Listening A1: Genesis Chapter 1 - Genesis 30

Rachel could not have children.

Rachel was sad and wanted children.

Rachel told Jacob to give her children or she would die.

Jacob was angry with Rachel.

He asked if he was like God.

He said God was not letting her have babies.

Rachel said to Jacob, "Please let my helper Bilhah be your wife.

She can have children for me."

Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob.

Jacob was with Bilhah.

Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.

Rachel said, "God has heard me and given me a son."

She named him Dan.

Bilhah had another son for Jacob.

Rachel said, "I have won like in a strong fight with my sister."

She named the second son Naphtali.

Leah stopped having babies for a time.

She gave her helper Zilpah to Jacob.

Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

Leah said, "Lucky," and called the boy Gad.

Zilpah had another son.

Leah said, "I am happy. The girls will say I am happy."

She named the boy Asher.

Reuben found special plants in the field and gave them to Leah.

Rachel asked Leah to give her some of those plants.

Leah asked if Rachel wanted her husband and the plants too.

Rachel said Jacob would sleep with Leah that night for the plants.

Jacob came home.

Leah told him he must be with her that night.

He agreed.

God heard Leah.

She had another son.

Leah said, "God gave me a reward because I let my helper marry my husband."

She named the boy Issachar.

Leah had another son.

She said, "God has given me a gift.

Now Jacob will live with me because I gave him six sons."

She named him Zebulun.

Leah later had a daughter named Dinah.

God remembered Rachel.

God heard her.

He opened her body so she could have a child.

Rachel had a son.

She said, "God took away my shame."

She named him Joseph and asked God for another son.

After Joseph was born, Jacob told Laban to let him go home.

He said, "Give me my wives and children.

I have worked for you.

Let me go."

Laban said, "Please stay.

God has blessed me because of you."

Jacob said, "Tell me my pay.

I will work for you."

He said, "You know how I worked for you and how your animals grew."

He said, "You had little when I came.

Now you have much.

God blessed you everywhere I went.

When will I help my own people?"

Jacob asked, "What will you give me?"

Jacob said, "Do not give me anything now.

Let me take care of your animals.

I will take out the spotted and speckled ones and the black ones.

Those will be my pay."

Jacob said, "If any of your good animals come with me, I will say they were stolen."

Laban agreed.

He took away the spotted and white animals and the black sheep.

He gave them to his sons.

He put three days between him and Jacob.

Jacob took care of the rest of the animals.

Jacob took fresh sticks from poplar, almond, and plane trees.

He made white marks on them.

He put the sticks where the animals came to drink.

When the animals drank there, they became pregnant.

They had spotted and speckled babies.

Jacob separated the babies.

He let his animals be near the spotted ones.

He kept his animals apart from Laban's.

When the strong animals became pregnant, Jacob put the sticks there again.

When the weak ones were pregnant, he did not.

The weak ones were Laban's.

The strong ones were Jacob's.

Jacob grew very big.

He had many animals, men, women, camels, and donkeys.