Genesis 30:26

30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ¹  Then I’ll depart, ²  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ³ 

Genesis 42:37

42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may ⁴  put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care ⁵  and I will bring him back to you.”

[30:26]  ¹ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ² tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ³ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[42:37]  ⁴ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is permissive here.

[42:37]  ⁵ tn Heb “my hand.”