The One Year Chronological Study Bible - Flipbook - Page 46
page 42
and goats, female and male servants, and many
camels and donkeys.
Jacob Flees from Laban • GENESIS 31:1-21 /
1909 or 1743 BC
But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were
grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all
his wealth at our father’s expense.” 2And Jacob
began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the
land of your father and grandfather and to your
relatives there, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the
field where he was watching his flock. 5 He said
to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my
father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I
have worked for your father, 7 but he has cheated
me, changing my wages ten times. But God has
not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he
said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’
the whole flock began to produce speckled
young. And when he changed his mind and
said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’
then the whole flock produced striped young.
9 In this way, God has taken your father’s animals
and given them to me.
10 “One time during the mating season, I had
a dream and saw that the male goats mating
with the females were streaked, speckled, and
spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God
said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see
that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted
males are mating with the females of your flock.
For I have seen how Laban has treated you. 13 I
am the God who appeared to you at Bethel,* the
place where you anointed the pillar of stone and
made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave
this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with
us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth
anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of
foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted
the money you paid him for us. 16All the wealth
God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do
whatever God has told you.”
17 So Jacob put his wives and children on
camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock in front
1
DIVIDED
KINGDOM
31:13 As in Greek version and an Aramaic Targum; Hebrew reads the
God of Bethel.
KINGDOM
EXODUS
PATRIARCH
PATRIARCH
CREATION
because of you. 28 Tell me how much I owe you.
Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
29 Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve
worked for you, and how your flocks and herds
have grown under my care. 30You had little indeed
before I came, but your wealth has increased
enormously. The Lord has blessed you through
everything I’ve done. But now, what about me?
When can I start providing for my own family?”
31 “What wages do you want?” Laban asked
again.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just
do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and
watch over your flocks. 32 Let me inspect your
flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats
that are speckled or spotted, along with all the
black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. 33 In
the future, when you check on the animals you
have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have
been honest. If you find in my flock any goats
without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are
not black, you will know that I have stolen them
from you.”
34 “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you
say.” 35 But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and
spotted, all the female goats that were speckled
and spotted or had white patches, and all the
black sheep. He placed them in the care of his
own sons, 36 who took them a three-days’ journey
from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed
and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
37 Then Jacob took some fresh branches from
poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off
strips of bark, making white streaks on them.
38 Then he placed these peeled branches in the
watering troughs where the flocks came to drink,
for that was where they mated. 39And when they
mated in front of the white-streaked branches,
they gave birth to young that were streaked,
speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob separated those
lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time
he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that
were streaked or black. This is how he built his
own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.
41 Whenever the stronger females were ready
to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches
in the watering troughs in front of them. Then
they would mate in front of the branches. 42 But
he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the
weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the
stronger ones were Jacob’s. 43As a result, Jacob
became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep
JUDGES
•
CONQUEST
JA N UA RY 11
