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
Someone told Jacob that Laban’s sons were complaining and saying, “Jacob has become very rich by taking everything [HYP] that belonged to our father.”
2 animadvertit quoque faciem Laban quod non esset erga se sicut heri et nudius tertius
And Jacob noticed that Laban was not acting friendly toward him as he had done before.
3 maxime dicente sibi Domino revertere in terram patrum tuorum et ad generationem tuam eroque tecum
Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will help you there.”
4 misit et vocavit Rahel et Liam in agrum ubi pascebat greges
So Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leah, telling them to come out to the pastures where his flocks of sheep and goats were.
5 dixitque eis video faciem patris vestri quod non sit erga me sicut heri et nudius tertius Deus autem patris mei fuit mecum
When they arrived, he said to them, “I see that your father does not act friendly toward me as he did previously. But God, whom my father worshiped, has helped me.
6 et ipsae nostis quod totis viribus meis servierim patri vestro
You two know that I have worked very hard for your father,
7 sed pater vester circumvenit me et mutavit mercedem meam decem vicibus et tamen non dimisit eum Deus ut noceret mihi
but many times [HYP] he has cheated me by decreasing my wages. But God has not allowed him to harm 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
When Laban said, ‘The speckled animals are the ones that I will give you to be your wages,’ then all the animals gave birth to young ones that were speckled. When he changed and said, ‘The ones that have black and white stripes on them will be your wages,’ then all the animals gave birth to young ones that were striped.
9 tulitque Deus substantiam patris vestri et dedit mihi
In that way, God has taken away the livestock that belonged to your father and has given them 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
“One time, when the animals were mating, I had a dream. In my dream I [looked up and was surprised to] see that some of the male goats that were mating with the female goats had black and white stripes on them, some were speckled, and some were spotted.
11 dixitque angelus Dei ad me in somnis Iacob et ego respondi adsum
An angel who was sent by God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I am here!’
12 qui ait leva oculos tuos et vide universos masculos ascendentes super feminas varios respersos atque maculosos vidi enim omnia quae fecit tibi Laban
He said to me, ‘Look up and you will see that all the male goats that are mating have black and white stripes on them, or are speckled or spotted. This is happening because I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
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 God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you set up a stone to show that the place was holy, and you poured [olive] oil on the stone and made a solemn promise to me. So now leave this land immediately, and return to the land where you were born.’”
14 responderunt Rahel et Lia numquid habemus residui quicquam in facultatibus et hereditate domus patris nostri
Rachel and Leah replied, “Our father will not give us anything more when he dies [RHQ].
15 nonne quasi alienas reputavit nos et vendidit comeditque pretium nostrum
He treats us as though we were foreigners [RHQ]! [Your working for him all these years was like a payment] that you gave him as a price for us, but we will not inherit any of that money that he got as a price for us. He has spent it all!
16 sed Deus tulit opes patris nostri et nobis eas tradidit ac filiis nostris unde omnia quae praecepit fac
Surely all of the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you to do!”
17 surrexit itaque Iacob et inpositis liberis et coniugibus suis super camelos abiit
Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels.
18 tulitque omnem substantiam et greges et quicquid in Mesopotamiam quaesierat pergens ad Isaac patrem suum in terram Chanaan
He made all his livestock go ahead of him. Besides the livestock, he took along all the other things that he had acquired while living in Paddan-Aram. And they prepared to return to his father Isaac, in the Canaan region.
19 eo tempore Laban ierat ad tondendas oves et Rahel furata est idola patris sui
Before they left, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the [small wooden] idols [that were in her father’s tent].
20 noluitque Iacob confiteri socero quod fugeret
Furthermore, Jacob deceived Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group, by not telling him that they were planning to leave.
21 cumque abisset tam ipse quam omnia quae iuris eius erant et amne transmisso pergeret contra montem Galaad
So Jacob and his family fled with all their possessions, and they crossed the Euphrates River, and then started traveling south toward the hilly Gilead region.
22 nuntiatum est Laban die tertio quod fugeret Iacob
On the third day after they left, someone told Laban that Jacob and his family had left.
23 qui adsumptis fratribus suis persecutus est eum diebus septem et conprehendit in monte Galaad
So he took some of his relatives with him and started to pursue Jacob. They continued walking for seven days.
24 viditque in somnis dicentem sibi Dominum cave ne quicquam aspere loquaris contra Iacob
Then God appeared to Laban in a dream at night, and said to him, “When you catch up to Jacob, be sure that you do not say anything at all [HYP] to him in an angry manner!”
25 iamque Iacob extenderat in monte tabernaculum cum ille consecutus eum cum fratribus suis in eodem monte Galaad fixit tentorium
The next day, by the time Laban caught up with Jacob, Jacob and his household had set up their tents in the hilly Gilead region. So Laban and his relatives set up their tents there, too.
26 et dixit ad Iacob quare ita egisti ut clam me abigeres filias meas quasi captivas gladio
Then Laban went to Jacob and said to him, “Why have you done this? You have deceived me by carrying away my daughters as though you had captured them in a war [MTY]!
27 cur ignorante me fugere voluisti nec indicare mihi ut prosequerer te cum gaudio et canticis et tympanis et cithara
Why did you run away and deceive me? Why did you not tell me that you were going to leave, so that we could have rejoiced and sung while people played music on tambourines and harps before I said ‘goodbye’ to you?
28 non es passus ut oscularer filios meos ac filias stulte operatus es et nunc
(You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye before they left!/Why did you not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye before they left?) [RHQ] What you have done was foolish!
29 valet quidem manus mea reddere tibi malum sed Deus patris vestri heri dixit mihi cave ne loquaris cum Iacob quicquam durius
My relatives and I have the power to harm you, but last night the God whom your father worships said to me in a dream, ‘Be sure that you do not say anything at all to Jacob in an angry way.’
30 esto ad tuos ire cupiebas et desiderio tibi erat domus patris tui cur furatus es deos meos
Now, I know you have left because you long to go back home. But why did you steal my [wooden] idols?”
31 respondit Iacob quod inscio te profectus sum timui ne violenter auferres filias tuas
Jacob replied to Laban, saying, “I did not tell you that we were planning to leave, because I was afraid. I thought that [if I told you], you would forcefully take your daughters away from me.
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 if you find anyone here who has your wooden idols, we will execute that person. While our relatives are watching, search for yourself to see if there is anything that belongs to you that is here with me. If you find anything, you can take it!” When Jacob said that, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the wooden idols.
33 ingressus itaque Laban tabernaculum Iacob et Liae et utriusque famulae non invenit cumque intrasset tentorium Rahelis
Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and then into Leah’s tent, and then into the tents of the two female slaves and searched for the idols, but he did not find them. After he left their tents, he entered Rachel’s tent.
34 illa festinans abscondit idola subter stramen cameli et sedit desuper scrutantique omne tentorium et nihil invenienti
But Rachel had previously taken the idols and put them in the saddle of a camel, and she was sitting on the saddle. So when Laban searched all over for them inside Rachel’s tent, he did not find them.
35 ait ne irascatur dominus meus quod coram te adsurgere nequeo quia iuxta consuetudinem feminarum nunc accidit mihi sic delusa sollicitudo quaerentis est
Rachel said to her father, “Do not be angry with me, sir, but I cannot get up in your presence [to show respect for you], because I am having my monthly menstrual period. [EUP]” So when Laban searched some more, he did not find the [wooden] idols.
36 tumensque Iacob cum iurgio ait quam ob culpam meam et ob quod peccatum sic exarsisti post me
Then Jacob became angry. He rebuked Laban, saying, “What crime did I commit? For what sin that I committed have you 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
Now you have searched through all my possessions, and what did you find from all these possessions that belongs to you? Put it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they can decide who is right, you or me!
38 idcirco viginti annis fui tecum oves tuae et caprae steriles non fuerunt arietes gregis tui non comedi
I was with you for 20 years. In all that time, your sheep and goats have (not miscarried/always given birth to animals safely). I have not [killed and] eaten any rams from your flocks.
39 nec captum a bestia ostendi tibi ego damnum omne reddebam quicquid furto perierat a me exigebas
When one of your animals was attacked and mauled/killed by a wild animal, I did not bring it to you. I replaced the dead animal with a living one of my own animals. Whenever one of your animals was stolen, during the day or during the night, you demanded that I replace it with one of my own animals.
40 die noctuque aestu urebar et gelu fugiebat somnus ab oculis meis
I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was often not even able to sleep [PRS]!
41 sic per viginti annos in domo tua servivi tibi quattuordecim pro filiabus et sex pro gregibus tuis inmutasti quoque mercedem meam decem vicibus
I lived in your household for 20 years. I worked for you for 14 years to buy your two daughters, and for six more years to buy some of your sheep and goats. During that time, you changed and reduced my wages many times [HYP].
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
If God, the one whom my grandfather Abraham worshiped and before whom my father Isaac trembled in fear, had not been with me and helped me, you would have sent me away (with nothing in my hands/owning nothing)! But God saw how much I was suffering and how hard I was working, so last night he told you that what you have done to me was wrong.”
43 respondit ei Laban filiae et filii et greges tui et omnia quae cernis mea sunt quid possum facere filiis et nepotibus meis
Laban replied, “These two women are my daughters, and their children are my grandchildren, and the animals are my animals. Everything you see here is mine [HYP]! But what can I do today to keep my daughters or the children they have given birth to [RHQ]?
44 veni ergo et ineamus foedus ut sit testimonium inter me et te
I cannot do anything in order to keep them, so hey, we should make a peace agreement, you and I, and do something that will remind us about our agreement.”
45 tulit itaque Iacob lapidem et erexit illum in titulum
So Jacob took a [large] stone and set it on its end.
46 dixitque fratribus suis adferte lapides qui congregantes fecerunt tumulum comederuntque super eum
Then Jacob said to his relatives, “You also gather some stones.” So they gathered some rocks and put them in a heap, and they ate some food there near the heap.
47 quem vocavit Laban tumulus Testis et Iacob acervum Testimonii uterque iuxta proprietatem linguae suae
Laban gave the heap the Aramaic name Jegar-Sahadutha, [which means ‘rock-pile to remind us’, ] but Jacob gave the rock-pile the Hebrew name Galeed, [which has the same meaning].
48 dixitque Laban tumulus iste testis erit inter me et te hodie et idcirco appellatum est nomen eius Galaad id est tumulus Testis
Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks we have put here today will help us to remember our agreement.” That is why Jacob called it Galeed.
49 intueatur Dominus et iudicet inter nos quando recesserimus a nobis
They also named the place Mizpah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘watchtower’, ] because Laban said, “We will ask Yahweh to watch you and me while we are separated from each other, [so that we do not try to harm each other].
50 si adflixeris filias meas et si introduxeris uxores alias super eas nullus sermonis nostri testis est absque Deo qui praesens respicit
If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take other women to be your wives, even if no one tells me about it, don’t forget that God sees what you and I are doing!”
51 dixitque rursus ad Iacob en tumulus hic et lapis quem erexi inter me et te
Laban also said to Jacob, “You see this large stone and this pile of rocks that we have set up to be between us.
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
Both this pile of rocks and this large stone will remind us, that I will not go past these rocks to harm you, and you will not go past these rocks to harm me.
53 Deus Abraham et Deus Nahor iudicet inter nos Deus patris eorum iuravit Iacob per Timorem patris sui Isaac
We will ask the God whom [your grandfather] Abraham and [his father] Nahor worshiped to punish [MTY] either one of us, [if we harm the other one].” So Jacob solemnly promised to do what they said in their peace agreement. And he asked God, the one before whom his father Isaac trembled, to listen to what they promised.
54 immolatisque victimis in monte vocavit fratres suos ut ederent panem qui cum comedissent manserunt ibi
He offered a sacrifice to God there in the hilly area, and he invited his relatives to eat with him. After they had eaten, they slept there that night.
55 Laban vero de nocte consurgens osculatus est filios et filias suas et benedixit illis reversus in locum suum
The next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters [goodbye] and asked God to bless them. Then he [and his men] left them and returned home.
