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 it came to the ears of Jacob that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken away all our father's property, and in this way he has got all this wealth.

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

And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.

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 relations, and I will be with you.

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

And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock.

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 said to them, It is clear to me that your father's feeling is no longer what it was to me; 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.

And you have seen how I have done all in my power for 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.

But your father has not kept faith with me, and ten times he has made changes in my payment; but God has kept him from doing me damage.

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, All those in the flock which have marks are to be yours, then all the flock gave birth to marked young; and if he said, All the banded ones are to be yours, then all the flock had banded young.

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

So God has taken away your father's cattle and has 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.

And at the time when the flock were with young, I saw in a dream that all the he-goats which were joined with the she-goats were banded and marked and coloured.

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

And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.

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.

And he said, See how all the he-goats are banded and marked and coloured: for I have seen what 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 Beth-el, where you put oil on the pillar and took an oath to me: now then, come out of this land and go back to the country of your birth.

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

Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there 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 as people from a strange country to him? for he took a price for us and now it is all used up.

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.

For the wealth which God has taken from him is ours and our children's; so now, whatever God has said to you, do.

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

Then Jacob put his wives and his sons 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 sending on before him all his cattle and his property which he had got together in Paddan-aram, he made ready to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

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

Now Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house.

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

And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.

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

So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead.

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

And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.

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

And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him 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.

Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.

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

Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead.

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?

And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners 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 make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?

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

You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.

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.

It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.

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?

And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken 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.

And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might 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.

As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken 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 maidservants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel.

So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.

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

Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them.

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.

And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images.

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 was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion?

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.

Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between 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.

These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food.

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.

Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night.

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

This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went 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.

These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed.

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, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back.

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?

Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children?

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, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.

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

Then Jacob took a stone and put 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 Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.

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

And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of 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.

And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was 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, —

And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.

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 are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us.

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

And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put 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.

They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose.

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, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath 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 made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that 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.

And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.