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.

He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's he has gained all this wealth."

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

Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and look, it was not as it had been.

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 God said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

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

Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock was,

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 said to them, "I see the expression on your father's face, that it is not what it was before. 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 of 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.

Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt 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 this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked.

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.

And it came about at the time when the flocks were breeding I looked up and saw in a dream, and look, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

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

The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, '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.

He said, 'Now lift up your eyes, and look, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and spotted, 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 a standing-stone, where you made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land 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?

Rachel and Leah answered 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.

Aren't we regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has used up 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.

For all the wealth which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."

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

Then Jacob got up and put his sons and his wives on 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 took away all his livestock and all his property which he had acquired, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, 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 shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the idols that belonged to her father.

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

Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee.

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 everything that he had, and he arose and crossed the River, and set out toward the hill country of Gilead.

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

Laban was told on the third day 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.

He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him for seven days, and caught up with 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.

God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night, and said to him, "Be careful that you do not speak 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.

Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his relatives camped 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?

Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken in 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 flee in secret and deceive me, and not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and singing, with a tambourine and with a lyre.

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

And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.

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 harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you do not speak 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 indeed gone away, because you longed greatly 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.

Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that 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.

Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, identify what I have that is yours, and take it with you." For Jacob did not know 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 maidservants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel.

Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he did not find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into 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 the idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find 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.

She said to her father, "Do not let my lord be angry that I can't rise up before you; for the manner of women is on me." He searched, but did not find 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 you have pursued after me,

Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after 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.

Now that you have searched around in all my stuff, did you find anything from all of your household's belongings? Put it here before my relatives and your relatives, 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.

These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I haven't eaten the rams of your flocks.

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.

That which was torn by animals I did not bring to you. I bore its loss. You demanded payment from me 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.

I was consumed by the heat during the day and by the frost at night, and sleepless nights.

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 served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, 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.

Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one whom Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my harsh treatment and my hard work, and rebuked you last night."

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?

Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom 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.

So now, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between the two of us." And he said to him, "Look, there is no one with us; see, God is witness between me and you."

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

Jacob took a stone and set it up as a standing-stone.

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.

Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they took stones and made a mound. They ate there by the mound.

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

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 you; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses.

Laban said, "This mound is a witness between me and you today." Therefore it was named 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, "God watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

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 if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us; see, God is witness between me and you."

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

Laban said to Jacob, "See this mound, and see the standing-stone, which I have set between me and you.

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.

May this mound be a witness, and the standing-stone be a witness, that I will not pass over this mound to you, and that you will not pass over this mound and this standing-stone to me, to do 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 between us." Then 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.

Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal and stayed all 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 in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.