They will eat up your crops and your food. They will kill off ¹  your sons and your daughters. They will eat up your sheep and your cattle. They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. ²  Their weapons will batter down ³  the fortified cities you trust in.

“People of Judah, ¹  get out of Babylon quickly! Leave the land of Babylonia! ²  Be the first to depart! ³  Be like the male goats that lead the herd.

Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through; it rips its prey ¹  and there is no one to stop it. ² 

including all the sheep and cattle, as well as the wild animals, ¹ 

Then Jacob ¹  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ²  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ³ 

“I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.

In the presence of the Lord your God you must eat from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, ¹  your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the place he chooses to locate his name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.

Then she gave birth ¹  to his brother Abel. ²  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ 

But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ¹  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ²  and the stronger animals to Jacob.

So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said ¹  you would do.”

Our storehouses ¹  will be full, providing all kinds of food. ²  Our sheep will multiply by the thousands and fill ³  our pastures. ⁴ 

So Laban asked, ¹  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ²  Jacob replied, ³  “but if you agree to this one condition, ⁴  I will continue to care for ⁵  your flocks and protect them:

If he said, ¹  ‘The speckled animals ²  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.

Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ¹  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ²  Joseph replied. ³ 

The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions. ¹ 

Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels; Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

Now ¹  there were shepherds ²  nearby ³  living out in the field, keeping guard ⁴  over their flock at night.

You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings.

Let me walk among ¹  all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, ²  and the spotted or speckled goats. ³  These animals will be my wages. ⁴ 

“Once ¹  during breeding season I saw ²  in a dream that the male goats mating with ³  the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted.