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 Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, that they said, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and it is from our father's possessions that he has gotten all this wealth.”
2 Jacob also noticed that Laban was treating him differently to the way he had before.
Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed.
3 The Lord told Jacob, “Go back to the country of your forefathers, to your family home. I will be with you.”
Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, 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.
Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to 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 said to them, “I see your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You both know very well how hard I worked for your father.
You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father.
7 But he's been cheating me—he's reduced my wages ten times! However, God hasn't let him hurt me.
Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me.
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, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled young. If he said, 'The striped will be your wages,' then the whole flock bore striped young.
9 This is how God took your father's livestock and gave them to me.
In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and 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.
Once at the time of breeding season, I saw in a dream the male goats that were mating with the flock. The male goats were striped, speckled, and spotted.
11 Then in the dream the angel of the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I'm here.’
The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.'
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.
He said, 'Lift up your eyes and see all the male goats that are breeding with the flock. They are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing 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 Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now rise up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth.'”
14 “There's nothing for us to inherit from our father's estate anyway,” Rachel and Leah replied.
Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance 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 treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money.
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 all the riches that God has taken away from our father are now ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”
17 So Jacob got ready. He helped his children and his wives onto the camels,
Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the 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.
He drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all his property, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram. Then he set out to go to his father Isaac 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.
When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.
20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not informing him that he was going to run away.
Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving.
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 fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had run away.
On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
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.
So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for a seven days' journey. He 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.”
Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
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.
Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives 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!
Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters 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 flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with celebration and with songs, with tambourine and with harps.
28 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've really acted stupidly!
You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly.
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 harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
30 Clearly you wanted to leave and go back to your family home, but why did you have to steal my idols?”
Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal 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.
Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force I left secretly.
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.)
Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen 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.
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 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 household gods, put them in a camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find 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.
She said to her father, “Do not be angry, my master, that I cannot stand up before you, for I am having my period.” So he searched but did not find his household gods.
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?
Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
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!
For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between us two.
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.
For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks.
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.
What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. Instead, I bore the loss of it. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether stolen by day or stolen 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.
There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep.
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 household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You have changed my wages ten times.
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.”
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my oppression and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.”
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?
Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the grandchildren are my grandchildren, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
44 So let's make a solemn agreement between you and I, and it will be a witness to our mutual commitment.”
So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.”
45 Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.
So Jacob took a stone and set 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.
Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile.
47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob called it Galeed.
Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban announced, “This pile of stone serves as a witness between me and you.” This is why it was called Galeed.
Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called 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.
It is also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May Yahweh watch between you and me, when we are out of sight one from another.
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 mistreat my daughters, or if you take any wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”
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.
Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set 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.
This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm.
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 gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob swore 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.
Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat a meal. They ate and spent the entire 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.
Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.
