Jacob and his Family Run from Laban
1 Jacob heard the words of Labon’s sons, “Jacob has taken everything that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.” 2 Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and indeed, it was not with favor toward him as before.
3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
4 Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to the field of his flock 5 and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not with favor toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know that I have served your father with all of my strength. 7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the sheep bore speckles. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the all the sheep bore streaks. 9 Thus it is God who has taken your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10 During mating season, I looked up, and saw in a dream that the male goats which leapt on the flock were streaked, spotted and speckled. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 He said, ‘Now look up and see. All the male goats that mate with the flock are streaked, spotted and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’ ”
14 Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Aren’t we considered foreigners to him? For he has sold us and has also used up our money. 16 For all the riches which God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”
17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives on the camels, 18 and he took all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock that he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the idols that were her father’s.
20 Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he was running away. 21 So he fled with all that he had. He got up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 He took his relatives with him and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. 24 God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream in the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me and taken my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with celebration, with songs, tambourine and harp; 28 but you didn’t even allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you acted foolishly. 29 It is in my power to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.’ 30 Alright, you wanted to go because you yearned for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’ 32 Whomever you find your gods with shall not live. In the presence of our relatives. Decide what is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Looking for Laban’s Idols
33 Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, sir, that I can’t rise up before you, for I’m having my period.” He searched but did not find the idols.
36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Now that you have felt around in all my things, what have you found among all your household things? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between the two of us.
38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of animals, I did not bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 This was my situation: by day the drought consumed me, and by night, the frost, and my eyes were without sleep. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”
Jacob and Laban Promise Peace
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? 44 Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between you and me.”
45 Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a pile of stones. They ate there by the pile of stones. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is witness between you and me today.” Therefore it was named Galeed 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, though no man is with us; God is witness between me and you.”
51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this pile of stones, and see the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 May this pile of stones be a witness and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”
Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. 54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. 55 Early in the morning, Laban got up and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.Genesis 31
Jacob and his Family Run from Laban
1 Jacob heard the words of Labon’s sons, “Jacob has taken everything that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.” 2 Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and indeed, it was not with favor toward him as before.
3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
4 Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to the field of his flock 5 and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not with favor toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know that I have served your father with all of my strength. 7 Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the sheep bore speckles. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the all the sheep bore streaks. 9 Thus it is God who has taken your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10 During mating season, I looked up, and saw in a dream that the male goats which leapt on the flock were streaked, spotted and speckled. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 He said, ‘Now look up and see. All the male goats that mate with the flock are streaked, spotted and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’ ”
14 Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Aren’t we considered foreigners to him? For he has sold us and has also used up our money. 16 For all the riches which God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”
17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives on the camels, 18 and he took all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock that he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the idols that were her father’s.
20 Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he was running away. 21 So he fled with all that he had. He got up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 He took his relatives with him and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. 24 God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream in the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me and taken my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with celebration, with songs, tambourine and harp; 28 but you didn’t even allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you acted foolishly. 29 It is in my power to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.’ 30 Alright, you wanted to go because you yearned for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’ 32 Whomever you find your gods with shall not live. In the presence of our relatives. Decide what is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Looking for Laban’s Idols
33 Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, sir, that I can’t rise up before you, for I’m having my period.” He searched but did not find the idols.
36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Now that you have felt around in all my things, what have you found among all your household things? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between the two of us.
38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of animals, I did not bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 This was my situation: by day the drought consumed me, and by night, the frost, and my eyes were without sleep. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”
Jacob and Laban Promise Peace
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? 44 Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between you and me.”
45 Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a pile of stones. They ate there by the pile of stones. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is witness between you and me today.” Therefore it was named Galeed 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, though no man is with us; God is witness between me and you.”
51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this pile of stones, and see the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 May this pile of stones be a witness and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”
Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. 54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. 55 Early in the morning, Laban got up and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.