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.

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

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 said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy birthplace; and I will be 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 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock.

He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,

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

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

7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times: but God suffered him not to do me evil.

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 said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages: then bore all the flocks speckled: and if he said thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy reward; then bore all the flocks ring-streaked.

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 God took away the cattle of your father, and gave them to me.

And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.

10 And it came to pass at the time that the flocks conceived, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

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 an angel of God spoke unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.

And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’

12 And he said, Lift up now thy eyes and see, all the rams which leap upon the flocks are ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doth unto 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 anointedst a pillar, where thou madest unto me a vow: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy birth.

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 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 Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?

15 Were we not counted of him as strangers? for he hath sold us; and he hath quite consumed also our money.

Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?

16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's; now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

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 Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.

18 And he led away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his acquiring, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, to go to Isaac his father into 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 And Laban was gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the images that were her father's.

At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.

20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, by not letting him know that he was going to flee.

And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.

21 And 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 had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,

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

it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him a seven days' journey; and he overtook him at the mount of 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 Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said unto him, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”

25 Then Laban overtook Jacob; now Jacob had pitched his tent on the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched on the mount of 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 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and led away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.

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 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and why didst thou not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

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 And [why] hast thou not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now thou hast acted foolishly in so doing.

You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,

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 thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

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 And now, thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou greatly longedst after thy father's house; [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen 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 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, for I said, Peradventure thou wouldst take by force 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 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live; before our brethren seek out thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee; but Jacob knew not that Rachel 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 And Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found nothing; he then went out of the tent of Leah, and entered into Rachel's 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 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the saddle-cushion of the camel, and sat upon them; and Laban searched all the tent, and found nothing.

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

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 Now Jacob became wroth, and quarrelled with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly 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 Although thou hast searched all my goods, what hast thou found of all the articles of thy household? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us 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 These twenty years have I been with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young; and the rams of thy flock have 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 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I had to bear the loss of it, of my hand didst thou require it, whatever was stolen by day, or stolen 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 [Where] I was in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes.

Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.

41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flocks: and thou hast changed my wages ten 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 Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst now sent me away empty; my affliction and the labor of my hands God hath seen, and decided yesternight.

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 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; but as to my daughters, what can I do unto them this day, or unto their children whom they have born?

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

Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”

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

And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.

46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there upon the heap.

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 Yegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galed.

And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.

48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day; therefore called he its name Galed;

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 And Mitzpah; for he said, The Lord shall watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from the other;

“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.

50 If thou shouldst afflict my daughters, or if thou shouldst take other wives besides my daughters, when there is no man with us: see, God is witness between 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 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast up between 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 Witness be this heap and witness be this pillar, that I will not pass by this heap, and that thou shalt not pass unto me by this heap and this pillar, for evil.

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 Nachor shall judge between us, the God of their father; but Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

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 Jacob slew some cattle upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night on 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 early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them; and Laban departed, and returned unto his own place.

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.