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.

Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”

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

And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.

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

Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

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

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,

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

and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me.

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

You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

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

And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

8 If he should say thus, The speckled shall be your reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be your reward, then would all the cattle bear white.

If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.

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

Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

10 And it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I saw 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.

When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

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

In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’

12 And he said, Look up with your 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 you.

‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

13 I am God that appeared to you in the place of God where you anointed a pillar to me, and vowed to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of your nativity, and I will be with you.

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

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 replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left 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 regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.

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 whatever God has said to you.

Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

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

Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on 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 drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.

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

Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

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

Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was running away.

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 his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

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

On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled.

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

So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

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

But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything 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.

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done? therefore did you run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war!

27 Whereas if you had told me, I would have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp.

Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps.

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

But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing.

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

I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’

30 Now then go on your way, for you have earnestly desired to depart to the house of your father; therefore have you stolen my gods?

Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”

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

“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.

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

If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

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 maidservants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

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

Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

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

Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

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 you have pursued after me,

Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me?

37 and that you have searched all the furniture of my house? what have you found of all the furniture of your house? set it here between your relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two.

You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.

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

I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock.

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

I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.

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

As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

41 These twenty years have I been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years amongst your sheep, and you did falsely rate my wages for ten lambs.

Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!

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

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

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 you see are mine, and [the property] of my daughters; what shall I do to them today, or their children which they bore?

But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne?

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

Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”

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

So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as 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 you today.

and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate.

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

Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.

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

Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed.

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

It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other.

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

If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

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

Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me.

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

This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me.

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

May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So 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.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on 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.

Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.