Genesis 30:31   (Read all of Genesis 30)

"What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:

Genesis 30:32   (Read all of Genesis 30)

Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages.

Genesis 30:33   (Read all of Genesis 30)

And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen."

Genesis 30:34   (Read all of Genesis 30)

"Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said."

Genesis 30:35   (Read all of Genesis 30)

That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons.

Genesis 30:37   (Read all of Genesis 30)

Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

Genesis 30:38   (Read all of Genesis 30)

Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink,

Genesis 30:39   (Read all of Genesis 30)

they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

Genesis 30:40   (Read all of Genesis 30)

Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals.

Genesis 30:41   (Read all of Genesis 30)

Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,

Genesis 30:42   (Read all of Genesis 30)

but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.

Genesis 30:43   (Read all of Genesis 30)

In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 31:1   (Read all of Genesis 31)

Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father."

Genesis 31:3   (Read all of Genesis 31)

Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

Genesis 31:4   (Read all of Genesis 31)

So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were.

Genesis 31:5   (Read all of Genesis 31)

He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.

Genesis 31:6   (Read all of Genesis 31)

You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength,

Genesis 31:8   (Read all of Genesis 31)

If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young.

Genesis 31:9   (Read all of Genesis 31)

So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

Genesis 31:10   (Read all of Genesis 31)

"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted.

Genesis 31:11   (Read all of Genesis 31)

The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.'

Genesis 31:12   (Read all of Genesis 31)

And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.

Genesis 31:14   (Read all of Genesis 31)

Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate?

Genesis 31:15   (Read all of Genesis 31)

Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.