New Living Translation NLT
New International Version NIV
1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
1
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
2
Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
3 Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.”
3
Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.
4
So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,
5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son.
5
and she became pregnant and bore him a son.
6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.”
6
Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.
7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
7
Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”
8
Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
9
When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son.
10
Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”
11
Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.
12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.
12
Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
13
Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
14
During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?” Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
15
But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah.
16
So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
17 And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.
17
God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.”
18
Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19 Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.
19
Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.”
20
Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
21
Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.
22
Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.
23
She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”
24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the LORD add yet another son to my family.”
24
She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.