31:1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath
taken away all that [was] our father's; and of [that] which
[was] our father's hath he obtained all this glory.
31:2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it
[was] not towards him as before.
31:3 And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy
fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
31:4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field to
his flock,
31:5 And said to them, I see your father's countenance, that it
[is] not towards me as before: but the God of my father hath
been with me.
31:6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your
father.
31:7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten
times: but God suffered him not to hurt me.
31:8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all
the cattle bore speckled: and if he said thus, The
ring-streaked shall be thy hire; then all the cattle bore
ring-streaked.
31:9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and
given [them] to me.
31:10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived,
that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the
rams which leaped upon the cattle [were] ring-streaked,
speckled, and grizzled.
31:11 And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, [saying],
Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I.
31:12 And he said, Lift up now thy eyes and see, all the rams
which leap upon the cattle [are] ring-streaked, speckled, and
grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth to thee.
31:13 I [am] the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the
pillar, [and] where thou vowedst to me a vow: now arise, depart
from this land, and return to the land of thy kindred.
31:14 And Rachel and Leah answered, and said to him, [Is there]
yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
31:15 Are we not counted by him strangers; for he hath sold us,
and hath quite consumed also our money.
31:16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father,
that [is] ours, and our children's: now then whatever God hath
said to thee, do.
31:17 Then Jacob arose, and set his sons and his wives upon
camels;
31:18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods
which he had gained, the cattle of his getting, which he had
gained in Padan-aram; to go to Isaac, his father, in the land
of Canaan.
31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel had stolen
the images that [were] her father's.
31:20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that
he told him not that he was about to depart.
31:21 So he fled with all that he had; and he arose, and passed
over the river, and set his face [towards] the mount Gilead.
31:22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had
fled.
31:23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him
seven days' journey: and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
31:24 And God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream by night,
and said to him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either
good or bad.
31:25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent
in the mount: and Laban, with his brethren, pitched in the
mount of Gilead.
31:26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou
hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters,
as captives [taken] with the sword?
31:27 Why 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 tabret, and with harp?
31:28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons, and my
daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in [so] doing.
31:29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God
of your father spoke to me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed
that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
31:30 And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because
thou didst earnestly long after thy father's house; [yet] why
hast thou stolen my gods?
31:31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was
afraid: for I said, It may be thou wouldest take thy daughters
from me by force.
31:32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live:
before our brethren discern thou what [is] thine with me, and
take [it] to thee: for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen
them.
31:33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent,
and into the two maid-servants' tents; but he found [them] not.
Then he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's
tent.
31:34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the
camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all
the tent, but found [them] not.
31:35 And 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 found not the images.
31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chid with Laban: and Jacob
answered, and said to Laban, What [is] my trespass? what [is]
my sin, that thou hast so eagerly pursued after me?
31:37 Whereas 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 betwixt us
both.
31:38 These twenty years [have] I [been] with thee: thy ewes and
thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy
flock have I not eaten.
31:39 That which was torn by beasts, I brought not to thee; I
bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it,
[whether] stolen by day, or stolen by night.
31:40 [Thus] I was; in the day the drouth consumed me, and the
frost by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes.
31:41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house: I served thee
fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy
cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
31:42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the
fear of Isaac had been with me, surely thou hadst now sent me
away empty. God hath seen my affliction, and the labor of my
hands, and rebuked [thee] yesternight.
31:43 And Laban answered, and said to Jacob, [These] daughters
[are] my daughters, and [these] children [are] my children, and
[these] cattle [are] my cattle, and all that thou seest [is]
mine; and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to
their children which they have borne?
31:44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and
thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
31:45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar.
31:46 And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they
took stones, and made a heap: and they ate there upon the heap.
31:47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it
Galeed:
31:48 And Laban said, This heap [is] a witness between me and
thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed:
31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and
thee, when we are absent one from another.
31:50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take
[other] wives besides my daughters; no man [is] with us; See,
God [is] witness betwixt me and thee.
31:51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold
[this] pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
31:52 This heap [be] witness, and [this] pillar [be] witness,
that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou
shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
31:53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their
father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his
father Isaac.
31:54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called
his brethren to eat bread: and they ate bread, and tarried all
night in the mount.
31:55 And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons
and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and
returned to his place.
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