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.”

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”;

2 Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed.

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

3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

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

4 Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock

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

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 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,

6 You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father.

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

7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me.

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.

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 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;

9 In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

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

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;

11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.'

and the Messenger of God says to me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, 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 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;

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 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.”

14 Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

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

15 Are we not treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money.

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

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.”

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.”

17 Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels.

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

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 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.

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.

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

20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving.

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

21 So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.

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.

22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob has 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 takes his brothers with him, and pursues after him a journey of seven days, and overtakes him in the Mount of Gilead.

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 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.”

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.

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.

26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like prisoners of war?

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

28 You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly.

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

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.'

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.

30 Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?”

And now, you have certainly gone, because you have been very desirous for the house of your father; why have you stolen 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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;

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.

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.

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 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?

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.

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.

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.

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;

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.

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;

40 There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep.

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

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;

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, 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.”

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?

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?

44 So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.”

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

45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

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

46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile.

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

47 Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

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

48 Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed.

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

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.

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

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 you afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters—there is no man with us—see, God [is] witness between me and you.”

51 Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me.

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

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.

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;

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 Nahor, judges between us—the God of their father,” and Jacob swears 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 Jacob sacrifices a sacrifice on the mountain, and calls to his brothers to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge on the mountain;

55 Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

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.