Genesis 31:39
That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
The verse belongs to Jacob's reply when Laban caught up with him after pursuing him to force him back. God in mercy had warned Laban in a dream neither to force Jacob to return nor to press him with flattering offers, and Laban admitted that this had kept him from harming Jacob. In that confrontation Jacob contrasted Laban's self-serving and ungenerous course of studying only his own advantage with the uprightness of his own conduct while in Laban's service. The verse means Jacob personally absorbed flock losses instead of passing them to Laban: he did not bring back animals torn by wild beasts, not even their remains, but bore the cost himself, and Laban held him liable to make good whatever was stolen by day or by night.
As chief shepherd Jacob carried full responsibility for the condition of the flock even though servants under him tended his own and Laban's animals. If any cattle were missing or torn he suffered the loss himself, and he in turn held his servants to strict account to keep the flock in flourishing condition. The verse thus portrays shepherd life as unremitting diligence and day-and-night care — guarding sheep and cattle against ordinary and aggressive wild beasts, against dying of thirst in the driest season, against chilling frost on cold nights, and against theft by unprincipled shepherds. It is a work no one can do without mercy, courage and perseverance, marking Jacob as an upright and diligent guardian who paid the cost of protection.
Jacob's faithful bearing of losses on cattle entrusted to him exemplifies the diligence and self-sacrifice required of those who tend Christ's flock.