Genesis 31

1 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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

5 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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

10 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.

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

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

12 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.

'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 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.

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 And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of 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 Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

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

16 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.

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

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

18 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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?

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

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 return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against 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 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?

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

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 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,

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 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,

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 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.

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 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,

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 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.

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

'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 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:

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

'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 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.

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 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

48 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.

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

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

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

50 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.

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

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

52 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.

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 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.

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

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

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.