Genesis 31

1 And he heareth the words of Laban's sons, saying, 'Jacob hath taken all that our father hath; yea, from that which our father hath, he hath made all this honour;'

But afterwards, he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and being enlarged by his ability, he has become famous.”

2 and Jacob seeth the face of Laban, and lo, it is not with him as heretofore.

Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.

3 And Jehovah saith unto Jacob, 'Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'

Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.”

4 And Jacob sendeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock;

He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,

5 and saith to them, 'I am beholding your father's face — that it is not towards me as heretofore, and the God of my father hath been with me,

and he said to them: “I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as it was yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father has been with me.

6 and ye — ye have known that with all my power I have served your father,

And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.

7 and your father hath played upon me, and hath changed my hire ten times; and God hath not suffered him to do evil with me.

Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me.

8 'If he say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-streaked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-streaked;

Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones.

9 and God taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give to me.

And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.

10 'And it cometh to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up mine eyes and see in a dream, and lo, the he-goats, which are going up on the flock, [are] ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled;

For after the time had arrived for the ewes to conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and I saw in my sleep that the males climbing on the females were of variegated, and spotted, and diverse colors.

11 and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here [am] I.

And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’

12 'And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see — all the he-goats which are going up on the flock [are] ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee;

And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes, and see that all the males climbing on the females are variegated, spotted, and also speckled. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

13 I [am] the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and depart from this land, returning to the land of your nativity.’”

14 And Rachel answereth — Leah also — and saith to him, 'Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?

And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?

15 have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money;

Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?

16 for all the wealth which God hath taken away from our father, it [is] ours, and our children's; and now, all that God hath said unto thee — do.'

But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”

17 And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives on the camels,

And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.

18 and leadeth all his cattle, and all his substance which he hath acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he hath acquired in Padan-Aram, to go unto Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

And he took all his substance and flocks, and whatever he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and he journeyed to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan.

19 And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath;

At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.

20 and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing;

And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.

21 and he fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face [toward] the mount of Gilead.

And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,

22 And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled,

it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23 and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead.

And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.

24 And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramaean in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.'

And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”

25 And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed [theirs] in the mount of Gilead.

And now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain. And when he, with his brothers, had overtaken him, he set his tent at the same place at Mount Gilead.

26 And Laban saith to Jacob, 'What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword?

And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?

27 Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp,

Why would you want to flee without my knowledge and without telling me, though I might have led you forward with gladness, and songs, and timbrels, and lyres?

28 and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? — now thou hast acted foolishly in doing [so];

You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,

29 my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.

my hand has power to repay you with harm. But the God of your father said to me yesterday, ‘Beware that you not speak anything stern against Jacob.’

30 'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?'

It may be that you desired to go to your own, and that you longed for the house of your father. But why have you stolen my gods?”

31 And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me;

Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.

32 with whomsoever thou findest thy gods — he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what [is] with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath stolen them.

But, since you accuse me of theft, with whomever you will find your gods, let him be slain in the sight of our brothers. Search; anything of yours that you will find with me, take it away.” Now when he said this, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33 And Laban goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent of Rachel.

And so Laban, entering the tent of Jacob, and of Leah, and of both the handmaids, did not find them. And when he had entered the tent of Rachel,

34 And Rachel hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found;

she quickly hid the idols under the camel’s bedding, and she sat upon them. And when he had searched the entire tent and found nothing,

35 and she saith unto her father, 'Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women [is] on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim.

she said: “Do not be angry, my lord, that I am unable to rise up in your sight, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women.” So his careful search was thwarted.

36 And it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'What [is] my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned after me?

And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me

37 for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both.

and searched all the items of my house? What have you found from all the substance of your house? Place it here before my brothers, and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you.

38 'These twenty years I [am] with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten;

For what reason have I been with you for twenty years? Your ewes and she-goats were not barren; the rams of your flocks I did not consume.

39 the torn I have not brought in unto thee — I, I repay it — from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night;

Neither did I reveal to you what was seized by the wild beast. I replaced all that was damaged. Whatever was lost by theft, you collected it from me.

40 I have been [thus]: in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes.

Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.

41 'This [is] to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times;

And in this way, for twenty years, I have served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks. You have also changed my wages ten times.

42 unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.'

If the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been close to me, perhaps by now you would have sent me away naked. But God looked kindly on my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he rebuked you yesterday.”

43 And Laban answereth and saith unto Jacob, 'The daughters [are] my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing [is] mine; and to my daughters — what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born?

Laban answered him: “My daughters and sons, and your flocks, and all that you discern are mine. What can I do to my sons and grandchildren?

44 and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.'

Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”

45 And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up [for] a standing pillar;

And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.

46 and Jacob saith to his brethren, 'Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;

And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.

47 and Laban calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed.

And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.

48 And Laban saith, 'This heap [is] witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed;

And Laban said: “This tomb will be a witness between me and you this day.” (And for this reason, its name has been called Gilead, that is, ‘Tomb of Witness.’)

49 Mizpah also, for he said, 'Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another;

“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.

50 if thou afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters — there is no man with us — see, God [is] witness between me and thee.'

If you afflict my daughters, and if you bring in other wives over them, no one is a witness of our words except God, who understands beforehand.”

51 And Laban saith to Jacob, 'Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee;

And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,

52 this heap [is] witness, and the standing pillar [is] witness, that I do not pass over this heap unto thee, and that thou dost not pass over this heap and this standing pillar unto me — for evil;

will be a witness. This tomb,” I say, “and the stone, they are for testimony, in case either I cross beyond it going toward you, or you cross beyond it thinking to harm me.

53 the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, doth judge between us — the God of their father,' and Jacob sweareth by the Fear of his father Isaac.

May the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Therefore, Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 And Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount;

And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.

55 and Laban riseth early in the morning, and kisseth his sons and his daughters, and blesseth them; and Laban goeth on, and turneth back to his place.

In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.