When people say they don’t read the Bible because it’s boring, I can tell they have in fact not read the Bible. There are portions that are a little dry but the book of Genesis is not among them. If the stuff from chapter 30 happened on a modern daytime soap, the audience might find it hard to suspend their disbelief. But of course this is real. In the words of Jack Palance, the truth is stranger than fiction.

Genesis 30

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister and said to Jacob “Give me children, or I will die.”

2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said “Am I in God’s place, who has kept you from having children?”

3 She said “Here is my servant Bilhah, go in unto her; and she will give birth on my knees, that I may also have children by her.”

4 And she gave Bilhah her handmaid to him as a wife: and Jacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6 Rachel said “God has judged me and heard my voice, and has given me a son.” So called she his name Dan.  

7 And Bilhah conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.

8 Rachel said, “I have struggled greatly with my sister and won.”: So she called his name Naphtali.  

9 When Leah saw that she had quit having children, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 Leah said “What good fortune!”  and she called his name Gad. 

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore 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 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.

15 And she said to her “Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? Would you also take away my son’s mandrakes?” And Rachel said “Therefore he shall lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 Jacob came in from the field in the evening and Leah went out to meet him, and said “You must come in to me; for surely I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob the fifth son.

18 And Leah said “God has given me my reward because I have given my servant to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.  

19 Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob the sixth son.

20 And Leah said, God has given me a good gift, now will my husband treat me with honor because I have given him six sons;” and she called his name Zebulun. 

21 Then she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.  

22 God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.

23 And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God has taken away my disgrace. 

24 She called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban “Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.

26 Give me my wives and my children that I have served you for, and let me go: for you know my service which I have done.”

27 Laban said to him “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay: for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

28 And he said “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 

29 Jacob said “You know how I have served thee, and how your livestock was with me.

30 You had little before I came and your wealth has now increased to a multitude; and the Lord has blessed you at my every turn: when shall I provide for my own house?”

31 So he said “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said “Don’t give me anything: if you will do this one thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flock.

32 I will pass through all your flock today, removing from it all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and these shall be my wages.

33 So shall my honesty answer for me later, when you come to check on my wages: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep with me, shall be considered stolen.”

34 And Laban said “Good, let it be according to your word.”

35 He removed that day the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female 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 put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob took branches of green poplar, and of almond and plane trees; and peeled the bark, making white stripes appear in the branches.  

38 He set the branches which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, and they should mate when they came to drink.

39 And the flocks mated in front of the branches, and gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and not in with Laban’s flocks.

41 Whenever the stronger sheep were mating, Jacob laid the branches before the eyes of the sheep in the gutters, that they might mate among the branches.

42 But when the sheep were feeble, he did not put them in: so the weaker were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 So the man grew exceedingly wealthy, with many flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.