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 found out that Laban's sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. All the wealth he has actually came from our father.”
2 Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
Jacob also noticed that Laban was treating him differently to the way he had 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 told Jacob, “Go back to the country of your forefathers, to your family home. 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 for Rachel and Leah, telling them to come and meet him out in the fields where he was with 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.
“I've noticed that your father is treating me differently to the way he did before,” he told them. “But the God of my father will be with me.
6 And ye witen that with alle my strengthis Y seruede youre fadir;
You both know very well how hard I worked for your father.
7 but and youre fadir disseyuyde me, and chaungide my meede ten sithis; and netheles God suffride not hym to anoye me.
But he's been cheating me—he's reduced my wages ten times! However, God hasn't let him 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, ‘You can have the speckled ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had speckled young. If he said, ‘You can have the streaked ones as your wages,’ then the whole flock had streaked young.
9 and God took a wey the substaunce of youre fadir, and yaf to me.
This is how God took your father's livestock and gave 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 the time the flock was breeding I had a dream where I saw that the male goats mating with the flock were all streaked, speckled, or spotted.
11 And the aungel of the Lord seide to me in sleep, Jacob! and Y answeride, Y am redy.
Then in the dream the angel of the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I'm here.’
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 told me, ‘Take a look and you'll see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I've been watching everything that Laban has been doing 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 poured olive oil on the stone pillar and made a solemn promise to me. Now get ready to leave this land and go back to your homeland.’”
14 And Rachel and Lya answeriden, Wher we han ony thing residue in the catels, and eritage of oure fadir?
“There's nothing for us to inherit from our father's estate anyway,” Rachel and Leah replied.
15 Wher he `arettide not vs as aliens, and selde, and eet oure prijs?
“He treats us like foreigners because he sold us to you, and now he's spent all that 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.
All the wealth that God has taken from him belongs to us and our children, so do whatever God has told you to do!”
17 Forsothe Jacob roos, and puttide hise fre children and wyues on camels, and yede forth;
So Jacob got ready. He helped his children and his wives onto 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 drove all his livestock in front of him. He took with him all his possessions and livestock he'd gained during his time in Paddan-aram, and left to go back to his father in the country of Canaan.
19 In that tyme Laban yede to schere scheep, and Rachel stal the idols of hir fadir.
While Laban was away from home shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.
20 And Jacob nolde knouleche to the fadir of his wijf, that he wolde fle;
Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not informing him that he was going to run 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 Jacob left in a hurry with everything he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed towards the hill country of Gilead.
22 it was teld to Laban, in the thridde dai, that Jacob fledde.
Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had run away.
23 And Laban took his britheren, and pursuede hym seuene daies, and took hym in the hil of Galaad.
Taking some of his relatives with him, he chased after Jacob and caught up with him seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.
24 And Laban seiy in sleep the Lord seiynge to him, Be war that thou speke not ony thing sharpli ayens Jacob.
But during the night God came to Laban in a dream and told him, “Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.”
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,
Jacob had set up his tents in the hill country of Gilead when Laban caught up with him, so Laban and his relatives did the same.
26 Whi hast thou do so, that the while I wiste not thou woldist dryue awey my douytris as caitifs by swerd?
“Why did you deceive me like this?” Laban asked Jacob. “You carried off my daughters as if they were some prisoners captured by 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 run away in secret, trying to trick me? Why didn't you come and tell me? I would have given you a good send-off, a celebration with singing and the music of tambourines and lyres.
28 Thou suffridist not that Y schulde kisse my sones and douytris; thou hast wrouyt folili.
You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've really acted stupidly!
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.
I could really punish you badly, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and told me, ‘Watch what you say to Jacob. Don't try to persuade him to come back, and don't threaten him either.’
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?
Clearly you wanted to leave and go back to your family home, but why did you have to steal my idols?”
31 Jacob answeride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;
“I ran away because I was afraid,” Jacob explained to Laban. “I was worried that you would 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.
As for your idols, anyone you find who has them will die. You can search everything in the presence of our relatives, and if you find I have anything that belongs to you, you can take it.” (Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the household 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,
Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two personal maids, but didn't find anything. He left Leah's tent and went 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,
Rachel had put the household idols in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on it. Laban carefully searched the whole tent but couldn't 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, “Sir, please don't get upset with me for not standing up in your presence, but I have my period.” He looked everywhere but didn't find the idols.
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 got angry with Laban and confronted him, saying, “What crime am I guilty of? What wrong have I done to you that you've come hunting me down?
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.
You've searched through all my possessions. Did you find anything belonging to you? If you did, bring it out here before my relatives and yours so they can decide who's right!
38 Was I with thee herfore twenti yeer? Thi sheep and geet weren not bareyn, Y eet not the rammes of thi flok,
I've worked for you for these past twenty years. During that time none of your sheep and goats miscarried, and I haven't eaten a single ram from your flock.
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;
If any of them were killed by wild animals, I never even brought you the carcass to prove the loss—I bore the loss myself. But you on the other hand always made me compensate you for any animals that were stolen, whether at night or in broad daylight.
40 Y was angwischid in dai and nyyt with heete and frost, and sleep fledde fro myn iyen;
Whether it was sweating in the heat of the day, or freezing in the cold of the night when I couldn't sleep, I went on working for you for twenty years in your home.
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.
I worked fourteen years for your two daughters, and six more years with your flocks. You reduced 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.
If it weren't for the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the awesome God of Isaac, who took care of me, you would have dismissed me with nothing. But God saw my suffering, how hard I worked, and he condemned 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 replied, “These are my daughters and these are my children and these are my flocks! In fact, everything you see here is mine! However, what can I do now about my daughters and their children?
44 Therfor come thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.
So let's make a solemn agreement between you and I, and it will be a witness to our mutual commitment.”
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 upright as a pillar.
46 Brynge ye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.
Then he told his relatives, “Go and collect some stones.” They all made a pile of stones and then sat beside it to eat a meal.
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, while 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 announced, “This pile of stone serves as a witness between me and you.” This is why it was called Galeed.
49 And Laban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;
It was also called Mizpah, for as Laban said, “May the Lord keep a close eye on both of us when we're not together.
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 treat my daughters badly or marry more wives in addition to them, God will see what you do even if no one else finds out!”
51 And eft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;
Then Laban told Jacob, “Look at this pile of stones and this pillar that I have set up as a memorial of the agreement between you and me.
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.
They also act as a witness to our solemn promises to each other: I will not come past them to attack you; and you will not come past them to attack 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;
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor—the God of our forefathers—be the one to judge between us in any dispute.” Jacob in turn made his solemn promise in the name of the awesome God 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.
Then he offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited all his relatives to eat a meal there. They spent the night on the mountain.
55 Forsothe Laban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.
Laban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye. He blessed them, and then left to go back home.
