Genesis 31

1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s has he gotten all this glory.

But after that he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s, and being enriched by his substance is become great:

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

And perceiving also that Laban’s countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,

3 And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.

Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.

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

He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,

5 And said to them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

And said to them: I see your father’s countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.

6 And you know that with all my power I have served your father.

And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.

7 And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.

8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be your wages; then all the cattle bore speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be your hire; then bore all the cattle ringstraked.

If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

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

And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it to me.

10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped on the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

For after that time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.

11 And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.

12 And he said, Lift up now your eyes, and see, all the rams which leap on the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and spotted: for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted, and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow to me: now arise, get you out from this land, and return to the land of your kindred.

I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.

14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?

15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he has sold us, and has quite devoured also our money.

Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

16 For all the riches which God has taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatever God has said to you, do.

But God hath taken our father’s riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee.

17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on camels;

Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.

18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.

19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.

20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying 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 mount Gilead.

And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,

22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.

23 And he took his brothers with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brothers pitched in the mount of Gilead.

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he with his brethren had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done, that you have stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?

And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.

27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and did not tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

Why wouldst thou run away privately and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?

28 And have not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? you have now done foolishly in so doing.

Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,

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

It is in my power to return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

30 And now, though you would needs be gone, because you sore longed after your father’s house, yet why have you stolen my gods?

Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father’s house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure you would take by force your daughters from me.

Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

32 With whomsoever you find your gods, let him not live: before our brothers discern you what is your with me, and take it to you. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

But whereas thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.

So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel’s tent,

34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat on them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

She in haste hid the idols under the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,

35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you; for the custom of women is on me. And he searched but found not the images.

She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me, according to the custom of women, So his careful search was in vain.

36 And Jacob was wroth, and strived with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?

And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,

37 Whereas you have searched all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? set it here before my brothers and your brothers, that they may judge between us both.

And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.

38 This twenty years have I been with you; your ewes and your she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of your flock have I not eaten.

Have I therefore been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:

39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not to you; I bore the loss of it; of my hand did you require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

Neither did I show thee that which the beast had torn, I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:

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

Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.

41 Thus have I been twenty years in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle: and you have changed my wages ten times.

And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.

42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you had sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.

Unless the God of my father Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children which they have born?

Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?

44 Now therefore come you, let us make a covenant, I and you; and let it be for a witness between me and you.

Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.

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

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:

46 And Jacob said to his brothers, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there on the heap.

And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.

47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.

And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.

48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and you this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.

49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.

50 If you shall afflict my daughters, or if you shall take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and you.

If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.

51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast between me and you:

And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,

52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you shall not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it, thinking harm to me.

53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice on the mount, and called his brothers to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.

And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:

55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned to his place.

But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.