Genesis 31
1 Then heard he the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that belonged to our father; Yea out of what belonged to our father, hath he made all this wealth.
But afterwards, he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and being enlarged by his ability, he has become famous.”
2 And Jacob looked upon the face of Laban, —and lo! it was not with him as afore-time.
Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.
3 Then said Yahweh unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, —that I may be with thee.
Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent, and called for Rachel and for Leah, to the field unto his flock;
He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,
5 and said to them, Beholding, am I the face of your father, that it is not towards me as aforetime, —nevertheless, the God of my father, hath been with me;
and he said to them: “I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as it was yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father has been with me.
6 and, ye, know that with all my vigour, have I served your father.
And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.
7 But, your father, hath deceived me, and hath changed my wages ten times, —yet God hath not suffered him to deal harmfully with me.
Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me.
8 If thus he saith, The speckled, shall be thy wages, then do all the flock bring forth speckled, —But if thus he saith, The ring-straked, shall be thy wages, then do all the flock bring forth ring-straked.
Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones.
9 So hath God stripped away the herds of your father, and given them to me.
And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.
10 And it came to pass in the season when the flock were in heat, then lifted I mine eyes and beheld in a dream, —and lo! the he-goats that were leaping upon the flock, were ring-straked speckled and dappled.
For after the time had arrived for the ewes to conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and I saw in my sleep that the males climbing on the females were of variegated, and spotted, and diverse colors.
11 And the messenger of God said unto me in a dream, Jacob! and I said, Behold me!
And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’
12 Then he said Lift, I pray thee, thine eyes and behold All, the he-goats that are leaping upon the flock are ring-straked, speckled, and dappled, —for I have seen all that Laban, has been doing to thee.
And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes, and see that all the males climbing on the females are variegated, spotted, and also speckled. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
13 I, am the GOD of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow to me a vow, —Now, rise, go forth out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and depart from this land, returning to the land of your nativity.’”
14 Then responded Rachel and Leah, and said to him, —Have we any longer a portion or an inheritance in the house of our father?
And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?
15 Are we not accounted, aliens, to him seeing that having sold us, he hath then gone on devouring, our silver?
Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?
16 Surely all the riches which God hath stripped off from our father, unto us, it belongeth, and unto our sons, —Now, therefore, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”
17 So Jacob arose, —and mounted his sons and his wives on the camels;
And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.
18 and drave away all his herds and all his goods which he had gathered, the gains he had gained, which he had gathered in Padan-aram; that he might go in unto Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.
And he took all his substance and flocks, and whatever he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and he journeyed to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan.
19 Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, —so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.
20 Thus Jacob stole away unawares to Laban, the Syrian, —in that he had not told him that he was about to flee.
And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.
21 So he fled, he—and all that he had, and he arose, and passed over the River, —and set his face towards the mountain of Gilead.
And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,
22 And it was told Laban, on the third day, —that Jacob had fled.
it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 So he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him a journey of seven days—and overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.
24 And God went in unto Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, —and said to him Take heed to thyself that thou speak not with Jacob either good or bad.
And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”
25 So then Laban came up with Jacob, —Jacob, having pitched his tent in the mountain, Laban, also, with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.
And now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain. And when he, with his brothers, had overtaken him, he set his tent at the same place at Mount Gilead.
26 Then said Laban to Jacob, What hadst thou done, that thou shouldst steal away unawares to me, —and shouldst carry off my daughters, as captives of the sword?
And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Wherefore didst thou secretly flee, and rob me, —and didst not tell me, that I might send thee away with rejoicing and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre;
Why would you want to flee without my knowledge and without telling me, though I might have led you forward with gladness, and songs, and timbrels, and lyres?
28 and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now, hast thou done, foolishly.
You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,
29 It is in the power of my hand, to deal with thee for harm, —but the God of your father, last night, spake unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not with Jacob, either good or bad.
my hand has power to repay you with harm. But the God of your father said to me yesterday, ‘Beware that you not speak anything stern against Jacob.’
30 But, now, though thou, didst even take thy journey, because thou, didst sorely long, for the house of thy father, wherefore didst thou steal away my gods?
It may be that you desired to go to your own, and that you longed for the house of your father. But why have you stolen my gods?”
31 And Jacob answered and said unto Laban, —Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take by force thy daughters from me!
Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.
32 He with whom thou find thy gods, shall not live! Before our brethren, note thou for thyself what is with me and take what is thine. Neither did Jacob know that, Rachel, had stolen them.
But, since you accuse me of theft, with whomever you will find your gods, let him be slain in the sight of our brothers. Search; anything of yours that you will find with me, take it away.” Now when he said this, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 Then entered Laban into the tent of Jacob and into the tent of Leah and into the tent of the two handmaids, and found nothing, —then went he forth out of the tent of Leah, and entered into the tent of Rachel.
And so Laban, entering the tent of Jacob, and of Leah, and of both the handmaids, did not find them. And when he had entered the tent of Rachel,
34 Now Rachel, had taken the household gods and put them in the basket-saddle of the camel, and taken her seat upon them. And Laban felt about throughout all the tent, and found them not.
she quickly hid the idols under the camel’s bedding, and she sat upon them. And when he had searched the entire tent and found nothing,
35 And she said unto her father, Let it not be vexing in the eyes of my lord that I cannot rise up at thy presence, for, the way of women, is upon me. So he made search, but found not the household gods,
she said: “Do not be angry, my lord, that I am unable to rise up in your sight, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women.” So his careful search was thwarted.
36 And it was vexing to Jacob and he contended with Laban, —and Jacob responded and said to Laban, What was my trespass, what my sin, that thou shouldst have come burning after me?
And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me
37 Now that thou hast felt about among all my goods, what hast thou found of the goods of thine own house? Set it out here, right before my brethren and thy brethren, —that they may give sentence betwixt us two.
and searched all the items of my house? What have you found from all the substance of your house? Place it here before my brothers, and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you.
38 This twenty years’ time, have, I, been with thee—Thy ewes and thy she-goats, have not cast their young, —And the rams of thy flock, have I not eaten,
For what reason have I been with you for twenty years? Your ewes and she-goats were not barren; the rams of your flocks I did not consume.
39 The torn, have I not brought in unto thee—I bare the loss, At my hand, didst thou require it, —Stolen by day, or stolen by night.
Neither did I reveal to you what was seized by the wild beast. I replaced all that was damaged. Whatever was lost by theft, you collected it from me.
40 Thus have I been—By day, drought hath consumed me, And, frost, by, night, —So that my sleep fled away from mine eyes.
Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41 This, hath been my lot twenty years in thy house, —I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, And six years for thy sheep—And thou didst change my wages ten times: —
And in this way, for twenty years, I have served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks. You have also changed my wages ten times.
42 But that the God of my father—The God of Abraham, and the Dread of Isaac—Proved to be mine, Surely even now, empty, hadst thou let me go? My humiliation and the wearying toil of my hands, God had seen, And therefore gave sentence last night!
If the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been close to me, perhaps by now you would have sent me away naked. But God looked kindly on my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he rebuked you yesterday.”
43 Then responded Laban and said unto Jacob—the daughters, are my daughters, And the sons, are my sons, And the sheep are my sheep, And, all that, thou, beholdest, To me doth it belong! But to my daughters, what can I do to these this day, Or to their sons whom they have borne?
Laban answered him: “My daughters and sons, and your flocks, and all that you discern are mine. What can I do to my sons and grandchildren?
44 Now, therefore, come on! Let us solemnise a covenant, I and thou, —So shall it be a witness betwixt me and thee.
Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”
45 So Jacob took a stone, —and set it up as a pillar.
And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.
46 Then said Jacob to his brethren—Gather stones. And they took stones and made a heap, —and they did eat there, by the heap.
And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.
47 And Laban called it, Jegar-sahadutha, —but, Jacob, called it, Galeed.
And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.
48 Then said Laban: This heap, be witness betwixt me, and thee, to-day. For this cause, is the name thereof called Galeed;
And Laban said: “This tomb will be a witness between me and you this day.” (And for this reason, its name has been called Gilead, that is, ‘Tomb of Witness.’)
49 also, The Watch Tower, as to which it is said, Yahweh watch betwixt me and thee, when we are parted one from another.
“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.
50 If thou oppress my daughters, or if thou take wives besides my daughters, —there may be no man with us—see! God, be witness betwixt me, and thee!
If you afflict my daughters, and if you bring in other wives over them, no one is a witness of our words except God, who understands beforehand.”
51 And Laban said to Jacob—Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have set betwixt me, and thee:
And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,
52 A witness, be this heap, and, a witness, the pillar, —That, I, am not to pass, unto thee, over this heap, And, thou, art not to pass, unto me, over this heap and this pillar for harm.
will be a witness. This tomb,” I say, “and the stone, they are for testimony, in case either I cross beyond it going toward you, or you cross beyond it thinking to harm me.
53 The Gods of Abraham and the Gods of Nahor judge betwixt us—the Gods of their fathers. And Jacob sware by the Dread of his father Isaac:
May the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Therefore, Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
54 and Jacob offered sacrifice in the mountain, and called on his brethren to eat bread. So they did eat bread, and tarried the night in the mountain.
And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.
55 And Laban rose up early in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban went his way and returned to his place.
In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.
