Jacob's Flocks Increase

After Joseph was born, Jacob asked Laban to let him return to his own country with his wives and children. Laban asked him to stay, saying he had learned by divination that Yahweh had blessed him because of Jacob. Then he told Jacob to name his wages.

Jacob reminded Laban that before he came, Laban had only a little, but the livestock had grown into a multitude. He said Yahweh had blessed Laban wherever he worked, and now it was time to provide for his own household too.

Jacob proposed a clear arrangement. He would keep feeding and guarding the flock, and his wages would be the black sheep, and the spotted and speckled goats. Later, if animals with the wrong markings were found with him, they could be counted as stolen. Laban agreed.

But that same day, Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats, the speckled and spotted female goats, every goat with white in it, and all the black sheep. He put them in the care of his sons and set a three-day journey between them and Jacob.

Jacob kept feeding the rest of Laban's flocks. He took fresh rods from poplar, almond, and plane trees, peeled white streaks into them, and set them by the watering troughs. The flocks conceived there, and they produced streaked, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob also kept his own droves separate.

Whenever the stronger animals conceived, Jacob placed the rods before them, but he did not do this with the weaker animals. So the feebler ones belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones to Jacob. Jacob increased greatly, with large flocks, servants, camels, and donkeys.