1 ¶ And he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s, he has gotten all this glory.

2 A nd Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

3 A lso the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

4 A nd Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his sheep

5 a nd said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

6 A nd ye know that with all my strength I have served your father.

7 A nd your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8 I f he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the sheep bore speckled; and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then all the sheep bore ringstraked.

9 T hus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

10 A nd it came to pass at the time that the sheep conceived, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in dreams, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the females were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

11 A nd the angel of God spoke unto me in dreams, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

12 A nd he said, Lift up now thine eyes and see, all the rams which leap upon the sheep are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled; for I have seen all that Laban has done unto thee.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the pillar and where thou didst vow a vow unto me. Now arise, go out from this land and return unto the land of thy nature.

14 A nd Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15 A re we not counted of him strangers? For he has sold us and has even devoured all our price.

16 F or all the riches which God has taken from our father, is ours and our son’s; now then, whatever God has said unto thee, do.

17 ¶ Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;

18 a nd he carried away all his livestock and all his goods which he had gotten, the livestock of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, to return unto Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19 A nd Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the idols of her father.

20 A nd Jacob stole away the heart of Laban the Aramean, in that he did not tell him that he fled.

21 S o he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed the river and set his face toward Mount Gilead.

22 A nd it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23 T hen he took his brethren with him and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in Mount Gilead.

24 A nd God came to Laban the Aramean in dreams by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

25 ¶ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched in Mount Gilead.

26 A nd Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away my heart and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

27 W hy didst thou flee away secretly and steal away from me and didst not tell me that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs with tambourine and with harp?

28 A nd hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.

29 I t is in the power of my hand to do you hurt, but the God of your father spoke unto me last night, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

30 A nd now, that thou art leaving, because thy desire is after thy father’s house, yet why hast thou stolen my gods?

31 A nd Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Peradventure thou would take by force thy daughters from me.

32 W ith whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let them not live; before our brethren discern what is thine with me and take it to thee. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 A nd Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and came to Rachel’s tent.

34 N ow Rachel took the images and put them in a camel’s saddle and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent but did not find them.

35 A nd she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but did not find the images.

36 ¶ Then Jacob was wroth and contended with Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

37 W hereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren that they may judge between us both.

38 T hese twenty years I have been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not aborted their young, and I have not eaten the rams of thy flock.

39 T hat which was torn of beasts I did not bring unto thee; I bore the sin; thou didst require of my hand that which was stolen, whether by day or by night.

40 B y day the drought consumed me, and by night, the frost; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

41 T hus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

42 I f the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, were not with me, surely thou would send me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the work of my hands and rebuked thee last night.

43 ¶ And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these sons are my sons, and these sheep are my sheep, and all that thou seest is mine; and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their sons unto whom they have given birth?

44 N ow therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and let it be for a witness between me and thee.

45 T hen Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar.

46 A nd Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap; and they ate there upon the heap.

47 A nd Laban called it Jegarsahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

48 A nd Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

49 a nd Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another.

50 I f thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and thee.

51 A nd Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have raised up between me and thee;

52 l et this heap be witness and this pillar be witness that I will not pass over this heap against thee and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar against me, for harm.

53 T he God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their fathers, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 T hen Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount and called his brethren to eat bread; and they ate bread and slept in the mount.

55 A nd early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them; and Laban departed and returned unto his place.