Genesis 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 ringstraked shall be
thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.
- 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 ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.
- 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 ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: 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 labour 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.
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