Genesis 31

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Jacob learned that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father, and he has accumulated all this wealth of his by using our father's property."	1 But afterwards, he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and being enlarged by his ability, he has become famous.”
2 Jacob perceived, too, that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had previously been.	2 Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, where you were born, and I will be with you."	3 Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him where he was in the field with his flock.	4 He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks,
5 There he said to them: "I have noticed that your father's attitude toward me is not as it was in the past; but the God of my father has been with me.	5 and he said to them: “I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as it was yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father has been with me.
6 You well know what effort I put into serving your father;	6 And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.
7 yet your father cheated me and changed my wages time after time. God, however, did not let him do me any harm.	7 Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me.
8 Whenever your father said, 'The speckled animals shall be your wages,' the entire flock would bear speckled young; whenever he said, 'The streaked animals shall be your wages,' the entire flock would bear streaked young.	8 Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones.
9 Thus God reclaimed your father's livestock and gave it to me.	9 And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me.
10 Once, in the breeding season, I had a dream in which I saw mating he-goats that were streaked, speckled and mottled.	10 For after the time had arrived for the ewes to conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and I saw in my sleep that the males climbing on the females were of variegated, and spotted, and diverse colors.
11 In the dream God's messenger called to me, 'Jacob!' 'Here!' I replied.	11 And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’
12 Then he said: 'Note well. All the he-goats in the flock, as they mate, are streaked, speckled and mottled, for I have seen all the things that Laban has been doing to you.	12 And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes, and see that all the males climbing on the females are variegated, spotted, and also speckled. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
13 I am the God who appeared to you in Bethel, where you anointed a memorial stone and made a vow to me. Up, then! Leave this land and return to the land of your birth.'"	13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and depart from this land, returning to the land of your nativity.’ ”
14 Rachel and Leah answered him: "Have we still an heir's portion in our father's house?	14 And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house?
15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? He not only sold us; he has even used up the money that he got for us!	15 Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price?
16 All the wealth that God reclaimed from our father really belongs to us and our children. Therefore, do just as God has told you."	16 But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”
17 Jacob proceeded to put his children and wives on camels,	17 And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth.
18 and he drove off with all his livestock and all the property he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.	18 And he took all his substance and flocks, and whatever he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and he journeyed to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban had gone away to shear his sheep, and Rachel had meanwhile appropriated her father's household idols.	19 At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols.
20 Jacob had hoodwinked Laban the Aramean by not telling him of his intended flight.	20 And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing.
21 Thus he made his escape with all that he had. Once he was across the Euphrates, he headed for the highlands of Gilead.	21 And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,
22 On the third day, word came to Laban that Jacob had fled.	22 it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Taking his kinsmen with him, he pursued him for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.	23 And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.
24 But that night God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, "Take care not to threaten Jacob with any harm!"	24 And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”
25 When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob's tents were pitched in the highlands; Laban also pitched his tents there, on Mount Gilead.	25 And now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain. And when he, with his brothers, had overtaken him, he set his tent at the same place at Mount Gilead.
26 "What do you mean," Laban demanded of Jacob, "by hoodwinking me and carrying off my daughters like war captives?	26 And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Why did you dupe me by stealing away secretly? You should have told me, and I would have sent you off with merry singing to the sound of tambourines and harps.	27 Why would you want to flee without my knowledge and without telling me, though I might have led you forward with gladness, and songs, and timbrels, and lyres?
28 You did not even allow me a parting kiss to my daughters and grandchildren! What you have now done is a senseless thing.	28 You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed,
29 I have it in my power to harm all of you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Take care not to threaten Jacob with any harm!'	29 my hand has power to repay you with harm. But the God of your father said to me yesterday, ‘Beware that you not speak anything stern against Jacob.’
30 Granted that you had to leave because you were desperately homesick for your father's house, why did you steal my gods?"	30 It may be that you desired to go to your own, and that you longed for the house of your father. But why have you stolen my gods?”
31 "I was frightened," Jacob replied to Laban, "at the thought that you might take your daughters away from me by force.	31 Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence.
32 But as for your gods, the one you find them with shall not remain alive! If, with my kinsmen looking on, you identify anything here as belonging to you, take it." Jacob, of course, had no idea that Rachel had stolen the idols.	32 But, since you accuse me of theft, with whomever you will find your gods, let him be slain in the sight of our brothers. Search; anything of yours that you will find with me, take it away.” Now when he said this, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 Laban then went in and searched Jacob's tent and Leah's tent, as well as the tents of the two maidservants; but he did not find the idols. Leaving Leah's tent, he went into Rachel's.	33 And so Laban, entering the tent of Jacob, and of Leah, and of both the handmaids, did not find them. And when he had entered the tent of Rachel,
34 Now Rachel had taken the idols, put them inside a camel cushion, and seated herself upon them. When Laban had rummaged through the rest of her tent without finding them,	34 she quickly hid the idols under the camel’s bedding, and she sat upon them. And when he had searched the entire tent and found nothing,
35 Rachel said to her father, "Let not my lord feel offended that I cannot rise in your presence; a woman's period is upon me." So, despite his search, he did not find his idols.	35 she said: “Do not be angry, my lord, that I am unable to rise up in your sight, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women.” So his careful search was thwarted.
36 Jacob, now enraged, upbraided Laban. "What crime or offense have I committed," he demanded, "that you should hound me so fiercely?	36 And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me
37 Now that you have ransacked all my things, have you found a single object taken from your belongings? If so, produce it here before your kinsmen and mine, and let them decide between us two.	37 and searched all the items of my house? What have you found from all the substance of your house? Place it here before my brothers, and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you.
38 "In the twenty years that I was under you, no ewe or she-goat of yours ever miscarried, and I have never feasted on a ram of your flock.	38 For what reason have I been with you for twenty years? Your ewes and she-goats were not barren; the rams of your flocks I did not consume.
39 I never brought you an animal torn by wild beasts; I made good the loss myself. You held me responsible for anything stolen by day or night.	39 Neither did I reveal to you what was seized by the wild beast. I replaced all that was damaged. Whatever was lost by theft, you collected it from me.
40 How often the scorching heat ravaged me by day, and the frost by night, while sleep fled from my eyes!	40 Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41 Of the twenty years that I have now spent in your household, I slaved fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, while you changed my wages time after time.	41 And in this way, for twenty years, I have served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks. You have also changed my wages ten times.
42 If my ancestral God, the God of Abraham and the Awesome One of Isaac, had not been on my side, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. But God saw my plight and the fruits of my toil, and last night he gave judgment."	42 If the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been close to me, perhaps by now you would have sent me away naked. But God looked kindly on my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he rebuked you yesterday.”
43 Laban replied to Jacob: "The women are mine, their children are mine, and the flocks are mine; everything you see belongs to me. But since these women are my daughters, I will now do something for them and for the children they have borne.	43 Laban answered him: “My daughters and sons, and your flocks, and all that you discern are mine. What can I do to my sons and grandchildren?
44 Come, then, we will make a pact, you and I; the LORD shall be a witness between us."	44 Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.”
45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.	45 And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.
46 Jacob said to his kinsmen, "Gather some stones." So they got some stones and made a mound; and they had a meal there at the mound.	46 And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it.
47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.	47 And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language.
48 "This mound," said Laban, "shall be a witness from now on between you and me." That is why it was named Galeed--	48 And Laban said: “This tomb will be a witness between me and you this day.” (And for this reason, its name has been called Gilead, that is, ‘Tomb of Witness.’)
49 and also Mizpah, for he said: "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other's sight.	49 “May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another.
50 If you mistreat my daughters, or take other wives besides my daughters, remember that even though no one else is about, God will be witness between you and me."	50 If you afflict my daughters, and if you bring in other wives over them, no one is a witness of our words except God, who understands beforehand.”
51 Laban said further to Jacob: "Here is this mound, and here is the memorial stone that I have set up between you and me.	51 And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you,
52 This mound shall be witness, and this memorial stone shall be witness, that, with hostile intent, neither may I pass beyond this mound into your territory, nor may you pass beyond it into mine.	52 will be a witness. This tomb,” I say, “and the stone, they are for testimony, in case either I cross beyond it going toward you, or you cross beyond it thinking to harm me.
53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor (their ancestral deities) maintain justice between us!" Jacob took the oath by the Awesome One of Isaac.	53 May the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Therefore, Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
54 He then offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to share in the meal. When they had eaten, they passed the night on the mountain.	54 And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there.
	55 In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.