Genesis 31
1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, that they said, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and it is from our father's possessions that he has gotten all this wealth.”
But after that he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s, and being enriched by his substance is become great:
2 Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed.
And perceiving also that Laban’s countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,
3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
4 Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock
He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,
5 and said to them, “I see your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me.
And said to them: I see your father’s countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.
6 You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father.
And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.
7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me.
Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.
8 If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled young. If he said, 'The striped will be your wages,' then the whole flock bore striped young.
If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.
9 In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.
And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it to me.
10 Once at the time of breeding season, I saw in a dream the male goats that were mating with the flock. The male goats were striped, speckled, and spotted.
For after that time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.
11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.'
And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.
12 He said, 'Lift up your eyes and see all the male goats that are breeding with the flock. They are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you.
And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted, and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now rise up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth.'”
I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.
14 Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?
15 Are we not treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money.
Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?
16 For all the riches that God has taken away from our father are now ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”
But God hath taken our father’s riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee.
17 Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels.
Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.
18 He drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all his property, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram. Then he set out to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.
At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.
20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving.
And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.
21 So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.
And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.
23 So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for a seven days' journey. He overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.
24 Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
25 Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead.
Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he with his brethren had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.
26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like prisoners of war?
And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.
27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with celebration and with songs, with tambourine and with harps.
Why wouldst thou run away privately and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?
28 You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly.
Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,
29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
It is in my power to return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
30 Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?”
Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father’s house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?
31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force I left secretly.
Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.
32 Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
But whereas thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent.
So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel’s tent,
34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods, put them in a camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.
She in haste hid the idols under the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,
35 She said to her father, “Do not be angry, my master, that I cannot stand up before you, for I am having my period.” So he searched but did not find his household gods.
She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me, according to the custom of women, So his careful search was in vain.
36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,
37 For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between us two.
And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.
38 For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks.
Have I therefore been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:
39 What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. Instead, I bore the loss of it. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
Neither did I show thee that which the beast had torn, I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:
40 There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep.
Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.
41 These twenty years I have been in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You have changed my wages ten times.
And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.
42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my oppression and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.”
Unless the God of my father Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.
43 Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the grandchildren are my grandchildren, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?
44 So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.”
Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:
46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile.
And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.
47 Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.
48 Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed.
And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.
49 It is also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May Yahweh watch between you and me, when we are out of sight one from another.
The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.
50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take any wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”
If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.
51 Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me.
And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,
52 This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm.
Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it, thinking harm to me.
53 May the God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat a meal. They ate and spent the entire night on the mountain.
And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:
55 Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.
But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.
