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Genesis 28-30
New Catholic Bible
Genesis 28-30
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 28
1 Isaac called to Jacob and blessed him and gave him this command: “You must not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan. 2 Up, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, the father of your mother, and take a wife from there, from among the daughters of Laban, the brother of your mother. 3 May God Almighty bless you; may he make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you become a multitude of people. 4 May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land in which you have dwelt as an alien, the land that God gave to Abraham.” 5 Thus, Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, and the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife, and that when he had blessed him, he had commanded him, “You must not take a wife from among the Canaanites.” 7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan-aram. 8 Esau then understood that Isaac disapproved of the daughters of Canaan. 9 He therefore went to Ishmael and, besides the wives he already had, he took as wife Mahalath, the daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.
10 Jacob’s Dream at Bethel.[a] Jacob left from Beer-sheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 He came upon a certain place and spent the night there for the sun was setting. He took a stone and used it as a pillow and slept in that place. 12 He had a dream. There was a ladder resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
13 And the Lord stood before him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying shall be given to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth and shall extend to the west and the east, the north and the south. All the nations of the earth shall be blessed through you and through your descendants. 15 I am with you and I will protect you wherever you go. I will make you return to this country, for I will not abandon you without having done all that I have promised you.”
16 Jacob woke from sleep and said, “Truly, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was filled with fear and said, “How terrible this place is! This is truly the house of God, this is the gate to heaven.”
18 In the morning Jacob arose early, took the rock that he had used as a pillow, and erected it as a pillar pouring oil on top of it. 19 He named the place Bethel,[b] although the city had previously been called Luz.
20 Jacob made a vow, “If God remains with me and protects me in this journey that I am making and gives me bread to eat and clothes to cover me, 21 and if I return in peace to my father’s house, the Lord will be my God. 22 This stone that I am erecting as a pillar shall be a shrine to God. I will offer you one-tenth of everything that you give me.”
Chapter 29
The Wedding for Which Jacob Slaved.[c] 1 Jacob set out on his journey and traveled to the lands of the east. 2 He saw a well in the countryside and three flocks of sheep lying beside it. The flocks would drink at this well, but the stone over the mouth of the well was very large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and the sheep would drink there. They would then replace the stone over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?”
They said, “We know him.”
6 He said to them, “Is he well?”
They answered, “Yes, and here comes his daughter Rachel with his flock.”
7 He continued, “It is still early; it is not yet the time to gather the sheep together. Give the sheep something to drink and then go and pasture them.”
8 They said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together. Then we will roll the stone away from the mouth of the well and have the flocks drink.”
9 He was still speaking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, together with the sheep of his uncle Laban, he got up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and gave water to the sheep of his uncle Laban. 11 Jacob then kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 He revealed to Rachel that he was a relative of her father, for he was the son of Rebekah. So she ran to tell her father.
13 When Laban heard about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. He embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all about what had happened to him. 14 Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
Jacob lived with him for a month. 15 Then Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you be working for me without a salary? Tell me what you want as your salary.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had sad[d] eyes, while Rachel was very beautiful and lovely. 18 Because of this, Jacob loved Rachel. He therefore said, “I will serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 Laban answered, “I prefer to give her to you rather than to a stranger. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served him for seven years for Rachel. He was so in love with her that it seemed only a few days.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is completed and I wish to marry her.”
22 Laban gathered all the men of that place and threw a banquet. 23 When it was the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him and he married her. 24 Laban gave his own slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave.
25 When morning came, behold, it was Leah! Jacob said to Laban, “What have you done! Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why have you tricked me?”
26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our land to give the younger one before the older one. 27 Finish the bridal week with this one; then I will give you the other as well if you will serve me for another seven years.”
28 Jacob did this. He finished the bridal week with Leah, and then Laban gave him Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban gave his own slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a slave. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he served his uncle for another seven years.
31 The Children of Jacob.[e] Now the Lord, seeing that Leah was being overlooked, opened her womb while Rachel remained barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son whom she named Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my humiliation; surely my husband will love me now.”
33 Then she conceived another son and said, “The Lord has heard that I was ignored and he has given me this one as well.” She named him Simeon.
34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time my husband will show me affection, for I have borne three sons for him.” Because of this she named him Levi.
35 She conceived once again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” For this she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Chapter 30
1 Rachel, seeing that it had not been granted to her to bear sons to Jacob, became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me sons, or I shall die!”
2 Jacob was irritated with Rachel and said, “Am I God? He is the one who did not grant you the fruit of the womb.”
3 She answered, “Here is my servant Bilhah; sleep with her so that she may give birth upon my knees[f] and I also may have offspring through her.”
4 She gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore a son to Jacob. 6 Rachel said, “God has been just to me and has also listened to my voice, giving me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.
7 Bilhah, the slave of Rachel, conceived a second time and bore another son to Jacob. 8 Rachel said, “I have undergone a great struggle with my sister and I have won.” Because of this she named him Naphtali.
9 Leah, seeing that she had ceased bearing children, took her slave Zilpah and gave her as a wife to Jacob. 10 Zilpah, the slave of Leah, bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “What good luck!” And she named him Gad.
12 Zilpah, the slave of Leah, bore a second son to Jacob. 13 Leah said, “What joy! The women shall call me truly happy.” Therefore, she named him Asher.
14 Around the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes,[g] and he brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me a little of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But Leah answered, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Why do you want to take away my son’s mandrakes as well?” Rachel answered, “Then he can lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 That night, when Jacob arrived from the fields, Leah went out to him and said to him, “You must sleep with me because I paid for the right to have you with my son’s mandrakes.” Thus, he slept with her that night. 17 God heard Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 Leah said, “God has rewarded me for having given my slave to my husband.” This is why she named him Issachar.
19 Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Leah said, “God gave me a beautiful gift. This time my husband will prefer me because I have borne him six sons.” She therefore named him Zebulun.
21 She then bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 God also remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has removed my dishonor.” 24 She named him Joseph saying, “May the Lord grant me another son.”
25 Jacob’s Means of Becoming Prosperous.[h] After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go and return to my homeland. 26 Give me my wives, for whom I have served you, and my children, so that I can leave. You know how I served you.”
27 Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, please stay, for through divination I have come to know that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Establish your salary and I will give it to you.”
29 He answered, “You know how I served you and how your possessions have multiplied through my work. 30 What little you had before I arrived has grown beyond measure, and the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. But now, when will I be able to work for myself as well?”
31 Laban then said, “What must I do for you?” Jacob answered, “You do not have to do anything if you will do the following for me. I will return to pasture your flock and watch over it. 32 Today I will pass through all the animals. I will separate every dark animal from among the sheep and every goat that is spotted or speckled. This will be my salary. 33 In the future, let my honesty answer for me. When you come to verify my salary, every animal that is not speckled or spotted from among the goats and those that are not dark from among the sheep, if you find them with me, will be considered to have been robbed.”
34 Laban said, “Good, let it be as you have said.” 35 That day he removed the speckled and spotted he-goats and the speckled and spotted she-goats, all of those that had some white on them, and every sheep that was a dark color. He placed the flock in the care of his sons, 36 and he determined that there should be a distance of a three days’ journey by camel from Jacob’s flock. Jacob cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
37 But Jacob took fresh shoots of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and he made white[i] stripes in them by peeling the bark back down to the white core of the shoots. 38 He then took the shoots from which he had peeled the bark and he placed them in the channels, that is, in the watering troughs where the animals came to drink. They were placed where the animals could see them, and the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 Thus, the animals mated in the sight of the shoots, and the goats had kids that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.[j]
40 As for the sheep, Jacob separated them and had them face the animals that were streaked or fully dark of the flock of Laban. He put his own flock in a separate place; he did not put them together with Laban’s flock. 41 Every once in a while, the healthier animals mated, and Jacob would put the shoots in the trough where the animals could see them, so that they would mate in the sight of the shoots. 42 When the animals were weak, he did not put them there. Thus, the weak animals belonged to Laban, and those that were healthy belonged to Jacob. 43 He grew rich beyond measure and possessed great numbers of flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Footnotes
- Genesis 28:10 God does not delay in giving the refugee signs of his goodwill toward him, and the Mesopotamian period of Jacob’s life is set between two important theophanies (the second is in 32:25-31). Upon him is to be built the ladder that he saw in a vision and that unites earth with heaven. The Mesopotamian temple towers were monuments of this kind; by means of them human beings expressed their dream of making the divinity come down to them. Jacob honors the place of the unexpected vision; it will become a sanctuary visited by people until it begins to rival the official sanctuary in Jerusalem (1 Ki 12:26-32; etc.). Jesus Christ, a descendant of Jacob, will tell his first apostles that the heavens will open and that the ladder of the vision is becoming a reality in his person (Jn 1:51). Our liturgy makes the patriarch’s exclamation (Gen 28:17) its own when it celebrates the dedication of a church, which is the sign of the Christian community that prolongs the presence of the Savior on earth.
- Genesis 28:19 Bethel: i.e., “House of God.”
- Genesis 29:1 The bride was veiled throughout the entire wedding ceremony, which ended only in the darkness of the night—thus the possibility of deception. In this case, again, the substitution of one person for another is not to be judged by our standards, especially since the intentional presence of many people (v. 22) must have compelled Jacob to accept what had been done. Polygamy was not a difficulty for him, since he was following the practice of nomads, whereas Abraham had been monogamous in accord with the spirit of his native Babylonian environment. Marriage with two sisters would later be prohibited by Israelite law (Lev 18:18); this is an indication of the historicity of the story.
- Genesis 29:17 Sad: the word can also mean “delicate.”
- Genesis 29:31 Jacob had many sons, but Israelite tradition counts only twelve of them, including the last born, Benjamin (Gen 35:18), and regards them as the ancestors of the twelve tribes that make up the chosen people.
- Genesis 30:3 Upon my knees: after birth a father customarily took a child on his lap to indicate it was his. Rachel appeals to this custom to show that Bilhah’s child is hers.
- Genesis 30:14 Mandrakes: the ancients regarded the mandrake or mandragora as an aphrodisiac and capable of promoting pregnancy.
- Genesis 30:25 For a long time, Laban has exploited the services of his nephew; now, despite their agreement, he deprives him of the speckled sheep and dark-colored goats to prevent him from obtaining a flock for himself. But Jacob has a trick or two up his sleeve.
- Genesis 30:37 Poplar . . . white: the Hebrew terms for these words are puns on the name Laban. As Jacob had gotten the best of Esau (whose other name, Edom, means “red”) by means of red stew (Gen 25:30), so he now tries to get the best of Laban (whose name means “white”) by means of white branches. In effect, Jacob is using Laban’s own tactic (deception) against him.
- Genesis 30:39 Jacob’s scheme works—but only because of God’s intervention (see Jacob’s own admission in Gen 31:9), not because of Jacob’s superstition.
Genesis 28-30
New International Version
Genesis 28-30
New International Version
28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed(A) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.(B) 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram,[a](C) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.(D) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.(E) 3 May God Almighty[b](F) bless(G) you and make you fruitful(H) and increase your numbers(I) until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,(J) so that you may take possession of the land(K) where you now reside as a foreigner,(L) the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,(M) and he went to Paddan Aram,(N) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,(O) the brother of Rebekah,(P) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”(Q) 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women(R) were to his father Isaac;(S) 9 so he went to Ishmael(T) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth(U) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.(V)
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left Beersheba(W) and set out for Harran.(X) 11 When he reached a certain place,(Y) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head(Z) and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream(AA) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.(AB) 13 There above it[c] stood the Lord,(AC) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.(AD) I will give you and your descendants the land(AE) on which you are lying.(AF) 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you(AG) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.(AH) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[d](AI) 15 I am with you(AJ) and will watch over you(AK) wherever you go,(AL) and I will bring you back to this land.(AM) I will not leave you(AN) until I have done what I have promised you.(AO)”(AP)
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep,(AQ) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!(AR) This is none other than the house of God;(AS) this is the gate of heaven.”
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head(AT) and set it up as a pillar(AU) and poured oil on top of it.(AV) 19 He called that place Bethel,[e](AW) though the city used to be called Luz.(AX)
20 Then Jacob made a vow,(AY) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me(AZ) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear(BA) 21 so that I return safely(BB) to my father’s household,(BC) then the Lord[f] will be my God(BD) 22 and[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar(BE) will be God’s house,(BF) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.(BG)”
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.(BH) 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.(BI) The stone(BJ) over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone(BK) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.(BL) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”(BM)
“We’re from Harran,(BN)” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”(BO)
“Yes, we know him,” they answered.
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel(BP) with the sheep.(BQ)”
7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone(BR) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water(BS) the sheep.”
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,(BT) for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel(BU) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone(BV) away from the mouth of the well and watered(BW) his uncle’s sheep.(BX) 11 Then Jacob kissed(BY) Rachel and began to weep aloud.(BZ) 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative(CA) of her father and a son of Rebekah.(CB) So she ran and told her father.(CC)
13 As soon as Laban(CD) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him(CE) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”(CF)
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative(CG) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages(CH) should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,(CI) and the name of the younger was Rachel.(CJ) 17 Leah had weak[h] eyes, but Rachel(CK) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.(CL) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel(CM) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”(CN)
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(CO) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(CP)
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(CQ)”
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.(CR) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah(CS) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah(CT) to his daughter as her attendant.(CU)
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?(CV) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?(CW)”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.(CX) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week;(CY) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.(CZ)”
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.(DA) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah(DB) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.(DC) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(DD) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(DE)
Jacob’s Children
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(DF) he enabled her to conceive,(DG) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(DH) She named him Reuben,[i](DI) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(DJ) Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(DK) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[j](DL)
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(DM) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[k](DN)
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[l](DO) Then she stopped having children.(DP)
30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(DQ) she became jealous of her sister.(DR) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(DS) who has kept you from having children?”(DT)
3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(DU) my servant.(DV) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(DW)
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(DX) Jacob slept with her,(DY) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(DZ) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(EA) Because of this she named him Dan.[m](EB)
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(EC) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(ED) So she named him Naphtali.[n](EE)
9 When Leah(EF) saw that she had stopped having children,(EG) she took her servant Zilpah(EH) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(EI) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(EJ) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[o] So she named him Gad.[p](EK)
12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(EL) happy.”(EM) So she named him Asher.[q](EN)
14 During wheat harvest,(EO) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(EP) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(EQ) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”
“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(ER)
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(ES) So he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah,(ET) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(EU) So she named him Issachar.[r](EV)
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(EW) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[s](EX)
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(EY)
22 Then God remembered Rachel;(EZ) he listened to her(FA) and enabled her to conceive.(FB) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(FC) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(FD) 24 She named him Joseph,[t](FE) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(FF)
Jacob’s Flocks Increase
25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(FG) so I can go back to my own homeland.(FH) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(FI) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(FJ) please stay. I have learned by divination(FK) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(FL) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(FM) and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(FN) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(FO) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(FP) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(FQ)”
31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.
“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(FR) They will be my wages.(FS) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(FT) will be considered stolen.(FU)”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(FV) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(FW) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(FX) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(FY) and plane trees(FZ) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(GA) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(GB) in all the watering troughs,(GC) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(GD) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(GE) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(GF) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(GG) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(GH) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(GI) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(GJ) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(GK)
Footnotes
- Genesis 28:2 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7
- Genesis 28:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 28:13 Or There beside him
- Genesis 28:14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 28:19 Bethel means house of God.
- Genesis 28:21 Or Since God … father’s household, the Lord
- Genesis 28:22 Or household, and the Lord will be my God, 22 then
- Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
- Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
- Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
- Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
- Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
- Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
- Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
- Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
- Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
- Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
- Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
- Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
New International Version (NIV) 
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