17. Then God answered Leah’s prayer, and she became pregnant again. She gave birth to a fifth son.
18. Leah said, “God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband.” So Leah named her son Issachar.
19. Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son.
20. She said, “God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honor me, because I have given him six sons.” So Leah named the son Zebulun.
21. Later Leah gave birth to a daughter. She named her Dinah.
22. Then God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer. God made it possible for her to have children.
23. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has taken away my shame.”
24. She named him Joseph. Rachel said, “I wish the Lord would give me another son.”
25. After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Now let me go to my own home and country.
26. Give me my wives and my children, and let me go. I have earned them by working for you. You know that I served you well.”
27. Laban said to him, “If I have pleased you, please stay. I know the Lord has blessed me because of you.
28. Tell me what I should pay you, and I will give it to you.”
29. Jacob answered, “You know that I have worked hard for you. Your flocks have grown while I cared for them.
30. When I came, you had little. Now you have much. Every time I did something for you, the Lord blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own family?”
31. Laban asked, “Then what should I give you?”Jacob answered, “I don’t want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing. Then I will come back and take care of your flocks.
32. Today let me go through all your flocks of white sheep and black goats. I will take every spotted or speckled lamb. I will take every black lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. That will be my pay.
33. In the future you can easily see if I am honest. You can come to look at my flocks. If I have any goat that isn’t speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn’t black, you will know I stole it.”
34. Laban answered, “Agreed! We will do what you ask.”
35. But that day Laban took away all the male goats that had streaks or spots. And he took all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them). And he took all the black sheep. He told his sons to watch over them.