striped.”
Laban sent men to spy upon Jacob, who was expecting this and performed certain acts just for them. He peeled willow wands so that they were striped green and white and stuck them in the gutters of the watering troughs. He marched the freshening sheep and cows and she-goats past the wands, as if the sight of these peeled sticks would stripe the offspring inside the womb. The men ran back to Laban telling what they had seen.
“A trick!” raged Laban. “A foul piece of magic to cheat the laws of breeding. It is not in the bargain !” But then he thought further and said: “This trick of peeled wands may explain the striping of the young. But how about the rate of increase among his stock—and their size and strength? There is something more that he does. Go spy again.” Jacob spoke to Rachel. She let drop among the women that each morning she would take the little wooden idols from the house and sit them on the fence to watch over the cattle and bless their couplings.
This, too, was reported to Laban, who thereupon took all his household idols and had his men place them on the pasture fence. The idols sat on the fence staring woodenly at the animals. But Laban’s herds did not prosper.
“I do have a magic,” said Jacob to Rachel. “But it is the kind of thing no spy will discover, nor can it be understood by anyone who tries to get something for nothing. Diligence and care and some knowledge of animal ways, these are the sorcery. And, of course, each morning before I go to the field I ask the Lord to bless my labors. And this God is no little puppet but the one God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, who is everywhere at all times.”
Now six years had passed, and Laban saw that Jacob could claim as wage hundreds of speckled and spotted, striped and parti-colored animals—that, according to agreement, he could leave with great flocks and herds, more than Laban himself owned. And the old man did not feel kindly toward Jacob.
The Lord spoke to Jacob, saying, “It is time to leave this place. Return to the land of your fathers, and I will go with you.”
Jacob called Leah and Rachel to him and said: “Your father begins to hate me, because my flocks increase and I shall be able to claim a great part of that increase as my wage. Therefore I wish to return to Canaan, taking you and the children. Will you go with me or stay home with your father?”
Leah said: “He is no longer our father. He has disinherited us. You have increased his flocks a hundredfold, and that was our bride price, but he has never given us our share. He has sold us like servants. Anything you take from him now is only what he owes you, and to us, and to the children.”
“It is so,” said Rachel. This was the first time since Jacob’s coming that the sisters had agreed about anything.
“So be it,” said Jacob. “We leave tomorrow.”
He gathered his sheep and goats and cattle, and camels and donkeys. He mounted the women and children on camels, but rode a horse himself so that he could drive the cattle. And they left their tents, which were outside the city, and set off for Canaan.
The night before, Rachel had gone back to Laban’s house and taken certain wooden idols, called teraphim, that had been in her room. She had known them all her life and cherished them. She believed they had eased her pains during the birth of Joseph. Since she was with child again, she did not wish to leave the idols behind. She hid them in the saddlebags of her camel.
It was a large company that struck tents in the chilly dawn—Jacob, Leah, Rachel, the two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, their eleven sons, and Dinah, the one daughter. When Laban heard that they had left, taking the flocks and herds that were Jacob’s wage, he decided to kill Jacob. He called his men together and set out in pursuit. Seven days he pursued them. He overtook them on a plain before a mountain called Gilead. There Laban encamped, meaning to attack in the
Laban sent men to spy upon Jacob, who was expecting this and performed certain acts just for them. He peeled willow wands so that they were striped green and white and stuck them in the gutters of the watering troughs. He marched the freshening sheep and cows and she-goats past the wands, as if the sight of these peeled sticks would stripe the offspring inside the womb. The men ran back to Laban telling what they had seen.
“A trick!” raged Laban. “A foul piece of magic to cheat the laws of breeding. It is not in the bargain !” But then he thought further and said: “This trick of peeled wands may explain the striping of the young. But how about the rate of increase among his stock—and their size and strength? There is something more that he does. Go spy again.” Jacob spoke to Rachel. She let drop among the women that each morning she would take the little wooden idols from the house and sit them on the fence to watch over the cattle and bless their couplings.
This, too, was reported to Laban, who thereupon took all his household idols and had his men place them on the pasture fence. The idols sat on the fence staring woodenly at the animals. But Laban’s herds did not prosper.
“I do have a magic,” said Jacob to Rachel. “But it is the kind of thing no spy will discover, nor can it be understood by anyone who tries to get something for nothing. Diligence and care and some knowledge of animal ways, these are the sorcery. And, of course, each morning before I go to the field I ask the Lord to bless my labors. And this God is no little puppet but the one God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, who is everywhere at all times.”
Now six years had passed, and Laban saw that Jacob could claim as wage hundreds of speckled and spotted, striped and parti-colored animals—that, according to agreement, he could leave with great flocks and herds, more than Laban himself owned. And the old man did not feel kindly toward Jacob.
The Lord spoke to Jacob, saying, “It is time to leave this place. Return to the land of your fathers, and I will go with you.”
Jacob called Leah and Rachel to him and said: “Your father begins to hate me, because my flocks increase and I shall be able to claim a great part of that increase as my wage. Therefore I wish to return to Canaan, taking you and the children. Will you go with me or stay home with your father?”
Leah said: “He is no longer our father. He has disinherited us. You have increased his flocks a hundredfold, and that was our bride price, but he has never given us our share. He has sold us like servants. Anything you take from him now is only what he owes you, and to us, and to the children.”
“It is so,” said Rachel. This was the first time since Jacob’s coming that the sisters had agreed about anything.
“So be it,” said Jacob. “We leave tomorrow.”
He gathered his sheep and goats and cattle, and camels and donkeys. He mounted the women and children on camels, but rode a horse himself so that he could drive the cattle. And they left their tents, which were outside the city, and set off for Canaan.
The night before, Rachel had gone back to Laban’s house and taken certain wooden idols, called teraphim, that had been in her room. She had known them all her life and cherished them. She believed they had eased her pains during the birth of Joseph. Since she was with child again, she did not wish to leave the idols behind. She hid them in the saddlebags of her camel.
It was a large company that struck tents in the chilly dawn—Jacob, Leah, Rachel, the two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, their eleven sons, and Dinah, the one daughter. When Laban heard that they had left, taking the flocks and herds that were Jacob’s wage, he decided to kill Jacob. He called his men together and set out in pursuit. Seven days he pursued them. He overtook them on a plain before a mountain called Gilead. There Laban encamped, meaning to attack in the
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