”
  7. 29:33 Simeon: in popular etymology, related to shama‘, “he heard.”
  8. 29:34 Levi: related to yillaweh, “he will become attached.”
  9. 29:35 Judah: related to ’odeh, “I will give thanks, praise.”
  10. 30:3 On my knees: in the ancient Near East, a father would take a newborn child in his lap to signify that he acknowledged it as his own; Rachel uses the ceremony in order to adopt the child and establish her legal rights to it.
  11. 30:4 As wife: in 35:22 Bilhah is called a “concubine” (Heb. pilegesh). In v. 9, Zilpah is called “wife,” and in 37:2 both women are called wives. The basic difference between a wife and a concubine was that no bride price was paid for the latter. The interchange of terminology shows that there was some blurring in social status between the wife and the concubine.
  12. 30:6 Dan: explained by the term dannanni, “he has vindicated me.”
  13. 30:8 Naphtali: explained by the Hebrew term naftulim, lit., “contest” or “struggle.”
  14. 30:11 Gad: explained by the Hebrew term begad, lit., “in luck,” i.e., “what good luck!”
  15. 30:13 Asher: explained by the term be’oshri, lit., “in my good fortune,” i.e., “what good fortune,” and by the term ye’ashsheruni, “they call me fortunate.”
  16. 30:14 Mandrakes: an herb whose root was thought to promote conception. The Hebrew word for mandrakes, duda’im, has erotic connotations, since it sounds like the words daddayim (“breasts”) and dodim (“sexual pleasure”).
  17. 30:18 Issachar: explained by the terms, sekari, “my reward,” and in v. 16, sakor sekartika, “I have hired you.”
  18. 30:20 Zebulun: explained by the terms, zebadani…zebed tob, “he has brought me a precious gift,” and yizbeleni, “he will honor me.”
  19. 30:24 Joseph: explained by the words yosep, “may he add,” and in v. 23, ’asap, “he has removed.”
  20. 30:25–43 Jacob’s deception of Laban. Jacob has been living in Laban’s household as an indentured worker paying off the bride price. Having paid off all his obligations, he wants to settle his accounts with Laban. His many children attest to the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise of numerous progeny; the birth of Joseph to his beloved Rachel signals the fulfillment in a special way. To enter into the Lord’s second promise, the land, he must now return to Canaan.
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Genesis 29:15-30:24
New International Version

15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative(A) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages(B) should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,(C) and the name of the younger was Rachel.(D) 17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel(E) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.(F) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel(G) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”(H)

19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(I) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(J)

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(K)”

22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.(L) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah(M) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah(N) to his daughter as her attendant.(O)

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?(P) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?(Q)”

26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.(R) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week;(S) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.(T)”

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.(U) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah(V) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.(W) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(X) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(Y)

Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(Z) he enabled her to conceive,(AA) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(AB) She named him Reuben,[b](AC) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(AD) 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,(AE) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[c](AF)

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

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.[e](AI) Then she stopped having children.(AJ)

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(AK) she became jealous of her sister.(AL) 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,(AM) who has kept you from having children?”(AN)

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

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(AR) Jacob slept with her,(AS) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(AT) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(AU) Because of this she named him Dan.[f](AV)

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(AW) 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.”(AX) So she named him Naphtali.[g](AY)

9 When Leah(AZ) saw that she had stopped having children,(BA) she took her servant Zilpah(BB) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(BC) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(BD) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[h] So she named him Gad.[i](BE)

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(BF) happy.”(BG) So she named him Asher.[j](BH)

14 During wheat harvest,(BI) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(BJ) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(BK) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(BL)

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(BM) So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah,(BN) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(BO) So she named him Issachar.[k](BP)

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(BQ) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[l](BR)

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(BS)

22 Then God remembered Rachel;(BT) he listened to her(BU) and enabled her to conceive.(BV) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(BW) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(BX) 24 She named him Joseph,[m](BY) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(BZ)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
  2. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
  3. Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
  4. Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
  5. Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
  6. Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
  7. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
  8. Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
  9. Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
  10. Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
  11. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
  12. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
  13. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
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