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.”
Yakob va nya be Laban ƒe viwo nɔ liʋĩliʋĩ lĩm be, “Nu sia nu si le esi la do tso mía fofo ƒe nuwo me. Eƒe kesinɔnuwo katã tso mía fofo gbɔ.”
2 And Jacob noticed that Laban was not acting friendly toward him as he had done before.
Yakob de dzesii be Laban megakɔa ŋkume ɖe ye o.
3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will help you there.”
Yehowa ƒo nu na Yakob gblɔ be, “Trɔ nàyi fofowò ƒe anyigba dzi, nànɔ wò ƒometɔwo dome le afi ma, eye manɔ kpli wò.”
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.
Eya ta gbe ɖeka Yakob ɖo du ɖe Rahel kple Lea be woava kpɔ ye le alẽhawo gbɔ le gbedzi,
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.
ale be yewoalé nya aɖewo kpɔ. Yakob gblɔ na wo be, “Mia fofo tso ɖe ŋunye, ke fofonyewo ƒe Mawu va ƒo nu nam.
6 You two know that I have worked very hard for your father,
Mienya ale si mewɔ dɔ sesĩe na mia fofo,
7 but many times [HYP] he has cheated me by decreasing my wages. But God has not allowed him to harm me.
ke mewɔ nu dzɔdzɔe ɖe ŋunye o; eda le ɖoɖo siwo míewɔ ɖe nye fetu ŋu la dzi zi geɖe. Ke Mawu meɖe mɔ nɛ be wòawɔ nuvevi aɖekem o!
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.
Elabena ne egblɔ be lã ŋɔtaŋɔtawo nanye tɔnye la, ekema lã siwo wodzi la nɔa ŋɔtaŋɔta. Esi wòtrɔ ɖoɖo la hegblɔ be lã siwo me fli to nazu tɔnyewo la, fli nɔa lãawo katã ŋuti.
9 In that way, God has taken away the livestock that belonged to your father and has given them to me.
Ale Mawu na mezu hotsuitɔ to mia fofo ƒe lãha si wòxɔ tsɔ nam ta.
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.
“Le lãawo ƒe asiyɔɣi la, meku drɔ̃e, eye mekpɔ be gbɔ̃tsu siwo katã nɔ asi yɔm la nye lã siwo me fli to kple esiwo nɔ ŋɔtaŋɔta la.
11 An angel who was sent by God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I am here!’
Mawudɔla aɖe yɔm le drɔ̃ea me be, ‘Yakob,’ eye metɔ be, ‘Nyee nye esi.’
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.
Eye wògblɔ nam be mana gbɔ̃tsu siwo me fli le kple esiwo le ŋɔtaŋɔta la nayɔ asi gbɔ̃nɔ ɣiawo.” Egblɔ be, “Elabena mekpɔ nu siwo katã Laban wɔ ɖe ŋuwò la.
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.’”
Nyee nye Mawu si ɖe ɖokuinye fia wò le Betel, afi si nèkɔ ami ɖe kpe dzi le, eye nèɖe adzɔgbe be yeasubɔm. Azɔ la, ele na wò be nàdzo le afi sia, eye nàyi afi si wodzi wò ɖo la.”
14 Rachel and Leah replied, “Our father will not give us anything more when he dies [RHQ].
Rahel kple Lea ɖo eŋu be, “Nu sia nyo na mí! Naneke mele afi sia na mí o; mía fofo ƒe kesinɔnuwo dometɔ aɖeke mazu domenyinu na mí o!
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!
Ele nuwo wɔm ɖe mía ŋu abe amedzrowo míenye ene. Etsɔ mí dzra, eye nu si wòxɔ ɖe mía ta hã megali o.
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!”
Le sea nu la, kesinɔnu siwo Mawu tsɔ na wò to mía fofo dzi la nye mí kple mía viwo tɔ, eya ta wɔ nu sia nu si Mawu be nàwɔ la.”
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels.
Yakob kɔ viawo kple srɔ̃awo ɖo kposɔwo dzi, eye wodzo.
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.
Ke ena wokplɔ eƒe lãhawo do ŋgɔe kpe ɖe nunɔamesi siwo katã wòkpɔ le Padan Aram la ŋuti ɖo ɖe fofoa Isak le Kanaanyigba dzi.
19 Before they left, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the [small wooden] idols [that were in her father’s tent].
Esi Laban yi ɖe fu ko ge na eƒe alẽwo la, Rahel fi fofoa ƒe aklamakpakpɛwo tsɔ dzoe.
20 Furthermore, Jacob deceived Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group, by not telling him that they were planning to leave.
Gawu la, Yakob flu Laban, Arameatɔ la, eye meklãe hafi dzo o.
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.
Ale wòsi kple eƒe nunɔamesiwo katã. Esi wòtso Frat tɔsisi la, eɖo ta Gilead ƒe tonyigbawo dzi.
22 On the third day after they left, someone told Laban that Jacob and his family had left.
Ŋkeke etɔ̃ va yi hafi Laban nya nu tso Yakob ƒe sisi ŋu.
23 So he took some of his relatives with him and started to pursue Jacob. They continued walking for seven days.
Ekplɔ ame aɖewo ɖe asi, eye wodze eyome kple du heva tui le ŋkeke adre megbe le Gilead to la gbɔ.
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!”
Gbe ma gbe la, Mawu ɖe eɖokui fia Laban Arameatɔ le drɔ̃e me, eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Kpɔ nyuie le nu si nàgblɔ na Yakob la ŋuti. Mègayrae o, eye mègaƒo fi dee hã o.”
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.
Laban va tu Yakob esime Yakob tu agbadɔ ɖe Gilead to la dzi. Laban hã tu eƒe agbadɔ ɖe to la te.
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]!
Laban bia Yakob be, “Nu kae nye esi nèwɔ hesi dzo le adzame ale? Ɖe vinyenyɔnuwo nye aboyome siwo wolé le aʋa me, eya ta nèkplɔ wo si dzoe alea?
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?
Nu ka ta mèna mɔnukpɔkpɔm be maɖo kplɔ̃ na mi, eye hadzidzi, ʋuƒoƒo kple kasaŋkuƒoƒo nanɔ anyi o ɖo?
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!
Nu ka ta mèna megbugbɔ nu na nye tɔgbuiyɔviwo hedo hedenyui na wo o ɖo? Nu sia nye nu trama aɖe si nèwɔ.
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.’
Mate ŋu awɔ nuvevi wò hafi, gake fofowò ƒe Mawu la ɖe eɖokui fiam le zã si va yi la me, eye wògblɔ nam be, ‘Kpɔ nyuie be màklẽ ŋku ade Yakob o.’
30 Now, I know you have left because you long to go back home. But why did you steal my [wooden] idols?”
Ke esi nèkpɔ be ele be yeadzo, eye aƒe nɔ dzrowòm vevie nenema ɖe, nu ka ta nèfi nye aklamakpakpɛwo dzoe ɖo?”
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.
Yakob ɖo eŋu na Laban be, “Mesi dzo, elabena menɔ vɔvɔ̃m. Megblɔ na ɖokuinye be, ‘Àva xɔ viwò nyɔnuwo le asinye sesẽtɔe.’
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.
Ke le wò aklamakpakpɛwo gome la, woaƒo fi ade ame si fi wo la, eye wòaku! Ka nye nuwo katã me le mía nɔviawo ƒe ŋkume kpɔ be wò nane le wo me mahã. Ne èkpɔ wò nane si mefi dzoe la, ekema tsɔe.” Ke Yakob menya be Rahel fi aklamakpakpɛawo o.
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.
Laban yi ɖaka Yakob ƒe agbadɔ me gbã; emegbe eyi ɖaka Lea kple kosi eveawo ƒe agbadɔ me, gake mekpɔ aklamakpakpɛawo o. Esia megbe la, eyi ɖaka Rahel tɔ me azɔ.
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.
Rahel nye ame si fi aklamakpakpɛawo. Etsɔ wo ɣla ɖe eƒe kposɔ ƒe akpa te, eye wònɔ anyi ɖe wo dzi. Togbɔ be Laban ka agbadɔawo me abe ale si wòate ŋui ene hã la, mete ŋu kpɔ aklamakpakpɛawo o.
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.
Rahel gblɔ na fofoa be, “Papa, tsɔe kem be nyemate ŋu atsi tsitre o, elabena mekpɔ dzinu.”
36 Then Jacob became angry. He rebuked Laban, saying, “What crime did I commit? For what sin that I committed have you pursued me?
Yakob do dɔmedzoe ɖe Laban ŋu, eye wòbiae be, “Nu vɔ̃ ka mewɔ? Vo ka meda si ta nànɔ fu ɖem nam ale?
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!
Azɔ esi nèka nye nuwo katã me ɖe, nu ka nèkpɔ si nye tɔwò? Tsɔe da ɖe wò ƒometɔwo kple tɔnyewo ŋkume, eye nàna woadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu le nye kpli wò dome.
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.
“Menɔ gbɔwò ƒe blaeve sɔŋ. Le ɣeyiɣi ma katã me la, mekpɔ wò alẽnɔwo kple gbɔ̃nɔwo dzi, ale be wodzi vi lãmesesẽtɔwo na wò, eye nyemewu wò agbo ɖeka pɛ gɔ̃ hã ɖa ɖu o.
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.
Ne lã wɔadãwo wu ɖewo la, ɖe metsɔa wo fiaa wò be nàɖe wo tso wò lãwo domea? Ao, meɖoa eteƒe na wò. Èna mexe fe ɖe wò lã ɖe sia ɖe si wofi tso wò lãhawo me la ta, eɖanye nye vodada, alo menye nye vodada o!
40 I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was often not even able to sleep [PRS]!
“Mewɔ dɔ na wò, ŋdɔkutsu ɖum le ŋkeke me, eye vuvɔ wɔm le zã me, eye nyemedɔa alɔ̃ o.
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].
Ɛ̃, mewɔ dɔ na wò ƒe blaeve sɔŋ: ƒe wuiene be mate ŋu aɖe viwò nyɔnu eve, ƒe ade be lãha sia naka asinye! Gawu la, èɖe nye fetu dzi zi ewo.
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.”
Nyateƒe, ne menye tɔgbuinye Abraham ƒe Mawu kple fofonye Isak ƒe Mawu ƒe amenuveve tae o la, anye ne èdo mɔm asi ƒuƒlu, pesewa ɖeka pɛ gɔ̃ hã manɔ asinye o! Ke Mawu kpɔ wò ŋutasesẽ kple nye nuteƒewɔwɔ, eya ta wòɖe eɖokui fia wò le zã si va yi me.”
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]?
Laban ɖo eŋu na Yakob be, “Vinyewoe nye nyɔnu siawo; ɖevi siawo hã tɔnyewoe. Lãha siawo kple nu siwo katã le asiwò la, tɔnyee wonye, eya ta nu ka ta mawɔ nuvevi nye ŋutɔ vinyewo kple nye tɔgbuiyɔviwo ɖo?
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.”
Na míabla ŋutifafanu kple mía nɔewo, eye mía dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe nazɔ ɖe nubabla sia ƒe ɖoɖowo dzi.”
45 So Jacob took a [large] stone and set it on its end.
Ale Yakob ɖi kpe aɖe abe ŋkuɖodzikpe ene,
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.
eye wògblɔ na eƒe amewo be woafɔ kpewo ali kɔ ɖe kpe la dzi. Emegbe Yakob kple Laban ɖu nu ɖekae le kpeawo gbɔ.
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].
Laban yɔe be Yegar Sahaduta, eye Yakob yɔe be Galed.
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.
Laban gblɔ be, “Kpoƒuƒu sia nye ɖasefo le nye kpli wò dome egbea.” Eya ta woyɔe be Galed.
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].
Eya ta woyɔe hã be “Mizpa” si gɔmee nye “Nuŋudzɔla,” elabena Laban gblɔ be, “Aƒetɔ la nakpɔ egbɔ be ne míegale mía nɔewo gbɔ o hã la, míazɔ ɖe nubabla sia dzi.
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!”
Kpe ɖe esia ŋu la, ne èwɔ fu vinyewo alo ègaɖe srɔ̃ bubuwo la, nyemanya o, gake Mawu ya akpɔe.”
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.
Laban gblɔ na Yakob be, “Kpekɔ sia le afi sia, eye sɔti sia si metu ɖe nye kpli wò dome la hã le afi sia.
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.
Kpekɔ sia nye ɖasefo, eye sɔti sia hã nye ɖasefo be nyemava to kpekɔ sia ŋu be mava wò akpa dzi ava wɔ nuvevi aɖeke wò o, eye be wò hã màto kpekɔ kple sɔti sia ŋu ava nye akpa dzi be nàva wɔ nuvevi aɖekem o.
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.
Meyɔ Abraham kple Nahor kpakple wo fofowo ƒe Mawu la be wòatsrɔ̃ mía dometɔ si mawɔ nubabla sia ƒe ɖoɖowo dzi o la.” Ale Yakob ka atam le fofoa Isak ƒe Mawu, Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la ŋkume be yealé ŋku ɖe liƒo la ŋu.
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.
Tete Yakob sa vɔ na Mawu le to la tame, eye wòɖo kplɔ̃ na eƒe amewo. Etsi wo gbɔ dɔ le to la dzi.
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.
Laban fɔ ŋdi kanya, gbugbɔ nu na viawo kple eƒe tɔgbuiyɔviawo, yra wo, eye wòtrɔ yi wo de.
