Genesis 31

1 Someone told Jacob that Laban’s sons were complaining and saying, “Jacob has become very rich by taking everything [HYP] that belonged to our father.”

Pea fanongo ia ki he lea ʻae ngaahi foha ʻo Lepani, ʻo pehē, “Kuo toʻo ʻe Sēkope ʻae ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē ʻa ʻetau tamai; pea kuo ne maʻu ʻae nāunau ni kotoa pē ʻi he meʻa ʻa ʻetau tamai.”

2 And Jacob noticed that Laban was not acting friendly toward him as he had done before.

Pea naʻe mamata ʻa Sēkope ki he mata ʻo Lepani, pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai lelei ia kiate ia ʻo hangē ko ia ʻi muʻa.

3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will help you there.”

Pea pehē ʻe Sihova kia Sēkope, “Foki atu ki he fonua ʻo hoʻo ngaahi tamai mo ho ngaahi kāinga; pea te u ʻiate koe.”

4 So Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leah, telling them to come out to the pastures where his flocks of sheep and goats were.

Pea ʻalu ʻa Sēkope ʻo ne ui mai ʻa Lesieli mo Lia kiate ia ki he ngoue, ki he fanga manu.

5 When they arrived, he said to them, “I see that your father does not act friendly toward me as he did previously. But God, whom my father worshiped, has helped me.

Pea pehē ʻe ia kiate kinaua, “ʻOku ou sio ki he mata ʻo hoʻomo tamai ʻoku ʻikai kei ʻiate au, ʻo hangē ko ia ʻi muʻa; ka kuo ʻiate au ʻae ʻOtua ʻo ʻeku tamai.

6 You two know that I have worked very hard for your father,

Pea ʻoku mo ʻilo naʻaku ngāue ki hoʻomo tamai, ʻaki ʻa ʻeku mālohi kotoa.

7 but many times [HYP] he has cheated me by decreasing my wages. But God has not allowed him to harm me.

Pea kuo kākaaʻi au ʻe hoʻomo tamai, mo ne fakakehe ʻeku totongi ʻo liunga hongofulu; ka naʻe ʻikai tuku ia ʻe he ʻOtua ke u kovi ai.

8 When Laban said, ‘The speckled animals are the ones that I will give you to be your wages,’ then all the animals gave birth to young ones that were speckled. When he changed and said, ‘The ones that have black and white stripes on them will be your wages,’ then all the animals gave birth to young ones that were striped.

Kapau naʻa ne pehē ʻe ia, ‘Ke ʻoʻou ʻae pulepule ko hoʻo totongi,’ pea fānau leva ʻae fanga manu kotoa pē ko e pulepule: pea kapau naʻa ne pehē, ‘Ko hoʻo totongi ʻae ilaila;’ pea fānau leva ʻae fanga manu kotoa pē ko e ilaila.

9 In that way, God has taken away the livestock that belonged to your father and has given them to me.

Ko ia kuo toʻo ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae fanga manu ʻa hoʻomo tamai ʻo foaki ia kiate au.

10 “One time, when the animals were mating, I had a dream. In my dream I [looked up and was surprised to] see that some of the male goats that were mating with the female goats had black and white stripes on them, some were speckled, and some were spotted.

“Pea ʻi he tuituʻia ʻae fanga manu, naʻaku hanga hake hoku mata, ʻo mamata ʻi he misi, pea vakai, ko e fanga sipitangata, naʻe hopo ki he fanga manu naʻe ilaila mo e pulepule mo e kelo.

11 An angel who was sent by God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I am here!’

Pea lea ʻae ʻāngelo ʻae ʻOtua kiate au ʻi he misi, ʻo pehē, ‘Sēkope:’ pea naʻaku pehē, ‘Ko au eni.’

12 He said to me, ‘Look up and you will see that all the male goats that are mating have black and white stripes on them, or are speckled or spotted. This is happening because I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

Pea pehē ʻe ia, “Hanga hake eni ho mata”, ʻo vakai, ‘Ko e fanga sipitangata ʻoku hopo ki he fanga manu, ko e ilaila mo e pulepule, mo e kelo; he kuo u mamata ki he meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻe Lepani kiate koe.

13 I am God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you set up a stone to show that the place was holy, and you poured [olive] oil on the stone and made a solemn promise to me. So now leave this land immediately, and return to the land where you were born.’”

Ko au ko e ʻOtua ʻo Peteli, ʻaia naʻa ke fakatapui ai ʻae pou, mo ke fai ʻae fuakava kiate au; pea ko eni, ke ke tuʻu, pea ke ʻalu ʻi he fonua ni, ʻo toe ʻalu ki he fonua ʻo ho ngaahi kāinga.’”

14 Rachel and Leah replied, “Our father will not give us anything more when he dies [RHQ].

Pea pehēange ʻe Lesieli mo Lia kiate ia, “He ʻoku kei ai ha ʻinasi pe tufakanga kiate kimaua ʻi he fale ʻoe ma tamai?

15 He treats us as though we were foreigners [RHQ]! [Your working for him all these years was like a payment] that you gave him as a price for us, but we will not inherit any of that money that he got as a price for us. He has spent it all!

‌ʻIkai kuo ne lau ʻakimaua ko e ongo muli? He kuo ne fakatau ʻakimaua, pea kuo ne fakaʻosiʻosi foki ʻe ma paʻanga.

16 Surely all of the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you to do!”

He ko e koloa kotoa pē kuo toʻo ʻe he ʻOtua mei heʻetau tamai ʻoku ʻatautolu ia, pea mo e tau fānau: pea ko eni, ko e meʻa kotoa pē kuo lea ʻaki ʻe he ʻOtua kiate koe, ke ke fai.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels.

Pea tuʻu hake ʻa Sēkope, ʻo ne fakaheka ʻa ʻene fānau, mo hono ngaahi uaifi ki he fanga kāmeli;

18 He made all his livestock go ahead of him. Besides the livestock, he took along all the other things that he had acquired while living in Paddan-Aram. And they prepared to return to his father Isaac, in the Canaan region.

Pea naʻa ne ʻave ʻene fanga manu kotoa pē, mo ʻene meʻa kotoa pē ʻaia naʻa ne maʻu, ʻae fanga manu naʻe tupu kiate ia, ʻaia naʻa ne maʻu ʻi Petanalami, ke ʻalu ia ki heʻene tamai ko ʻAisake ki he fonua ko Kēnani.

19 Before they left, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the [small wooden] idols [that were in her father’s tent].

Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻa Lepani ke kosi ʻene fanga sipi: pea naʻe kaihaʻasi ʻe Lesieli ʻae ngaahi tamapua ʻa ʻene tamai.

20 Furthermore, Jacob deceived Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group, by not telling him that they were planning to leave.

Pea ʻalu fakafufū pe ʻa Sēkope meia Lepani, ko e [tangata ]Silia, he naʻe ʻikai te ne tala kiate ia ʻene hola.

21 So Jacob and his family fled with all their possessions, and they crossed the Euphrates River, and then started traveling south toward the hilly Gilead region.

Ko ia naʻe hola ia mo ʻene meʻa kotoa pē: pea tuʻu hake ia ʻo ne laka ʻi he vaitafe, pea hanga hono mata ki he moʻunga ko Kiliate.

22 On the third day after they left, someone told Laban that Jacob and his family had left.

Pea ʻi hono tolu ʻoe ʻaho, naʻe fakahā kia Lepani, ʻae hola ʻa Sēkope.

23 So he took some of his relatives with him and started to pursue Jacob. They continued walking for seven days.

Pea naʻa ne ʻalu mo hono kāinga tangata, pea nau tuli ia ʻi he ʻaho ʻe fitu; pea naʻa nau maʻu ia ʻi he moʻunga ko Kiliate.

24 Then God appeared to Laban in a dream at night, and said to him, “When you catch up to Jacob, be sure that you do not say anything at all [HYP] to him in an angry manner!”

Pea naʻe hāʻele mai ʻae ʻOtua kia Lepani ko e [tangata ]Silia, ʻi he misi ʻi he pō, ʻo ne pehē kiate ia, “Vakai, ʻoua naʻa ke lea kia Sēkope ʻi he lelei pe ʻi he kovi.”

25 The next day, by the time Laban caught up with Jacob, Jacob and his household had set up their tents in the hilly Gilead region. So Laban and his relatives set up their tents there, too.

Pea maʻu ʻe Lepani ʻa Sēkope. He naʻe fokotuʻu ʻe Sēkope hono fale fehikitaki ʻi he moʻunga; pea pehē foki ʻa Lepani mo hono kāinga, naʻa nau fokotuʻu fale fehikitaki ʻi he moʻunga ko Kiliate.

26 Then Laban went to Jacob and said to him, “Why have you done this? You have deceived me by carrying away my daughters as though you had captured them in a war [MTY]!

Pea pehē ʻe Lepani kia Sēkope, “Ko e hā eni kuo ke fai, koeʻuhi kuo ke ʻalu fakafokifā pe, mo ke ʻave hoku ngaahi ʻofefine, ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi pōpula kuo maʻu ʻaki ʻae heletā?

27 Why did you run away and deceive me? Why did you not tell me that you were going to leave, so that we could have rejoiced and sung while people played music on tambourines and harps before I said ‘goodbye’ to you?

Ko e hā kuo ke hola fakafufū ai, hangē ha kaihaʻa meiate au: pea naʻe ʻikai te ke tala kiate au, koeʻuhi ke u tuku ko e ke ʻalu ʻi he fiefia, mo e fai hiva, mo e tā ʻae lali mo e haʻape?

28 (You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye before they left!/Why did you not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye before they left?) [RHQ] What you have done was foolish!

Pea naʻe ʻikai te ke tuku ke u uma ki ho ngaahi foha, mo hoku ngaahi ʻofefine? Kuo ke fai vale ʻi hoʻo fai pehē.

29 My relatives and I have the power to harm you, but last night the God whom your father worships said to me in a dream, ‘Be sure that you do not say anything at all to Jacob in an angry way.’

‌ʻOku ai ʻae mālohi ʻi hoku nima ke fai kovi kiate koe: ka ko e ʻOtua ʻo hoʻo tamai naʻa ne folofola mai kiate au ʻanepō, ʻo pehē, ‘Vakai, ʻoua naʻa ke lea kia Sēkope, ʻi he lelei, pe ʻi he kovi.’

30 Now, I know you have left because you long to go back home. But why did you steal my [wooden] idols?”

Pea ko eni, naʻe totonu hoʻo holi ke ʻalu, he ʻoku ke holi ki he fale ʻo hoʻo tamai, ka ko e hā kuo ke kaihaʻa ai hoku ngaahi ʻotua?”

31 Jacob replied to Laban, saying, “I did not tell you that we were planning to leave, because I was afraid. I thought that [if I told you], you would forcefully take your daughters away from me.

Pea lea ʻa Sēkope, ʻo ne pehē kia Lepani, “Koeʻuhi naʻaku manavahē, he naʻaku pehē, telia naʻa ke toʻo fakamālohi pe, ʻa ho ngaahi ʻofefine ʻiate au.

32 But if you find anyone here who has your wooden idols, we will execute that person. While our relatives are watching, search for yourself to see if there is anything that belongs to you that is here with me. If you find anything, you can take it!” When Jacob said that, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the wooden idols.

Pea ko ia te ke ʻilo ki ai ʻa ho ngaahi ʻotua ke ʻoua naʻa moʻui ia; ʻi he ʻao ʻo ho ta kāinga, ke ke vakai ʻae meʻa ʻaʻau, pea ke toʻo ia kiate koe.” He naʻe ʻikai ʻilo ʻe Sēkope kuo kaihaʻasi ia ʻe Lesieli.

33 Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and then into Leah’s tent, and then into the tents of the two female slaves and searched for the idols, but he did not find them. After he left their tents, he entered Rachel’s tent.

Pea hū atu ʻa Lepani ki he fale fehikitaki ʻo Sēkope, mo e fale fehikitaki ʻo Lia, pea mo e fale fehikitaki ʻe ua ʻoe ongo kaunanga; ka naʻe ʻikai te ne ʻilo ia. Pea ʻalu ia mei he fale fehikitaki ʻo Lia, mo ne hū ki he fale fehikitaki ʻo Lesieli.

34 But Rachel had previously taken the idols and put them in the saddle of a camel, and she was sitting on the saddle. So when Laban searched all over for them inside Rachel’s tent, he did not find them.

Ka kuo toʻo ʻe Lesieli ʻae ngaahi tamapua, ʻo ne ʻai ia ki he nāunau ʻoe fanga kāmeli, pea heka ai ia. Pea kumi ʻe Lepani ʻi he potu kotoa pē ʻoe fale fehikitaki, ka naʻe ʻikai te ne ʻilo ia.

35 Rachel said to her father, “Do not be angry with me, sir, but I cannot get up in your presence [to show respect for you], because I am having my monthly menstrual period. [EUP]” So when Laban searched some more, he did not find the [wooden] idols.

Pea pehē ʻe ia ki heʻene tamai. “Ke ʻoua naʻa tuputāmaki ʻa ʻeku ʻeiki, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te u faʻa tuʻu; he ʻoku ʻiate au ʻae anga fakafefine.” Pea naʻe kumi ia, ka naʻe ʻikai te ne ʻilo ʻae ngaahi tamapua.

36 Then Jacob became angry. He rebuked Laban, saying, “What crime did I commit? For what sin that I committed have you pursued me?

Pea naʻe ʻita ʻa Sēkope ʻo lea lahi kia Lepani: pea lea ʻa Sēkope ʻo pehē, kia Lepani, “Ko e hā ʻeku fai kovi? Pea ko e hā ʻeku angahala koeʻuhi ke ke tuli ai au ʻi he lili ni?

37 Now you have searched through all my possessions, and what did you find from all these possessions that belongs to you? Put it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they can decide who is right, you or me!

He kuo ke kumi ʻi heʻeku meʻa kotoa pē, pea ko e hā hao meʻa kuo ke ʻiloʻi? Fokotuʻu ia ʻi he ʻao ʻo hoku kāinga, mo ho kāinga, koeʻuhi ke nau fakamaau kiate kitaua.

38 I was with you for 20 years. In all that time, your sheep and goats have (not miscarried/always given birth to animals safely). I have not [killed and] eaten any rams from your flocks.

Naʻaku ʻiate koe ʻi he taʻu ʻe uofulu ni, naʻe ʻikai ʻuhimate ʻa hoʻo fanga sipi fefine, mo e fanga kosi fefine, pea ko e sipitangata ʻo hoʻo fanga manu, naʻe ʻikai te u kai.

39 When one of your animals was attacked and mauled/killed by a wild animal, I did not bring it to you. I replaced the dead animal with a living one of my own animals. Whenever one of your animals was stolen, during the day or during the night, you demanded that I replace it with one of my own animals.

Ko ia naʻe kai ʻe he manu fekai naʻe ʻikai te u ʻomi kiate koe: naʻaku totongi ia; naʻa ke maʻu ʻae totongi ʻo ia ʻi hoku nima, kapau naʻe kaihaʻa ia ʻi he ʻaho, pe ʻi he pō.

40 I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was often not even able to sleep [PRS]!

Naʻaku pehē au, pea naʻe fakavaivai au ʻe he pupuha ʻi he ʻaho, mo e momoko ʻi he pō; pea mahuʻi ʻae mohe mei hoku mata.

41 I lived in your household for 20 years. I worked for you for 14 years to buy your two daughters, and for six more years to buy some of your sheep and goats. During that time, you changed and reduced my wages many times [HYP].

Kuo u pehē ni ʻi he taʻu ʻe uofulu ʻi ho fale; naʻaku tauhi koe ʻi he taʻu ʻe hongofulu ma fā, koeʻuhi ko ho ongo ʻofefine, mo e taʻu ʻe ono ki hoʻo fanga manu; pea kuo ke fakakehe ʻeku totongi ʻo liunga hongofulu.

42 If God, the one whom my grandfather Abraham worshiped and before whom my father Isaac trembled in fear, had not been with me and helped me, you would have sent me away (with nothing in my hands/owning nothing)! But God saw how much I was suffering and how hard I was working, so last night he told you that what you have done to me was wrong.”

Ka ne ʻikai ʻiate au ʻae ʻOtua ʻo ʻeku tamai, ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻEpalahame, mo e manavahē kia ʻAisake, pehē kuo ke fekau au ke u ʻalu taʻehaʻakumeʻa.” Kuo ʻafioʻi ʻe he ʻOtua hoku tautea, mo e ngāue ʻa hoku nima, pea ne valoki ko e ʻanepō.

43 Laban replied, “These two women are my daughters, and their children are my grandchildren, and the animals are my animals. Everything you see here is mine [HYP]! But what can I do today to keep my daughters or the children they have given birth to [RHQ]?

Pea pehē mai ʻa Lepani kia Sēkope, “Ko e ngaahi ʻofefine ni, ko hoku ngaahi ʻofefine, pea ko e tamaiki ni, ko ʻeku fānau, pea ko e fanga manu ni, ko ʻeku fanga manu, pea ko e meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku ke mamata ki ai ʻoku ʻaʻaku ia: pea ko e hā nai te u fai he ʻaho ni, ki hoku ongo ʻofefine ni, mo e na fānau kuo na fanauʻi?

44 I cannot do anything in order to keep them, so hey, we should make a peace agreement, you and I, and do something that will remind us about our agreement.”

Ko eni ke ke haʻu, ke ta fai ʻae fuakava, ʻa koe mo au; pea tuku ia ko e fakamoʻoni kiate kitaua.”

45 So Jacob took a [large] stone and set it on its end.

Pea toʻo ʻe Sēkope ʻae maka, ʻo ne fokotuʻu ia ko e pou.

46 Then Jacob said to his relatives, “You also gather some stones.” So they gathered some rocks and put them in a heap, and they ate some food there near the heap.

Pea pehē ʻe Sēkope ki hono kāinga, “Tānaki ʻae ngaahi maka; pea naʻa nau toʻo ʻae ngaahi maka ʻo fokotuʻu; pea naʻa nau kai ʻi ai, ʻi he fanga maka.”

47 Laban gave the heap the Aramaic name Jegar-Sahadutha, [which means ‘rock-pile to remind us’, ] but Jacob gave the rock-pile the Hebrew name Galeed, [which has the same meaning].

Pea ui ia ʻe Lepani, ko Sekaa Satuta; ka naʻe ui ia ʻe Sēkope, ko Kaleti.

48 Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks we have put here today will help us to remember our agreement.” That is why Jacob called it Galeed.

Pea pehē ʻe Lepani, “Ko e fokotuʻunga maka ni, ko e fakamoʻoni kiate koe mo au he ʻaho ni. Ko ia naʻe ui ai hono hingoa ko Kaleti mo Misipa.”

49 They also named the place Mizpah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘watchtower’, ] because Laban said, “We will ask Yahweh to watch you and me while we are separated from each other, [so that we do not try to harm each other].

He naʻe pehē ʻe ia, “Ke leʻohi ʻe Sihova kiate au mo koe, ʻi he ʻe ta māvae.

50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take other women to be your wives, even if no one tells me about it, don’t forget that God sees what you and I are doing!”

Kapau te ke fakamamahi hoku ongo ʻofefine, pea kapau te ke toʻo maʻau ha uaifi kehe, mo hoku ongo ʻofefine, ʻoku ʻikai ha tangata ʻi heni; kae vakai, ko e fakamoʻoni ʻae ʻOtua kiate kitaua:”

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “You see this large stone and this pile of rocks that we have set up to be between us.

Pea pehē ʻe Lepani kia Sēkope, “Vakai ki he ngaahi maka ni, mo e pou ʻaia kuo tuku ʻi ho ta vahaʻa;

52 Both this pile of rocks and this large stone will remind us, that I will not go past these rocks to harm you, and you will not go past these rocks to harm me.

Ke fakamoʻoni ʻe he ʻesi ni, mo e pou ni, ʻe ʻikai te u laka ʻi he potu ʻoe ʻesi ni kiate koe, pea ʻe ʻikai te ke laka ʻi he ʻesi ni kiate au, ke fai ha kovi.

53 We will ask the God whom [your grandfather] Abraham and [his father] Nahor worshiped to punish [MTY] either one of us, [if we harm the other one].” So Jacob solemnly promised to do what they said in their peace agreement. And he asked God, the one before whom his father Isaac trembled, to listen to what they promised.

Ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻEpalahame, mo e ʻOtua ʻo Nehoa, ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻena tamai, fakamaau kiate kitaua.” Pea naʻe fuakava ʻa Sēkope, ʻi he manavahē ʻo ʻene tamai ko ʻAisake.

54 He offered a sacrifice to God there in the hilly area, and he invited his relatives to eat with him. After they had eaten, they slept there that night.

Pea feilaulau ʻa Sēkope ʻi he moʻunga, pea naʻa ne ui hono kāinga ke nau kai: pea naʻa nau kai ʻae mā, pea nau mohe ʻi he moʻunga ʻi he pō ko ia.

55 The next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters [goodbye] and asked God to bless them. Then he [and his men] left them and returned home.

Pea tuʻu hengihengi hake pe ʻa Lepani, mo ne uma ki hono ngaahi foha, mo hono ongo ʻofefine, ʻo ne tāpuaki ʻakinautolu; pea ʻalu ʻa Lepani, ʻo toe foki ki hono potu.