1 Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying,
“Jacob has taken away all 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, behold, it was not 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 and called Rachel and Leah
to the field to his flock,
5 and said to them, “I see the expression
on your father’s face, that it is not 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
didn’t allow him to hurt me.
8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be your
wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled. If
he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’
then all the flock bore streaked.
9 Thus God has taken away your father’s
livestock, and given them to me.
10 During mating season, I lifted up my
eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the
male goats which leaped on the flock were
streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
11 The angel of God said to me in the
dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
12 He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes, and behold,
all the male goats which leap on the
flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled,
for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you
anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow
to me. Now arise, get 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 as foreigners by
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 away all his livestock,
and all his possessions which he had gathered,
including the livestock which 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 teraphim† that
were her father’s.
20 Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in
that he didn’t tell him that he was running
away.
21 So he fled with all that he had. He rose
up, passed over the River, and set his face
toward the mountain of Gilead.
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 of the night, and said to him, “Be
careful that you don’t 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 carried
away 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 mirth and with songs,
with tambourine and with harp;
28 and didn’t allow me to kiss my sons
and my daughters? Now have you done
foolishly.
29 It is in the power of my hand to hurt
you, but the God of your father spoke to me
last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t
speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
30 Now, you want to be gone, because you
greatly longed 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 Anyone you find your gods with shall
not live. Before our relatives, discern what
is yours with me, and take it.” For Jacob
didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into
Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two
female servants; but he didn’t find them.
He went out of Leah’s tent, and entered
into Rachel’s tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim,
put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on
them. Laban felt around all the tent, but
didn’t find them.
35 She said to her father, “Don’t let my
lord be angry that I can’t rise up be-
fore you; for I’m having my period.” He
searched, but didn’t find the teraphim.
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 stuff, what have you found of all your
household stuff? Set it here before my
relatives and your relatives, that they may
judge between us two.
38 “These twenty years I have been with
you. Your ewes and your female goats
have not cast their young, and I haven’t
eaten the rams of your flocks.
39 That which was torn of animals, I
didn’t 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: in the day the
drought consumed me, and the frost by
night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
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.”
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 for a witness between me
and you.”
45 Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a
pillar.
46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather
stones.” They took stones, and made a
heap. They ate there by the heap.
47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha,‡ but
Jacob called it Galeed.§
48 Laban said, “This heap is witness between
me and you today.” Therefore it was
named Galeed
49 and Mizpah, for he said, “The LORD
watch between me and you, when we are
absent one from another.
50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you
take wives in addition to my daughters,
no man is with us; behold, God is witness
between me and you.”
51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap,
and see the pillar, which I have set between
me and you.
52 May this heap be a witness, and the
pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over
this heap to you, and that you will not pass
over this heap and this pillar to me, for
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 in the mountain,
and called his relatives to eat bread.
They ate bread, and stayed all night in the
mountain.
55 Early in the morning, Laban rose up,
and kissed his sons and his daughters, and
blessed them. Laban departed and returned
to his place.
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