Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living.
But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit?
Then she said, Here is my servant Bilhah, go in to her, so that she may have a child on my knees, and I may have a family by her.
So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
And Bilhah became with child, and gave birth to a son.
Then Rachel said, God has been my judge, and has given ear to my voice, and has given me a son; so he was named Dan.
And again Bilhah, Rachel's servant, was with child, and gave birth to a second son.
And Rachel said, I have had a great fight with my sister, and I have overcome her: and she gave the child the name Naphtali.
When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife.
And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son.
And Leah said, It has gone well for me: and she gave him the name Gad.
And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son.
And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher.
Now at the time of the grain-cutting, Reuben saw some love-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your son's love-fruits.
But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits.
In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my son's love-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night.
And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son.
Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.
And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son.
And she said, God has given me a good bride-price; now at last will I have my husband living with me, for I have given him six sons: and she gave him the name Zebulun.
After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah.
Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.
And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame.
And she gave him the name Joseph, saying, May the Lord give me another son.
Now after the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me go away to my place and my country.
Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you.
And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.
Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.
Then Jacob said, You have seen what I have done for you, and how your cattle have done well under my care.
For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family?
And Laban said, What am I to give you? And Jacob said, Do not give me anything; but I will again take up the care of your flock if you will only do this for me:
Let me go through all your flock today, taking out from among them all the sheep which are marked or coloured or black, and all the marked or coloured goats: these will be my payment.
And so you will be able to put my honour to the test in time to come; if you see among my flocks any goats which are not marked or coloured, or any sheep which is not black, you may take me for a thief.
And Laban said, Let it be as you say.
So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons;
And sent them three days' journey away: and Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flock.
Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands.
And he put the banded sticks in the drinking-places where the flock came to get water; and they became with young when they came to the water.
And because of this, the flock gave birth to young which were marked with bands of colour.
These lambs Jacob kept separate; and he put his flock in a place by themselves and not with Laban's flock.
And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks.
But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put the sticks before them; so that the feebler flocks were Laban's and the stronger were Jacob's.
So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.
Most of the teaching of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Complete Sayings of Jesus presents every word spoken by Jesus in one place and provides an index to assist in finding specific ocassions, places and/or events. It is a must read aid for serious Bible study.
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. Let it be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life and example of Jesus.
The Apocrypha books are 14 books that were included between the old and new testaments in the original King James Version of the bible and many others. Church leaders agreed that these books were valuable for instruction in life and manners, but did not all agree that they should be considered cannon.
The Childrens Bible provides bible lessons from the Old and New testaments. There are 216 stories written in plain english. The stories are easy to read and understand but they are not just for childern. It is a pleasure to read and enjoy these important stories.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one who loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not know God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his only Son into the world that through him we might have life. Love the stranger.
In Mark 12:30 Jesus said;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
And the second Mark 12:31 [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
The Gospel of The Birth of Mary was attributed to St. Matthew and was received as genuine and authentic by early Christians. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church in the 4th century and is translated from his collection.
The Book of Enoch is ascribed to the great-grandfather of Noah and is included in the cannon of some churches. It describes the fall of the angels (watchers), visions of heaven and hell and the birth of Noah. Quotes from the book of Enoch are found in the New Testament.
The First Book of Adam and Eve. Books 1 begins immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. We learn about the fall but also of the promise to save Adam and his decendents. The story depicts mans struggle against evil, the devil and sin.
The Second Book of Adam and Eve. Discusses Adam's sorrow and death. The history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood until the birth of Noah; the children of Seth on Mount Hermon and Cain's death. It ends with the testament and translation of Enoch.
The Infancy of Jesus Christ (Infancy Gospel of Thomas) relates the life of Jesus from the ages of five to twelve. It is believed that the document was transcribed from oral traditions some time prior to the second century. The ancient writing is possibly Gnostic and many early church leaders considered it heretical.
Daily Bible study is essential. The Bible Verse of the Day provides a collection of enlightening and inspiration bible verses. Improve your knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your life by studying the words of the holy scripture. Explore the King James Bible (kjv) and discover new insights.
The World English Bible was produced to provide speakers of modern English with a version of the Bible that is easily understood. The Bible is in the public domain and available world-wide. It is an accurate modern translation of the original King James Bible, including the Apocryphal books.
Looking for something in the Bible? Want to find a specifc verse or list of words? The Bible search feature makes it easy find verses or words. Enter the verses or words in the search bar or visit the search page to access additional search options. Finding information in the Bible will never be easier.
The favorite verses page is a list of popular bible verses. Each verse includes a link to the chapter and verse of the book where it is found in the bible. Click on any link for a bible verse and it will take you to that location in the bible.
The bible contains great stories. Visit the bible stories page for links to some of the best known and most significant stories and passages in the bible.