26. Give me my wives and my children. I have earned them by working for you. You know that I served you well.”
27. Laban said to him, “Please, let me say something. I know that the Lord has blessed me because of you.
28. Tell me what I should pay you, and I will give it to you.”
29. Jacob answered, “You know that I have worked hard for you. Your flocks have grown and been well while I cared for them.
30. When I came, you had little. Now you have much, much more. Every time I did something for you, the Lord blessed you. Now it is time for me to work for myself—it is time to do things for my family.”
31. Laban asked, “Then what should I give you?” Jacob answered, “I don’t want you to give me anything! I only want you to let me do this one thing: I will go back and take care of your sheep.
32. But let me go through all your flocks today and take every lamb with spots or stripes. Let me take every black young goat and every female goat with stripes or spots. That will be my pay.
33. In the future you can easily see if I am honest. You can come to look at my flocks. If I have any goat that isn’t spotted or any sheep that isn’t black, you will know that I stole it.”
34. Laban answered, “I agree to that. We will do what you ask.”
35. But that day Laban hid all the male goats that had spots. And he hid all the female goats that had spots on them. He also hid all the black sheep. Laban told his sons to watch these sheep.
36. So the sons took all the spotted animals and led them to another place. They traveled for three days. Jacob stayed and took care of all the animals that were left.
37. Then Jacob cut green branches from poplar and almond trees. He stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them.
38. He put the branches in front of the flocks at the watering places. When the animals came to drink, they also mated in that place.