New Century Version NCV
New International Version NIV
1 When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she envied her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"
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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 Jacob became angry with her and said, "Can I do what only God can do? He is the one who has kept you from having children."
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Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
3 Then Rachel said, "Here is my slave girl Bilhah. Have sexual relations with her so she can give birth to a child for me. Then I can have my own family through her."
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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 Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a wife, and he had sexual relations with her.
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So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,
5 She became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
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and she became pregnant and bore him a son.
6 Rachel said, "God has judged me innocent. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son," so she named him Dan.
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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 Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
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Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel said, "I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won." So she named that son Naphtali.
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Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
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When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10 When Zilpah had a son,
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Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Leah said, "I am lucky," so she named him Gad.
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Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.
12 Zilpah gave birth to another son,
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Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 and Leah said, "I am very happy! Now women will call me happy," so she named him Asher.
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Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandraken plants and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
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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 Leah answered, "You have already taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son's mandrakes." But Rachel answered, "If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you may sleep with Jacob tonight."
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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 When Jacob came in from the field that night, Leah went out to meet him. She said, "You will have sexual relations with me tonight because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.
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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 Then God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant again. She gave birth to a fifth son
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God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 and said, "God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband." So Leah named her son Issachar.
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Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19 Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son.
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Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 She said, "God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honor me, because I have given him six sons," so she named him Zebulun.
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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 Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
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Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer, making it possible for her to have children.
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Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
23 When she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, she said, "God has taken away my shame,"
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She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”
24 and she named him Joseph. Rachel said, "I wish the Lord would give me another son."
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She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. 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.