27. Laban said to him, “If I have pleased you, please stay. I know 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 while I cared for them.
30. When I came, you had little. Now you have much. Every time I did something for you, the Lord blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own family?”
31. Laban asked, “Then what should I give you?”Jacob answered, “I don’t want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing. Then I will come back and take care of your flocks.
32. Today let me go through all your flocks of white sheep and black goats. I will take every spotted or speckled lamb. I will take every black lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. 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 speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn’t black, you will know I stole it.”
34. Laban answered, “Agreed! We will do what you ask.”
35. But that day Laban took away all the male goats that had streaks or spots. And he took all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them). And he took all the black sheep. He told his sons to watch over them.
36. Laban took these animals to a place that was three days’ journey away from Jacob. Jacob took care of all the animals that were left.
37. So Jacob cut green branches from poplar, almond and plane trees. He peeled 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 there.
39. So the goats mated in front of the branches. Then the young that were born were streaked, speckled or spotted.
40. Jacob separated the young animals from the others. And he made them face the streaked and dark animals in Laban’s flock. Jacob kept his animals separate from Laban’s.
41. When the stronger animals in the flock were mating, Jacob put the branches before their eyes. This was so the animals would mate near the branches.