25
¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had
born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine
own place, and to my country. 26 Give 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. 27
And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine
eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for
thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me thy
wages, and I will give it. 29 And he
said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with
me. 30 For it was little which thou
hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD
hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own
house also? 31 And he said, What shall I
give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do
this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: 32 I will pass through all thy flock to day,
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. 33 So shall my
righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire
before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats,
and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be
according to thy word. 35 And he removed
that day the he goats that were ringstraked 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. 36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt
himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 ¶
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut
tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in
the rods. 38 And he set the rods which
he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the
flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 And the flocks conceived before the
rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the
faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban;
and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
41 And it came to pass, whensoever the
stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the
cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them
not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had
much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Jacob wants to take his family and leave Laban,
returning to his own country. Laban acknowledges that Jacob has been a wise
steward of Laban’s flocks and has made Laban prosperous. He says, tell me what
you want and I’ll pay you. Jacob reinforces that under his direction and by his
work God has blessed Laban through Jacob which is what Laban admitted. Now, it
is time for Jacob to acquire wealth of his own.
It is interesting to note in history how the Jew,
living in the countries of the Gentiles, has made Gentiles rich and prosperous
by their skills at handling money and commerce. It is also interesting how,
like Laban, the Gentiles have, more often than not, resented the Jews, rather
than thanked them, as we shall soon see of Laban.
We don’t learn until the next chapter that God has
arranged for this method of Jacob acquiring wealth and it is not some arcane
and ancient form of sheepherding.
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