Genesis 31:1-9 ▼

1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken away everything that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has acquired all this wealth and honor.”

2 Jacob noticed [a change in] the attitude of Laban, and saw that it was not friendly toward him as before.

3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

5 and he said to them, “I see [a change in] your father’s attitude, that he is not friendly toward me as [he was] before; but the God of my father [Isaac] has been with me.

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

7 Yet your father has cheated me [as often as possible] and changed my wages ten times; but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8 If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled [young]; and if he said, ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked [young].

9 Thus God has taken away the flocks of your father and given them to me.