Jacob took freshly cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees. He made white stripes on the branches by peeling off their bark.

Then he placed the peeled branches in all the stone tubs where the animals drank water. He placed them there so they would be right in front of the flocks when they came to drink. The flocks were ready to mate when they came to drink.

So they mated in front of the branches. And the flocks gave birth to striped, speckled or spotted little ones.

Every time the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the branches in the stone tubs. He would place them in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches.

But if the animals were weak, he wouldn’t place the branches there. So the weak animals went to Laban. And the strong ones went to Jacob.

There were three branches on the vine. As soon as it budded, it flowered. And bunches of ripe grapes grew on it.

“Here’s what your dream means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.

He will tie his donkey to a vine. He will tie his colt to the very best branch. He will wash his clothes in wine. He will wash his robes in the red juice of grapes.

“Joseph is a vine that grows a lot of fruit. It grows close by a spring. Its branches climb over a wall.

Get a branch of a hyssop plant. Dip it into the blood in the bowl. Put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you can go out of the door of your house until morning.

The Gold Lampstand

“Make a lampstand out of pure gold. Hammer out its base and stem. Its buds, blossoms and cups must branch out from it. They must be part of the lampstand itself.

Six branches must come out from the sides of the lampstand. Make three on one side and three on the other.

On one branch make three cups that are shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. Then put three on the next branch. Do the same with all six branches that come out from the lampstand.

One bud must be under the first pair of branches that come out from the lampstand. Put a second bud under the second pair. And put a third bud under the third pair. Make a total of six branches.

The buds and branches must come out from the lampstand. The whole lampstand must be one piece hammered out of pure gold.

The Gold Lampstand

The workers made the lampstand out of pure gold. They hammered out its base and stem. Its buds, blossoms and cups branched out from it.

Six branches came out from the sides of the lampstand. There were three on one side and three on the other.

On one branch there were three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. There were three on the next branch. In fact, there were three on each of the six branches that came out from the lampstand.

One bud was under the first pair of branches that came out from the lampstand. A second bud was under the second pair. And a third bud was under the third pair. There was a total of six branches.

The buds and branches came out from the lampstand. The whole lampstand was one piece hammered out of pure gold.

Then the priest will order someone to bring him two live ‘clean’ birds. He will also order someone to bring him some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant. All these things will be used to make the person ‘clean.’

To make the house pure, the priest must get two birds. He must also get some cedar wood, bright red yarn and branches of a hyssop plant.

On the first day you must get branches from palms, willows and other leafy trees. You must be filled with joy in front of the Lord your God for seven days.

For six years plant your fields. Trim the branches in your vineyards and gather your crops.

But the seventh year must be a year of sabbath rest for the land. The land must rest during it. It is a sabbath year to honor the Lord. Do not plant your fields. Do not trim the branches in your vineyards.