Genesis 31

¹But 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.”

²Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.

³Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.”

⁴He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,

⁵and 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.

⁶And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.

⁷Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me.

⁸Whenever 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.

⁹And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.

¹⁰For 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.

¹¹And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’

¹²And 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.

¹³I 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.’ ”

¹⁴And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?

¹⁵Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?

¹⁶But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”

¹⁷And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.

²⁰And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.

²¹And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,

²²it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

²³And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.

²⁴And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”

²⁵And 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.

²⁶And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?

²⁷Why 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?

²⁸You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,

²⁹my 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.’

³⁰It 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?”

³¹Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.

³²But, 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.

³³And 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,

³⁴she 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,

³⁵she 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.

³⁶And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me

³⁷and 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.

³⁸For 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.

³⁹Neither 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.

⁴⁰Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.

⁴¹And 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.

⁴²If 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.”

⁴³Laban 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?

⁴⁴Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”

⁴⁵And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.

⁴⁶And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.

⁴⁷And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.

⁴⁸And 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“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.

⁵⁰If 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.”

⁵¹And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,

⁵²will 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.

⁵³May 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.

⁵⁴And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.

⁵⁵In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.

Genesis 31

¹But after that he had heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and being enriched by his substance is become great.

²And perceiving also, that Laban's countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day.

³Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.

⁴He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,

⁵And said to them: I see your father's countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.

⁶And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.

⁷Yea your father hath also overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.

⁸If at any time, he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white one for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

⁹And God hath taken your father's substance, and given it to me.

¹⁰For after the time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep, that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.

¹¹And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob. And I answered: Here I am.

¹²And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.

¹³I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.

¹⁴And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father's house?

¹⁵Hath he not counted us as strangers, and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

¹⁶But God hath taken our father's riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore, do all that God hath commanded thee.

¹⁷Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.

¹⁸And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac, his father, to the land of Chanaan.

¹⁹At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father's idols.

²⁰And Jacob would not confess to his father-in-law that he was flying away.

²¹And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,

²²It was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob fled.

²³And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

²⁴And he saw in a dream God, saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

²⁵Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he, with his brethren, had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.

²⁶And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

²⁷Why wouldst thou run away privately, and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?

²⁸Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters; thou hast done foolishly; and now indeed,

²⁹It is in my power to return thee evil; but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

³⁰Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father's house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

³¹Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

³²But, whereas, thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.

³³So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel's tent,

³⁴She, in haste, hid the idols under the camel's furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,

³⁵She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women. So his careful search was in vain.

³⁶And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,

³⁷And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.

³⁸Have I, therefore, been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:

³⁹Neither did I shew thee that which the beast had torn; I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:

⁴⁰Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.

⁴¹And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.

⁴²Unless the God of my father, Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

⁴³Laban answered him: The daughters are mine, and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?

⁴⁴Come, therefore, let us enter into a league; that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.

⁴⁵And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title.

⁴⁶And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they, gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.

⁴⁷And Laban called it, The witness heap; and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.

⁴⁸And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.

⁴⁹The Lord behold and judge between us, when we shall be gone one from the other.

⁵⁰If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.

⁵¹And he said again to Jacob: Behold this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,

⁵²Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it thinking harm to me.

⁵³The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac:

⁵⁴And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:

⁵⁵But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.