Genesis 31
1 Then heard he the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that belonged to our father; Yea out of what belonged to our father, hath he made all this wealth.
Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”
2 And Jacob looked upon the face of Laban, —and lo! it was not with him as afore-time.
And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.
3 Then said Yahweh unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, —that I may be with thee.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent, and called for Rachel and for Leah, to the field unto his flock;
So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,
5 and said to them, Beholding, am I the face of your father, that it is not towards me as aforetime, —nevertheless, the God of my father, hath been with me;
and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me.
6 and, ye, know that with all my vigour, have I served your father.
You know that I have served your father with all my strength.
7 But, your father, hath deceived me, and hath changed my wages ten times, —yet God hath not suffered him to deal harmfully with me.
And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.
8 If thus he saith, The speckled, shall be thy wages, then do all the flock bring forth speckled, —But if thus he saith, The ring-straked, shall be thy wages, then do all the flock bring forth ring-straked.
If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.
9 So hath God stripped away the herds of your father, and given them to me.
Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10 And it came to pass in the season when the flock were in heat, then lifted I mine eyes and beheld in a dream, —and lo! the he-goats that were leaping upon the flock, were ring-straked speckled and dappled.
When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.
11 And the messenger of God said unto me in a dream, Jacob! and I said, Behold me!
In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
12 Then he said Lift, I pray thee, thine eyes and behold All, the he-goats that are leaping upon the flock are ring-straked, speckled, and dappled, —for I have seen all that Laban, has been doing to thee.
‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
13 I, am the GOD of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow to me a vow, —Now, rise, go forth out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”
14 Then responded Rachel and Leah, and said to him, —Have we any longer a portion or an inheritance in the house of our father?
And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?
15 Are we not accounted, aliens, to him seeing that having sold us, he hath then gone on devouring, our silver?
Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.
16 Surely all the riches which God hath stripped off from our father, unto us, it belongeth, and unto our sons, —Now, therefore, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
17 So Jacob arose, —and mounted his sons and his wives on the camels;
Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels,
18 and drave away all his herds and all his goods which he had gathered, the gains he had gained, which he had gathered in Padan-aram; that he might go in unto Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.
and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.
19 Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, —so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
20 Thus Jacob stole away unawares to Laban, the Syrian, —in that he had not told him that he was about to flee.
Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was running away.
21 So he fled, he—and all that he had, and he arose, and passed over the River, —and set his face towards the mountain of Gilead.
So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
22 And it was told Laban, on the third day, —that Jacob had fled.
On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled.
23 So he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him a journey of seven days—and overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
24 And God went in unto Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, —and said to him Take heed to thyself that thou speak not with Jacob either good or bad.
But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25 So then Laban came up with Jacob, —Jacob, having pitched his tent in the mountain, Laban, also, with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.
Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well.
26 Then said Laban to Jacob, What hadst thou done, that thou shouldst steal away unawares to me, —and shouldst carry off my daughters, as captives of the sword?
Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war!
27 Wherefore didst thou secretly flee, and rob me, —and didst not tell me, that I might send thee away with rejoicing and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre;
Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps.
28 and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now, hast thou done, foolishly.
But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing.
29 It is in the power of my hand, to deal with thee for harm, —but the God of your father, last night, spake unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not with Jacob, either good or bad.
I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
30 But, now, though thou, didst even take thy journey, because thou, didst sorely long, for the house of thy father, wherefore didst thou steal away my gods?
Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”
31 And Jacob answered and said unto Laban, —Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take by force thy daughters from me!
“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
32 He with whom thou find thy gods, shall not live! Before our brethren, note thou for thyself what is with me and take what is thine. Neither did Jacob know that, Rachel, had stolen them.
If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 Then entered Laban into the tent of Jacob and into the tent of Leah and into the tent of the two handmaids, and found nothing, —then went he forth out of the tent of Leah, and entered into the tent of Rachel.
So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.
34 Now Rachel, had taken the household gods and put them in the basket-saddle of the camel, and taken her seat upon them. And Laban felt about throughout all the tent, and found them not.
Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 And she said unto her father, Let it not be vexing in the eyes of my lord that I cannot rise up at thy presence, for, the way of women, is upon me. So he made search, but found not the household gods,
Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
36 And it was vexing to Jacob and he contended with Laban, —and Jacob responded and said to Laban, What was my trespass, what my sin, that thou shouldst have come burning after me?
Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me?
37 Now that thou hast felt about among all my goods, what hast thou found of the goods of thine own house? Set it out here, right before my brethren and thy brethren, —that they may give sentence betwixt us two.
You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.
38 This twenty years’ time, 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,
I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock.
39 The torn, have I not brought in unto thee—I bare the loss, At my hand, didst thou require it, —Stolen by day, or stolen by night.
I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.
40 Thus have I been—By day, drought hath consumed me, And, frost, by, night, —So that my sleep fled away from mine eyes.
As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41 This, hath been my lot twenty years in thy house, —I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, And six years for thy sheep—And thou didst change my wages ten times: —
Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!
42 But that the God of my father—The God of Abraham, and the Dread of Isaac—Proved to be mine, Surely even now, empty, hadst thou let me go? My humiliation and the wearying toil of my hands, God had seen, And therefore gave sentence last night!
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”
43 Then responded Laban and said unto Jacob—the daughters, are my daughters, And the sons, are my sons, And the sheep are my sheep, And, all that, thou, beholdest, To me doth it belong! But to my daughters, what can I do to these this day, Or to their sons whom they have borne?
But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne?
44 Now, therefore, come on! Let us solemnise a covenant, I and thou, —So shall it be a witness betwixt me and thee.
Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”
45 So Jacob took a stone, —and set it up as a pillar.
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar,
46 Then said Jacob to his brethren—Gather stones. And they took stones and made a heap, —and they did eat there, by the heap.
and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate.
47 And Laban called it, Jegar-sahadutha, —but, Jacob, called it, Galeed.
Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Then said Laban: This heap, be witness betwixt me, and thee, to-day. For this cause, is the name thereof called Galeed;
Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed.
49 also, The Watch Tower, as to which it is said, Yahweh watch betwixt me and thee, when we are parted one from another.
It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other.
50 If thou oppress my daughters, or if thou take wives besides my daughters, —there may be no man with us—see! God, be witness betwixt me, and thee!
If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
51 And Laban said to Jacob—Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have set betwixt me, and thee:
Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me.
52 A witness, be this heap, and, a witness, the pillar, —That, I, am not to pass, unto thee, over this heap, And, thou, art not to pass, unto me, over this heap and this pillar for harm.
This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me.
53 The Gods of Abraham and the Gods of Nahor judge betwixt us—the Gods of their fathers. And Jacob sware by the Dread of his father Isaac:
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54 and Jacob offered sacrifice in the mountain, and called on his brethren to eat bread. So they did eat bread, and tarried the night in the mountain.
Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
55 And Laban rose up early in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban went his way and returned to his place.
Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.
