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.”
| וישמע את דברי בני לבן לאמר לקח יעקב את כל אשר לאבינו ומאשר לאבינו עשה את כל הכבד הזה׃ |
2 And Jacob noticed that Laban was not acting friendly toward him as he had done before.
| וירא יעקב את פני לבן והנה איננו עמו כתמול שלשום׃ |
3 Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will help you there.”
| ויאמר יהוה אל יעקב שוב אל ארץ אבותיך ולמולדתך ואהיה עמך׃ |
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.
| וישלח יעקב ויקרא לרחל וללאה השדה אל צאנו׃ |
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.
| ויאמר להן ראה אנכי את פני אביכן כי איננו אלי כתמל שלשם ואלהי אבי היה עמדי׃ |
6 You two know that I have worked very hard for your father,
| ואתנה ידעתן כי בכל כחי עבדתי את אביכן׃ |
7 but many times [HYP] he has cheated me by decreasing my wages. But God has not allowed him to harm me.
| ואביכן התל בי והחלף את משכרתי עשרת מנים ולא נתנו אלהים להרע עמדי׃ |
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.
| אם כה יאמר נקדים יהיה שכרך וילדו כל הצאן נקדים ואם כה יאמר עקדים יהיה שכרך וילדו כל הצאן עקדים׃ |
9 In that way, God has taken away the livestock that belonged to your father and has given them to me.
| ויצל אלהים את מקנה אביכם ויתן לי׃ |
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.
| ויהי בעת יחם הצאן ואשא עיני וארא בחלום והנה העתדים העלים על הצאן עקדים נקדים וברדים׃ |
11 An angel who was sent by God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I replied, ‘I am here!’
| ויאמר אלי מלאך האלהים בחלום יעקב ואמר הנני׃ |
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.
| ויאמר שא נא עיניך וראה כל העתדים העלים על הצאן עקדים נקדים וברדים כי ראיתי את כל אשר לבן עשה לך׃ |
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.’”
| אנכי האל בית אל אשר משחת שם מצבה אשר נדרת לי שם נדר עתה קום צא מן הארץ הזאת ושוב אל ארץ מולדתך׃ |
14 Rachel and Leah replied, “Our father will not give us anything more when he dies [RHQ].
| ותען רחל ולאה ותאמרנה לו העוד לנו חלק ונחלה בבית אבינו׃ |
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!
| הלוא נכריות נחשבנו לו כי מכרנו ויאכל גם אכול את כספנו׃ |
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!”
| כי כל העשר אשר הציל אלהים מאבינו לנו הוא ולבנינו ועתה כל אשר אמר אלהים אליך עשה׃ |
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels.
| ויקם יעקב וישא את בניו ואת נשיו על הגמלים׃ |
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.
| וינהג את כל מקנהו ואת כל רכשו אשר רכש מקנה קנינו אשר רכש בפדן ארם לבוא אל יצחק אביו ארצה כנען׃ |
19 Before they left, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the [small wooden] idols [that were in her father’s tent].
| ולבן הלך לגזז את צאנו ותגנב רחל את התרפים אשר לאביה׃ |
20 Furthermore, Jacob deceived Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group, by not telling him that they were planning to leave.
| ויגנב יעקב את לב לבן הארמי על בלי הגיד לו כי ברח הוא׃ |
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.
| ויברח הוא וכל אשר לו ויקם ויעבר את הנהר וישם את פניו הר הגלעד׃ |
22 On the third day after they left, someone told Laban that Jacob and his family had left.
| ויגד ללבן ביום השלישי כי ברח יעקב׃ |
23 So he took some of his relatives with him and started to pursue Jacob. They continued walking for seven days.
| ויקח את אחיו עמו וירדף אחריו דרך שבעת ימים וידבק אתו בהר הגלעד׃ |
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!”
| ויבא אלהים אל לבן הארמי בחלם הלילה ויאמר לו השמר לך פן תדבר עם יעקב מטוב עד רע׃ |
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.
| וישג לבן את יעקב ויעקב תקע את אהלו בהר ולבן תקע את אחיו בהר הגלעד׃ |
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]!
| ויאמר לבן ליעקב מה עשית ותגנב את לבבי ותנהג את בנתי כשביות חרב׃ |
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?
| למה נחבאת לברח ותגנב אתי ולא הגדת לי ואשלחך בשמחה ובשרים בתף ובכנור׃ |
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!
| ולא נטשתני לנשק לבני ולבנתי עתה הסכלת עשו׃ |
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.’
| יש לאל ידי לעשות עמכם רע ואלהי אביכם אמש אמר אלי לאמר השמר לך מדבר עם יעקב מטוב עד רע׃ |
30 Now, I know you have left because you long to go back home. But why did you steal my [wooden] idols?”
| ועתה הלך הלכת כי נכסף נכספתה לבית אביך למה גנבת את אלהי׃ |
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.
| ויען יעקב ויאמר ללבן כי יראתי כי אמרתי פן תגזל את בנותיך מעמי׃ |
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.
| עם אשר תמצא את אלהיך לא יחיה נגד אחינו הכר לך מה עמדי וקח לך ולא ידע יעקב כי רחל גנבתם׃ |
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.
| ויבא לבן באהל יעקב ובאהל לאה ובאהל שתי האמהת ולא מצא ויצא מאהל לאה ויבא באהל רחל׃ |
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.
| ורחל לקחה את התרפים ותשמם בכר הגמל ותשב עליהם וימשש לבן את כל האהל ולא מצא׃ |
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.
| ותאמר אל אביה אל יחר בעיני אדני כי לוא אוכל לקום מפניך כי דרך נשים לי ויחפש ולא מצא את התרפים׃ |
36 Then Jacob became angry. He rebuked Laban, saying, “What crime did I commit? For what sin that I committed have you pursued me?
| ויחר ליעקב וירב בלבן ויען יעקב ויאמר ללבן מה פשעי מה חטאתי כי דלקת אחרי׃ |
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!
| כי מששת את כל כלי מה מצאת מכל כלי ביתך שים כה נגד אחי ואחיך ויוכיחו בין שנינו׃ |
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.
| זה עשרים שנה אנכי עמך רחליך ועזיך לא שכלו ואילי צאנך לא אכלתי׃ |
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.
| טרפה לא הבאתי אליך אנכי אחטנה מידי תבקשנה גנבתי יום וגנבתי לילה׃ |
40 I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was often not even able to sleep [PRS]!
| הייתי ביום אכלני חרב וקרח בלילה ותדד שנתי מעיני׃ |
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].
| זה לי עשרים שנה בביתך עבדתיך ארבע עשרה שנה בשתי בנתיך ושש שנים בצאנך ותחלף את משכרתי עשרת מנים׃ |
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.”
| לולי אלהי אבי אלהי אברהם ופחד יצחק היה לי כי עתה ריקם שלחתני את עניי ואת יגיע כפי ראה אלהים ויוכח אמש׃ |
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]?
| ויען לבן ויאמר אל יעקב הבנות בנתי והבנים בני והצאן צאני וכל אשר אתה ראה לי הוא ולבנתי מה אעשה לאלה היום או לבניהן אשר ילדו׃ |
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.”
| ועתה לכה נכרתה ברית אני ואתה והיה לעד ביני ובינך׃ |
45 So Jacob took a [large] stone and set it on its end.
| ויקח יעקב אבן וירימה מצבה׃ |
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.
| ויאמר יעקב לאחיו לקטו אבנים ויקחו אבנים ויעשו גל ויאכלו שם על הגל׃ |
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].
| ויקרא לו לבן יגר שהדותא ויעקב קרא לו גלעד׃ |
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.
| ויאמר לבן הגל הזה עד ביני ובינך היום על כן קרא שמו גלעד׃ |
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].
| והמצפה אשר אמר יצף יהוה ביני ובינך כי נסתר איש מרעהו׃ |
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!”
| אם תענה את בנתי ואם תקח נשים על בנתי אין איש עמנו ראה אלהים עד ביני ובינך׃ |
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.
| ויאמר לבן ליעקב הנה הגל הזה והנה המצבה אשר יריתי ביני ובינך׃ |
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.
| עד הגל הזה ועדה המצבה אם אני לא אעבר אליך את הגל הזה ואם אתה לא תעבר אלי את הגל הזה ואת המצבה הזאת לרעה׃ |
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.
| אלהי אברהם ואלהי נחור ישפטו בינינו אלהי אביהם וישבע יעקב בפחד אביו יצחק׃ |
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.
| ויזבח יעקב זבח בהר ויקרא לאחיו לאכל לחם ויאכלו לחם וילינו בהר׃ |
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.
| וישכם לבן בבקר וינשק לבניו ולבנותיו ויברך אתהם וילך וישב לבן למקמו׃ |
