Thursday in Easter

25Verse 25. Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. 26Verse 26. Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.” 27Verse 27. But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” 28Verse 28. And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 29Verse 29. Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care. 30Verse 30. Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?” 31Verse 31. “What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks. 32Verse 32. 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. 33Verse 33. 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.” 34Verse 34. “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35Verse 35. That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat— every one that had any white on it— and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. 36Verse 36. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks. 37Verse 37. Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38Verse 38. Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39Verse 39. they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40Verse 40. Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41Verse 41. Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. 42Verse 42. But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. 43Verse 43. Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

17Verse 17. And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18Verse 18. But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. 19Verse 19. Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, 20Verse 20. that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. 21Verse 21. Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. 22Verse 22. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. 23Verse 23. Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people. ’ 24Verse 24. Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. 25Verse 25. And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ 26Verse 26. When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”