1 J acob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that our father had. He has become rich with what had belonged to our father.”

Jacob heard Laban’s sons complaining, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; he has acquired all this wealth and honor from what belonged to our father.

2 J acob saw that Laban did not show him as much favor as he did before.

And Jacob noticed that Laban looked at him less favorably than before.

3 T hen the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to those of your family. And I will be with you.”

Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you.

4 S o Jacob called Rachel and Leah to come to his flock in the field.

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,

5 H e said to them, “I see that your father does not show me as much favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me.

And he said to them, I see how your father looks at me, that he is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

6 Y ou know that I have worked for your father with all my strength.

You know that I have served your father with all my might and power.

7 Y et your father has not been fair with me. He has changed my pay ten times. But God did not let him hurt me.

But 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, ‘The animals that have spots will be your pay,’ then all the flock gave birth to young ones with spots. If he said, ‘The animals with black marks will be your pay,’ then all the flock gave birth to young ones with black marks.

If he said, The speckled shall be your wages, then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, The streaked shall be your hire, then all the flock bore streaked.

9 S o God has taken away your father’s animals and has given them to me.

Thus God has taken away the flocks of your father and given them to me.

10 I had a dream at the time the flocks were mating. I looked up and saw that the male goats which were mating with the female goats had black marks and spots.

And I had a dream at the time the flock conceived. I looked up and saw that the rams which mated with the she-goats were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

11 T hen the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’

And the Angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, Here am I.

12 H e said, ‘Look and see how all the male goats that are mating with the others have black marks and spots. For I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.

And He said, Look up and see, all the rams which mate with the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you set up a stone in honor to Me, and where you made a promise to Me. Now get up, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, get out from this land and return to your native land.

14 R achel and Leah answered him, “Do we still have any part or share in our father’s house?

And Rachel and Leah answered him, Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15 D oes he not think of us as strangers? For he has sold us. And he has used all the money that was paid for us.

Are we not counted by him as strangers? For he sold us and has also quite devoured our money.

16 A ll the riches that God has taken away from our father belong to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you to do.”

For all the riches which God has taken from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.

17 T hen Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels.

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

18 H e took away all his animals, all the riches he had gathered and all the cattle he had gathered in Paddan-aram. And he left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

And he drove away all his livestock and all his gain which he had gotten, the livestock he had obtained and accumulated in Padan-aram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19 L aban had gone to cut the wool from his flock. And Rachel stole the gods of her father’s house.

Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods.

20 J acob fooled Laban the Syrian by not telling him that he was going.

And Jacob outwitted Laban the Syrian in that he did not tell him that he to flee and slip away secretly.

21 S o he left with all he had. He went and crossed the Euphrates River, and turned toward the hill country of Gilead. Laban Follows after Jacob

So he fled with all that he had, and arose and crossed the river and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

22 B ut Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had gone.

But on the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23 S o he took the men of his family with him, and followed Jacob for seven days. He found him in the hill country of Gilead.

So he took his kinsmen with him and pursued after for seven days, and they overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

24 B ut God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night. He said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak good or bad to Jacob.”

But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and said to him, Be careful that you do not speak from good to bad to Jacob.

25 T hen Laban came to Jacob. Now Jacob had put up his tent in the hill country. Laban and the men of his family put up their tents in the hill country of Gilead.

Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the hill, and Laban coming with his kinsmen pitched on the same hill of Gilead.

26 L aban said to Jacob, “What do you mean by fooling me and carrying away my daughters as if they were taken by the sword?

And Laban said to Jacob, What do you mean stealing away and leaving like this without my knowing it, and carrying off my daughters as if captives of the sword?

27 W hy did you leave in secret and fool me? Why did you not tell me, so I would have sent you away with joy and with songs and with sounds of joy on the timbrel and harp.

Why did you flee secretly and cheat me and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and gladness and with singing, with tambourine and lyre?

28 W hy did you not let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters good-bye? Now you have been foolish.

And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters good-bye? Now you have done foolishly.

29 I have the power to hurt you. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak good or bad to Jacob.’

It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Be careful that you do not speak from good to bad to Jacob.

30 N ow you have gone away because you had a desire for your father’s house. But why did you steal my gods?”

And now you felt you must go because you were homesick for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?

31 J acob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid you might take your daughters from me and make them stay.

Jacob answered Laban, Because I was afraid; for I thought, Suppose you would take your daughters from me by force.

32 T he one with whom you find your gods will not live. In front of those of our family, look for what I have that is yours, and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

The one with whom you find those gods of yours, let him not live. Here before our kinsmen take whatever you find that belongs to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen.

33 S o Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two women who served Rachel and Leah. But he did not find his gods. Then he went from Leah’s tent into Rachel’s tent.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went from Leah’s tent into Rachel’s tent.

34 N ow Rachel had taken the gods of Laban’s house and put them in the seat that was used on the camel’s back. And she sat upon them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but did not find them.

Now Rachel had taken the images (gods) and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban searched and felt through all the tent, but did not find them.

35 S he said to her father, “My lord, do not be angry that I cannot rise in front of you. For the way of women is upon me.” So he looked, but could not find the gods.

And said to her father, Do not be displeased, my lord, that I cannot rise up before you, for the period of women is upon me and I am unwell. And he searched, but did not find the gods.

36 T hen Jacob became angry and argued with Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What have I done wrong? What is my sin that made you run after me?

Then Jacob became angry and reproached and argued with Laban. And Jacob said to Laban, What is my fault? What is my sin, that you so hotly pursued me?

37 W hat things of your house have you found by looking through all that belongs to me? Set it here in front of my brothers and your brothers, so they may judge between us.

Although you have searched and felt through all my household possessions, what have you found of all your household goods? Put it here before my brethren and yours, that they may judge and decide between us.

38 D uring these twenty years I have been with you, your female goats and sheep have not lost a young one. And I have not eaten the sheep of your flocks.

These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your she-goats have not lost their young, and the rams of your flock have not been eaten by me.

39 I did not bring to you those that were torn by wild animals. I took the loss upon myself. You had me pay for what was carried away during the day or during the night.

I did not bring you torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss of it; you required of me all that was stolen, whether it occurred by day or by night.

40 T his is the way it was for me. I suffered from heat during the day, and from cold during the night. And I could not sleep.

This was; by day the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and I could not sleep.

41 I have been in your house twenty years. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. And you changed my pay ten times.

I have been twenty years in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks; and you have changed my wages ten times.

42 I f the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me, for sure you would have sent me away with nothing. God has seen my suffering and the work of my hands. So He spoke sharp words to you last night.”

And if the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread and Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and humiliation and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.

43 L aban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters. The children are my children. And the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children who were born to them?

Laban answered Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, these children are my children, these flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

44 S o come now, let us make an agreement, you and I. And let us do something to show we have an agreement between us.”

So come now, let us make a covenant or league, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.

45 S o Jacob took a stone and set it up in honor of the agreement.

So Jacob set up a stone for a pillar or monument.

46 T hen Jacob said to the men of his family, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and put them on top of each other. And they ate there by all the stones.

And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there upon the heap.

47 L aban gave the stones the name of Jegar-sahadutha. But Jacob gave them the name Galeed.

Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed '> witness heap, in Hebrew.]

48 L aban said, “These stones are to stand for the agreement between you and me today.” So they were given the name Galeed.

Laban said, This heap is a witness today between you and me. Therefore it was named Galeed.

49 T hey were given the name of Mizpah also. For Laban said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are apart from each other.

And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent and hidden one from another.

50 I f you hurt my daughters, or if you take wives other than my daughters, no man may see it. But God sees what happens between you and me.”

If you should afflict, humiliate, or lower my daughters, or if you should take other wives beside my daughters, although no man is with us, see (remember), God is witness between you and me.

51 L aban said to Jacob, “See these stones that have been set up between you and me.

And Laban said to Jacob, See this heap and this pillar, which I have set up between you and me.

52 T hese stones that have been set up will stand for our agreement. I will not pass by these stones to hurt you. And you will not pass by these stones to hurt me.

This heap is a witness and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you, and that you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 T he God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob promised by the fear of his father Isaac.

The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, and the god of their father, judge between us. But Jacob swore by the Dread and Fear of his father Isaac.

54 T hen Jacob gave a gift in worship to God on the mountain. Then he called his brothers to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed the night on the mountain.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his brethren to eat food; and they ate food and lingered all night on the mountain.

55 L aban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and daughters. He prayed that good would come to them. Then Laban left and returned home.

And early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and pronounced a blessing on them. Then Laban departed and returned to his home.