< 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 he hears the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken all that our father has; indeed, from that which our father has, he has made all this glory”;
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
and Jacob sees the face of Laban, and behold, it is not with him as 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.
And YHWH says to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your family, and I am with you.”
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock.
And Jacob sends and calls for Rachel and for Leah to the field to his flock;
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 says to them, “I am beholding your father’s face—that it is not toward me as before, and 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 have known that with all my power I have served your father,
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times: but God suffered him not to do me evil.
and your father has played on me, and has changed my hire ten times; and God has not permitted him to do evil with 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 he says thus: The speckled are your hire, then all the flock bore speckled ones; and if he says thus: The striped are your hire, then all the flock bore striped;
9 Thus God took away the cattle of your father, and gave them to me.
and God takes away the substance of your father, and gives 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.
And it comes to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up my eyes and see in a dream, and behold, the male goats, which are going up on the flock, [are] striped, speckled, and spotted;
11 And an angel of God spoke unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.
and the Messenger of God says to me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, 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 says, Now lift up your eyes and see [that] all the male goats which are going up on the flock [are] striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen all that Laban is doing 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 have anointed a standing pillar, where you have vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and return to the land 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?
And Rachel answers—Leah also—and says to him, “Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?
15 Were we not counted of him as strangers? for he hath sold us; and he hath quite consumed also our money.
Have we not been reckoned strangers to him? For he has sold us, and he also utterly consumes our money;
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.
for all the wealth which God has taken away from our father, it [is] ours, and our children’s; and now, all that God has said to you—do.”
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;
And Jacob rises, and lifts up his sons and his wives on the camels,
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 leads all his livestock, and all his substance which he has acquired, the livestock of his getting, which he has acquired in Padan-Aram, to go to his father Isaac, to the land of Canaan.
19 And Laban was gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the images that were her father's.
And Laban has gone to shear his flock, and Rachel steals the teraphim which her father has;
20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, by not letting him know that he was going to flee.
and Jacob deceives the heart of Laban the Aramean, because he has not declared to him that he is 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 he flees, he and all that he has, and rises, and passes over the River, and sets his face [toward] the Mount of Gilead.
22 And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob has 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 takes his brothers with him, and pursues after him a journey of seven days, and overtakes him in the Mount of 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 God comes to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and says to him, “Take heed to yourself lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.”
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 Laban overtakes Jacob; and Jacob has fixed his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brothers have fixed [theirs] in the Mount of 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 Laban says to Jacob, “What have you done that you deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as 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 have you hidden yourself to flee, and deceive me, and have not declared to me, and I send you away with joy and with songs, with tambourine and with harp,
28 And [why] hast thou not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now thou hast acted foolishly in so doing.
and have not permitted me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have acted foolishly in doing [so];
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 is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father last night has spoken to me, saying, Take heed to yourself from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.
30 And now, thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou greatly longedst after thy father's house; [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods.
And now, you have certainly gone, because you have been very desirous for the house of your father; 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.
And Jacob answers and says to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest you violently take away your daughters from me;
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.
with whomsoever you find your gods—he must not live; before our brothers discern for yourself what [is] with me, and take to yourself”: and Jacob has not known that Rachel has stolen them.
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 Laban goes into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and has not found; and he goes out from the tent of Leah, and goes into 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.
And Rachel has taken the teraphim, and puts them in the furniture of the camel, and sits on them; and Laban feels all the tent, and has not found;
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.
and she says to her father, “Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at your presence, for the way of women [is] on me”; and he searches, and has not found the teraphim.
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 it is displeasing to Jacob, and he strives with Laban; and Jacob answers and says to Laban, “What [is] my transgression? What my sin, that you have burned after 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.
For you have felt all my vessels: what have you found of all the vessels of your house? Set here before my brothers, and your brothers, and they decide between us both.
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.
These twenty years I [am] with you: your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and the rams of your flock I have not eaten;
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.
the torn I have not brought to you—I repay it—from my hand you seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night;
40 [Where] I was in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes.
I have been [thus]: drought has consumed me in the day, and frost by night, and my sleep wanders 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.
This [is] to me twenty years in your house: I have served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock; and you change my hire 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, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now you had sent me away empty; God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and reproves last night.”
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?
And Laban answers and says to Jacob, “The daughters [are] my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that you are seeing [is] mine; and to my daughters—what do I to these today, or to their sons whom they have born?
44 And now, come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
And now, come, let us make a covenant, I and you, and it has been for a witness between me and you.”
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
And Jacob takes a stone, and lifts it up [for] a standing pillar;
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 Jacob says to his brothers, “Gather stones,” and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;
47 And Laban called it Yegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galed.
and Laban calls it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob has called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day; therefore called he its name Galed;
And Laban says, “This heap [is] witness between me and you today”; therefore has he called its name Galeed;
49 And Mitzpah; for he said, The Lord shall watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from the other;
Mizpah also, for he said, “YHWH watches between me and you, for we are hidden 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, or take wives beside my daughters—there is no man with us—see, God [is] witness between me and you.”
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast up between me and thee;
And Laban says to Jacob, “Behold, this heap, and behold, the standing pillar which I have cast 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.
this heap [is] witness, and the standing pillar [is] witness, that I do not pass over this heap to you, and that you do not pass over this heap and this standing pillar to me—for evil;
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 Nahor, judges between us—the God of their father,” and Jacob swears 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 Jacob sacrifices a sacrifice on the mountain, and calls to his brothers to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge 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 own place.
and Laban rises early in the morning, and kisses his sons and his daughters, and blesses them; and Laban goes on, and turns back to his place.

< Genesis 31 >