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”;

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.'

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

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

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

And the LORD said unto Jacob: 'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.'

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

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto 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,

and said unto them: 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me.

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

And ye know that with all my power I have served 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.

And your father hath mocked me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to 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 thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked.

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

Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given 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;

And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

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

And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I.

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;

And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

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 Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'

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

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

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

Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.

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.”

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

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

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon 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 he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.

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

Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.

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

And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.

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 he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

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

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

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.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountain 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.”

And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'

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.

And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.

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?

And Laban said to Jacob: 'What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of 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,

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

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

and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.

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.

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

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?”

And now that thou art surely gone, because thou sore longest after thy father's house, wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?'

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

And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou shouldest take thy 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.

With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee.' — For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. —

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.

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered 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;

Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the saddle of the camel, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not.

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.

And she said to her father: 'Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me.' And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

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?

And Jacob was wroth, and strove with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me?

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.

Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two.

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;

These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten.

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;

That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

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

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

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;

These twenty years have I been in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed 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.”

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been on my side, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and gave judgment yesternight.'

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?

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; and what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne?

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

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

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

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for 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;

And Jacob said unto his brethren: 'Gather stones'; and they took stones, and made a heap. And they did eat there by the heap.

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

And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.

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

And Laban said: 'This heap is witness between me and thee this day.' Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

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

and Mizpah, for he said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

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 thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.'

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

And Laban said to Jacob: 'Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee.

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;

This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

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.

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear 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;

And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in 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.

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 place.