1When Rachel saw that she couldn't have children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She told Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!"
2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, "Am I God? He is the one who has kept you from having children."
3She said, "Look, here is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so she can have children for me, and through her, I can also have a family."
4She gave him her servant Bilhah as his wife, and Jacob slept with her.
5Bilhah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Jacob.
6Rachel said, "God has judged me and heard my prayer, and he has given me a son." So she named him Dan.
7Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob.
8Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister and I have won." So she named him Naphtali.
9When Leah saw that she could no longer have children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as his wife.
10Zilpah, Leah’s servant, gave birth to a son for Jacob.
11Leah said, “How fortunate I am!” So she named him Gad.
12Zilpah, Leah’s servant, gave birth to a second son for Jacob.
13Leah said, “I am so happy, for women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14During the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15Leah replied to Rachel, “Isn't it enough that you’ve taken my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes too?” Rachel said, “In that case, Jacob will sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16That evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, because I’ve already hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
17God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.
18Leah said, “God has given me my reward because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.
20Leah said, “God has given me a wonderful gift. Now my husband will live with me, because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
21After that, she had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22God remembered Rachel, listened to her, and allowed her to have children.
23She became pregnant, gave birth to a son, and said, “God has taken away my shame.”
24She named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”
25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me leave so I can go back to my own home and country.
26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have worked for you, and let me go. You know how faithfully I have served you.”
27Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, please stay. I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you.”
28He also said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29Jacob replied, “You know how I have served you and how well your livestock have done under my care.
30The little you had before I came has grown into a large amount. Yahweh has blessed you everywhere I went. Now, when will I be able to provide for my own family?
31Laban said, "What should I give you?" Jacob replied, "You don't need to give me anything. If you agree to this, I will continue to feed and watch over your flock.
32Today, I will go through your entire flock and remove every speckled and spotted animal, every black sheep, and every spotted and speckled goat. These will be my wages.
33When you come to check on my wages in the future, my honesty will speak for itself. Any goat that is not speckled or spotted, or any sheep that is not black, found with me will be considered stolen.
34Laban responded, "Very well, let it be as you say."
35That day, Laban removed all the male goats that were striped and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted (everything with white on it), and all the black sheep, and put them in the care of his sons.
36He then put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob continued to care for the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37Jacob took fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees.
38He placed the branches he had peeled in front of the flocks at the watering troughs where they came to drink. When they drank, they would mate.
39The flocks mated in front of the branches and gave birth to offspring that were striped, speckled, and spotted.
40Jacob separated these lambs and made the flocks face the striped and black animals in Laban's flock. He kept his own herds separate and did not mix them with Laban's.
41Whenever the stronger animals in the flock were mating, Jacob would place the branches in front of their eyes in the watering troughs so they would mate near the branches.
42But when the animals were weak, he did not place the branches there. So the weaker animals went to Laban, and the stronger ones went to Jacob.
43As a result, Jacob became extremely wealthy, owning large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.