Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink,

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

Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches.

But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”

And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.

Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,

and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me.

You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.

Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’

‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?

Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.

Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels,

and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.

Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.