Genesis 31

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Jacob learned that Laban's sons were saying, 'Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father;it is at our father's expense that he has acquired al this wealth,'	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:
2 and Jacob also saw that Laban's manner towards him was not as it had been in the past.	2 And perceiving also that Laban's countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,
3 Yahweh said to Jacob, 'Go back to the land of your ancestors, where you were born, and I shal bewith you.'	3 Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
4 So Jacob had Rachel and Leah cal ed to the fields where his flocks were,	4 He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,
5 and he said to them, 'I can see that your father's manner towards me is not as it was in the past, butthe God of my father has been with me.	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.
6 You yourselves know that I have worked for your father with al my might,	6 And you know that I have served your father to the utmost of my power.
7 and that your father has tricked me, changing my wages ten times over, and yet God has not al owedhim to harm me.	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.
8 Whenever he said, "The spotted ones will be your wages," all the animals produced spotted young;whenever he said, "The striped ones wil be your wages," al the animals produced striped young.	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.
9 Thus God has reclaimed your father's livestock and given it to me.	9 And God hath taken your father's substance, and given it to me.
10 Once, when the animals were on heat, I suddenly saw in a dream that the he-goats covering thefemales were striped or spotted or piebald.	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.
11 In the dream the angel of God cal ed to me, "Jacob!" I said, "Here I am."	11 And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.
12 He said, "Now take note: al the he-goats covering the females are striped or spotted or piebald -- forI too have noted all the things that Laban has been doing to you,	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.
13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you poured oil on a pillar and made a vow tome. On your feet, then, leave this country and return to the land of your birth." '	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.
14 In answer Rachel and Leah said to him, 'Are we stil likely to inherit anything from our father's estate?	14 And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we anything left among the goods and inheritance of our father's house?
15 Does he not think of us as outsiders now? For not only has he sold us, but he has completelyswal owed up the money he got for us.	15 Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?
16 Al the wealth that God has reclaimed from our father belonged to us and our children in any case.So do whatever God has told you.'	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.
17 Forthwith, Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,	17 Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.
18 and drove off all his livestock -- with al the possessions he had acquired, the livestock belonging tohim which he had acquired in Paddan-Aram -- to go to his father Isaac in Canaan.	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.
19 Laban was away, shearing his sheep; Rachel in the meanwhile had appropriated the household idolsbelonging to her father,	19 At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father's idols.
20 and Jacob had outwitted Laban the Aramaean so that he would not be forewarned of his flight.	20 And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.
21 Thus he got away with all he had. He was soon across the River and heading for Mount Gilead.	21 And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,
22 Three days later Laban was told that Jacob had fled.	22 It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.
23 Taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days and overtook him at Mount Gilead.	23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.
24 But God appeared to Laban the Aramaean in a dream that night and said to him, 'On no account sayanything whatever to Jacob.'	24 And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
25 Laban caught up with Jacob, who had pitched his tent in the hil s; and Laban pitched camp on MountGilead.	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.
26 Laban said to Jacob, 'What do you mean by outwitting me and then carrying off my daughters likeprisoners of war?	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.
27 Why did you flee in secret, stealing away without letting me know, so that I could send you on yourway rejoicing, with songs and the music of tambourines and harps?	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?
28 You did not even let me kiss my sons and daughters. You have behaved like a fool.	28 Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,
29 It is in my power to harm you, but the God of your father said to me last night, "On no account sayanything whatever to Jacob."	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.
30 Now it may be you real y went because you had such a longing for your father's house, but why didyou steal my gods?'	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?
31 Jacob answered Laban, 'I was afraid, thinking you were going to snatch your daughters from me.	31 Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.
32 But whoever is found in possession of your gods shall not remain alive. In the presence of ourbrothers, examine for yourself what I have, and take what is yours.' Now Jacob did not know that Rachel hadappropriated them.	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.
33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, and then into Leah's tent and the tent of the two slave-girls, but hefound nothing. He came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.	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,
34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them inside a camel cushion, and was sitting onthem. Laban went through everything in the tent but found nothing.	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,
35 Then Rachel said to her father, 'Do not look angry, my lord, because I cannot rise in your presence,for I am as women are from time to time.' Laban searched but did not find the idols.	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.
36 Then Jacob lost his temper and took Laban to task. And Jacob said to Laban, 'What is my offence,what is my crime, for you to have hounded me like this?	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,
37 You have gone through al my belongings; have you found anything belonging to your household?Produce it here in the presence of my brothers and yours, and let them decide between the two of us.	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.
38 In al the twenty years I was under you, your ewes and your she-goats never miscarried, and I neverate rams from your flock.	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:
39 Those mauled I never brought back to you, but bore the loss myself. You demanded compensationfrom me, whether the animal was stolen in daylight or at night.	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:
40 In the daytime the heat devoured me, and frost at night; I never had a good night's sleep.	40 Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.
41 It was like this for the twenty years I spent in your household. Fourteen years I slaved for you for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, since you changed my wages ten times over.	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.
42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Kinsman of Isaac, had not been with me, you wouldhave sent me away empty-handed. But God saw my plight and my labours, and last night he deliveredjudgement.'	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.
43 Laban replied to Jacob, 'These daughters are my daughters and these children are my children, thislivestock is my livestock: everything you see belongs to me. But what can I do today about my daughters here orabout the children they have borne?	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?
44 So come, let us make a pact, you and me . . . , and let that serve as a witness between us.'	44 Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.
45 Jacob then took a stone and set it up as a memorial.	45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:
46 Jacob said to his kinsmen, 'Col ect some stones,' and gathering some stones they made a cairn.They had a meal there, on the cairn, and	46 And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.
47 Laban cal ed it Jegar-Sahadutha while Jacob called it Galeed.	47 And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.
48 Laban said, 'May this cairn be a witness between us today.' That is why he named 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.
49 and also Mizpah, because he said, 'Let Yahweh act as watchman between us when we are nolonger in sight of each other.	49 The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.
50 If you il -treat my daughters or marry other women besides my daughters, even though no one bewith us, remember: God is witness between us.'	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.
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Here is this cairn I have thrown up between us, and here the pil ar.	51 And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,
52 This cairn is a witness, and the pil ar is a witness, that I am not to cross to your side of this cairn andyou are not to cross to my side of this cairn and pillar, with hostile intent.	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.
53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor judge between us.' Then Jacob swore by theKinsman of his father Isaac.	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.
54 He offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to the meal. They ate the meal, andpassed the night on the mountain.	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:
	55 But laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.