Genesis 31

1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: 'Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth.'

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

And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.

3 And the LORD said unto Jacob: 'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.'

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 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,

And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock.

5 and said unto them: 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been 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 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.

And you have seen how I have done all in my power for your father,

7 And your father hath mocked me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to 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 thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked.

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 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

So God has taken away your father's cattle and has given them to me.

10 And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

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 And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I.

And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.

12 And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

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 Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'

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 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there for us in our father's house?

15 Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.

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 For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, 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 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;

Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels;

18 and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land 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 Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.

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 And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.

And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.

21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain 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 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.

23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountain 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 And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'

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 And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.

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 And Laban said to Jacob: 'What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword?

And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?

27 Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and outwit me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp;

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 and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.

You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.

29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying: Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

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 And now that thou art surely gone, because thou sore longest after thy father's house, wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?'

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 And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou shouldest take thy 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 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee.' — For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. —

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 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered 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 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the saddle of the camel, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not.

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 And she said to her father: 'Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me.' And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

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 And Jacob was wroth, and strove with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me?

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 Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two.

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 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten.

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 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

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 Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes.

This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.

41 These twenty years have I been in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed 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 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been on my side, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and gave judgment yesternight.'

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 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob: 'The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine; and what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne?

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 And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.'

Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.

45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.

46 And Jacob said unto his brethren: 'Gather stones'; and they took stones, and made a heap. And they did eat there by the heap.

And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.

47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.

And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.

48 And Laban said: 'This heap is witness between me and thee this day.' Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,

49 and Mizpah, for he said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.

50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.'

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 And Laban said to Jacob: 'Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee.

And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;

52 This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

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 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear 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 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in 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 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned unto his place.

And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.