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Chapter 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 gotten all this
glory. |
| 2 |
And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was
not toward him as before. |
|
3 | And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return
unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with
thee. |
| 4 |
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto
his flock, |
| 5
| And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that
it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with
me. |
| 6 |
And ye know that with all my power I have served your
father. |
| 7 |
And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten
times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. |
|
8 | If he said thus, The
speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said
thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle
ring-streaked. |
|
9 | Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father,
and given them to me. |
| 10 | And it came to pass at the time that the
cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold,
the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ring-streaked, speckled, and
grizzled. |
| 11
| And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying,
Jacob: And I said, Here am I. |
|
12 | And he said, Lift up now thine 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 unto thee. |
| 13 | I am
the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a
vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land
of thy kindred. |
|
14 | And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is
there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? |
| 15 |
Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite
devoured also our money. |
|
16 | For all the riches which God hath
taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever
God hath said unto thee, do. |
|
17 | Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons
and his wives upon camels; |
|
18 | And he carried away all his cattle,
and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had
gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
|
| 19 | And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that
were her father's. |
| 20 | And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the
Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. |
| 21 | So he fled
with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his
face toward the mount Gilead. |
|
22 | And it was told Laban on the third day
that Jacob was fled. |
| 23 | And he took his brethren with him, and
pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount
Gilead. |
| 24
| And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream 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 the mount of Gilead. |
| 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?
|
| 27 | Wherefore 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? |
|
28 | And hast not suffered me to kiss my
sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. |
| 29 |
It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake
unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either
good or bad. |
|
30 | And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone,
because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou
stolen my gods? |
|
31 | And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was
afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from
me. |
| 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. |
| 33 | And Laban
went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants'
tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into
Rachel's tent. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
| 36 | And Jacob was wroth, and
chode 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 | 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. |
|
38 | This 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. |
| 39
| That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I
bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day,
or stolen by night. |
| 40 | Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed
me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. |
| 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. |
| 42
| Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the
fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God
hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee
yesternight. |
|
43 | And Laban answered and said unto 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 unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
|
| 44 | Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it
be for a witness between me and thee. |
| 45 | And Jacob took a stone, and
set it up for a pillar. |
| 46 | And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather
stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the
heap. |
| 47 |
And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it
Galeed. |
| 48
| And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and
thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; |
| 49 | And
Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one
from another. |
|
50 | If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou
shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is
witness betwixt me and thee. |
|
51 | And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this
heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee: |
| 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
unto me, for harm. |
| 53 | The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor,
the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his
father Isaac. |
|
54 | Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and
called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night
in the mount. |
|
55 | And 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. |
