30When Rachel realized that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She told Jacob, "Give me sons or I'll die!"H7354H7200H3205H3290H7354H7065H269H559H3290H3051H1121H369H41912Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, "Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?"H3290H639H2734H7354H559H430H4513H6529H9903Rachel said, "Here's my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family."H559H519H1090H935H3205H1290H11294So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her.H5414H1090H8198H802H3290H9355Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.H1090H2029H3205H3290H11216Rachel said, "God took my side and vindicated me. He listened to me and gave me a son." She named him Dan (Vindication).H7354H559H430H1777H8085H6963H5414H1121H7121H8034H18357Rachel's maid Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.H1090H7354H8198H2029H3205H3290H8145H11218Rachel said, "I've been in an all-out fight with my sister—and I've won." So she named him Naphtali (Fight).H7354H559H430H5319H6617H269H3201H7121H8034H53219When Leah saw that she wasn't having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob for a wife.H3812H7200H5975H3205H3947H2153H8198H5414H3290H80210Zilpah had a son for Jacob.H2153H3812H8198H3205H3290H112111Leah said, "How fortunate!" and she named him Gad (Lucky).H3812H559H1409H935H7121H8034H141012When Leah's maid Zilpah had a second son for Jacob,H2153H3812H8198H3205H3290H8145H112113Leah said, "A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness." So she named him Asher (Happy).H3812H559H837H1323H833H7121H8034H83614One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, "Could I please have some of your son's mandrakes?"H7205H3212H3117H2406H7105H4672H1736H7704H935H517H3812H7354H559H3812H5414H1121H173615Leah said, "Wasn't it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son's mandrakes?" Rachel said, "All right. I'll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's love-apples."H559H4592H3947H376H3947H1121H1736H7354H559H7901H3915H8478H1121H173616When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: "Sleep with me tonight; I've bartered my son's mandrakes for a night with you." So he slept with her that night.H3290H935H7704H6153H3812H3318H7125H559H935H7936H7936H1121H1736H7901H391517God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son.H430H8085H3812H2029H3205H3290H2549H112118She said, "God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband." She named him Issachar (Bartered).H3812H559H430H5414H7939H834H5414H8198H376H7121H8034H348519Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son,H3812H2029H3205H3290H8345H112120saying, "God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I've given him six sons!" She named him Zebulun (Honor).H3812H559H430H2064H2896H2065H6471H376H2082H3205H8337H1121H7121H8034H207421Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah.H310H3205H1323H7121H8034H178322And then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb.H430H2142H7354H430H8085H6605H735823She became pregnant and had a son. She said, "God has taken away my humiliation."H2029H3205H1121H559H430H622H278124She named him Joseph (Add), praying, "May GOD add yet another son to me."H7121H8034H3130H559H3068H3254H312H112125After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, "Let me go back home.H7354H3205H3130H3290H559H3837H7971H3212H4725H77626Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. You know how hard I've worked for you."H5414H802H3206H2004H5647H3212H3045H5656H564727Laban said, "If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that GOD has blessed me because of you."H3837H559H4672H2580H5869H5172H3068H1288H155828He went on, "So name your wages. I'll pay you."H559H5344H7939H541429Jacob replied, "You know well what my work has meant to you and how your livestock has flourished under my care.H559H3045H834H5647H834H473530The little you had when I arrived has increased greatly; everything I did resulted in blessings for you. Isn't it about time that I do something for my own family?"H4592H6440H6555H7230H3068H1288H7272H4970H6213H100431"So, what should I pay you?" Jacob said, "You don't have to pay me a thing. But how about this? I will go back to pasture and care for your flocks.H559H5414H3290H559H5414H3972H6213H1697H7725H7462H8104H662932Go through your entire flock today and take out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages.H5674H6629H3117H5493H5348H2921H7716H2345H7716H3775H2921H5348H5795H793933That way you can check on my honesty when you assess my wages. If you find any goat that's not speckled or spotted or a sheep that's not black, you will know that I stole it."H6666H6030H3117H4279H935H7939H6440H3605H5348H2921H5795H2345H3775H158934"Fair enough," said Laban. "It's a deal."H3837H559H3863H169735But that very day Laban removed all the mottled and spotted billy goats and all the speckled and spotted nanny-goats, every animal that had even a touch of white on it plus all the black sheep and placed them under the care of his sons.H5493H3117H8495H6124H2921H5795H5348H2921H3836H2345H3775H5414H3027H112136Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Meanwhile Jacob went on tending what was left of Laban's flock.H7760H7969H3117H1870H3290H3290H7462H3498H3837H662937But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them.H3290H3947H4731H3892H3839H3869H6196H6478H3836H6479H3836H4286H473138He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drinkH3322H4731H6478H5227H6629H7298H4325H8268H6629H935H8354H3179H935H835439and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled.H6629H3179H4731H3205H6629H6124H5348H292140Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn't mix with Laban's flocks.H3290H6504H3775H5414H6440H6629H413H6124H2345H6629H3837H7896H5739H7896H3837H662941And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches.H7194H6629H3179H3290H7760H4731H5869H6629H7298H3179H473142But he wouldn't set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.H6629H5848H7760H5848H3837H7194H329043The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys.H376H6555H3966H3966H7227H6629H8198H5650H1581H2543