| 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. |
