Study Desk

Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

"Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you."

Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

But Laban said to him, "If it pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.

He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give them."

And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

But Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have fared with me.

And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.

"For you had little before I came, and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?"

For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:

And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.

let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled or spotted sheep and every black sheep among the lambs, and the spotted or speckled among the goats; and those shall be my wages.

I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

"So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen."

So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word."

And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

So he removed on that day the striped or spotted male goats, and all the speckled or spotted female goats, every one with white on it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and put them in the care of his sons.

And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was in the rods.

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the drinking troughs, that is, in the watering channels where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink.

And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks delivered striped, speckled, and spotted offspring.

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock.

And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the drinking troughs, so that they would mate by the rods;

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

but when the flock was sickly, he did not put them in; so the sickly were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's.

But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.