Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Our Shepherd^[a]

Jacob's Bargain with Laban

²⁵ After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go, so that I can return home. ²⁶ Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you.”

²⁷ Laban said to him, “Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. ²⁸ Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

²⁹ Jacob answered, “You know how I have worked for you and how your flocks have prospered under my care. ³⁰ The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went.^[a] Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests.”

³¹ “What shall I pay you?” Laban asked.

Jacob answered, “I don't want any wages. I will continue to take care of your flocks if you agree to this suggestion: ³² Let me go through all your flocks today and take every black lamb^[b] and every spotted or speckled young goat. That is all the wages I want. ³³ In the future you can easily find out if I have been honest. When you come to check up on my wages, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn't black, you will know that it has been stolen.”

³⁴ Laban answered, “Agreed. We will do as you suggest.” ³⁵ But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them, ³⁶ and then went away from Jacob with this flock as far as he could travel in three days. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks.

³⁷ Jacob got green branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them. ³⁸ He placed these branches in front of the flocks at their drinking troughs. He put them there, because the animals mated when they came to drink. ³⁹ So when the goats bred in front of the branches, they produced young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

⁴⁰ Jacob kept the sheep separate from the goats and made them face in the direction of the streaked and black animals of Laban's flock. In this way he built up his own flock and kept it apart from Laban's.

⁴¹ When the healthy animals were mating, Jacob put the branches in front of them at the drinking troughs, so that they would breed among the branches. ⁴² But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones. ⁴³ In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.

¹⁷ “And now, my friends, I know that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was due to your ignorance. ¹⁸ God announced long ago through all the prophets that his Messiah had to suffer; and he made it come true in this way. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, ²⁰ times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be made new, as God announced through his holy prophets of long ago. ^22 (A)For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me,^[a] and he will be one of your own people. You are to obey everything that he tells you to do. ^23 (B)Anyone who does not obey that prophet shall be separated from God's people and destroyed.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who had a message, including Samuel and those who came after him, also announced what has been happening these days. ^25 (C)The promises of God through his prophets are for you, and you share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors. As he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants I will bless all the people on earth.’ ²⁶ And so God chose his Servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by making every one of you turn away from your wicked ways.”