Genesis 31

1 postquam autem audivit verba filiorum Laban dicentium tulit Iacob omnia quae fuerunt patris nostri et de illius facultate ditatus factus est inclitus

But after that he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s, and being enriched by his substance is become great:

2 animadvertit quoque faciem Laban quod non esset erga se sicut heri et nudius tertius

And perceiving also that Laban’s countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,

3 maxime dicente sibi Domino revertere in terram patrum tuorum et ad generationem tuam eroque tecum

Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.

4 misit et vocavit Rahel et Liam in agrum ubi pascebat greges

He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,

5 dixitque eis video faciem patris vestri quod non sit erga me sicut heri et nudius tertius Deus autem patris mei fuit mecum

And said to them: I see your father’s countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.

6 et ipsae nostis quod totis viribus meis servierim patri vestro

And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.

7 sed pater vester circumvenit me et mutavit mercedem meam decem vicibus et tamen non dimisit eum Deus ut noceret mihi

Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.

8 si quando dixit variae erunt mercedes tuae pariebant omnes oves varios fetus quando vero e contrario ait alba quaeque accipies pro mercede omnes greges alba pepererunt

If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

9 tulitque Deus substantiam patris vestri et dedit mihi

And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it to me.

10 postquam enim conceptus ovium tempus advenerat levavi oculos meos et vidi in somnis ascendentes mares super feminas varios et maculosos et diversorum colorum

For after that time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.

11 dixitque angelus Dei ad me in somnis Iacob et ego respondi adsum

And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.

12 qui ait leva oculos tuos et vide universos masculos ascendentes super feminas varios respersos atque maculosos vidi enim omnia quae fecit tibi Laban

And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted, and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.

13 ego sum Deus Bethel ubi unxisti lapidem et votum vovisti mihi nunc ergo surge et egredere de terra hac revertens in terram nativitatis tuae

I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.

14 responderunt Rahel et Lia numquid habemus residui quicquam in facultatibus et hereditate domus patris nostri

And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?

15 nonne quasi alienas reputavit nos et vendidit comeditque pretium nostrum

Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

16 sed Deus tulit opes patris nostri et nobis eas tradidit ac filiis nostris unde omnia quae praecepit fac

But God hath taken our father’s riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee.

17 surrexit itaque Iacob et inpositis liberis et coniugibus suis super camelos abiit

Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.

18 tulitque omnem substantiam et greges et quicquid in Mesopotamiam quaesierat pergens ad Isaac patrem suum in terram Chanaan

And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.

19 eo tempore Laban ierat ad tondendas oves et Rahel furata est idola patris sui

At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.

20 noluitque Iacob confiteri socero quod fugeret

And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.

21 cumque abisset tam ipse quam omnia quae iuris eius erant et amne transmisso pergeret contra montem Galaad

And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,

22 nuntiatum est Laban die tertio quod fugeret Iacob

It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.

23 qui adsumptis fratribus suis persecutus est eum diebus septem et conprehendit in monte Galaad

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

24 viditque in somnis dicentem sibi Dominum cave ne quicquam aspere loquaris contra Iacob

And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

25 iamque Iacob extenderat in monte tabernaculum cum ille consecutus eum cum fratribus suis in eodem monte Galaad fixit tentorium

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he with his brethren had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.

26 et dixit ad Iacob quare ita egisti ut clam me abigeres filias meas quasi captivas gladio

And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.

27 cur ignorante me fugere voluisti nec indicare mihi ut prosequerer te cum gaudio et canticis et tympanis et cithara

Why wouldst thou run away privately and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?

28 non es passus ut oscularer filios meos ac filias stulte operatus es et nunc

Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,

29 valet quidem manus mea reddere tibi malum sed Deus patris vestri heri dixit mihi cave ne loquaris cum Iacob quicquam durius

It is in my power to return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

30 esto ad tuos ire cupiebas et desiderio tibi erat domus patris tui cur furatus es deos meos

Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father’s house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

31 respondit Iacob quod inscio te profectus sum timui ne violenter auferres filias tuas

Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

32 quod autem furti arguis apud quemcumque inveneris deos tuos necetur coram fratribus nostris scrutare quicquid tuorum apud me inveneris et aufer haec dicens ignorabat quod Rahel furata esset idola

But whereas thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33 ingressus itaque Laban tabernaculum Iacob et Liae et utriusque famulae non invenit cumque intrasset tentorium Rahelis

So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel’s tent,

34 illa festinans abscondit idola subter stramen cameli et sedit desuper scrutantique omne tentorium et nihil invenienti

She in haste hid the idols under the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,

35 ait ne irascatur dominus meus quod coram te adsurgere nequeo quia iuxta consuetudinem feminarum nunc accidit mihi sic delusa sollicitudo quaerentis est

She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me, according to the custom of women, So his careful search was in vain.

36 tumensque Iacob cum iurgio ait quam ob culpam meam et ob quod peccatum sic exarsisti post me

And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,

37 et scrutatus es omnem supellectilem meam quid invenisti de cuncta substantia domus tuae pone hic coram fratribus meis et fratribus tuis et iudicent inter me et te

And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.

38 idcirco viginti annis fui tecum oves tuae et caprae steriles non fuerunt arietes gregis tui non comedi

Have I therefore been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:

39 nec captum a bestia ostendi tibi ego damnum omne reddebam quicquid furto perierat a me exigebas

Neither did I show thee that which the beast had torn, I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:

40 die noctuque aestu urebar et gelu fugiebat somnus ab oculis meis

Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.

41 sic per viginti annos in domo tua servivi tibi quattuordecim pro filiabus et sex pro gregibus tuis inmutasti quoque mercedem meam decem vicibus

And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.

42 nisi Deus patris mei Abraham et Timor Isaac adfuisset mihi forsitan modo nudum me dimisisses adflictionem meam et laborem manuum mearum respexit Deus et arguit te heri

Unless the God of my father Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

43 respondit ei Laban filiae et filii et greges tui et omnia quae cernis mea sunt quid possum facere filiis et nepotibus meis

Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?

44 veni ergo et ineamus foedus ut sit testimonium inter me et te

Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.

45 tulit itaque Iacob lapidem et erexit illum in titulum

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:

46 dixitque fratribus suis adferte lapides qui congregantes fecerunt tumulum comederuntque super eum

And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.

47 quem vocavit Laban tumulus Testis et Iacob acervum Testimonii uterque iuxta proprietatem linguae suae

And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.

48 dixitque Laban tumulus iste testis erit inter me et te hodie et idcirco appellatum est nomen eius Galaad id est tumulus Testis

And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.

49 intueatur Dominus et iudicet inter nos quando recesserimus a nobis

The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.

50 si adflixeris filias meas et si introduxeris uxores alias super eas nullus sermonis nostri testis est absque Deo qui praesens respicit

If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.

51 dixitque rursus ad Iacob en tumulus hic et lapis quem erexi inter me et te

And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,

52 testis erit tumulus inquam iste et lapis sint in testimonio si aut ego transiero illum pergens ad te aut tu praeterieris malum mihi cogitans

Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it, thinking harm to me.

53 Deus Abraham et Deus Nahor iudicet inter nos Deus patris eorum iuravit Iacob per Timorem patris sui Isaac

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 immolatisque victimis in monte vocavit fratres suos ut ederent panem qui cum comedissent manserunt ibi

And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:

55 Laban vero de nocte consurgens osculatus est filios et filias suas et benedixit illis reversus in locum suum

But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.