RACHEL, LEAH, ZILPAH & BILHAH

GENESIS

Genesis 29:1-35

1 Then Jacob went on his journey and came into the land of the people of the east. 2 And he looked and beheld a well in the field; and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks; and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth. 3 And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place. 4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, from whence are ye? And they said, From Haran. 5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban, the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. 6 And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well; and behold, Rachel, his daughter, cometh with the sheep. 7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day; neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together; water ye the sheep, and go, and feed them. 8 And they said, We cannot until all the flocks be gathered together and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep. 9 And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob, his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. 15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for naught? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? 16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah was tender-eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee than that I should give her to another man; abide with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. 21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give unto me my wife, that I may go and take her, for my days of serving thee are fulfilled. 22 And Laban gave her to Jacob, and gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah, his daughter, and brought her to Jacob; and she went in and slept with him. 24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah, his handmaid, to be a handmaid for her. 25 And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? 26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel, his daughter, to wife also. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her maid. 30 And he went in also and slept with Rachel; and he loved Rachel also, more than Leah, and served with Laban yet seven other years. 31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bare a son; and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now, therefore, my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bare a son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath, therefore, given me this son also; and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bare a son, and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me because I have borne him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bare a son; and she said, Now will I praise the Lord; therefore, she called his name Judah and left bearing.

Genesis 30:1-43

1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah; go in and lie with her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah, her handmaid, to wife; and Jacob went and lay with her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bare Jacob a son.
6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son; therefore called she his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bare Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah, her maid, and gave her unto Jacob to wife. 10 And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bare Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, A troop cometh; and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bare Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher. 14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. 15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore, he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son’s mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening; and Leah went out to meet him and said, Thou must come in and lie with me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire because I have given my maiden to my husband; and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter and called her name Dinah. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son, and said, God hath taken away my reproach; 24 And she called his name Joseph and said, The Lord shall add to me another son. 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee and how thy cattle was with me. 30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming. And now, when shall I provide for mine own house also? 31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock. 32 I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire. 33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come when it shall come for my hire before thy face; every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ring-streaked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. 37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut tree, and pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods, which he had pilled, before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. 41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man increased exceedingly and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Genesis 31:1-55

1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages, then all the cattle bare speckled; and if he said thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy hire, then bare all the cattle ring-streaked. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream; and behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes and see–all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar and where thou vowedst a vow unto me; now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us and hath quite devoured also our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children’s; now then whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 And he carried away all his cattle and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban, the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead. 22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 And he took his brethren with him and pursued after him seven days’ journey, and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. 24 And God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream by night and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? 28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. 29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. 32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent but found them not. 35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched but found not the images. 36 And Jacob was wroth and chided with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. 38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. 41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. 43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters or unto their children which they have borne? 44 Now, therefore, come thou. Let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.45 And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar.46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap; and they did eat there upon the heap.47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,49 And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another.50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me for harm.53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread and tarried all night in the mount.55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban departed and returned unto his place.

 Genesis 32:1-32

1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now; 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and women servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. 9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee; 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mothers with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. 13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she asses and ten foals. 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18 And thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and, behold, also he is behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21 So went the present over before him; and himself lodged that night in the company. 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

 Genesis 33:1-20

1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for, therefore, I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go; and I will go before thee. 13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. 15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord. 16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram, and pitched his tent before the city. 19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20 And he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Genesis 48:12

12 And, therefore, as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way when we were yet but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is called Bethlehem.

 Genesis 49:30-31

30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron, the Hittite, for a possession of a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife; and there I buried Leah. The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.