Page:The Holy Bible (YLT).djvu/41

Jacob's bargain with Laban. the day to come, when it cometh in for my hire before thy face;—every one which is not speckled and spotted among my goats, and brown among my lambs—it is stolen with me.'

And Laban saith, 'Lo, that it were according to thy word;' and he turneth aside during that day the ring-straked and the spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and the spotted she-goats, every one that hath white in it, and every brown one among the lambs, and he giveth into the hand of his sons,  and setteth a journey of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob is feeding the rest of the flock of Laban.

And Jacob taketh to himself a rod of fresh poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut, and doth peel in them white peelings, making bare the white that is on the rods, and setteth up the rods which he hath peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs (when the flock cometh in to drink), over-against the flock, that they may conceive in their coming in to drink;  and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-straked, speckled, and spotted ones.

And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-straked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods,  and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set them: and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's.

And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.

XXXI. AND he heareth the words of Laban's sons, saying, 'Jacob hath taken all that our father hath; yea, from that which our father hath, he hath made all this honour;' and Jacob seeth the face of Laban, and lo, it is not with him as heretofore.

And Jehovah saith unto Jacob, 'Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'

And Jacob seudeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock; and saith to them, 'I am beholding your father's face—that it is not towards me as heretofore, and the God of my father hath been with me,  and ye—ye have known that with all my power I have served your father,  and your father hath played upon me, and hath changed my hire ten times; and God hath not suffered him to do evil with me.

If he say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-straked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-straked; and God taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give to me.

'And it cometh to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up mine eyes and see in a dream, and lo, the he-goats, which are going up on the flock, are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled; and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here am I.

'And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see—all the he-goats which are going up on the flock are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee; I am the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'

And Rachel answereth—Leah also—and saith to him, 'Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father? have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money; for all the wealth which God hath taken away from our father, it is ours, and our children's; and now, all that God hath said unto thee—do.'

And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives on the camels, and leadeth all his cattle, and all his substance which he hath acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he hath acquired in Padan-Aram, to go unto Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath; and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramæan, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing: and he fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face toward the mount of Gilead.

And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled, and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead.

And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramæan in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.' And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed theirs in the mount of Gilead.

And Laban saith to Jacob, 'What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp,  and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters?—now thou hast acted foolishly in doing so;  "my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying. Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.

'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?'

And Jacob answereth and saith to 21