Genesis 30:39-43

30:39 When the sheep mated ¹  in front of the branches, they ²  gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ³  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, ⁴  Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ⁵  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ⁶  and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob ⁷  became extremely prosperous. He owned ⁸  large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

¹ tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.

² tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

⁴ tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

⁵ tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “were for Laban.”

⁷ tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “and there were to him.”