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.

He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's he has gained all this wealth."

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 look, it was not as it had been.

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.

Then God 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 where his flock was,

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 what it was 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.

Yet your father has cheated 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 this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, '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.

And it came about at the time when the flocks were breeding I looked up and saw in a dream, and look, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

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 look, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has done 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 standing-stone, where you made a vow to me. Now arise, go 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?

Aren't we regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has used up what was paid for 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.

For all the wealth which God has taken away from our father, that is 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 got up and put 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 property which he had acquired, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father in 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 idols that belonged to her father.

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

Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended 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,

So he fled with everything that he had, and he arose and crossed the River, and set out toward the hill country 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 after him for seven days, and caught up with him 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.

God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at 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 hill country, and Laban with his relatives camped in the hill country 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? You have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken in war?

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 in secret and deceive me, and not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and singing, with a tambourine and with a lyre.

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

And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have 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 my power to do you harm, 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 have indeed gone away, because you longed greatly 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 thought 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.

Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, identify what I have that is yours, and take it with you." 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 idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole 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 can't rise up before you; for the manner of women is on me." 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 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.

Now that you have searched around in all my stuff, did you find anything from all of your household's belongings? Put it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between the two of us.

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 miscarried their young, and I haven't 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 by animals I did not bring to you. I bore its loss. You demanded payment from me 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;

I was consumed by the heat during the day and by the frost at night, and sleepless nights.

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 one whom Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my harsh treatment and my hard work, 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: and what can I do this day 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.

So now, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between the two of us." And he said to him, "Look, there is no one with us; see, God is 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 as a standing-stone.

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

Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they took stones and made a mound. They ate there by the mound.

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 mound is a 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, "God 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 mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us; see, 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 mound, and see the standing-stone, 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 mound be a witness, and the standing-stone be a witness, that I will not pass over this mound to you, and that you will not pass over this mound and this standing-stone to me, to do 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 on the mountain, and called his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal and stayed all 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.

Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.