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 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 unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy birthplace; and I will be with thee.

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 unto his flock.

He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed 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 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 ye know well 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 hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times: but God suffered him not to do me evil.

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 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.

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 took away the cattle of your father, and gave 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 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 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 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 answered: 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 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 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 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 unto 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 Were we not counted of him as strangers? for he hath sold us; and he hath quite consumed 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 hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's; now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, 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 upon camels;

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

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 whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.

19 And Laban was gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole 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, by not letting him know that he was going to flee.

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

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 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 to 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 brethren with him, and pursued after him a seven days' journey; and he overtook him at the mount of 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 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: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly 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.

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 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 hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with 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 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 [why] hast thou not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now thou hast acted 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 unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou 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, thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou greatly longedst after thy father's house; [yet] wherefore hast thou 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 thou wouldst take by force thy 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 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 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 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.

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 saddle-cushion of the camel, and sat upon them; and Laban searched all the tent, and found nothing.

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 thee; for the custom of women is upon me; and thus 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 [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 was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed 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 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 thou hadst now sent me away empty; my affliction and the labor of my hands God hath seen, and decided yesternight.

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

47 And Laban called it Yegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galed.

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 thee this day; therefore called he its name Galed;

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

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

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 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 up between me and thee;

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

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.

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 Nachor shall judge between us, the God of their father; but 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 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 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 unto his own place.

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