Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

When Rachel saw that she had no children, she envied her sister Leah. Rachel said to Jacob, "Give me children or I will die." But Jacob's anger burned against Rachel.

She reminded him that he was not God, who could withhold the fruit of the womb. Then Rachel proposed a plan: give his attention to her maid Bilhah, and through her, she would have children on Rachel's knees. This way, Rachel thought, I will also get the children I desire.

So Jacob took Bilhah as his wife, and she became pregnant with a son for him. Rachel was overjoyed, thinking that God had heard her voice and given her a child. She named this firstborn son Dan, saying, "God has judged me and heard my voice."

But the family's story didn't end there. Bilhah conceived again and gave birth to Jacob's second son. Rachel saw this as a victory over her sister Leah, who had also been trying to bear children. So she named him Naphtali, saying, "I have wrestled with my sister, and I've prevailed."

Leah, however, was not ready to give up yet. When she realized she was no longer able to bear children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob as his wife. Zilpah quickly became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Jacob.

This child's name was Gad, and Leah said, "A troop comes," probably indicating that God had given her more power or strength in this new child. Her next child was Asher, whom she named because she felt blessed by the daughters who would call her happy.

Later, Reuben found mandrakes in a field during harvest time and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of these valuable plants, which were believed to help with fertility. But Leah refused, saying that first Jacob had taken Rachel's husband, and now she wanted to take away her son's mandrakes as well.

Rachel proposed a deal: if Leah would give her the mandrakes, she would let Jacob sleep with her that night in exchange for them. So Leah agreed, and Jacob spent the night with her. As a result of this union, God listened to Leah and gave her another child, whom she named Issachar.

Leah continued to bear children, naming each one according to how she felt about what God had given her. She said that God had rewarded her for giving her servant to Jacob by giving her the sixth son, Zebulun. After this, Leah gave birth to a daughter named Dinah.

But Rachel's time was still coming. God remembered her and opened her womb, allowing her to conceive and give birth to a son she named Joseph. When Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob knew it was time for him to leave Laban.

He asked Laban to send him away with his wives and children, whom he had worked tirelessly for. But Laban, who had grown attached to Jacob's help, refused at first. He said that if he had found favor in Jacob's eyes, then Jacob could stay and continue to work for him.

Laban proposed a deal: he would give Jacob wages if he agreed to stay. But Jacob knew his worth, pointing out how much Laban's cattle had increased since he arrived. Jacob suggested that instead of giving him money or livestock, they establish a system where every animal with distinctive markings – speckles, spots, or brown coloring – would belong to him.

Laban agreed to this arrangement, but only after Jacob removed all the animals that already met these criteria from his flock. Then Laban set up a boundary between himself and Jacob, requiring Jacob to care for the remaining animals separately.

As time passed, Jacob continued to work with Laban's flocks, but he had a plan of his own. He took some rods made from green poplar trees and peeled them to expose the white markings within. These marked sticks would serve as a kind of guide for him when selecting which animals to take as payment.

Jacob placed these marked sticks in the watering troughs where Laban's flocks came to drink, and it wasn't long before the animals began to conceive and give birth to young with distinctive markings. Jacob carefully separated his lambs from the rest of the flock, setting their faces towards the ringstraked and brown animals that were meant for him.

As the stronger animals conceived, Jacob placed the marked sticks in their presence, while the weaker ones did not receive this treatment. In this way, Jacob managed to increase his own flocks and acquire many valuable possessions, including male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.