Genesis 31:8
New International Version
If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young.

New Living Translation
For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young.

English Standard Version
If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped.

Berean Standard Bible
If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.

King James Bible
If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

New King James Version
If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.

New American Standard Bible
If he said this: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered speckled; and if he said this: ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered striped.

NASB 1995
“If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped.

NASB 1977
“If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped.

Legacy Standard Bible
If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped.

Amplified Bible
If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled [young]; and if he said, ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked [young].

Christian Standard Bible
If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked.

American Standard Version
If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstreaked shall be thy wages; then bare all the flock ringstreaked.

Contemporary English Version
When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted.

English Revised Version
If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy wages; then bare all the flock ringstraked.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Whenever he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' all the flocks gave birth to speckled young. And whenever he said, 'The striped ones will be your wages,' all the flocks gave birth to striped young.

Good News Translation
Whenever Laban said, 'The speckled goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced speckled young. When he said, 'The striped goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced striped young.

International Standard Version
"When Laban said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flock gave birth to speckled ones. Then when he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' all the flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

Majority Standard Bible
If he said, ?The speckled will be your wages,? then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ?The streaked will be your wages,? then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.

NET Bible
If he said, 'The speckled animals 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.

New Heart English Bible
If he said this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked.

Webster's Bible Translation
If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bore speckled: and if he said thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy hire; then all the cattle bore ring-streaked.

World English Bible
If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore streaked.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
If he says thus: The speckled are your hire, then all the flock bore speckled ones; and if he says thus: The striped are your hire, then all the flock bore striped;

Young's Literal Translation
'If he say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-streaked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-streaked;

Smith's Literal Translation
If thus he will say, The speckled shall be thy hire; and all the sheep shall bring forth speckled: and if thus he will say, The banded shall be thy hire, and all the sheep will bring forth white-footed.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones.

New American Bible
Whenever your father said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the entire flock would bear speckled young; whenever he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wages,’ the entire flock would bear streaked young.

New Revised Standard Version
If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If he said thus, The speckled shall be your wages, then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus, The spotted shall be your wages; then all the flock bore spotted.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
If in this way he would say, ‘the white spotted shall be your reward’, all the flocks would bear young white spotted, and if he would say ‘the spotted shall be your reward’, all the flocks would bear young spotted.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
If he said thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
If he should say thus, The speckled shall be thy reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be thy reward, then would all the cattle bear white.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Flees from Laban
7And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring. 9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.…

Cross References
Genesis 30:32-43
Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages. / So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.” / “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” ...

Exodus 3:21-22
And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed. / Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 12:35-36
Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. / And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

Leviticus 26:9
I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you.

Deuteronomy 28:4
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

Deuteronomy 28:11
The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

Deuteronomy 28:51
They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.

1 Samuel 2:7-8
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. / He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.

1 Samuel 25:2
Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.

Job 42:12
So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

Psalm 37:25-26
I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread. / They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.

Psalm 128:1-2
A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways! / For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

Isaiah 61:7
Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.


Treasury of Scripture

If he said thus, The speckled shall be your wages; then all the cattle bore speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be your hire; then bore all the cattle ringstraked.

Jump to Previous
Banded Bare Birth Bore Cattle Flock Flocks Forth Hire Marked Marks Ones Ringstraked Ring-Straked Ringstreaked Ring-Streaked Speckled Spotted Streaked Striped Wages Young
Jump to Next
Banded Bare Birth Bore Cattle Flock Flocks Forth Hire Marked Marks Ones Ringstraked Ring-Straked Ringstreaked Ring-Streaked Speckled Spotted Streaked Striped Wages Young
Genesis 31
1. Jacob, displeased with the envy of Laban and his sons, departs secretly.
19. Rachel steals her father's household gods.
22. Laban pursues after him, and complains of the wrong.
34. Rachel's plan to hide the images.
36. Jacob's complaint of Laban.
43. The covenant of Laban and Jacob at Galeed.














If he said
This phrase introduces the conditional nature of Laban's agreements with Jacob. In Hebrew, the word for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often implies not just speaking but also commanding or determining. This reflects Laban's authority and control over the situation, yet it also sets the stage for God's intervention. The conditional aspect highlights the uncertainty and manipulation Jacob faced, yet it also underscores God's sovereignty in ensuring Jacob's prosperity despite human schemes.

The speckled will be your wages
The term "speckled" refers to sheep or goats with spots or patches of different colors. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such animals were often less desirable, making Laban's offer seem advantageous to him. However, this phrase reveals God's providence in turning what seemed like a disadvantage into a blessing for Jacob. The Hebrew root "נָקֹד" (naqod) for "speckled" emphasizes the distinctiveness and uniqueness of God's provision, as He can bring abundance from what appears to be meager.

then the whole flock bore speckled young
This miraculous outcome demonstrates God's direct intervention in Jacob's life. The phrase "the whole flock" signifies the totality and completeness of God's blessing. In Hebrew, "יָלַד" (yalad) means "to bear" or "to bring forth," indicating the natural process of reproduction being supernaturally influenced. This serves as a testament to God's faithfulness and His ability to fulfill His promises, regardless of human manipulation or deceit.

if he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages’
The word "streaked" refers to animals with stripes or bands of color. Similar to "speckled," these were considered less valuable. The Hebrew root "עָקֹד" (aqod) for "streaked" suggests a pattern or marking that sets these animals apart. This phrase again highlights Laban's attempt to control the outcome, yet it also sets the stage for God's miraculous provision. It serves as a reminder that God's plans cannot be thwarted by human intentions.

then the whole flock bore streaked young
This repetition of miraculous provision underscores the consistency and reliability of God's intervention. The phrase "bore streaked young" emphasizes the unexpected and abundant nature of God's blessings. It illustrates the principle that God can bring forth prosperity and success from unlikely sources, reinforcing the theme of divine faithfulness and the fulfillment of His promises to Jacob.

Verse 8. - If he (i.e. Laban) said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; - by the original contract Jacob had been promised all the parti-colored animals (Genesis 30:32);" here it seems as if Laban, struck with the remarkable increase of these, took the earliest opportunity of so modifying the original stipulation as to limit Jacob's portion to one sort only, viz. the speckled. Yet this dishonorable breach of faith on the part of Laban was of no avail; for, when the next lambing season came - then (it was discovered that) all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus (changing the sort of animals assigned to his son-in-law), The ringstraked shall be thy hire (the result was as before); then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

he said,
יֹאמַ֗ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘The speckled
נְקֻדִּים֙ (nə·qud·dîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 5348: Speckled

will be
יִהְיֶ֣ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

your wages,’
שְׂכָרֶ֔ךָ (śə·ḵā·re·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7939: Payment of contract, salary, fare, maintenance, compensation, benefit

then the whole
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

flock
הַצֹּ֖אן (haṣ·ṣōn)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

bore
וְיָלְד֥וּ (wə·yā·lə·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

speckled offspring.
נְקֻדִּ֑ים (nə·qud·dîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 5348: Speckled

If
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

he said,
יֹאמַ֗ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘The streaked
עֲקֻדִּים֙ (‘ă·qud·dîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6124: Striped, streaked

will be
יִהְיֶ֣ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

your wages,’
שְׂכָרֶ֔ךָ (śə·ḵā·re·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7939: Payment of contract, salary, fare, maintenance, compensation, benefit

then the whole
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

flock
הַצֹּ֖אן (haṣ·ṣōn)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

bore
וְיָלְד֥וּ (wə·yā·lə·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

streaked offspring.
עֲקֻדִּֽים׃ (‘ă·qud·dîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6124: Striped, streaked


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OT Law: Genesis 31:8 If he said this 'The speckled will (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 31:7
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