Reuben. Simeon. Levi. Judah. Dan. Naphtali. Gad. Asher. Issachar. Zebulun. Joseph. Benjamin (coming soon). You may want to remember these names, as they will come up again and again in your study of the Bible. Jacob's sons will become the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Leah is the mother of six of the sons, plus Jacob's daughter Dinah. Rachel, jealous of her sister, offers her maid Bilhah to Jacob who bears him two sons. Leah decides two can play at that game, so she gives her maid Zilpah to Jacob as well, and she bears him two sons. Finally Rachel bears a son of her own to Jacob. She is desperately hoping for another son to give to her husband, even if it kills her. (Spoiler alert: It will.)
With all these mouths to feed, Jacob is interested in getting out from his employment with uncle/father-in-law-two-times-over Laban - (I feel icky just writing this sentence) - and going into business for himself. Laban persuades him to stay, offering him to set the terms of his continued service. When Jacob asks for certain spotted and speckled types of goats and lambs as payment, Laban corruptly hides these and spirits them away, cheating Jacob out of what he had promised. But don't worry about Jacob, though. God's blessing is still on him, and he becomes increasingly wealthy by the end of Genesis 30.
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