Genesis 31

1 Now it came to the ears of Jacob that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken away all our father's property, and in this way he has got all this wealth.

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;'

2 And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.

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

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers, and to your relations, and I will be with you.

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

4 And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock.

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

5 And he said to them, It is clear to me that your father's feeling is no longer what it was to me; but the God of my father has been with me

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,

6 And you have seen how I have done all in my power for your father,

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

7 But your father has not kept faith with me, and ten times he has made changes in my payment; but God has kept him from doing me damage.

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.

8 If he said, All those in the flock which have marks are to be yours, then all the flock gave birth to marked young; and if he said, All the banded ones are to be yours, then all the flock had banded young.

'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;

9 So God has taken away your father's cattle and has given them to me.

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

10 And at the time when the flock were with young, I saw in a dream that all the he-goats which were joined with the she-goats were banded and marked and coloured.

'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;

11 And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.

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

12 And he said, See how all the he-goats are banded and marked and coloured: for I have seen what Laban has done to you.

'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;

13 I am the God of Beth-el, where you put oil on the pillar and took an oath to me: now then, come out of this land and go back to the country of your birth.

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.'

14 Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there for us in our father's house?

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

15 Are we not as people from a strange country to him? for he took a price for us and now it is all used up.

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

16 For the wealth which God has taken from him is ours and our children's; so now, whatever God has said to you, do.

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.'

17 Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels;

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

18 And sending on before him all his cattle and his property which he had got together in Paddan-aram, he made ready to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

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.

19 Now Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house.

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

20 And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.

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

21 So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead.

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.

22 And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.

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

23 And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him for seven days and overtook him in the hill-country of Gilead.

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

24 Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.

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.'

25 Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead.

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.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?

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?

27 Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?

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,

28 You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.

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

29 It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.

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.

30 And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken my gods?

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

31 And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force.

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

32 As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them.

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.

33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.

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.

34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them.

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;

35 And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images.

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.

36 Then Jacob was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion?

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?

37 Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us.

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.

38 These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food.

'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;

39 Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night.

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;

40 This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.

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

41 These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed.

'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;

42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back.

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.'

43 Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children?

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?

44 Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.

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

45 Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.

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

46 And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.

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

47 And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.

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

48 And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,

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

49 And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.

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

50 If you are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us.

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.'

51 And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;

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

52 They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose.

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;

53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.

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.

54 And Jacob made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that night on the mountain.

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;

55 And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.

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.