Genesis 31
1 Now he heard the words of Labans sonnes, saying, Iaakob hath taken away all that was our fathers, and of our fathers goods hath he gotten all this honour.
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.”
2 Also Iaakob beheld the countenance of Laban, that it was not towards him as in times past:
Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.
3 And the Lord had said vnto Iaakob, Turne againe into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kinred, and I wilbe with thee.
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.”
4 Therefore Iaakob sent and called Rahel and Leah to the fielde vnto his flocke.
He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,
5 Then sayde hee vnto them, I see your fathers countenance, that it is not towardes me as it was wont, and the God of my father hath bene with me.
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.
6 And yee knowe that I haue serued your father with all my might.
And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.
7 But your father hath deceiued me, and changed my wages tenne times: but God suffred him not to hurt me.
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.
8 If he thus sayd, The spotted shall be thy wages, then all the sheepe bare spotted: and if he sayd thus, the party coloured shalbe thy rewarde, then bare all the sheepe particoloured.
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.
9 Thus hath God taken away your fathers substance, and giuen it me.
And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.
10 For in ramming time I lifted vp mine eyes and saw in a dreame, and beholde, ye hee goates leaped vpon the shee goates, that were partie coloured with litle and great spots spotted.
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.
11 And the Angel of God sayde to mee in a dreame, Iaakob. And I answered, Lo, I am here.
And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’
12 And he sayde, Lift vp nowe thine eyes, and see all the hee goates leaping vpon ye shee goates that are partie coloured, spotted with litle and great spots: for I haue seene all that Laban doeth vnto thee.
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.
13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anoyntedst the pillar, where thou vowedst a vowe vnto me. Nowe arise, get thee out of this countrey and returne vnto ye land where thou wast borne.
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.’”
14 Then answered Rahel and Leah, and sayde vnto him, Haue wee any more porcion and inheritance in our fathers house?
And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?
15 Doeth not he count vs as strangers? for he hath solde vs, and hath eaten vp and consumed our money.
Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?
16 Therefore all the riches, which God hath taken from our father, is ours and our childrens: nowe then whatsoeuer God hath saide vnto thee, doe it.
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.”
17 Then Iaakob rose vp, and set his sonnes and his wiues vpon camels.
And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.
18 And he caried away all his flockes, and al his substance which he had gotten, to wit, his riches, which he had gotten in Padan Aram, to goe to Izhak his father vnto the land of Canaan.
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.
19 Whe Laban was gone to shere his sheepe, Then Rahel stole her fathers idoles.
At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.
20 Thus Iaakob stole away ye heart of Laban the Aramite: for he told him not that he fled.
And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.
21 So fled he with all that he had, and he rose vp, and passed the riuer, and set his face towarde mount Gilead.
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,
22 And the third day after was it told Laban, that Iaakob fled.
it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Then he tooke his brethren with him, and followed after him seuen dayes iourney, and ouertooke him at mount Gilead.
And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.
24 And God came to Laban the Aramite in a dreame by night, and sayde vnto him, Take heede that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.
And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”
25 Then Laban ouertooke Iaakob, and Iaakob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban also with his brethren pitched vpon mount Gilead.
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.
26 Then Laban sayde to Iaakob, What hast thou done? thou hast euen stolen away mine heart and caried away my daughters as though they had bene taken captiues with the sworde.
And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Wherfore diddest thou flie so secretly and steale away from me, and diddest not tel me, that I might haue sent thee foorth with mirth and with songs, with timbrel and with harpe?
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?
28 But thou hast not suffered me to kisse my sonnes and my daughters: nowe thou hast done foolishly in doing so.
You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,
29 I am able to do you euill: but the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying, Take heed that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.
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.’
30 Nowe though thou wentest thy way, because thou greatly longedst after thy fathers house, yet wherefore hast thou stollen my gods?
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?”
31 Then Iaakob answered, and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest haue taken thy daughters from me.
Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.
32 But with whome thou findest thy gods, let him not liue. Search thou before our brethre what I haue of thine, and take it to thee, (but Iaakob wist not that Rahel had stolen them)
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.
33 Then came Laban into Iaakobs tent, and into Leahs tent, and into the two maides tentes, but founde them not. So hee went out of Leahs tent, and entred into Rahels tent.
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,
34 (Nowe Rahel had taken the idoles, and put them in the camels litter and sate downe vpon them) and Laban searched al the tent, but found them not.
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,
35 Then said she to her father, My Lord, be not angrie that I cannot rise vp before thee: for the custome of women is vpon me: so he searched, but found not the idoles.
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.
36 The Iaakob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iaakob also answered and sayd to Laban, What haue I trespassed? what haue I offended, that thou hast pursued after me?
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
37 Seeing thou hast searched all my stuffe, what hast thou foud of all thine houshold stuffe? put it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may iudge betweene vs both.
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.
38 This twenty yere I haue bin with thee: thine ewes and thy goates haue not cast their yong, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten.
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.
39 Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts, I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of mine hand diddest thou require it, were it stollen by day or stollen by night.
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.
40 I was in the day consumed with heate, and with frost in the night, and my sleepe departed from mine eyes.
Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41 Thus haue I bene twentie yeere in thine house, and serued thee fourteene yeeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yeeres for thy sheepe, and thou hast changed my wages tenne times.
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.
42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Izhak had bene with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe emptie: but God behelde my tribulation, and the labour of mine hads, and rebuked thee yester night.
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.”
43 Then Laban answered, and saide vnto Iaakob, These daughters are my daughters, and these sonnes are my sonnes, and these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest, is mine, and what can I doe this day vnto these my daughters, or to their sonnes which they haue borne?
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?
44 Nowe therefore come and let vs make a couenant, I and thou, which may be a witnes betweene me and thee.
Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”
45 Then tooke Iaakob a stone, and set it vp as a pillar:
And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.
46 And Iaakob sayde vnto his brethren, Gather stones: who brought stones, and made an heape, and they did eate there vpon the heape.
And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.
47 And Laban called it Iegar-sahadutha, and Iaakob called it Galeed.
And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.
48 For Laban sayd, This heape is witnesse betweene me and thee this day: therefore he called the name of it Galeed.
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.’)
49 Also he called it Mizpah, because he said, The Lord looke betweene me and thee, when we shalbe departed one from another,
“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.
50 If thou shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take wiues beside my daughters: there is no man with vs, beholde, God is witnesse betweene me and thee.
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.”
51 Moreouer Laban sayd to Iaakob, Beholde this heape, and behold the pillar, which I haue set betweene me and thee,
And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,
52 This heape shall be witnesse, and the pillar shall be witnesse, that I will not come ouer this heape to thee, and that thou shalt not passe ouer this heape and this pillar vnto me for euill.
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.
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nabor, and the God of their father be iudge betweene vs: But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak.
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.
54 Then Iaakob did offer a sacrifice vpon the mount, and called his brethren to eate bread. and they did eate bread, and taried all night in the mount.
And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.
55 And earely in the morning Laban rose vp and kissed his sonnes and his daughters, and blessed them, and Laban departing, went vnto his place againe.
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.
