Genesis 31
1 Aftir that Jacob herde the wordis of the sones of Laban, that seiden, Jacob hath take awei alle thingis that weren oure fadris, and of his catel Jacob is maad riche, and noble.
Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.”
2 Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
3 moost for the Lord seide to hym, Turne ayen into the lond of thi fadris, and to thi generacioun, and Y shal be with thee.
The LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
4 He sente, and clepide Rachel, and Lya, in to the feeld, where he kepte flockis, and he seide to hem,
Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,
5 Y se the face of youre fadir, that it is not ayens me as `yisterdai and the thridde dai agoon; but God of my fadir was with me.
and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
6 And ye witen that with alle my strengthis Y seruede youre fadir;
You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.
7 but and youre fadir disseyuyde me, and chaungide my meede ten sithis; and netheles God suffride not hym to anoye me.
Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.
8 If he seide ony tyme, Dyuerse colourid sheep schulen be thi medis, alle sheep brouyten forth dyuerse colourid lambren; forsothe whanne he seide ayenward, Thou shalte take alle white for mede, alle the flockis brouyten forth white beestis;
If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore streaked.
9 and God took a wey the substaunce of youre fadir, and yaf to me.
Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock, and given them to me.
10 For aftir that the tyme of conseyuyng of sheep cam, Y reiside myn iyen, and seiy in sleep malis dyuerse, and spotti, and of dyuerse colouris, stiynge on femalis.
During mating season, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
11 And the aungel of the Lord seide to me in sleep, Jacob! and Y answeride, Y am redy.
The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
12 Which seide, Reise thin iyen, and se alle malis dyuerse, byspreynt, and spotti, stiynge on femalis; for Y seiy alle thingis whiche Laban dide to thee;
He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
13 Y am God of Bethel, where thou anoyntidist a stoon, and madist auow to me. Now therefor rise thou, and go out of this lond, and turne ayen in to the lond of thi birthe.
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 And Rachel and Lya answeriden, Wher we han ony thing residue in the catels, and eritage of oure fadir?
Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
15 Wher he `arettide not vs as aliens, and selde, and eet oure prijs?
Are not we considered as foreigners by him? For he has sold us, and has also used up our money.
16 But God took awei the richessis of oure fadir, and yaf tho to vs, and to oure sones; wherfor do thou alle thingis whiche God hath comaundide to thee.
For all the riches which God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”
17 Forsothe Jacob roos, and puttide hise fre children and wyues on camels, and yede forth;
Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,
18 and he took al his catel, flockis, and what euer thing he hadde gete in Mesopotanye, and yede to Isaac, his fadir, into the lond of Canaan.
and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
19 In that tyme Laban yede to schere scheep, and Rachel stal the idols of hir fadir.
Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
20 And Jacob nolde knouleche to the fadir of his wijf, that he wolde fle;
Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he was running away.
21 and whanne he hadde go, as wel he as alle thingis that weren of his riyt, and whanne he hadde passid the water, and he yede ayens the hil of Galaad,
So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
22 it was teld to Laban, in the thridde dai, that Jacob fledde.
Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 And Laban took his britheren, and pursuede hym seuene daies, and took hym in the hil of Galaad.
He took his relatives with him, and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
24 And Laban seiy in sleep the Lord seiynge to him, Be war that thou speke not ony thing sharpli ayens Jacob.
God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 And thanne Jacob hadde stretchid forth the tabernacle in the hil; and whanne he hadde sued Jacob with his britheren, `he settide tente in the same hil of Galaad; and he seide to Jacob,
Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
26 Whi hast thou do so, that the while I wiste not thou woldist dryue awey my douytris as caitifs by swerd?
Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Whi woldist thou fle the while Y wiste not, nether woldist shewe to me, that Y shulde sue thee with ioie, and songis, and tympans, and harpis?
Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and did not tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
28 Thou suffridist not that Y schulde kisse my sones and douytris; thou hast wrouyt folili.
and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.
29 And now sotheli myn hond mai yelde yuel to thee, but the God of thi fadir seide to me yisterdai, Be war that thou speke not ony harder thing with Jacob.
It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
30 Suppose, if thou coueitedist to go to thi kynesmen, and the hows of thi fadir was in desir to thee, whi hast thou stole my goddis?
Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”
31 Jacob answeride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;
Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’
32 sotheli that thou repreuest me of thefte, at whom euer thou fyndist thi goddis, be he slayn bifor oure britheren; seke thou, what euer thing of thine thou fyndist at me, and take awei. Jacob seide these thingis, and wiste not that Rachel stal the idols.
Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 And so Laban entride into the tabernacle of Jacob, and of Lya, and of euer eithir meyne, and foond not; and whanne Laban hadde entrid in to the tente of Rachel,
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.
34 sche hastide, and hidde the idols vndur the strewyngis of the camel, and sat aboue. And sche seide to Laban, sekynge al the tente and fyndynge no thing,
Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but did not find them.
35 My lord, be not wrooth that Y may not rise bifore thee, for it bifelde now to me bi the custom of wymmen; so the bisynesse of the sekere was scorned.
She said to her father, “Do not let my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before you; for I am having my period.” He searched, but did not find the teraphim.
36 And Jacob bolnyde, and seide with strijf, For what cause of me, and for what synne of me, hast thou come so fersly aftir me,
Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?
37 and hast souyt al `the portenaunce of myn hous? What `hast thou founde of al the catel of thin hows? Putte thou here bifore my britheren and thi britheren, and deme thei betwixe me and thee.
Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.
38 Was I with thee herfore twenti yeer? Thi sheep and geet weren not bareyn, Y eet not the rammes of thi flok,
“These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks.
39 nether Y schewide to thee ony thing takun of a beeste; Y yeldide al harm; what euer thing perischide bi thefte, thou axidist of me;
That which was torn of animals, I did not bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 Y was angwischid in dai and nyyt with heete and frost, and sleep fledde fro myn iyen;
This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
41 so Y seruede thee bi twenti yeer in thin hows, fourtene yeer for thi douytris, and sixe yeer for thi flockis; and thou chaungidist my mede ten sithis.
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42 If God of my fadir Abraham, and the drede of Isaac hadde not helpid me, perauenture now thou haddist left me nakid; the Lord bihelde my turmentyng and the traueyl of myn hondis, and repreuyde thee yistirdai.
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
43 Laban answeride hym, The douytris, and thi sones, and flockis, and alle thingis whiche thou seest, ben myne, what mai Y do to my sones, and to the sones of sones?
Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
44 Therfor come thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.
Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be for a witness between me and you.”
45 And so Jacob took a stoon, and reiside it in to a signe, and seide to hise britheren,
Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46 Brynge ye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.
Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.
47 And Laban clepide it the heep of wittnesse, and Jacob clepide it the heep of witnessyng; euer eithir clepide bi the proprete of his langage.
Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban seide, This heep schal be witnesse bytwixe me and thee to day, and herfor the name therof was clepid Galaad, that is, the heep of witnesse.
Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed
49 And Laban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;
and Mizpah, for he said, “The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.
50 if thou schalt turmente my douytris, and if thou schal brynge yn othere wyues on hem, noon is witnesse of oure word, outakun God, whiche is present, and biholdith.
If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.”
51 And eft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;
Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
52 sotheli this heep, and stoon be in to witnessyng, forsothe if Y schal passe it, and go to thee, ether thou shalt passe, and thenke yuel to me.
May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53 God of Abraham, and God of Nachor, God of the fadir of hem, deme bitwixe vs. Therfor Jacob swoor by the drede of his fadir Ysaac;
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
54 and whanne slayn sacrifices weren offrid in the hil, he clepyde his britheren to ete breed, and whanne thei hadden ete, thei dwelliden there.
Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.
55 Forsothe Laban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.
Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
