For you had little before I came is literally “For a little which was to you before me.” Jacob reminds Laban that, compared with the present, Laban had few animals when Jacob arrived in Haran: “Before I came here you had few animals.”

And it has increased abundantly: it refers to the animals or flocks of Laban. We may say, for example, “and your flocks [animals] have become numerous” or “and now see how many animals you have.”

And the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned is literally “the LORD has blessed you according to my foot.” This Hebrew idiom may have the meaning of “wherever I went” or “because I am here.” See Good News Translation footnote. In translation it may be necessary to make this expression more appropriate to the context by saying, for example, “the LORD blessed you wherever I took your flocks” or “the LORD increased your flocks wherever I took them to graze.”

But now when shall I provide for my own household also?: Jacob’s question is rhetorical and may need to be reshaped as a statement: “I need to provide for my own family now” or “I have to start taking care of my own family.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .