Genesis 31:7-8

31:7 but your father has humiliated ¹  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, ²  ‘The speckled animals ³  will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

Genesis 31:41

31:41 This was my lot ⁴  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ⁵  for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times!

---

¹ tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).

² tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.

³ tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.

⁴ tn Heb “this to me.”

⁵ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”