Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.
He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink.
So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
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.
Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods;
but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them 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.
Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth.”
Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,
and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.
If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped.
And it came about at the time when the flock were mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were mating were striped, speckled, and mottled.
Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”
and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.
When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s.
And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.
So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.
When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,
then he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead.
Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?
It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’
The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our kinsmen point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.
Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.
She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.
These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.
That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.”
Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?
Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.
and Mizpah, for he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.
Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me.
This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him.
Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies;
for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.
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