1When 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!”
2Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
3Then 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.”
4So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.
5Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son.
6Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.”
7Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
8Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”
9Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10Soon Zilpah presented him with a son.
11Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”
12Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.
13And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
14One 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.”
15But 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.”
