Genesis 30:1-13
Holman Christian Standard Bible
30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!”(A) she said to Jacob.
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld children[a] from you?”
3 Then she said, “Here is my slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me[b](B) so that through her I too can build a family.” 4 So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, He has heard me and given me a son,” and she named him Dan.[c]
7 Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God,[d] I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.[e]
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[f] and she named him Gad.[g]
12 When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13 Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,”(C) so she named him Asher.[h]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 30:2 Lit the fruit of the womb
- Genesis 30:3 Lit bear on my knees
- Genesis 30:6 In Hb, the name Dan sounds like “has vindicated,” or “has judged.”
- Genesis 30:8 Or With mighty wrestlings
- Genesis 30:8 In Hb, the name Naphtali sounds like “my wrestling.”
- Genesis 30:11 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Vg read Good fortune has come
- Genesis 30:11 = Good Fortune
- Genesis 30:13 = Happy
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