Genesis 29:21-30:24
Then Jacob said to Laban,“ Give me my wife, for my time is completed. I want to sleep with her.”So Laban invited all the men of the place to a feast.That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban,“ What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”Laban answered,“ It is not the custom in this place to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn.Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive.Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said,“ The Lord has seen my affliction; surely my husband will love me now.”She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said,“ The Lord heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said,“ At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said,“ This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister.“ Give me sons, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.Jacob became angry with Rachel and said,“ Am I in God’s place, who has withheld children from you?”Then she said,“ Here is my slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.”So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.Rachel said,“ God has vindicated me; yes, He has heard me and given me a son,” and she named him Dan.Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.Rachel said,“ In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.Then Leah said,“ What good fortune!” and she named him Gad.When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,Leah said,“ I am happy that the women call me happy,” so she named him Asher.Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked,“ Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”But Leah replied to her,“ Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?”“ Well,” Rachel said,“ you can sleep with him tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said,“ You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.Leah said,“ God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.“ God has given me a good gift,” Leah said.“ This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.She conceived and bore a son, and said,“ God has taken away my shame.”She named him Joseph:“ May the Lord add another son to me.”
