When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob , she envied her sister. “ Give children , or ... I will die ! ” she said to Jacob.
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Jacob became angry ... with Rachel and said , “ Am I in the place of God , who has withheld children ... from you ? ”
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Then she said , “ Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her , that she may bear children vvv (for me) , so that through her I too can build a family. ”
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So Rachel gave (Jacob) her servant Bilhah as a wife , and (he) slept with her ,
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and Bilhah conceived and bore (him) a son.
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Then Rachel said , “ God has vindicated me ; - He has heard my plea and given a son. ” ... ... So she named him ... Dan.
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And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
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Then Rachel said , “ In my great struggles ... , I have wrestled with my sister and won. ” So she named him Naphtali.
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When Leah saw that she had stopped having children , vvv she gave - - her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
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And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
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Then Leah said , “ How fortunate ! ” So she named - him Gad.
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When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son ,
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Leah said , “ How happy I am ! For the women call me happy. ” So she named - him Asher.
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Now during the wheat harvest , Reuben ... went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother - , Rachel begged ... Leah , “ Please give me your son’s mandrakes. ”
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But Leah replied “ Is it not enough that you have taken away - my husband ? Now you - want to take my son’s mandrakes (as well) ? ” “ Very well , ” said Rachel , “ he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes. ”
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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 (he) slept with her that night.
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And God listened to Leah , and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
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Then Leah said , “ God has rewarded me ... for giving my maidservant to my husband. ” So she named him ... Issachar.
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Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
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“ God - has given me a good gift , ” (she) said. “ This time my husband will honor me , because I have borne six sons. ” And she named - him Zebulun.
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After that , Leah gave birth to a daughter and named - her Dinah.
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Then God - remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened - her womb ,
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and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “ God - has taken away my shame , ” she said.
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She named - him Joseph , and said , “ May the LORD add another son. ”
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Now after Rachel - had given birth to Joseph , Jacob said to Laban , “ Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland ....
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Give (me) my wives and children for whom I have served you , - that I may go on my way. ... You know - how hard I have worked for you. ”
But Laban replied ... , “ If I have found favor in your eyes , please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. ”
And he added , “ Name your wages , ... and I will pay them. ”
Then (Jacob) answered ... , “ You know - how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.
Indeed , you had very little - before my arrival , but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now , when may I also provide for my own household ? ”
“ What can I give Laban asked. “ You do not need to give anything , ” Jacob replied .... “ If you do this one thing I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks.
Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep , every dark-colored vvv lamb , and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages.
So my honesty will testify when you come to check ... on my wages in the future .... If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted , or any lambs that are not dark-colored , they will be considered stolen. ”
“ Agreed , ” ... said Laban. “ Let it be as you have said. ”
That very - day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat — every one that had any white and every dark-colored lamb , and he placed them under the care of his sons.
Then he put a three-day ... journey between himself ... and Jacob , while Jacob was shepherding - the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Jacob, however , took fresh branches of poplar , almond , and plane trees , and peeled exposing ... - the white inner wood of the branches.
Then he set - the peeled - branches - in the watering - troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink ,
they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young (that were) streaked or speckled or spotted.
Jacob set apart the young , but made the (rest) face ... the streaked vvv dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.
- Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat , Jacob - would place the branches in the troughs , in full view of the animals , so that they would breed in front of the branches.
But if the animals were weak , he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.
Thus (Jacob) became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks , maidservants and menservants , and camels and donkeys.