Study Desk

Now when Rachel saw that ^(C1)she had not borne Jacob any children, ^(F1)she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "^(C2)Give me children, or else I am going to die."

Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has ^(C1)withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

Then she said, "^(C1)Here is my female slave Bilhah: have relations with her that she may ^(C2)give birth ^(F1)on my knees, so that ^(F2)(C1)by her I too may obtain a child."

So ^(C1)she gave him her slave Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her.

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

Then Rachel said, "God has ^(F1)(C1)vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she named him ^(F2)Dan.

And Rachel's slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

So Rachel said, "With ^(F1)mighty wrestling I have ^(F2)wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed." 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.

And Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

Then Leah said, "^(F1)How fortunate!" So she named him ^(F2)Gad.

And Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

Then Leah said, "^(F1)Happy am I! For women ^(C1)will call me happy." So she named him ^(F2)Asher.

Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found ^(C1)mandrake fruits in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

But she said to her, "Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also?" So Rachel said, "Therefore he may sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must have relations with me, for I have indeed hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.

God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

Then Leah said, "God has given me my ^(F1)reward, because I gave my slave to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good gift; finally my husband ^(F1)will acknowledge me as his wife, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

Afterward she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Dinah.

Then ^(C1)God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and ^(C2)opened her womb.

So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, "God has ^(C1)taken away my disgrace."