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 he heareth the words of Laban's sons, saying, 'Jacob hath taken all that our father hath; yea, from that which our father hath, he hath made all this honour;'
2 Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.
and Jacob seeth the face of Laban, and lo, it is not with him as heretofore.
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 Jehovah saith unto Jacob, 'Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'
4 He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,
And Jacob sendeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock;
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 saith to them, 'I am beholding your father's face — that it is not towards me as heretofore, and the God of my father hath been with me,
6 And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.
and ye — ye have known that with all my power 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.
and your father hath played upon me, and hath changed my hire ten times; and God hath not suffered him to do evil with 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 say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-streaked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-streaked;
9 And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.
and God taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give 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 cometh to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up mine eyes and see in a dream, and lo, the he-goats, which are going up on the flock, [are] ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled;
11 And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’
and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here [am] I.
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 saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see — all the he-goats which are going up on the flock [are] ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee;
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] the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'
14 And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?
And Rachel answereth — Leah also — and saith to him, 'Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?
15 Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?
have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth 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.”
for all the wealth which God hath taken away from our father, it [is] ours, and our children's; and now, all that God hath said unto thee — do.'
17 And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.
And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives 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 leadeth all his cattle, and all his substance which he hath acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he hath acquired in Padan-Aram, to go unto Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
19 At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.
And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath;
20 And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.
and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing;
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 fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face [toward] the mount of Gilead.
22 it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled,
23 And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.
and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead.
24 And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”
And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramaean in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.'
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 overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed [theirs] in the mount of Gilead.
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 saith to Jacob, 'What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of 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?
Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp,
28 You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,
and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? — now thou hast acted foolishly in doing [so];
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.’
my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.
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?”
'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou 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 answereth and saith to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me;
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.
with whomsoever thou findest thy gods — he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what [is] with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath 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 goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent 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 hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found;
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 saith unto her father, 'Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women [is] on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim.
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 it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'What [is] my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned 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.
for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both.
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 I [am] with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten;
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.
the torn I have not brought in unto thee — I, I repay it — from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night;
40 Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.
I have been [thus]: in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine 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.
'This [is] to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times;
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 the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.'
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 answereth and saith unto Jacob, 'The daughters [are] my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing [is] mine; and to my daughters — what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born?
44 Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”
and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.'
45 And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.
And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up [for] a standing 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 saith to his brethren, 'Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;
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 calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed.
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 saith, 'This heap [is] witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed;
49 “May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.
Mizpah also, for he said, 'Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another;
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 thou afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters — there is no man with us — see, God [is] witness between me and thee.'
51 And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,
And Laban saith to Jacob, 'Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee;
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.
this heap [is] witness, and the standing pillar [is] witness, that I do not pass over this heap unto thee, and that thou dost not pass over this heap and this standing pillar unto me — for evil;
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 Abraham and the God of Nahor, doth judge between us — the God of their father,' and Jacob sweareth 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 Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount;
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 riseth early in the morning, and kisseth his sons and his daughters, and blesseth them; and Laban goeth on, and turneth back to his place.
