Genesis 31

DOUAI-RHEIMS	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 But after that he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and being enriched by his substance is become great:	1 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our fathers; and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth."
2 And perceiving also that Laban's countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,	2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before.
3 Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.	3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
4 He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,	4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was,
5 And said to them: I see your father's countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.	5 and said to them, "I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me.
6 And you know that I have served your father to the utmost of my power.	6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength;
7 Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changes my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.	7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me.
8 If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.	8 If he said, 'The spotted shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore striped.
9 And God hath taken your father's substance, and given it to me.	9 Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.
10 For after that time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep that the males which leaped upon the females were of diverse colors, and spotted, and speckled.	10 In the mating season of the flock I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream that the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled.
11 And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.	11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am!'
12 And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colors, spotted, and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.	12 And he said, 'Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that leap upon the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.	13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go forth from this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"
14 And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we anything left among the goods and inheritance of our father's house?	14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house?
15 Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?	15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us.
16 But God hath taken our father's riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee.	16 All the property which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children; now then, whatever God has said to you, do."
17 Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.	17 So Jacob arose, and set his sons and his wives on camels;
18 And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.	18 and he drove away all his cattle, all his livestock which he had gained, the cattle in his possession which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.
19 At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father's idols.	19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods.
20 And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.	20 And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.
21 And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,	21 He fled with all that he had, and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.
22 It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.	22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.	23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead.
24 And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.	24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, "Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad."
25 Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he with his brethren had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.	25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen encamped in the hill country of Gilead.
26 And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.	26 And Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have cheated me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Why wouldst thou run away privately and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?	27 Why did you flee secretly, and cheat me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre?
28 Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,	28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly.
29 It is in my power to return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any things harshly against Jacob.	29 It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
30 Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father's house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?	30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?"
31 Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.	31 Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
32 But whereas thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.	32 Any one with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel's tent,	33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered Rachels.
34 She in haste hid the idols under the camel's furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,	34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them.
35 She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me, according to the custom of women, So his careful search was in vain.	35 And she said to her father, "Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me." So he searched, but did not find the household gods.
36 And jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offense on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,	36 Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban; Jacob said to Laban, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?
37 And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.	37 Although you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.
38 Have I therefore been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:	38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your she-goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks.
39 Neither did I show thee that which the beast had torn, I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:	39 That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself; of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.	40 Thus I was; by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
41 And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.	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 Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.	42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
43 Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?	43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
44 Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.	44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be a witness between you and me."
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:	45 So Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar.
46 And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.	46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, "Gather stones," and they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there by the heap.
47 And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.	47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.	48 Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." Therefore he named it Galeed,
49 The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.	49 and the pillar Mizpah, for he said, "The LORD watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other.
50 If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.	50 If you ill-treat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, remember, God is witness between you and me."
51 And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,	51 Then Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me.
52 Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it, thinking harm to me.	52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.	53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac,
54 And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:	54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his kinsmen to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all night on the mountain.
55 But laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.	55 Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them; then he departed and returned home.