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;'
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 and Jacob seeth the face of Laban, and lo, it is not with him as heretofore.
Jacob also noticed that Laban was treating him differently to the way he had before.
3 And Jehovah saith unto Jacob, 'Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'
The Lord told Jacob, “Go back to the country of your forefathers, to your family home. I will be with you.”
4 And Jacob sendeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock;
Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah, telling them to come and meet him out in the fields where he was with his flock.
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,
“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 — ye have known that with all my power I have served your father,
You both know very well how hard I worked for your father.
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.
But he's been cheating me—he's reduced my wages ten times! However, God hasn't let him hurt 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;
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 taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give to me.
This is how God took your father's livestock and gave them 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;
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 messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here [am] I.
Then in the dream the angel of the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I'm here.’
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;
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 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 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 answereth — Leah also — and saith to him, 'Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?
“There's nothing for us to inherit from our father's estate anyway,” Rachel and Leah replied.
15 have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money;
“He treats us like foreigners because he sold us to you, and now he's spent all that money.
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.'
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 And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives on the camels,
So Jacob got ready. He helped his children and his wives onto the camels,
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 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 And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath;
While Laban was away from home shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.
20 and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing;
Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not informing him that he was going to run away.
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.
So Jacob left in a hurry with everything he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed towards the hill country of Gilead.
22 And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled,
Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had run away.
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.
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 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.'
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 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.
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 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?
“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 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 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 and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? — now thou hast acted foolishly in doing [so];
You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've really acted stupidly!
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.
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 'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?'
Clearly you wanted to leave and go back to your family home, but why did you have to steal my idols?”
31 And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me;
“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 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.
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 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.
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 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;
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 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 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 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?
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 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.
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 '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;
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 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;
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 I have been [thus]: in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes.
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 '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;
I worked fourteen years for your two daughters, and six more years with your flocks. You reduced 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 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 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 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 and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between 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 Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up [for] a standing pillar;
Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.
46 and Jacob saith to his brethren, 'Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;
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 calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed.
Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban saith, 'This heap [is] witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed;
Laban announced, “This pile of stone serves as a witness between me and you.” This is why it was called Galeed.
49 Mizpah also, for he said, 'Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another;
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 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 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 Laban saith to Jacob, 'Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee;
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 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;
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 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 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 Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount;
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 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.
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.
