Genesis 30:27-43

27But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.”

28He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.”

29“You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, “and how well your livestock have fared under my care.

30Indeed, you had little before I arrived, but now your possessions have increased many times over. The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?”

31So Laban asked, “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” Jacob replied, “but if you agree to this one condition, I will continue to care for your flocks and protect them:

32Let me walk among all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and the spotted or speckled goats. These animals will be my wages.

33My integrity will testify for me later on. When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.”

34“Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.”

35So that day Laban removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care of his sons.

36Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible.

38Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink.

39When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

40Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks.

41When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches.

42But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban and the stronger animals to Jacob.

43In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.