Genesis 30:25-43

Lexham English Bible

Jacob’s Prosperity

²⁵ And it happened that as soon as Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away that I may go to my place and my land. ²⁶ Give me my wives and my children for which I have served you, and let me go. For you yourself know my service that I have rendered to you.” ²⁷ But Laban said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you.” ²⁸ And he said, “Name your wage to me and I will give it.” ²⁹ Then he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have been with me.^{[a] 30} For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly. And Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned.^[b] So then, when shall I provide for my own family also?” ³¹ And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “Do not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flocks and keep them. ³² Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing all the speckled and spotted sheep from them, along with^[c] every dark-colored sheep among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. That^[d] shall be my wages. ³³ And my righteousness will answer for me later^[e] when you come concerning my wages before you. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or dark-colored among the sheep shall be stolen if it is with me.” ³⁴ Then Laban said, “Look! Very well. It shall be according to your word.” ³⁵ But that day he^[f] removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, all that had white on it, and every dark-colored ram, and put them in the charge of his sons.^{[g] 36} And he put a journey of three days between him and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the remainder of Laban’s flock. ³⁷ Then Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled white strips on them, exposing the white which was on the branches. ³⁸ And he set the branches that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in the troughs and in the water containers. And they were in heat when they came to drink. ³⁹ And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted. ⁴⁰ And Jacob separated the lambs and turned the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark-colored in Laban’s flocks. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with the flocks of Laban. ⁴¹ And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches in full view^[h] of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches. ⁴² But with the more feeble of the flock he would not put them there. So the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger were Jacob’s. ⁴³ And the man became exceedingly^[i] rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.