Genesis 31

1 And Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and of our father's property has he gotten all this glory.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: 'Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth.'

2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before.

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime.

3 And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family, and I will be with thee.

And the LORD said unto Jacob: 'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.'

4 And Jacob sent and called Lea and Rachel to the plain where the flocks were.

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,

5 And he said to them, I see the face of your father, that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father was with me.

and said unto them: 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me.

6 And ye too know that with all my might I have served your father.

And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.

7 But your father deceived me, and changed my wages for the ten lambs, yet God gave him not [power] to hurt me.

And your father hath mocked me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

8 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.

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.

9 So God has taken away all the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

10 And it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I beheld with mine eyes in sleep, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots.

And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

11 And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob; and I said, What is it?

And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I.

12 And he said, Look up with thine eyes, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does to thee.

And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

13 I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God where thou anointedst a pillar to me, and vowedst to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee.

I am the God of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'

14 And Rachel and Lea answered and said to him, Have we yet a part or inheritance in the house of our father?

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

15 Are we not considered strangers by him? for he has sold us, and quite devoured our money.

Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.

16 All the wealth and the glory which God has taken from our father, it shall be our's and our children's; now then do whatsoever God has said to thee.

For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.'

17 And Jacob arose and took his wives and his children up on the camels;

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;

18 and he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan.

and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.

19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole her father's images.

Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.

20 And Jacob hid [the matter from] Laban the Syrian, so as not to tell him that he ran away.

And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.

21 And he departed himself and all that belonged to him, and passed over the river, and went into the mountain Galaad.

So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

22 But it was told Laban the Syrian on the third day, that Jacob was fled.

And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

23 And having taken his brethren with him, he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on Mount Galaad.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in sleep by night, and said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not at any time to Jacob evil things.

And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'

25 And Laban overtook Jacob; and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban stationed his brothers in the mount Galaad.

And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done? wherefore didst thou run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

And Laban said to Jacob: 'What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword?

27 Whereas if thou hadst told me, I would have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp.

Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and outwit me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp;

28 And I was not counted worthy to embrace my children and my daughters; now then thou hast wrought foolishly.

and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.

29 And now my hand has power to hurt thee; but the God of thy father spoke to me yesterday, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not evil words to Jacob.

It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying: Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

30 Now then go on thy way, for thou hast earnestly desired to depart to the house of thy father; wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

And now that thou art surely gone, because thou sore longest after thy father's house, wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?'

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest at any time thou shouldest take away thy daughters from me, and all my possessions.

And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force.

32 And Jacob said, With whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, he shall not live in the presence of our brethren; take notice of what I have of thy property, and take it; and he observed nothing with him, but Jacob knew not that his wife Rachel had stolen them.

With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee.' — For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. —

33 And Laban went in and searched in the house of Lea, and found [them] not; and he went out of the house of Lea, and searched in the house of Jacob, and in the house of the two maid-servants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel.

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

34 And Rachel took the idols, and cast them among the camel's packs, and sat upon them.

Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the saddle of the camel, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not.

35 And she said to her father, Be not indignant, Sir; I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me according to the manner of women. Laban searched in all the house, and found not the images.

And she said to her father: 'Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me.' And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

36 And Jacob was angry, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my injustice, and what my sin, that thou hast pursued after me,

And Jacob was wroth, and strove with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me?

37 and that thou hast searched all the furniture of my house? what hast thou found of all the furniture of thine house? set it here between thy relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two.

Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two.

38 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy sheep, and thy she-goats have not failed in bearing; I devoured not the rams of thy cattle.

These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten.

39 That which was taken of beasts I brought not to thee; I made good of myself the thefts of the day, and the thefts of the night.

That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40 I was parched with heat by day, and [chilled] with frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.

Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes.

41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years among thy sheep, and thou didst falsely rate my wages for ten lambs.

These twenty years have I been in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

42 Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now thou wouldest have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been on my side, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and gave judgment yesternight.'

43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which thou seest are mine, and [the property] of my daughters; what shall I do to them to-day, or their children which they bore?

And Laban answered and said unto Jacob: 'The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine; and what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne?

44 Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and thou, and it shall be for a witness between me and thee; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and thee.

And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.'

45 And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar.

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

46 And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and thee to-day.

And Jacob said unto his brethren: 'Gather stones'; and they took stones, and made a heap. And they did eat there by the heap.

47 And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap.

And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.

48 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and thee; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses.

And Laban said: 'This heap is witness between me and thee this day.' Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

49 And the vision of which he said—Let God look to it between me and thee, because we are about to depart from each other, —

and Mizpah, for he said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

50 If thou shalt humble my daughters, if thou shouldest take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God [is] witness between me and thee.

If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.'

51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness.

And Laban said to Jacob: 'Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee.

52 For if I should not cross over unto thee, neither shouldest thou cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar.

This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

53 The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

54 And he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in the mountain.

And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain.

55 And Laban rose up in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban having turned back, departed to his place.

And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned unto his place.