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.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth.

2 Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, 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.

And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy birthplace; 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,

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto 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 he said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.

6 And ye witen that with alle my strengthis Y seruede youre fadir;

And ye know well that with all my power I have served your father.

7 but and youre fadir disseyuyde me, and chaungide my meede ten sithis; and netheles God suffride not hym to anoye me.

And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times: but God suffered him not to do me evil.

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 thus, The speckled shall be thy wages: then bore all the flocks speckled: and if he said thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy reward; then bore all the flocks ring-streaked.

9 and God took a wey the substaunce of youre fadir, and yaf to me.

Thus God took away the cattle of your father, 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.

And it came to pass at the time that the flocks conceived, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

11 And the aungel of the Lord seide to me in sleep, Jacob! and Y answeride, Y am redy.

And an angel of God spoke unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.

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 now thy eyes and see, all the rams which leap upon the flocks are ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doth unto 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 Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou madest unto me a vow: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy birth.

14 And Rachel and Lya answeriden, Wher we han ony thing residue in the catels, and eritage of oure fadir?

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto 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?

Were we not counted of him as strangers? for he hath sold us; and he hath quite consumed also 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 hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's; now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, 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 upon 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 led away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his acquiring, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, to go to Isaac his father into the land of Canaan.

19 In that tyme Laban yede to schere scheep, and Rachel stal the idols of hir fadir.

And Laban was gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the images that were her father's.

20 And Jacob nolde knouleche to the fadir of his wijf, that he wolde fle;

And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, by not letting him know that he was going to flee.

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 he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.

22 it was teld to Laban, in the thridde dai, that Jacob fledde.

And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob was 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 a seven days' journey; and he overtook him at the mount of Gilead.

24 And Laban seiy in sleep the Lord seiynge to him, Be war that thou speke not ony thing sharpli ayens Jacob.

And God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said unto him, Take thou heed that thou speak not 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,

Then Laban overtook Jacob; now Jacob had pitched his tent on the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched on the mount of Gilead.

26 Whi hast thou do so, that the while I wiste not thou woldist dryue awey my douytris as caitifs by swerd?

And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and led away 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?

Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and why didst thou not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

28 Thou suffridist not that Y schulde kisse my sones and douytris; thou hast wrouyt folili.

And [why] hast thou not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now thou hast acted foolishly in so doing.

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 do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not 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?

And now, thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou greatly longedst after thy father's house; [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods.

31 Jacob answeride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, for I said, Peradventure thou wouldst take by force thy daughters from me.

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.

With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live; before our brethren seek out thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee; but Jacob knew not 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,

And Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found nothing; he then went out of the tent of Leah, 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 images, and put them in the saddle-cushion of the camel, and sat upon them; and Laban 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.

And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me; and thus he searched, but found not the images.

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,

Now Jacob became wroth, and quarrelled with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after 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.

Although thou hast searched all my goods, what hast thou found of all the articles of thy household? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us both.

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 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 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 beasts I brought not unto thee; I had to bear the loss of it, of my hand didst thou require it, whatever was 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;

[Where] I was in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and my 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.

These twenty years have I been in thy house; I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flocks: and thou hast 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.

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst now sent me away empty; my affliction and the labor of my hands God hath seen, and decided yesternight.

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?

And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine; but as to my daughters, what can I do unto them this day, or unto their children whom they have born?

44 Therfor come thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.

And now, come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness 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 pillar.

46 Brynge ye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.

And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there upon 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.

And Laban called it Yegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galed.

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 is a witness between me and thee this day; therefore called he its name Galed;

49 And Laban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;

And Mitzpah; for he said, The Lord shall watch between me and thee, when we are absent 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 shouldst afflict my daughters, or if thou shouldst take other wives besides my daughters, when there is no man with us: see, God is witness between me and thee.

51 And eft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;

And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast 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.

Witness be this heap and witness be this pillar, that I will not pass by this heap, and that thou shalt not pass unto me by this heap and this pillar, for evil.

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 shall judge between us, the God of their father; but 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.

Then Jacob slew some cattle upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night on the mount.

55 Forsothe Laban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.

And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them; and Laban departed, and returned unto his own place.