Genesis 29:31-30:24

International Standard Version

Leah’s Children

³¹ Later, the Lord noticed that Leah was being neglected,^[a] so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless. ³² Leah conceived, bore a son, and named him Reuben,^[b] because she was saying, “The Lord had looked on my torture, so now my husband will love me.”

³³ Later, she conceived again, bore a son, and declared, “Because the Lord heard that I’m neglected, he gave me this one, too.” So she named him Simeon.^[c]

³⁴ Later, she conceived again and said, “This time my husband will become attached to me, now that I’ve borne him three sons.” So he named him Levi.^[d]

³⁵ Then she conceived yet again, bore a son, and said, “This time I’ll praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.^[e]

Then she stopped bearing children.

Rachel’s Children by Bilhah

30 Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, “If you don’t give me sons, I’m going to die!”

² That made Jacob angry with Rachel, so he asked her, “Can I take God’s place, who has not allowed you to conceive?”^[f]

³ Rachel^[g] responded, “Here’s my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children^[h] on my knees so I can have children through her.”

⁴ So Rachel^[i] gave Jacob^[j] her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her. ⁵ Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore, she named him Dan.^[k]

⁷ Rachel’s servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob, ⁸ so Rachel said, “I’ve been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won.” She named him Naphtali.^[l]

⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob, ¹¹ and Leah exclaimed, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.^[m]

¹² Later, Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. ¹³ She said, “How happy I am, because women will call me happy!” So she named him Asher.^[n]

Jacob and the Mandrakes

¹⁴ Some time later, during the wheat harvest season, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes^[o] in the field and brought them back for his mother Leah. Then Rachel^[p] told Leah, “Please give me your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵ In response, Leah asked her, “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes!”

But Rachel replied, “Very well, let’s let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶ When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went to meet him and told him, “You’re having sex with me tonight. I traded my son’s mandrakes for you!” So he slept with her that night.

¹⁷ God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob. ¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife.” So she named him Issachar.^[q]

¹⁹ Later, Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob. ²⁰ Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I’ve borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.^[r]

²¹ After that, Leah conceived, bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

Rachel’s Son Joseph is Born

²² Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, ²³ so she conceived, bore a son, and remarked, “God has removed my shame.” ²⁴ Because she had been asking, “May God give me another son,” she named him Joseph.^[s]