GENESIS XXXI-JACOB'S WEALTH 55 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 hands 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 chestnut-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, be 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 maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses. 1 Jacob upon displeasure departeth secretly. Chapter 31 19 Rachel stealeth her father's images. 22 Laban pursueth after him, 26 and complaineth of the wrong. 34 Rachel's policy to hide the images. 36 Jacob's complaint of Laban. 43 The covenant of Laban and Jacob at Galeed. ND he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 56 GENESIS XXXI JACOB'S FLIGHT 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. 11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.. 13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15 Åre we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 17¶Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels: 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images' that were her father's. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead. 22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. "These images or "teraphim" were the household gods worshipped or at least venerated by Laban. The Flood FROM THE GREAT SERIES OF PAINTINGS OF "THE OF MUNICH. "And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters."-Gen., 7, 18. A T the time appointed, Noah calmly, though doubtless in the midst of many a jibe, summoned his three sons, his wife and his sons' wives; and these eight people, perhaps with their children also, entered the ark. "And the Lord shut him in." "The same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up, and the windows of heaven opened. For forty days and forty nights it rained." It needs a poet's imagination to conceive the terrific scenes. At first, perhaps, the inhabitants of the earth, especially those who had heard Noah's warnings, were startled by the tremendous storm. Then they must have grown annoyed as the persistent downpour interfered with all the customary amusements. Then the rivers rose and flooded their banks and crept up into the streets of the cities; and people fled from their houses to the hills, and were wretched in the chill of the waters. Then fear came; and rapine broke loose. Rafts were built; and men fought for their possession. And in the midst of it all, the waters reached the ark, they gathered round its giant bulk until "it was lifted up above the earth" and floated majestically away, protected, as the Artist Kaulbach here conceives it, by the guidance of some giant angel of the Lord. |