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.”
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.
2 Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed.
And Jacob looked upon the face of Laban, —and lo! it was not with him as afore-time.
3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
Then said Yahweh unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, —that I may be with thee.
4 Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock
So Jacob sent, and called for Rachel and for Leah, to the field unto 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 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;
6 You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father.
and, ye, know that with all my vigour, have I served your father.
7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me.
But, your father, hath deceived me, and hath changed my wages ten times, —yet God hath not suffered him to deal harmfully 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 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.
9 In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.
So hath God stripped away the herds of your father, and given them 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 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.
11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.'
And the messenger of God said unto me in a dream, Jacob! and I said, Behold me!
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.
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.
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 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.
14 Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
Then responded Rachel and Leah, and said to him, —Have we any longer a portion or an 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.
Are we not accounted, aliens, to him seeing that having sold us, he hath then gone on devouring, our silver?
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.”
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.
17 Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels.
So Jacob arose, —and mounted 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 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.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.
Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, —so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving.
Thus Jacob stole away unawares to Laban, the Syrian, —in that he had not told him that he was about to flee.
21 So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.
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.
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
And it was told Laban, on the third day, —that Jacob had 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.
So he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him a journey of seven days—and overtook him in the mountain 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 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.
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.
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.
26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like prisoners of war?
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?
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.
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;
28 You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly.
and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now, hast thou done, foolishly.
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 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.
30 Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?”
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?
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 answered and said unto Laban, —Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take by force thy 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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,
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 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?
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.
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.
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.
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,
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, 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.
40 There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep.
Thus have I been—By day, drought hath consumed me, And, frost, by, night, —So that my sleep fled away from mine 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, 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: —
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.”
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!
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?
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?
44 So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.”
Now, therefore, come on! Let us solemnise a covenant, I and thou, —So shall it be a witness betwixt me and thee.
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
So Jacob took a stone, —and set it up as a pillar.
46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile.
Then said Jacob to his brethren—Gather stones. And they took stones and made a heap, —and they did eat there, by the heap.
47 Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban called it, Jegar-sahadutha, —but, Jacob, called it, Galeed.
48 Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed.
Then said Laban: This heap, be witness betwixt me, and thee, to-day. For this cause, is the name thereof called 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.
also, The Watch Tower, as to which it is said, Yahweh watch betwixt me and thee, when we are parted one from 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 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!
51 Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me.
And Laban said to Jacob—Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have set betwixt 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.
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.
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 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:
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 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.
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 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.
