husband cohabit with me, because I have produced him six sons; so she called him Zebulon (dwelling). 21. And afterwards she had a daughter, whom she called Dinah, (i. e. judgement).

22. Now God regarded Rachel, hearkened to her request, and rendered her prolific. 23. So she had a son; and said, God hath removed my reproach. 24. And she called him Joseph, saying, God will add to him another son.

25. After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me return to my country, and mine own place; 26. With my wives, and children, for whom I have served thee: thou knowest I have served thee well. 27. Then Laban said, I pray thee, if I have obtained thy favour, abide with me; for I have learned by experience, that the Eternal hath blessed me, for thy sake. 28. He said also, Declare to me, what wages thou must have, and I will give them. 29. Jacob said, thou knowest what care I have taken of thy cattle, 30. For thou hadst little before I came, but now it is increased to a great number; the Eternal hath blessed thee by my labour, and now it is time for me to provide for my own family. 31. Then he said, What must I give thee? but Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing, but what I am going to propose to thee; on which condition, I will feed and keep thy flock. 32. I will pass through all thy flock to-day, collecting from among them all the speckled and spotted goats, and all the grizzled sheep, they, and their progeny, shall be mine hire. 33. Thus shall my reward be from God, according to my righteousness, in serving thee faithfully in time coming, of which thyself shall be judge; let every one among my goats that is not speckled and spotted, and of my sheep that is not grizzled, be accounted stolen. 34. Laban said, I agree. 35. So that day he removed the he-goats that were spotted and ring-straked, and the she-goats that were spotted and speckled, and all

that had any white, and all the grizzled gray spotted among the sheep, and committed them to the care of his sons. S6. And he placed them at the distance of three days' journey from Jacob, who fed the rest of his flocks. 37. Then Jacob took rods of green poplar, almond, hazel, plaintree, and made white strokes in them, by cutting the bark, (chap. xxxi. 11,12.); 38. And placed these rods by the wa ter vessels before the flocks, when they came to drink, that they might propagate their kind a brood of that colour; 39. And they answered his expectation. 40. Then Jacob separated for himself the young of the flocks that were speckled or spotted, and set the faces of all Laban's flock towards them, but he kept his own flocks by themselves. 41. And at the season of propagation, Jacob laid the rods before the stronger cattle at the watering, that they might breed among them: 42. But he laid them not before the weaker; so the stronger became Jacob's, and the weaker Laban's. 43. So Jacob increased exceedingly, having men-servants, maidservants, camels, asses, and much cattle, (sheep and goats).

CHAP. XXXI.

JACOB RETURNS TO CANAAN, AND ABIDES AT SICHEM.

Now he overheard Laban's sons saying, Jacob hath taken all that was our father's, for of what was our father's hath he gotten all his riches.

2. Now Jacob beheld Laban's countenance was not to him as before. 3. The Eternal also said to Jacob, return to thy native land, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee. 4. Then he sent for Leah and Rachel to the field to his flock; 5. And said to them, I see that your father's countenance is changed towards me, but the God of my father hath been with me. 6. And ye know that I served him with all my ability; 7. And he deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him

not to hurt me. 8. If he said, either the speckled, or the ring-straked, shall be thine hire, then all the cattle produced either the one or the other. 9. Thus God hath given me your father's cattle. [10. At the season of propagation, I beheld in a dream, that the males which propagated, were ring-straked and gray.] 11. And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob, 12. Behold the cattle produce ring-straked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban have done to thee. 13. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and made a vow to me, depart from this land and return to the land of thy kindred. 14. Then Rachel and Leah said to him, there is no more portion or inheritance for us in our father's house. 15. We are reckoned by him as strangers; he hath sold us, and also devoured our price. 16. Since all the riches which God hath taken from our father and given to us is ours and our childrens,now therefore do whatever God hath said to thee.

17. Then Jacob arose, and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18. And all the cattle and goods that he had gotten in Padanaram he took with him, in returning to his father Isaac in Canaan. 19. When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel had stolen her father's hieroglyphics. 20. Jacob withdrew privately from Laban, for he told him not. 21. He fled with all that he had, and passed over the river Euphrates, going towards Mount Gilead. 22, 23, 24. It was told Laban, the third day, that Jacob was fled; and God said to Laban in a dream by night, on his way following Jacob, Beware what thou say to Jacob. And Laban on the seventh day overtook Jacob, who had pitched his tent on the mount; and he also with his companions pitched their tents on Mount Gilead. 26. Then Laban said to Jacob, Why hast thou withdrawn from me unawares, and carried away my daughters as captives taken in war? 27. Why hast thou fled secret

ly, and not told me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and songs on musical instruments; 28. And hast not suffered me to salute and bid adieu to my daughters and sons? thou hast done foolishly. 29. I have power to hurt you; but your father's God said to me yesternight in a dream, Beware of speaking injuriously to Jacob, (i. e. do him no harm). 30. But though thou wast anxious to go, because thou longedst greatly after thy father's house, why hast thou stolen my goods? 31. Then Jacob said to Laban, I departed privately, because I was afraid thou wouldst take thy daughters from me, by force. 32. But with whomsoever thy goods are found let them die; for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. He said also, Discern thou before thy brethren if any thing of thine be with me, take it.

33. Then Laban went into the tents of Jacob, and Leah, and, the maid-servants, and of Rachel, 34. Who had taken the images, and put them among the camels furniture, and she sat upon them. Now Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for I am in my sickness; so he found them not.

36. Then Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban, saying, What is mine iniquity, and my trespass, that thou hast so hotly pursued me? 37. Thou hast searched all my stuff, but found none of them, to set here before thy brethren and mine, that they might judge between us. 38. Twenty years have I been with thee, thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast or forsaken their young; and the choice of thy flock have I not eaten. 39. I sustained the loss of what was devoured or torn by beasts of prey. 40. Of me didst thou require what was stolen by night or by day. 41. I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle, and thou

hast changed my wages ten times. 42. Except the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham, in whom Isaac trusted, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen my labour and affliction, and hath rebuked thee yesternight. I was scorched with the heat of the day, and pierced with the cold of the night, and was deprived of my necessary sleep.

43. Then Laban said to Jacob, These are my daughters: these children, and these cattle, and all that thou hast, is mine; and what can I do this day with regard to these my daughters or their children? 44. Let us therefore make a covenant, to be for a witness between me and thee. 45. Then Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar; 46. And said to his companions, Gather stones; and they did so, and made an heap, whereupon they ate. 47. And Laban called it Jegar-Sahadutha; but Jacob called it Gal-hed (the heap of witnesses). 48. Then Laban said, This heap is a witness between thee and me this day; therefore was it named Gal-hed, and Mizpah, (watch-tower); 49. For he said, the Eternal will watch between thee and me, when we are absent from one another.

50. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or take other wives to them, and there be none to testify against it, behold, God is witness between thee and me. 51. So he said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and this pillar, 52. For a witness, that none of us shall go past it to harm one another. 53. The God of Abraham, and of Nahor, shall judge between us. And Jacob sware by him whom his father Isaac feared. 54. And offered sacrifice upon the mount, and made his brethren eat bread, and they tarried all night on it.

55. And Laban rose early, and saluted his daughters and his sons, and bid them farewell; then he departed and returned to his place.