Genesis 31

1 But afterwards, he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and being enlarged by his ability, he has become famous.”

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.

2 Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.

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

3 Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.”

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

4 He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,

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

5 and he said to them: “I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as it was yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father has been with me.

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.

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

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

7 Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me.

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

8 Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones.

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.

9 And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.

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

10 For after the time had arrived for the ewes to conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and I saw in my sleep that the males climbing on the females were of variegated, and spotted, and diverse colors.

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-colored spots.

11 And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’

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

12 And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes, and see that all the males climbing on the females are variegated, spotted, and also speckled. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

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-colored spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does to you.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and depart from this land, returning to the land of your nativity.’”

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.

14 And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?

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

15 Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?

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

16 But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”

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.

17 And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.

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

18 And he took all his substance and flocks, and whatever he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and he journeyed to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan.

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.

19 At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.

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

20 And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.

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

21 And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,

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

22 it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

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

23 And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.

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

24 And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”

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.

25 And now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain. And when he, with his brothers, had overtaken him, he set his tent at the same place at Mount Gilead.

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

26 And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?

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?

27 Why would you want to flee without my knowledge and without telling me, though I might have led you forward with gladness, and songs, and timbrels, and lyres?

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

28 You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,

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

29 my hand has power to repay you with harm. But the God of your father said to me yesterday, ‘Beware that you not speak anything stern against Jacob.’

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.

30 It may be that you desired to go to your own, and that you longed for the house of your father. But why have you stolen my gods?”

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?

31 Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.

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.

32 But, since you accuse me of theft, with whomever you will find your gods, let him be slain in the sight of our brothers. Search; anything of yours that you will find with me, take it away.” Now when he said this, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

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.

33 And so Laban, entering the tent of Jacob, and of Leah, and of both the handmaids, did not find them. And when he had entered the tent of Rachel,

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.

34 she quickly hid the idols under the camel’s bedding, and she sat upon them. And when he had searched the entire tent and found nothing,

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

35 she said: “Do not be angry, my lord, that I am unable to rise up in your sight, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women.” So his careful search was thwarted.

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.

36 And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me

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,

37 and searched all the items of my house? What have you found from all the substance of your house? Place it here before my brothers, and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you.

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.

38 For what reason have I been with you for twenty years? Your ewes and she-goats were not barren; the rams of your flocks I did not consume.

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.

39 Neither did I reveal to you what was seized by the wild beast. I replaced all that was damaged. Whatever was lost by theft, you collected it from me.

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.

40 Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.

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

41 And in this way, for twenty years, I have served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks. You have also changed my wages ten times.

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

42 If the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been close to me, perhaps by now you would have sent me away naked. But God looked kindly on my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he rebuked you yesterday.”

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 labor of my hands, and rebuked you yesterday.

43 Laban answered him: “My daughters and sons, and your flocks, and all that you discern are mine. What can I do to my sons and grandchildren?

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?

44 Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”

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.

45 And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.

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

46 And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.

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.

47 And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.

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

48 And Laban said: “This tomb will be a witness between me and you this day.” (And for this reason, its name has been called Gilead, that is, ‘Tomb of Witness.’)

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.

49 “May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.

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, —

50 If you afflict my daughters, and if you bring in other wives over them, no one is a witness of our words except God, who understands beforehand.”

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.

51 And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,

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

52 will be a witness. This tomb,” I say, “and the stone, they are for testimony, in case either I cross beyond it going toward you, or you cross beyond it thinking to harm me.

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

53 May the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Therefore, Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

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

54 And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.

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

55 In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.

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.