31 Now Yahweh saw that Le’ah was spurned, so he allowed her to conceive, but Rahel was unable to get pregnant. 32 So Leah got pregnant and gave birth to a son, and she named him ‘Reuben’ (which means ‘Look, a son’) because she said, “Because Yahweh has looked on my misery, surely my husband will love me now.” 33 Then she got pregnant again and gave birth to a second son, and she said, “Because Yahweh heard that I am hated, then he also gave me this son.” So she called his name ‘Simeon’ (which means ‘he hears’). 34 Then she got pregnant again and gave birth to a third son, and she said, “This time now my husband will hold me close to him, because I’ve given him three sons.” That’s why she named the baby ‘Levi’ (which means ‘hold close’). 35 Then Le’ah got pregnant again and gave birth to a fourth son, and she said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” That’s why she named him ‘Yehudah’ (which means ‘praise’). Then she stopped getting pregnant.

30 Now Rahel realised that she wasn’t producing any children for Yacob, so she envied her sister Le’ah, and she demanded from Yacob, “Give me children, and if you don’t, I’ll die!”

2 But Yacob’s anger flared up against Rahel and he asked, “Am I in the place of God who’s kept you from getting pregnant?”

3 Rahel answered, “Listen, here’s my slave Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she’ll have children on my behalf and I’ll also be able to have a family through her.” 4 Then she gave Bilhah to him as a slave wife and Yacob slept with her, 5 so then Bilhah got pregnant and produced a son for Yacob. 6 Rahel said, “God has vindicated me, and indeed he’s listened to my request and given me a son!” That’s why she named him ‘Dan’ (which means ‘he judged (in my favour)’). 7 Later on, Rahel’s slave Bilhah got pregnant again and gave birth to a second son for Yacob 8 so Rahel said, “I’ve had a difficult battle with my sister but I’ve succeeded in the end!” So she named the baby ‘Naftali’ (which means ‘my struggle’).

9 Now when Le’ah noticed that she wasn’t getting pregnant any more, she gave her female slave Zilpah to Yacob as a slave wife. 10 Then eventually Le’ah’s slave Zilpah produced a son for Yacob, 11 and Le’ah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him ‘Gad’ (which means ‘fortunate’). 12 Then Le’ah’s slave Zilpah produced a second son for Yacob, 13 and Le’ah said, “How blessed I am because women will call me blessed.” So she named him ‘Asher’ (which means ‘blessed’).

14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants[fn] in the countryside and brought them home to Le’ah his mother. Then Rahel asked Le’ah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 “Is it a small matter you have taken my husband?” Le’ah snapped back. “And would you also take my son’s mandrakes?”

“Well, he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” Rahel answered. 16 So that evening when Yacob came home from the countryside, Leah went out to meet him and told him, “You must come to me tonight because I’ve hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Le’ah and she got pregnant and produced a fifth son for Yacob, 18 saying, “God has given me my reward because I gave my slave to my husband to sleep with.” So she named him ‘Yissakar’ (which means ‘reward’). 19 Then Le’ah got pregnant again and produced a sixth son for Yacob, 20 saying, “God has given me a nice present. This time my husband will honour me because I have produced six sons for him.” So she called his name ‘Zebulun’ (which might mean ‘honour’). 21 Later on, Le’ah had a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God paid attention to Rahel and listened to her and enabled her to conceive, 23 so she got pregnant and produced a son, and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him ‘Yosef’ (which means ‘may he give another’), saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”