Genesis 31

1 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.”

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.

2 And Jacob noticed that Laban was not acting friendly toward him as he had done before.

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

3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will help you there.”

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

4 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.

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

5 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.

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

6 You two know that I have worked very hard for your father,

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

7 but many times [HYP] he has cheated me by decreasing my wages. But God has not allowed him to harm me.

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.

8 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.

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.

9 In that way, God has taken away the livestock that belonged to your father and has given them to me.

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

10 “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.

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.

11 An angel who was sent by God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I am here!’

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

12 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.

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.

13 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.’”

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.

14 Rachel and Leah replied, “Our father will not give us anything more when he dies [RHQ].

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

15 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!

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.

16 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!”

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

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels.

Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels;

18 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.

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.

19 Before they left, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the [small wooden] idols [that were in her father’s tent].

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.

20 Furthermore, Jacob deceived Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group, by not telling him that they were planning to leave.

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

21 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.

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

22 On the third day after they left, someone told Laban that Jacob and his family had left.

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

23 So he took some of his relatives with him and started to pursue Jacob. They continued walking for seven days.

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.

24 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!”

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.

25 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.

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.

26 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]!

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

27 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?

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?

28 (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!

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

29 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.’

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.

30 Now, I know you have left because you long to go back home. But why did you steal my [wooden] idols?”

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?

31 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.

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

32 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.

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.

33 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.

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.

34 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.

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.

35 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.

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.

36 Then Jacob became angry. He rebuked Laban, saying, “What crime did I commit? For what sin that I committed have you pursued me?

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

37 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!

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.

38 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.

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.

39 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.

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.

40 I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was often not even able to sleep [PRS]!

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

41 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].

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.

42 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.”

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.

43 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]?

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?

44 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.”

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

45 So Jacob took a [large] stone and set it on its end.

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

46 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.

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

47 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].

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

48 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.

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

49 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].

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

50 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!”

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.

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “You see this large stone and this pile of rocks that we have set up to be between us.

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

52 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.

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.

53 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.

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.

54 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.

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.

55 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.

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