OLD TESTAMENT							NEW TESTAMENT
The 7 Books	Old Testament History		Wisdom Books	Major Prophets	Minor Prophets		NT History	Epistles of St. Paul		General Writings
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuter. Joshua Judges	Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chron. 2 Chron.	Ezra Nehem. Tobit Judith Esther 1 Macc. 2 Macc.	Job Psalms Proverbs Eccles. Songs Wisdom Sirach	Isaiah Jeremiah Lament. Baruch Ezekiel Daniel	Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah	Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi	Matthew Mark Luke John Acts	Romans 1 Corinth. 2 Corinth. Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians	1 Thess. 2 Thess. 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews	James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Genesis 30

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 »

1 ἰδοῦσα δὲ Ραχηλ ὅτι οὐ τέτοκεν τῷ Ιακωβ καὶ ἐζήλωσεν Ραχηλ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν τῷ Ιακωβ δός μοι τέκνα εἰ δὲ μή τελευτήσω ἐγώ 2 ἐθυμώθη δὲ Ιακωβ τῇ Ραχηλ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ μὴ ἀντὶ θεοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι ὃς ἐστέρησέν σε καρπὸν κοιλίας 3 εἶπεν δὲ Ραχηλ τῷ Ιακωβ ἰδοὺ ἡ παιδίσκη μου Βαλλα εἴσελθε πρὸς αὐτήν καὶ τέξεται ἐπὶ τῶν γονάτων μου καὶ τεκνοποιήσομαι κἀγὼ ἐξ αὐτῆς 4 καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Βαλλαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτῆς αὐτῷ γυναῖκα εἰσῆλθεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν Ιακωβ 5 καὶ συνέλαβεν Βαλλα ἡ παιδίσκη Ραχηλ καὶ ἔτεκεν τῷ Ιακωβ υἱόν 6 καὶ εἶπεν Ραχηλ ἔκρινέν μοι ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἐπήκουσεν τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ἔδωκέν μοι υἱόν διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Δαν 7 καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι Βαλλα ἡ παιδίσκη Ραχηλ καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν δεύτερον τῷ Ιακωβ 8 καὶ εἶπεν Ραχηλ συνελάβετό μοι ὁ θεός καὶ συνανεστράφην τῇ ἀδελφῇ μου καὶ ἠδυνάσθην καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Νεφθαλι 9 εἶδεν δὲ Λεια ὅτι ἔστη τοῦ τίκτειν καὶ ἔλαβεν Ζελφαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτῆς καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῷ Ιακωβ γυναῖκα 10 εἰσῆλθεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν Ιακωβ καὶ συνέλαβεν Ζελφα ἡ παιδίσκη Λειας καὶ ἔτεκεν τῷ Ιακωβ υἱόν 11 καὶ εἶπεν Λεια ἐν τύχῃ καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Γαδ 12 καὶ συνέλαβεν Ζελφα ἡ παιδίσκη Λειας καὶ ἔτεκεν ἔτι τῷ Ιακωβ υἱὸν δεύτερον 13 καὶ εἶπεν Λεια μακαρία ἐγώ ὅτι μακαρίζουσίν με αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ασηρ

1 Rachel, meanwhile, when she found she remained barren, looked with envy on her sister; Thou must needs give me children, said she to her husband, or it will be my death. 2 What, answered Jacob, angry at her mood, Must I stand in the place of God to thee? It is he that has denied thee motherhood. 3 Here is Bala, she said, my maid-servant; get her with child instead, and it shall be born on my knees; thus, through her means, I shall have a family of my own.[1] 4 So she gave him Bala as his mate; 5 and Bala, got with child by Rachel’s husband, bore a son. 6 Whereupon Rachel said, God has pronounced judgement for me, and listened to my plea, by giving me a son; and she called the boy Dan, as if she would say, He has pronounced judgement. 7 Afterwards Bala conceived again and bore a second son; 8 of him Rachel said, God has matched me like a wrestler against my sister, and I have won the bout, so she called him Nephthali, Wrestling. 9 Lia, too, finding that she was not having any more children, gave her maid-servant Zelpha to her husband for his mate; 10 and when Zelpha conceived and bore a son, 11 Lia said, Good fortune has come to me, and called the boy Gad, Fortune. 12 Zelpha, too, bore Jacob a second son, 13 and Lia said, Here is a blessing for me; women must needs call me blessed now; so she gave him the name of Aser, Blessedness.

1 Cernens autem Rachel quod infecunda esset, invidit sorori suæ, et ait marito suo: Da mihi liberos, alioquin moriar. 2 Cui iratus respondit Jacob: Num pro Deo ego sum, qui privavit te fructu ventris tui? 3 At illa: Habeo, inquit, famulam Balam: ingredere ad illam, ut pariat super genua mea, et habeam ex illa filios. 4 Deditque illi Balam in conjugium: quæ, 5 ingresso ad se viro, concepit, et peperit filium. 6 Dixitque Rachel: Judicavit mihi Dominus, et exaudivit vocem meam, dans mihi filium, et idcirco appellavit nomen ejus Dan. 7 Rursumque Bala concipiens, peperit alterum, 8 pro quo ait Rachel: Comparavit me Deus cum sorore mea, et invalui: vocavitque eum Nephthali. 9 Sentiens Lia quod parere desiisset, Zelpham ancillam suam marito tradidit. 10 Qua post conceptum edente filium, 11 dixit: Feliciter, et idcirco vocavit nomen ejus Gad. 12 Peperit quoque Zelpha alterum. 13 Dixitque Lia: Hoc pro beatitudine mea: beatam quippe me dicent mulieres: propterea appellavit eum Aser.

14 ἐπορεύθη δὲ Ρουβην ἐν ἡμέραις θερισμοῦ πυρῶν καὶ εὗρεν μῆλα μανδραγόρου ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ καὶ ἤνεγκεν αὐτὰ πρὸς Λειαν τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ εἶπεν δὲ Ραχηλ τῇ Λεια δός μοι τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου 15 εἶπεν δὲ Λεια οὐχ ἱκανόν σοι ὅτι ἔλαβες τὸν ἄνδρα μου μὴ καὶ τοὺς μανδραγόρας τοῦ υἱοῦ μου λήμψῃ εἶπεν δὲ Ραχηλ οὐχ οὕτως κοιμηθήτω μετὰ σοῦ τὴν νύκτα ταύτην ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου 16 εἰσῆλθεν δὲ Ιακωβ ἐξ ἀγροῦ ἑσπέρας καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Λεια εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπεν πρός με εἰσελεύσῃ σήμερον μεμίσθωμαι γάρ σε ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ μου καὶ ἐκοιμήθη με{T'} αὐτῆς τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην 17 καὶ ἐπήκουσεν ὁ θεὸς Λειας καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τῷ Ιακωβ υἱὸν πέμπτον 18 καὶ εἶπεν Λεια ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν μισθόν μου ἀν{Q'} οὗ ἔδωκα τὴν παιδίσκην μου τῷ ἀνδρί μου καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ισσαχαρ ὅ ἐστιν Μισθός 19 καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι Λεια καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν ἕκτον τῷ Ιακωβ 20 καὶ εἶπεν Λεια δεδώρηταί μοι ὁ θεὸς δῶρον καλόν ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ αἱρετιεῖ με ὁ ἀνήρ μου ἔτεκον γὰρ αὐτῷ υἱοὺς ἕξ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ζαβουλων 21 καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔτεκεν θυγατέρα καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Δινα 22 ἐμνήσθη δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς Ραχηλ καὶ ἐπήκουσεν αὐτῆς ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἀνέῳξεν αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν 23 καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τῷ Ιακωβ υἱόν εἶπεν δὲ Ραχηλ ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεός μου τὸ ὄνειδος 24 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ιωσηφ λέγουσα προσθέτω ὁ θεός μοι υἱὸν ἕτερον

14 Once, at the time of the wheat harvest, Ruben went out and found some mandrakes, which he brought back to his mother Lia;[2] and Rachel said to Lia, Give me some of the fruit thy son has found. 15 What, answered she, art thou not content with stealing my husband from me? Must thou have my son’s mandrake fruit as well? And Rachel said, Jacob shall sleep with thee to-night, if I may have some of thy son’s mandrake-fruit. 16 So, when Jacob came back from work at evening, Lia went out to meet him; Thou art to share my bed to-night, she told him; I have paid thy hire with the mandrake fruit which my son found. So he slept with her that night; 17 and now God listened to her prayers, so that she conceived again and bore a fifth son. 18 Whereupon she said, God has paid me too my hire, for the maid-servant I lent to my husband, and she called the boy Issachar, Reward. 19 And again Lia conceived, and bore a sixth son; 20 This is a fair dowry, she said, God has endowed me with; once more my husband will dwell with me, now that I have borne him six sons; and she called the boy Zabulon, Dwelling. 21 She had one more child after this, a daughter called Dina. 22 Meanwhile, the Lord had not forgotten Rachel; her prayer was answered, and she, too, had issue. 23 When she conceived and bore a son, her thought was, God has taken away my disgrace. 24 And she called him Joseph, Increase; If only, she thought, God would increase my household with another son.

14 Egressus autem Ruben tempore messis triticeæ in agrum, reperit mandragoras, quas matri Liæ detulit. Dixitque Rachel: Da mihi partem de mandragoris filii tui. 15 Illa respondit: Parumne tibi videtur quod præripueris maritum mihi, nisi etiam mandragoras filii mei tuleris? Ait Rachel: Dormiat tecum hac nocte pro mandragoris filii tui. 16 Redeuntique ad vesperam Jacob de agro, egressa est in occursum ejus Lia, et Ad me, inquit, intrabis: quia mercede conduxi te pro mandragoris filii mei. Dormivitque cum ea nocte illa. 17 Et exaudivit Deus preces ejus, concepitque et peperit filium quintum, 18 et ait: Dedit Deus mercedem mihi, quia dedi ancillam meam viro meo: appellavitque nomen ejus Issachar. 19 Rursum Lia concipiens, peperit sextum filium, 20 et ait: Dotavit me Deus dote bona: etiam hac vice mecum erit maritus meus, eo quod genuerim ei sex filios: et idcirco appellavit nomen ejus Zabulon. 21 Post quem peperit filiam, nomine Dinam. 22 Recordatus quoque Dominus Rachelis, exaudivit eam, et aperuit vulvam ejus. 23 Quæ concepit, et peperit filium, dicens: Abstulit Deus opprobrium meum. 24 Et vocavit nomen ejus Joseph, dicens: Addat mihi Dominus filium alterum.

25 ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἔτεκεν Ραχηλ τὸν Ιωσηφ εἶπεν Ιακωβ τῷ Λαβαν ἀπόστειλόν με ἵνα ἀπέλθω εἰς τὸν τόπον μου καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν μου 26 ἀπόδος τὰς γυναῖκάς μου καὶ τὰ παιδία περὶ ὧν δεδούλευκά σοι ἵνα ἀπέλθω σὺ γὰρ γινώσκεις τὴν δουλείαν ἣν δεδούλευκά σοι 27 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Λαβαν εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου οἰωνισάμην ἄν εὐλόγησεν γάρ με ὁ θεὸς τῇ σῇ εἰσόδῳ 28 διάστειλον τὸν μισθόν σου πρός με καὶ δώσω 29 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Ιακωβ σὺ γινώσκεις ἃ δεδούλευκά σοι καὶ ὅσα ἦν κτήνη σου με{T'} ἐμοῦ 30 μικρὰ γὰρ ἦν ὅσα σοι ἦν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ ηὐξήθη εἰς πλῆθος καὶ ηὐλόγησέν σε κύριος ἐπὶ τῷ ποδί μου νῦν οὖν πότε ποιήσω κἀγὼ ἐμαυτῷ οἶκον 31 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Λαβαν τί σοι δώσω εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Ιακωβ οὐ δώσεις μοι οὐθέν ἐὰν ποιήσῃς μοι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο πάλιν ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόβατά σου καὶ φυλάξω 32 παρελθάτω πάντα τὰ πρόβατά σου σήμερον καὶ διαχώρισον ἐκεῖθεν πᾶν πρόβατον φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀρνάσιν καὶ πᾶν διάλευκον καὶ ῥαντὸν ἐν ταῖς αἰξίν ἔσται μοι μισθός 33 καὶ ἐπακούσεταί μοι ἡ δικαιοσύνη μου ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ αὔριον ὅτι ἐστὶν ὁ μισθός μου ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ῥαντὸν καὶ διάλευκον ἐν ταῖς αἰξὶν καὶ φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀρνάσιν κεκλεμμένον ἔσται πα{R'} ἐμοί 34 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Λαβαν ἔστω κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου 35 καὶ διέστειλεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τοὺς τράγους τοὺς ῥαντοὺς καὶ τοὺς διαλεύκους καὶ πάσας τὰς αἶγας τὰς ῥαντὰς καὶ τὰς διαλεύκους καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἦν λευκὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἦν φαιὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀρνάσιν καὶ ἔδωκεν διὰ χειρὸς τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ 36 καὶ ἀπέστησεν ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Ιακωβ Ιακωβ δὲ ἐποίμαινεν τὰ πρόβατα Λαβαν τὰ ὑπολειφθέντα

25 After Joseph’s birth, Jacob said to his father-in-law, Give me leave to go back home, to my own country. 26 And when I go, let me take with me the wives and the children I have earned in thy service; how hard I have worked for thee, none knows better than thou. 27 Let me ask a favour of thee, said Laban. Proof needs none that it is for thy sake God has made me prosper so. 28 Work for me still, and name thy own hire. 29 None knows better than thou, answered Jacob, how hard I have worked for thee, and how these herds of thine have increased under my care. 30 It was little enough thou hadst before I came to thy house, and now thou hast become rich; the Lord has blessed thee from the day when I came hither. Now it is time that I should think of my own household too. 31 What shall I give thee? Laban asked. Give me nothing, said he; but I will consent to feed and tend thy herds still on this condition. 32 Go round all thy flocks, now, and remove from them every sheep that is speckled, or has a blotched fleece. And the hire thou art to pay me shall be all the lambs that are born, even so, grey or spotted or speckled; and so with the kids. 33 So, later, when our agreement is fulfilled, my honesty shall be on its trial; if I keep for myself any beast except those which are speckled or spotted or grey, whether it be lamb or kid, call me a thief. 34 Thy request, said Laban, is granted; 35 and, that same day, he set aside she-goats and ewes, he-goats and rams, that were speckled and spotted; all those, too, that were of one colour, white (among the goats) or black (among the sheep);[3] and these he gave in charge of his own sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and his son-in-law.

25 Nato autem Joseph, dixit Jacob socero suo: Dimitte me ut revertar in patriam, et ad terram meam. 26 Da mihi uxores, et liberos meos, pro quibus servivi tibi, ut abeam: tu nosti servitutem qua servivi tibi. 27 Ait illi Laban: Inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo, experimento didici, quia benedixerit mihi Deus propter te: 28 constitue mercedem tuam quam dem tibi. 29 At ille respondit: Tu nosti quomodo servierim tibi, et quanta in manibus meis fuerit possessio tua. 30 Modicum habuisti antequam venirem ad te, et nunc dives effectus es: benedixitque tibi Dominus ad introitum meum. Justum est igitur ut aliquando provideam etiam domui meæ. 31 Dixitque Laban: Quid tibi dabo? At ille ait: Nihil volo: sed si feceris quod postulo, iterum pascam, et custodiam pecora tua. 32 Gyra omnes greges tuos, et separa cunctas oves varias, et sparso vellere; quodcumque furvum, et maculosum, variumque fuerit, tam in ovibus quam in capris, erit merces mea. 33 Respondebitque mihi cras justitia mea, quando placiti tempus advenerit coram te: et omnia quæ non fuerint varia, et maculosa, et furva, tam in ovibus quam in capris, furti me arguent. 34 Dixitque Laban: Gratum habeo quod petis. 35 Et separavit in die illa capras, et oves, et hircos, et arietes varios, atque maculosos: cunctum autem gregem unicolorem, id est albi et nigri velleris, tradidit in manu filiorum suorum. 36 Et posuit spatium itineris trium dierum inter se et generum, qui pascebat reliquos greges ejus.

37 ἔλαβεν δὲ ἑαυτῷ Ιακωβ ῥάβδον στυρακίνην χλωρὰν καὶ καρυίνην καὶ πλατάνου καὶ ἐλέπισεν αὐτὰς Ιακωβ λεπίσματα λευκὰ περισύρων τὸ χλωρόν ἐφαίνετο δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς ῥάβδοις τὸ λευκόν ὃ ἐλέπισεν ποικίλον 38 καὶ παρέθηκεν τὰς ῥάβδους ἃς ἐλέπισεν ἐν ταῖς ληνοῖς τῶν ποτιστηρίων τοῦ ὕδατος ἵνα ὡς ἂν ἔλθωσιν τὰ πρόβατα πιεῖν ἐνώπιον τῶν ῥάβδων ἐλθόντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πιεῖν 39 ἐγκισσήσωσιν τὰ πρόβατα εἰς τὰς ῥάβδους καὶ ἔτικτον τὰ πρόβατα διάλευκα καὶ ποικίλα καὶ σποδοειδῆ ῥαντά

37 Jacob, then, left in charge of the rest of the flocks, did this. He took green branches of poplar, and almond, and plane, and partly peeled them; so that (now the bark had gone) the white shewed through where they had been stripped, whereas the parts he had left untouched remained green; everywhere the colour was varied. 38 These branches he fitted into the troughs where his flocks were watered, so that when they came to drink, they should have these speckled branches before their eyes, and the dams would conceive in full view of them. 39 Looking at the branches at the very heat of their coupling, the dams bore spotted and speckled and piebald young.

37 Tollens ergo Jacob virgas populeas virides, et amygdalinas, et ex platanis, ex parte decorticavit eas: detractisque corticibus, in his, quæ spoliata fuerant, candor apparuit: illa vero quæ integra fuerant, viridia permanserunt: atque in hunc modum color effectus est varius. 38 Posuitque eas in canalibus, ubi effundebatur aqua: ut cum venissent greges ad bibendum, ante oculos haberent virgas, et in aspectu earum conciperent. 39 Factumque est ut in ipso calore coitus, oves intuerentur virgas, et parerent maculosa, et varia, et diverso colore respersa.

40 τοὺς δὲ ἀμνοὺς διέστειλεν Ιακωβ καὶ ἔστησεν ἐναντίον τῶν προβάτων κριὸν διάλευκον καὶ πᾶν ποικίλον ἐν τοῖς ἀμνοῖς καὶ διεχώρισεν ἑαυτῷ ποίμνια κα{Q'} ἑαυτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔμιξεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα Λαβαν 41 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ᾧ ἐνεκίσσησεν τὰ πρόβατα ἐν γαστρὶ λαμβάνοντα ἔθηκεν Ιακωβ τὰς ῥάβδους ἐναντίον τῶν προβάτων ἐν ταῖς ληνοῖς τοῦ ἐγκισσῆσαι αὐτὰ κατὰ τὰς ῥάβδους 42 ἡνίκα {D'} ἂν ἔτεκον τὰ πρόβατα οὐκ ἐτίθει ἐγένετο δὲ τὰ ἄσημα τοῦ Λαβαν τὰ δὲ ἐπίσημα τοῦ Ιακωβ 43 καὶ ἐπλούτησεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος σφόδρα σφόδρα καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ κτήνη πολλὰ καὶ βόες καὶ παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι καὶ κάμηλοι καὶ ὄνοι

40 There, then, were the two flocks divided, and there were Jacob’s branches set up before the very eyes of the rams. All the white (sheep) and all the black (goats) were to be Laban’s, the rest Jacob’s, when the flocks were sorted afresh. 41 And this was his plan; at the earlier breeding-season he fitted the branches into the troughs, before the eyes of ram and ewe, so that the dams might be looking at them when they conceived; 42 but when the later breeding happened, and the time for conceiving was at an end, he put the branches there no longer. So all the late-bred (weaklings) belonged to Laban, and all the (strong) early-bred belonged to Jacob.[4] 43 Thus he became rich beyond measure; many were the herds, the men-servants and maid-servants, the camels and asses that were his.[5]

40 Divisitque gregem Jacob, et posuit virgas in canalibus ante oculos arietum: erant autem alba et nigra quæque, Laban; cetera vero, Jacob, separatis inter se gregibus. 41 Igitur quando primo tempore ascendebantur oves, ponebat Jacob virgas in canalibus aquarum ante oculos arietum et ovium, ut in earum contemplatione conciperent: 42 quando vero serotina admissura erat, et conceptus extremus, non ponebat eas. Factaque sunt ea quæ erant serotina, Laban: et quæ primi temporis, Jacob. 43 Ditatusque est homo ultra modum, et habuit greges multos, ancillas et servos, camelos et asinos.

[1] Legitimacy, in ancient times, depended on recognition by the foster-parents, and if Rachel consented to take the child on her knees, the ceremony would make it, for legal purposes, her child.

[2] The fruit of the mandragora or mandrake was anciently thought to be a specific for promoting conception in women.

[3] ‘White (among the goats) or black (among the sheep)’; the Latin text here has simply ‘white or black’, but if all the white and black, as well as the particoloured, were entrusted to Laban’s sons, there would have been no herd left for Jacob at all. The Hebrew text, instead of ‘white or black’, has ‘the black among the sheep’.

[4] The words ‘weaklings’ and ‘strong’ are not expressed in the Latin, but the Hebrew text shews that this was the author’s meaning. Apparently it was thought that winter lambs were more robust than spring lambs.

[5] In the Hebrew text, this whole story is confused, and difficult to unravel. The Latin version differs from it very considerably; and this, too, is obscure in places; the rendering here given is based on the exposition given by St Jerome himself in his notes on Genesis.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd