1
And it came to pass that when Rachel had borne our father, Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place and to my country.
2
And give unto 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.
3
And Laban spoke unto him, saying: I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have seen that YHVHa hath blessed me for thy sake; therefore appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
4
And Jacob said unto him: Thou knowest how I have served thee and how thy flocks were with me, for it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and Ha’Elohima hath blessed thee since my coming.
5
And now, behold, when shall I provide for mine own house also?
6
And Laban asked again: What shall I give thee?
7
And Jacob answered him, saying: Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.
8
I will pass through all thy flock today, 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.
9
So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come when it shall come for my hire before thy face;
10
And every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted as thine.
11
And Laban covenanted with him, saying: Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
12
And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstreaked 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.
13
And Laban set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of the flocks of Laban.
14
¶ And it came to pass that Jacob took him rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut tree, and pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
15
And he prayed over the rods, blessinga them as to make them holy, and set the rods before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they that came to drink should conceive in abundance.
16
¶ And it came to pass that the flocks that came before the rods, these did conceive, and they brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted, even as he had prayed.
17
And Jacob did separate the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves and put them not unto the herds of Laban.
18
¶ And it came to pass that whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods that had been blessed of the power of YHVH before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
19
But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; and so it was that the feebler were beloging to Laban, and the stronger to Jacob;
20
And because of this, Jacob increased exceedingly and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and sheep, and camels, and asses.
21
¶ And it came to pass that Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was belonging to our father; and of that which was once beloning to our father hath he gotten all this glory.
22
And thus did Jacob behold that the righteous countenancea of Laban had fallenb, and behold, it was not towards Jacob anymore.
23
And the angel of YHVHa came unto Jacob, saying: Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred; and YHVH will be with thee.
24
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and he said unto them: I see that your father's countenance as fallen, that it is not toward me as before; but the Elohima of my father hath been with me:
25
And ye know that with all my power I have served your father, and your father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times; but Elohim has intervened that he could not hurt me.
26
And if he said thus: The speckled shall be thy wages, then all the cattle bare speckled; and if he said thus: The ringstreaked shall be thy hire, then bare all the cattle ring-streaked; and even so Elohim hath taken away the cattle of your father and given them to me.
27
And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream; and lo, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were all ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
28
And the angel of Ha’Elohim spoke unto me in a dream, saying: Jacob!
29
And I said: Here am I.
30
And the angel said: Lift up now thine eyes and see, for all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
31
I have been sent by Ha’El of Bethela, where thou anointed the pillar and where thou vowed a vow unto YHVH; now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
32
¶ And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in the house of our father? Are we not counted of him strangers?
33
For our father hath sold us and hath quite devoured also our dowry; and all the riches which Elohim hath taken from our father was to be ours and for our children;
34
Therefore, whatsoever Ha’Elohim hath said unto thee thou must do, and we, thy wives, are with thee, our husband.
35
Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle and all his goods which he had gotten; the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.