DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 60
G enesis 31
42
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 La
ban 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. 39 And 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. 43 As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep
and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.
Jacob Flees from Laban
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.” 2 And 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
31
