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:

Now he heard the words of Labans sonnes, saying, Iaakob hath taken away all that was our fathers, and of our fathers goods hath he gotten all this honour.

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

Also Iaakob beheld the countenance of Laban, that it was not towards him as in times past:

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 the Lord had said vnto Iaakob, Turne againe into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kinred, and I wilbe with thee.

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

Therefore Iaakob sent and called Rahel and Leah to the fielde vnto his flocke.

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.

Then sayde hee vnto them, I see your fathers countenance, that it is not towardes me as it was wont, and the God of my father hath bene with me.

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

And yee knowe that I haue serued your father with all my might.

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.

But your father hath deceiued me, and changed my wages tenne times: but God suffred him not to hurt 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 thus sayd, The spotted shall be thy wages, then all the sheepe bare spotted: and if he sayd thus, the party coloured shalbe thy rewarde, then bare all the sheepe particoloured.

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

Thus hath God taken away your fathers substance, and giuen it 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.

For in ramming time I lifted vp mine eyes and saw in a dreame, and beholde, ye hee goates leaped vpon the shee goates, that were partie coloured with litle and great spots spotted.

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

And the Angel of God sayde to mee in a dreame, Iaakob. And I answered, Lo, I am here.

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 sayde, Lift vp nowe thine eyes, and see all the hee goates leaping vpon ye shee goates that are partie coloured, spotted with litle and great spots: for I haue seene all that Laban doeth vnto 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 Beth-el, where thou anoyntedst the pillar, where thou vowedst a vowe vnto me. Nowe arise, get thee out of this countrey and returne vnto ye land where thou wast borne.

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

Then answered Rahel and Leah, and sayde vnto him, Haue wee any more porcion and inheritance in our fathers house?

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

Doeth not he count vs as strangers? for he hath solde vs, and hath eaten vp and consumed 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.

Therefore all the riches, which God hath taken from our father, is ours and our childrens: nowe then whatsoeuer God hath saide vnto thee, doe it.

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

Then Iaakob rose vp, and set his sonnes and his wiues vpon 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 he caried away all his flockes, and al his substance which he had gotten, to wit, his riches, which he had gotten in Padan Aram, to goe to Izhak his father vnto the land of Canaan.

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

Whe Laban was gone to shere his sheepe, Then Rahel stole her fathers idoles.

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

Thus Iaakob stole away ye heart of Laban the Aramite: for he told him not that he fled.

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

So fled he with all that he had, and he rose vp, and passed the riuer, and set his face towarde mount Gilead.

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

And the third day after was it told Laban, that Iaakob fled.

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

Then he tooke his brethren with him, and followed after him seuen dayes iourney, and ouertooke him at mount Gilead.

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

And God came to Laban the Aramite in a dreame by night, and sayde vnto him, Take heede that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.

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.

Then Laban ouertooke Iaakob, and Iaakob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban also with his brethren pitched vpon mount 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.

Then Laban sayde to Iaakob, What hast thou done? thou hast euen stolen away mine heart and caried away my daughters as though they had bene taken captiues with the sworde.

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?

Wherfore diddest thou flie so secretly and steale away from me, and diddest not tel me, that I might haue sent thee foorth with mirth and with songs, with timbrel and with harpe?

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

But thou hast not suffered me to kisse my sonnes and my daughters: nowe thou hast done 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.

I am able to do you euill: but the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying, Take heed that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.

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?

Nowe though thou wentest thy way, because thou greatly longedst after thy fathers house, yet wherefore hast thou stollen my gods?

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

Then Iaakob answered, and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest haue taken 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.

But with whome thou findest thy gods, let him not liue. Search thou before our brethre what I haue of thine, and take it to thee, (but Iaakob wist not that Rahel had 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,

Then came Laban into Iaakobs tent, and into Leahs tent, and into the two maides tentes, but founde them not. So hee went out of Leahs tent, and entred into Rahels tent.

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,

(Nowe Rahel had taken the idoles, and put them in the camels litter and sate downe vpon them) and Laban searched al the tent, but found them not.

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.

Then said she to her father, My Lord, be not angrie that I cannot rise vp before thee: for the custome of women is vpon me: so he searched, but found not the idoles.

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,

The Iaakob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iaakob also answered and sayd to Laban, What haue I trespassed? what haue I offended, that thou hast pursued 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.

Seeing thou hast searched all my stuffe, what hast thou foud of all thine houshold stuffe? put it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may iudge betweene vs 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:

This twenty yere I haue bin with thee: thine ewes and thy goates haue not cast their yong, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I 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:

Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts, I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of mine hand diddest thou require it, were it stollen by day or stollen by night.

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

I was in the day consumed with heate, and with frost in the night, and my sleepe departed 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.

Thus haue I bene twentie yeere in thine house, and serued thee fourteene yeeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yeeres for thy sheepe, and thou hast changed my wages tenne 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.

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Izhak had bene with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe emptie: but God behelde my tribulation, and the labour of mine hads, and rebuked thee yester night.

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?

Then Laban answered, and saide vnto Iaakob, These daughters are my daughters, and these sonnes are my sonnes, and these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest, is mine, and what can I doe this day vnto these my daughters, or to their sonnes which they haue borne?

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

Nowe therefore come and let vs make a couenant, I and thou, which may be a witnes betweene me and thee.

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

Then tooke Iaakob a stone, and set it vp as a 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 Iaakob sayde vnto his brethren, Gather stones: who brought stones, and made an heape, and they did eate there vpon the heape.

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 called it Iegar-sahadutha, and Iaakob 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.

For Laban sayd, This heape is witnesse betweene me and thee this day: therefore he called the name of it Galeed.

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

Also he called it Mizpah, because he said, The Lord looke betweene me and thee, when we shalbe departed 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 shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take wiues beside my daughters: there is no man with vs, beholde, God is witnesse betweene 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,

Moreouer Laban sayd to Iaakob, Beholde this heape, and behold the pillar, which I haue set betweene 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 heape shall be witnesse, and the pillar shall be witnesse, that I will not come ouer this heape to thee, and that thou shalt not passe ouer this heape and this pillar vnto me for euill.

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 Nabor, and the God of their father be iudge betweene vs: But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak.

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:

Then Iaakob did offer a sacrifice vpon the mount, and called his brethren to eate bread. and they did eate bread, and taried all night 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 earely in the morning Laban rose vp and kissed his sonnes and his daughters, and blessed them, and Laban departing, went vnto his place againe.