“So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.”
And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen. Jacob invokes his own honesty as the guarantee of the arrangement — any non-spotted animal found with him will be evidence of theft. The appeal to his own character as the contract's enforcement mechanism is Jacob's declaration that he is operating in good faith. The application: the willingness to stake your reputation on the terms of an agreement is the willingness of the person who intends to honor it.
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