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.
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 Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
And perceiving also that Laban’s countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,
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.
Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
4 He sente, and clepide Rachel, and Lya, in to the feeld, where he kepte flockis, and he seide to hem,
He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,
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 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 And ye witen that with alle my strengthis Y seruede youre fadir;
And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.
7 but and youre fadir disseyuyde me, and chaungide my meede ten sithis; and netheles God suffride not hym to anoye 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 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 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 and God took a wey the substaunce of youre fadir, and yaf to me.
And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it 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.
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 And the aungel of the Lord seide to me in sleep, Jacob! and Y answeride, Y am redy.
And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: 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;
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 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 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 And Rachel and Lya answeriden, Wher we han ony thing residue in the catels, and eritage of oure fadir?
And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?
15 Wher he `arettide not vs as aliens, and selde, and eet oure prijs?
Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?
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.
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 Forsothe Jacob roos, and puttide hise fre children and wyues on camels, and yede forth;
Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.
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 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 In that tyme Laban yede to schere scheep, and Rachel stal the idols of hir fadir.
At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.
20 And Jacob nolde knouleche to the fadir of his wijf, that he wolde fle;
And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying 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,
And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,
22 it was teld to Laban, in the thridde dai, that Jacob fledde.
It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.
23 And Laban took his britheren, and pursuede hym seuene daies, and took hym in the hil of Galaad.
And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.
24 And Laban seiy in sleep the Lord seiynge to him, Be war that thou speke not ony thing sharpli ayens Jacob.
And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
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,
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 Whi hast thou do so, that the while I wiste not thou woldist dryue awey my douytris as caitifs by swerd?
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 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 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 Thou suffridist not that Y schulde kisse my sones and douytris; thou hast wrouyt folili.
Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,
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 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 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?
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 answeride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;
Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters 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.
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 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,
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 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,
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 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: 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 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,
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 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.
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 Was I with thee herfore twenti yeer? Thi sheep and geet weren not bareyn, Y eet not the rammes of thi flok,
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 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;
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 Y was angwischid in dai and nyyt with heete and frost, and sleep fledde fro myn iyen;
Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed 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.
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 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 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 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 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 Therfor come thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.
Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.
45 And so Jacob took a stoon, and reiside it in to a signe, and seide to hise britheren,
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:
46 Brynge ye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.
And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.
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.
And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.
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.
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 And Laban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;
The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.
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 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 And eft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;
And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,
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.
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 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 Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And 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.
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 Forsothe Laban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.
But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.
