Genesis 31
1 Jacob found out that Laban's sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. All the wealth he has actually came from our father.”
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 Jacob also noticed that Laban was treating him differently to the way he had before.
And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.
3 The Lord told Jacob, “Go back to the country of your forefathers, to your family home. 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 Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah, telling them to come and meet him out in the fields where he was with his flock.
And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock.
5 “I've noticed that your father is treating me differently to the way he did before,” he told them. “But the God of my father will be 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 You both know very well how hard I worked for your father.
And you have seen how I have done all in my power for your father,
7 But he's been cheating me—he's reduced my wages ten times! However, God hasn't let him 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 said, ‘You can have the speckled ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had speckled young. If he said, ‘You can have the streaked ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had streaked young.
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 This is how God took your father's livestock and gave them to me.
So God has taken away your father's cattle and has given them to me.
10 During the time the flock was breeding I had a dream where I saw that the male goats mating with the flock were all streaked, speckled, or spotted.
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 Then in the dream the angel of the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I'm here.’
And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.
12 He told me, ‘Take a look and you'll see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I've been watching everything that Laban has been doing 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 the God of Bethel, where you poured olive oil on the stone pillar and made a solemn promise to me. Now get ready to leave this land and go back to your homeland.’”
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 “There's nothing for us to inherit from our father's estate anyway,” Rachel and Leah replied.
Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there for us in our father's house?
15 “He treats us like foreigners because he sold us to you, and now he's spent all that 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 that God has taken from him belongs to us and our children, so do whatever God has told you to do!”
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 So Jacob got ready. He helped his children and his wives onto the camels,
Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels;
18 and drove all his livestock in front of him. He took with him all his possessions and livestock he'd gained during his time in Paddan-aram, and left to go back to his father in the country of Canaan.
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 While Laban was away from home shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.
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 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not informing him that he was going to run away.
And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.
21 So Jacob left in a hurry with everything he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed towards the hill country of Gilead.
So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had run away.
And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.
23 Taking some of his relatives with him, he chased after Jacob and caught up with him seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.
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 But during the night God came to Laban in a dream and told him, “Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.”
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 Jacob had set up his tents in the hill country of Gilead when Laban caught up with him, so Laban and his relatives did the same.
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 “Why did you deceive me like this?” Laban asked Jacob. “You carried off my daughters as if they were some prisoners captured by the sword!
And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?
27 Why did you run away in secret, trying to trick me? Why didn't you come and tell me? I would have given you a good send-off, a celebration with singing and the music of tambourines and lyres.
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 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've really acted stupidly!
You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.
29 I could really punish you badly, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and told me, ‘Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.’
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 Clearly you wanted to leave and go back to your family home, but why did you have to steal my idols?”
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 “I ran away because I was afraid,” Jacob explained to Laban. “I was worried that you would take your daughters from me by force.
And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force.
32 As for your idols, anyone you find who has them will die. You can search everything in the presence of our relatives, and if you find I have anything that belongs to you, you can take it.” (Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.)
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 Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two personal maids, but didn't find anything. He left Leah's tent and went into Rachel's tent.
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 Rachel had put the household idols in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on it. Laban carefully searched the whole tent but couldn't find 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 She said to her father, “Sir, please don't get upset with me for not standing up in your presence, but I have my period.” He looked everywhere but didn't find the idols.
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 Jacob got angry with Laban and confronted him, saying, “What crime am I guilty of? What wrong have I done to you that you've come hunting me down?
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 You've searched through all my possessions. Did you find anything belonging to you? If you did, bring it out here before my relatives and yours so they can decide who's right!
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 I've worked for you for these past twenty years. During that time none of your sheep and goats miscarried, and I haven't eaten a single ram from your flock.
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 If any of them were killed by wild animals, I never even brought you the carcass to prove the loss—I bore the loss myself. But you on the other hand always made me compensate you for any animals that were stolen, whether at night or in broad daylight.
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 Whether it was sweating in the heat of the day, or freezing in the cold of the night when I couldn't sleep, I went on working for you for twenty years in your home.
This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.
41 I worked fourteen years for your two daughters, and six more years with your flocks. You reduced my wages ten times!
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 If it weren't for the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the awesome God of Isaac, who took care of me, you would have dismissed me with nothing. But God saw my suffering, how hard I worked, and he condemned you last night.”
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 Laban replied, “These are my daughters and these are my children and these are my flocks! In fact, everything you see here is mine! However, what can I do now about my daughters and their children?
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 So let's make a solemn agreement between you and I, and it will be a witness to our mutual commitment.”
Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.
45 Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.
Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.
46 Then he told his relatives, “Go and collect some stones.” They all made a pile of stones and then sat beside it to eat a meal.
And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.
47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob called it Galeed.
And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.
48 Laban announced, “This pile of stone serves as a witness between me and you.” This is why it was called Galeed.
And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,
49 It was also called Mizpah, for as Laban said, “May the Lord keep a close eye on both of us when we're not together.
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 treat my daughters badly or marry more wives in addition to them, God will see what you do even if no one else finds out!”
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 Then Laban told Jacob, “Look at this pile of stones and this pillar that I have set up as a memorial of the agreement between you and me.
And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;
52 They also act as a witness to our solemn promises to each other: I will not come past them to attack you; and you will not come past them to attack me.
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 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor—the God of our forefathers—be the one to judge between us in any dispute.” Jacob in turn made his solemn promise in the name of the awesome God 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 Then he offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited all his relatives to eat a meal there. They spent the night on 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 Laban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye. He blessed them, and then left to go back home.
And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.
