Yaratılış 30

¹Rahel Yakup’a çocuk doğuramadığını gördüğünde kız kardeşini kıskandı ve Yakup’a, “Bana çocuklar ver, yoksa öleceğim ben” dedi.

²Yakup ise Rahel’e öfkeye kapılarak ona, “Seni rahim meyvesinden yoksun bırakan Tanrı’nın yerinde miyim ben?” dedi.

³Rahel Yakup’a, “İşte cariyem Balla; onun yanına gir, benim dizlerim üzerinde doğursun da onun aracılığıyla ben de çocuk sahibi kılınayım” dedi.

⁴Böylece ona kendi cariyesi Balla’yı karı olarak verdi ve Yakup onun yanına girdi.

⁵Rahel’in cariyesi Balla gebe kaldı ve Yakup’a bir oğul doğurdu.

⁶Rahel, “Tanrı benim lehime hükmetti, sesime kulak verdi ve bana bir oğul verdi” dedi; bu yüzden onun adını Dan koydu.

⁷Rahel’in cariyesi Balla yine gebe kaldı ve Yakup’a ikinci bir oğul doğurdu.

⁸Rahel, “Tanrı bana yardım etti, kız kardeşimle birlikte mücadele ettim ve üstün geldim” dedi; ve onun adını Neftalim koydu.

⁹Lea artık doğurmaktan kesildiğini görünce cariyesi Zelfa’yı aldı ve onu Yakup’a karı olarak verdi; Yakup da onun yanına girdi.

¹⁰Lea’nın cariyesi Zelfa gebe kalıp Yakup’a bir oğul doğurdu.

¹¹Lea, “Şansla!” dedi ve onun adını Gad koydu.

¹²Lea’nın cariyesi Zelfa yine gebe kaldı ve Yakup’a ikinci bir oğul doğurdu.

¹³Lea, “Ne mutluyum ben, çünkü kadınlar beni mutlu sayacaklar” dedi ve onun adını Aşer koydu.

¹⁴Ruben buğday biçimi günlerinde kıra gidip adamotu elmaları buldu ve onları annesi Lea’ya getirdi. Rahel kız kardeşi Lea’ya, “Lütfen oğlunun adamotlarından bana da ver” dedi.

¹⁵Lea ona, “Kocamı aldığın yetmedi mi ki, şimdi de oğlumun adamotlarını mı alacaksın?” dedi. Rahel, “Asla, oğlunun adamotlarına karşılık bu gece seninle yatsın” dedi.

¹⁶Akşamleyin Yakup kırdan dönünce Lea onu karşılamaya çıktı ve, “Bugün benim yanıma gireceksin, çünkü oğlumun adamotları karşılığında seni kesinlikle kiraladım” dedi. Yakup o gece onunla yattı.

¹⁷Tanrı Lea’ya kulak verdi; Lea gebe kalarak Yakup’a beşinci bir oğul doğurdu.

¹⁸Lea, “Cariyemi kocama verdiğim için Tanrı bana ücretimi verdi” dedi ve onun adını, “Ücret” anlamına gelen İssakar koydu.

¹⁹Lea yine gebe kaldı ve Yakup’a altıncı bir oğul doğurdu.

²⁰Lea, “Tanrı bu şimdiki zamanda bana güzel bir armağan bahşetti; kocam artık beni seçecektir, çünkü ona altı oğul doğurdum” dedi ve onun adını Zabulon koydu.

²¹Bundan sonra bir kız doğurdu ve adını Dina koydu.

²²Tanrı Rahel’i anımsadı, Tanrı ona kulak verdi ve onun rahmini açtı.

²³Rahel gebe kalıp Yakup’a bir oğul doğurdu ve, “Tanrım utancımı kaldırdı” dedi.

²⁴“Tanrı bana başka bir oğul daha eklesin” diyerek onun adını Yusuf koydu.

²⁵Rahel Yusuf’u doğurduktan sonra Yakup Laban’a, “Beni salıver, kendi yerime ve memleketime gideyim” dedi.

²⁶“Kendileri için sana hizmet ettiğim karılarımı ve çocuklarımı bana geri ver ki gideyim; çünkü sana nasıl hizmet ettiğimi sen kendin biliyorsun.”

²⁷Laban ona, “Eğer gözünde lütuf bulduysam, sezdim; çünkü Tanrı senin gelişinle beni kutsadı” dedi.

²⁸“Ücretini bana belirle, onu sana vereceğim” dedi.

²⁹Yakup ona, “Sana nasıl hizmet ettiğimi ve sürülerinin benimle nasıl çoğaldığını biliyorsun” dedi.

³⁰“Çünkü benden önce az bir şeyin vardı, ama çoğalarak büyük bir sürü oldu; benim ayak bastığım yerde Rab Tanrı seni kutsadı. Şimdi ben kendi evim için ne zaman çalışacağım?”

³¹Laban, “Sana ne vereyim?” dedi. Yakup, “Bana hiçbir şey vermene gerek yok” dedi, “eğer benim için şu sözü tutarsan, sürünü yeniden güder ve korurum:

³²Bugün bütün sürülerinin arasından geçeyim; koyunlar arasındaki tüm kırçıl kuzuları, keçiler arasındaki tüm alacalı ve beneklileri oradan ayır; benim ücretim bu olsun.

³³Yarın ücretimi denetlemeye geldiğinde, dürüstlüğüm senin önünde bana tanıklık edecektir: Keçiler arasında benekli ve alacalı olmayan, koyunlar arasında da kırçıl olmayan her hayvan bende çalınmış sayılacaktır.”

³⁴Laban, “Peki, dediğin gibi olsun” dedi.

³⁵Laban o gün alacalı ve benekli tekeleri, tüm alacalı ve benekli keçileri, koyunlar arasındaki tüm kırçıl olanları ve aralarındaki tüm beyaz olanları ayırıp oğullarının eline teslim etti.

³⁶Kendisiyle Yakup arasına üç günlük yol mesafe koydu. Yakup ise Laban’ın geride kalan sürülerini gütmeye devam etti.

³⁷Yakup taze sığla, badem ve çınar ağaçlarından değnekler aldı; kabuklarını soyarak değneklerin üzerinde beyaz şeritler açtı, böylece yeşil kısımları soyunca değneklerde alacalı beyazlıklar belirdi.

³⁸Soyduğu değnekleri hayvanların su içmeye geldikleri yalakların, su teknelerinin içine yerleştirdi; öyle ki sürüler içmeye geldiklerinde değneklerin önünde olsunlar ve su içmeye geldiklerinde değneklerin önünde çiftleşsinler.

³⁹Sürüler değneklerin önünde çiftleşti ve alacalı, çizgili, kül rengi benekli yavrular doğurdu.

⁴⁰Yakup kuzuları ayırdı ve sürülerin yönünü alacalı koça ve kuzular arasındaki tüm alacalı hayvanlara doğru çevirdi; kendi sürülerini ayrı tuttu ve onları Laban’ın sürülerine karıştırmadı.

⁴¹Sürülerin güçlü olanları çiftleşeceği zaman, Yakup değneklerin önünde çiftleşsinler diye değnekleri yalakların içine, hayvanların gözü önüne koyardı.

⁴²Ama sürüler zayıf olduğunda değnekleri koymazdı; böylece işaretsiz olanlar Laban’ın, işaretli olanlar ise Yakup’un oldu.

⁴³Böylece adam son derece zenginleşti; çok sayıda sürüye, sığırlara, kölelere, cariyelere, develere ve eşeklere sahip oldu.

¹ΙΔΟΥΣΑ δὲ Ραχὴλ ὅτι οὐ τέτοκε τῷ ᾿Ιακώβ, καὶ ἐζήλωσε Ραχὴλ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπε τῷ ᾿Ιακώβ· δός μοι τέκνα· εἰ δὲ μή, τελευτήσω ἐγώ.

²θυματωθεὶς δὲ ᾿Ιακὼβ τῇ Ραχὴλ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· μὴ ἀντὶ Θεοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι, ὃς ἐστέρησέ σε καρπὸν κοιλίας;

³εἶπε δὲ Ραχὴλ τῷ ᾿Ιακώβ· ἰδοὺ ἡ παιδίσκη μου Βαλλά· εἴσελθε πρὸς αὐτήν, καὶ τέξεται ἐπὶ τῶν γονάτων μου, καὶ τεκνοποιήσομαι κἀγὼ ἐξ αὐτῆς.

⁴καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Βαλλὰν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτῆς αὐτῷ γυναῖκα· καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὴν ᾿Ιακώβ.

⁵καὶ συνέλαβε Βαλλὰ ἡ παιδίσκη Ραχὴλ καὶ ἔτεκε τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ υἱόν.

⁶καὶ εἶπε Ραχήλ· ἔκρινέ μοι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐπήκουσε τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ἔδωκέ μοι υἱόν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Δάν.

⁷καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι Βαλλὰ ἡ παιδίσκη Ραχὴλ καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν δεύτερον τῷ ᾿Ιακώβ.

⁸καὶ εἶπε Ραχήλ· συναντελάβετό μου ὁ Θεός, καὶ συνανεστράφην τῇ ἀδελφῇ μου καὶ ἠδυνάσθην· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Νεφθαλείμ.

⁹Εἶδε δὲ Λεία ὅτι ἔστη τοῦ τίκτειν, καὶ ἔλαβε Ζελφὰν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτῆς καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ γυναῖκα. καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὴν

¹⁰καὶ συνέλαβε Ζελφὰ ἡ παιδίσκη Λείας καὶ ἔτεκε τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ υἱόν.

¹¹καὶ εἶπε Λεία. ἐν τύχῃ· καὶ ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Γάδ.

¹²καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι Ζελφὰ ἡ παιδίσκη Λείας καὶ ἔτεκε τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ υἱὸν δεύτερον.

¹³καὶ εἶπε Λεία· μακαρία ἐγώ, ὅτι μακαριοῦσί με αἱ γυναῖκες· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ᾿Ασήρ.

¹⁴᾿Επορεύθη δὲ Ρουβὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θερισμοῦ πυρῶν καὶ εὗρε μῆλα μανδραγορῶν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ καὶ ἤνεγκεν αὐτὰ πρὸς Λείαν τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ· εἶπε δὲ Ραχὴλ Λείᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ αὐτῆς· δός μοι τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου.

¹⁵εἶπε δὲ Λεία· οὐχ ἱκανόν σοι ὅτι ἔλαβες τὸν ἄνδρα μου; μὴ καὶ τοὺς μανδραγόρας τοῦ υἱοῦ μου λήψῃ; εἶπε δὲ Ραχήλ· οὐχ οὕτως· κοιμηθήτω μετὰ σοῦ τὴν νύκτα ταύτην ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου.

¹⁶εἰσῆλθε δὲ ᾿Ιακὼβ ἐξ ἀγροῦ ἑσπέρας, καὶ ἐξῆλθε Λεία εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπε· πρὸς ἐμὲ εἰσελεύσῃ σήμερον· μεμίσθωμαι γάρ σε ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ μου. καὶ ἐκοιμήθη μετ᾿ αὐτῆς τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην.

¹⁷καὶ ἐπήκουσεν ὁ Θεὸς Λείας, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκε τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ υἱὸν πέμπτον.

¹⁸καὶ εἶπε Λεία· δέδωκέ μοι ὁ Θεὸς τὸν μισθόν μου, ἀνθ᾿ οὗ ἔδωκα τὴν παιδίσκην μου τῷ ἀνδρί μου· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ᾿Ισσάχαρ, ὅ ἐστι μισθός.

¹⁹καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι Λεία καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν ἕκτον τῷ ᾿Ιακώβ.

²⁰καὶ εἶπε Λεία· δεδώρηται ὁ Θεός μοι δῶρον καλὸν ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ· αἱρετιεῖ με ὁ ἀνήρ μου, τέτοκα γὰρ αὐτῷ υἱοὺς ἕξ· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ζαβουλών.

²¹καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔτεκε θυγατέρα καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Δείνα.

²²᾿Εμνήσθη δὲ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς Ραχήλ, καὶ ἐπήκουσεν αὐτῆς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἀνέῳξεν αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν,

²³καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκε τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ υἱόν. εἶπε δὲ Ραχήλ· ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Θεός μου τὸ ὄνειδος·

²⁴καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ᾿Ιωσὴφ λέγουσα· προσθέτω ὁ Θεός μοι υἱὸν ἕτερον.

²⁵᾿Εγένετο δὲ ὡς ἔτεκε Ραχὴλ τὸν ᾿Ιωσήφ, εἶπεν ᾿Ιακὼβ τῷ Λάβαν· ἀπόστειλόν με, ἵνα ἀπέλθω εἰς τὸν τόπον μου καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν μου.

²⁶ἀπόδος τὰς γυναῖκάς μου καὶ τὰ παιδία μου, περὶ ὧν δεδούλευκά σοι, ἵνα ἀπέλθω· σὺ γὰρ γινώσκεις τὴν δουλείαν, ἣν δεδούλευκά σοι.

²⁷εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ Λάβαν· εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, οἰωνισάμην ἄν· εὐλόγησε γάρ με ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ εἰσόδῳ.

²⁸διάστειλον τὸν μισθόν σου πρός με, καὶ δώσω.

²⁹εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ιακώβ· σὺ γινώσκεις ἃ δεδούλευκά σοι καὶ ὅσα ἦν κτήνη σου μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ·

³⁰μικρὰ γὰρ ἦν ὅσα σοι ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, καὶ ηὐξήθη εἰς πλῆθος, καὶ εὐλόγησέ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῷ ποδί μου. νῦν οὖν πότε ποιήσω κἀγὼ ἐμαυτῷ οἶκον;

³¹καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Λάβαν· τί σοι δώσω; εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ ᾿Ιακώβ· οὐ δώσεις μοι οὐδέν· ἐὰν ποιήσῃς μοι τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο, πάλιν ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόβατά σου καὶ φυλάξω.

³²παρελθέτω πάντα τὰ πρόβατά σου σήμερον, καὶ διαχώρισον ἐκεῖθεν πᾶν πρόβατον φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἄρνασι καὶ πᾶν διάλευκον καὶ ραντὸν ἐν ταῖς αἰξίν· ἔσται μοι μισθός.

³³καὶ ἐπακούσεταί μοι ἡ δικαιοσύνη μου ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπαύριον, ὅτι ἐστὶν ὁ μισθός μου ἐνώπιόν σου· πᾶν, ὃ ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ραντὸν καὶ διάλευκον ἐν ταῖς αἰξὶ καὶ φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἄρνασι, κεκλεμμένον ἔσται παρ᾿ ἐμοί.

³⁴εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ Λάβαν· ἔστω κατὰ τὸ ρῆμά σου.

³⁵καὶ διέστειλεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τοὺς τράγους τοὺς ραντοὺς καὶ τοὺς διαλεύκους καὶ πάσας τὰς αἶγας τὰς ραντὰς καὶ τὰς διαλεύκους καὶ πᾶν, ὃ ἦν φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἄρνασι, καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἦν λευκὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔδωκε διὰ χειρὸς τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ.

³⁶καὶ ἀπέστησεν ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ᾿Ιακώβ. ᾿Ιακὼβ δὲ ἐποίμανε τὰ πρόβατα Λάβαν τὰ ὑπολειφθέντα.

³⁷ἔλαβε δὲ ἑαυτῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ ράβδον στυρακίνην χλωρὰν καὶ καρυΐνην καὶ πλατάνου, καὶ ἐλέπισεν αὐτὰς ᾿Ιακὼβ λεπίσματα λευκὰ περισύρων τὸ χλωρόν· ἐφαίνετο δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς ράβδοις τὸ λευκόν, ὃ ἐλέπισε, ποικίλον.

³⁸καὶ παρέθηκε τὰς ράβδους, ἃς ἐλέπισεν ἐν τοῖς ληνοῖς τῶν ποτιστηρίων τοῦ ὕδατος, ἵνα ὡς ἂν ἔλθωσι τὰ πρόβατα πιεῖν ἐνώπιον τῶν ράβδων, ἐλθόντων αὐτῶν πιεῖν, ἐγκισσήσωσι τὰ πρόβατα εἰς τὰς ράβδους·

³⁹καὶ ἐνεκίσσων τὰ πρόβατα εἰς τὰς ράβδους καὶ ἔτικτον τὰ πρόβατα διάλευκα καὶ ποικίλα καὶ σποδοειδῆ ραντά.

⁴⁰τοὺς δὲ ἀμνοὺς διέστειλεν ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ ἔστησεν ἐναντίον τῶν προβάτων κριὸν διάλευκον καὶ πᾶν ποικίλον ἐν τοῖς ἀμνοῖς· καὶ διεχώρισεν ἑαυτῷ ποίμνια καθ᾿ ἑαυτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔμιξεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα Λάβαν.

⁴¹ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ, ᾧ ἐνεκίσσων τὰ πρόβατα ἐν γαστρὶ λαμβάνοντα, ἔθηκεν ᾿Ιακὼβ τὰς ράβδους ἐναντίον τῶν προβάτων ἐν τοῖς ληνοῖς τοῦ ἐγκισσῆσαι αὐτὰ κατὰ τὰς ράβδους·

⁴²ἡνίκα δ᾿ ἂν ἔτεκε τὰ πρόβατα, οὐκ ἐτίθει· ἐγένετο δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄσημα τοῦ Λάβαν, τά δὲ ἐπίσημα τοῦ ᾿Ιακώβ.

⁴³καὶ ἐπλούτισεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος σφόδρα σφόδρα, καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ κτήνη πολλὰ καὶ βόες καὶ παῖδες, καὶ παιδίσκαι καὶ κάμηλοι καὶ ὄνοι.

¹AND Rachel having perceived that she bore Jacob no children, was jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children; and if not, I shall die.

²And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived thee of the fruit of the womb?

³And Rachel said to Jacob, Behold my handmaid Balla, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall have children by her.

⁴And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her.

⁵And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

⁶And Rachel said, God has given judgment for me, and hearkened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.

⁷And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.

⁸And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.

⁹And Lea saw that she ceased from bearing, and she took Zelpha her maid, and gave her to Jacob for a wife; and he went in to her.

¹⁰And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

¹¹And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad.

¹²And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son.

¹³And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.

¹⁴And Ruben went in the day of barley-harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of thy son's mandrakes.

¹⁵And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband, wilt thou also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.

¹⁶And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, Thou shalt come in to me this day, for I have hired thee for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night.

¹⁷And God hearkened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

¹⁸And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward.

¹⁹And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son.

²⁰And Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon.

²¹And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.

²²And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and he opened her womb.

²³And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach.

²⁴And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son.

²⁵And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.

²⁶Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart, for thou knowest the service wherewith I have served thee.

²⁷And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in thy sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at thy coming in.

²⁸Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [them].

²⁹And Jacob said, Thou knowest in what things I have served thee, and how many cattle of thine are with me.

³⁰For it was little thou hadst before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed thee since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?

³¹And Laban said to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them.

³²Let all thy sheep pass by to-day, and separate thence every grey sheep among the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted among the goats-- [this] shall be my reward.

³³And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before thee: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled among the goats, and grey among the rams, shall be stolen with me.

³⁴And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy word.

³⁵And he separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey among the rams, and every one that was white among them, and he gave them into the hand of his sons.

³⁶And he set a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

³⁷And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane-tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods.

³⁸And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whensoever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods.

³⁹So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-coloured [spots].

⁴⁰And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one among the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban.

⁴¹And it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods.

⁴²But he did not put them in [indiscriminately] whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban's, and the marked ones were Jacob's.

⁴³And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.