< 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.'
And Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and of our father's property has he gotten all this glory.
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime.
And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not towards him as 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.'
And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your father, and to your family, and I will be with you.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
And Jacob sent and called Lea and Rachel to the plain where the flocks were.
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, I see the face of your father, that it is not towards me as before, but the God of my father was with me.
6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.
And you too know that with all my might I have served 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 deceived me, and changed my wages for the ten lambs, yet God gave him not [power] to hurt me.
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 should say thus, The speckled shall be your reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be your reward, then would all the cattle bear white.
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.
So God has taken away all the cattle of your father, and 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 it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I saw with mine eyes in sleep, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots.
11 And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I.
And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob; and I said, What is it?
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, Look up with your eyes, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does 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 God that appeared to you in the place of God where you anointed a pillar to me, and vowed to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of your nativity, and I will be with you.
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
And Rachel and Lea answered and said to him, Have we yet a part or inheritance in the house of our father?
15 Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.
Are we not considered strangers by him? for he has sold us, and quite devoured our money.
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.'
All the wealth and the glory which God has taken from our father, it shall be our's and our children's; now then do whatever God has said to you.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;
And Jacob arose and took his wives and his children up on the 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 he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan.
19 Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.
And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole her father's images.
20 And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.
And Jacob hid [the matter from] Laban the Syrian, so as not to tell him that he ran away.
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.
And he departed himself and all that belonged to him, and passed over the river, and went into the mountain Galaad.
22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
But it was told Laban the Syrian on the third day, that Jacob was fled.
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 having taken his brethren with him, he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on Mount Galaad.
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.'
And God came to Laban the Syrian in sleep by night, and said to him, Take heed to yourself that you speak not at any time to Jacob evil things.
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.
And Laban overtook Jacob; and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban stationed his brothers in the mount Galaad.
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, What have you done? therefore did you run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword?
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;
Whereas if you had told me, I would have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp.
28 and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.
And I was not counted worthy to embrace my children and my daughters; now then you have wrought foolishly.
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.
And now my hand has power to hurt you; but the God of your father spoke to me yesterday, saying, Take heed to yourself that you speak not evil words 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?'
Now then go on your way, for you have earnestly desired to depart to the house of your father; therefore have you stolen 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 answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest at any time you should take away your daughters from me, and all my possessions.
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. —
And Jacob said, With whoever you shall find your gods, he shall not live in the presence of our brethren; take notice of what I have of your property, and take it; and he observed nothing with him, but Jacob knew not that his wife Rachel had stolen 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.
And Laban went in and searched in the house of Lea, and found [them] not; and he went out of the house of Lea, and searched in the house of Jacob, and in the house of the two maidservants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel.
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.
And Rachel took the idols, and cast them amongst the camel's packs, and sat upon 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, Be not indignant, Sir; I can’t rise up before you, for it is with me according to the manner of women. Laban searched in all the house, and found not 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?
And Jacob was angry, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my injustice, and what my sin, that you have pursued after me,
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.
and that you have searched all the furniture of my house? what have you found of all the furniture of your house? set it here between your relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two.
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 have I been with you; your sheep, and your she-goats have not failed in bearing; I devoured not the rams of your cattle.
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.
That which was taken of beasts I brought not to you; I made good of myself the thefts of the day, and the thefts of the night.
40 Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes.
I was parched with heat by day, and [chilled] with frost by night, and my sleep departed 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 have I been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years amongst your sheep, and you did falsely rate my wages for ten lambs.
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.'
Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now you would have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked you yesterday.
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?
And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which you see are mine, and [the property] of my daughters; what shall I do to them today, or their children which they bore?
44 And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.'
Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and you, and it shall be for a witness between me and you; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for 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 brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and you today.
47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap.
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 to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and you; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses.
49 and Mizpah, for he said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
And the vision of which he said—Let God look to it between me and you, because we are about to depart from each other, —
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 shall humble my daughters, if you should take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God [is] witness between me and you.
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 to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness.
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.
For if I should not cross over to you, neither should you cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar.
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.
The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore 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 he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in 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 Laban rose up in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban having turned back, departed to his place.

< Genesis 31 >