Genesis 31

1 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”;

Jacob found out that Laban's sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. All the wealth he has actually came from our father.”

2 and Jacob sees the face of Laban, and behold, it is not with him as before.

Jacob also noticed that Laban was treating him differently to the way he had before.

3 And YHWH says to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your family, and I am with you.”

The Lord told Jacob, “Go back to the country of your forefathers, to your family home. I will be with you.”

4 And Jacob sends and calls for Rachel and for Leah to the field to his flock;

Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah, telling them to come and meet him out in the fields where he was with his flock.

5 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,

“I've noticed that your father is treating me differently to the way he did before,” he told them. “But the God of my father will be with me.

6 and you have known that with all my power I have served your father,

You both know very well how hard I worked for your father.

7 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.

But he's been cheating me—he's reduced my wages ten times! However, God hasn't let him hurt me.

8 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;

If he said, ‘You can have the speckled ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had speckled young. If he said, ‘You can have the streaked ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had streaked young.

9 and God takes away the substance of your father, and gives to me.

This is how God took your father's livestock and gave them to me.

10 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;

During the time the flock was breeding I had a dream where I saw that the male goats mating with the flock were all streaked, speckled, or spotted.

11 and the Messenger of God says to me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here I [am].

Then in the dream the angel of the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I'm here.’

12 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;

He told me, ‘Take a look and you'll see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I've been watching everything that Laban has been doing to you.

13 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.”

I am the God of Bethel, where you poured olive oil on the stone pillar and made a solemn promise to me. Now get ready to leave this land and go back to your homeland.’”

14 And Rachel answers—Leah also—and says to him, “Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?

“There's nothing for us to inherit from our father's estate anyway,” Rachel and Leah replied.

15 Have we not been reckoned strangers to him? For he has sold us, and he also utterly consumes our money;

“He treats us like foreigners because he sold us to you, and now he's spent all that money.

16 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.”

All the wealth that God has taken from him belongs to us and our children, so do whatever God has told you to do!”

17 And Jacob rises, and lifts up his sons and his wives on the camels,

So Jacob got ready. He helped his children and his wives onto the camels,

18 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.

and drove all his livestock in front of him. He took with him all his possessions and livestock he'd gained during his time in Paddan-aram, and left to go back to his father in the country of Canaan.

19 And Laban has gone to shear his flock, and Rachel steals the teraphim which her father has;

While Laban was away from home shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.

20 and Jacob deceives the heart of Laban the Aramean, because he has not declared to him that he is fleeing;

Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not informing him that he was going to run away.

21 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.

So Jacob left in a hurry with everything he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed towards the hill country of Gilead.

22 And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob has fled,

Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had run away.

23 and he takes his brothers with him, and pursues after him a journey of seven days, and overtakes him in the Mount of Gilead.

Taking some of his relatives with him, he chased after Jacob and caught up with him seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.

24 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.”

But during the night God came to Laban in a dream and told him, “Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.”

25 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.

Jacob had set up his tents in the hill country of Gilead when Laban caught up with him, so Laban and his relatives did the same.

26 And Laban says to Jacob, “What have you done that you deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword?

“Why did you deceive me like this?” Laban asked Jacob. “You carried off my daughters as if they were some prisoners captured by the sword!

27 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,

Why did you run away in secret, trying to trick me? Why didn't you come and tell me? I would have given you a good send-off, a celebration with singing and the music of tambourines and lyres.

28 and have not permitted me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have acted foolishly in doing [so];

You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've really acted stupidly!

29 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.

I could really punish you badly, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and told me, ‘Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.’

30 And now, you have certainly gone, because you have been very desirous for the house of your father; why have you stolen my gods?”

Clearly you wanted to leave and go back to your family home, but why did you have to steal my idols?”

31 And Jacob answers and says to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest you violently take away your daughters from me;

“I ran away because I was afraid,” Jacob explained to Laban. “I was worried that you would take your daughters from me by force.

32 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.

As for your idols, anyone you find who has them will die. You can search everything in the presence of our relatives, and if you find I have anything that belongs to you, you can take it.” (Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.)

33 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.

Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two personal maids, but didn't find anything. He left Leah's tent and went into Rachel's tent.

34 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;

Rachel had put the household idols in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on it. Laban carefully searched the whole tent but couldn't find them.

35 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.

She said to her father, “Sir, please don't get upset with me for not standing up in your presence, but I have my period.” He looked everywhere but didn't find the idols.

36 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?

Jacob got angry with Laban and confronted him, saying, “What crime am I guilty of? What wrong have I done to you that you've come hunting me down?

37 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.

You've searched through all my possessions. Did you find anything belonging to you? If you did, bring it out here before my relatives and yours so they can decide who's right!

38 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;

I've worked for you for these past twenty years. During that time none of your sheep and goats miscarried, and I haven't eaten a single ram from your flock.

39 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;

If any of them were killed by wild animals, I never even brought you the carcass to prove the loss—I bore the loss myself. But you on the other hand always made me compensate you for any animals that were stolen, whether at night or in broad daylight.

40 I have been [thus]: drought has consumed me in the day, and frost by night, and my sleep wanders from my eyes.

Whether it was sweating in the heat of the day, or freezing in the cold of the night when I couldn't sleep, I went on working for you for twenty years in your home.

41 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;

I worked fourteen years for your two daughters, and six more years with your flocks. You reduced my wages ten times!

42 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.”

If it weren't for the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the awesome God of Isaac, who took care of me, you would have dismissed me with nothing. But God saw my suffering, how hard I worked, and he condemned you last night.”

43 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?

Laban replied, “These are my daughters and these are my children and these are my flocks! In fact, everything you see here is mine! However, what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

44 And now, come, let us make a covenant, I and you, and it has been for a witness between me and you.”

So let's make a solemn agreement between you and I, and it will be a witness to our mutual commitment.”

45 And Jacob takes a stone, and lifts it up [for] a standing pillar;

Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.

46 and Jacob says to his brothers, “Gather stones,” and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;

Then he told his relatives, “Go and collect some stones.” They all made a pile of stones and then sat beside it to eat a meal.

47 and Laban calls it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob has called it Galeed.

Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob called it Galeed.

48 And Laban says, “This heap [is] witness between me and you today”; therefore has he called its name Galeed;

Laban announced, “This pile of stone serves as a witness between me and you.” This is why it was called Galeed.

49 Mizpah also, for he said, “YHWH watches between me and you, for we are hidden from one another;

It was also called Mizpah, for as Laban said, “May the Lord keep a close eye on both of us when we're not together.

50 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.”

If you treat my daughters badly or marry more wives in addition to them, God will see what you do even if no one else finds out!”

51 And Laban says to Jacob, “Behold, this heap, and behold, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and you;

Then Laban told Jacob, “Look at this pile of stones and this pillar that I have set up as a memorial of the agreement between you and me.

52 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;

They also act as a witness to our solemn promises to each other: I will not come past them to attack you; and you will not come past them to attack me.

53 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.

May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor—the God of our forefathers—be the one to judge between us in any dispute.” Jacob in turn made his solemn promise in the name of the awesome God of his father Isaac.

54 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;

Then he offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited all his relatives to eat a meal there. They spent the night on the mountain.

55 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.

Laban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye. He blessed them, and then left to go back home.