Genesis 31

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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.	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."
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.	2 Jacob perceived, too, that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had previously been.
3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto 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, where you were born, and I will be with you."
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,	4 So Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him where he was in the field with 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.	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.
6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.	6 You well know what effort I put into serving your father;
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.	7 yet your father cheated me and changed my wages time after time. God, however, did not let him do me any harm.
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.	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.
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.	9 Thus God reclaimed your father's livestock and gave it 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.	10 Once, in the breeding season, I had a dream in which I saw mating he-goats that were streaked, speckled and mottled.
11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.	11 In the dream God's messenger called to me, 'Jacob!' 'Here!' I replied.
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.	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.
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.	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.'"
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?	14 Rachel and Leah answered him: "Have we still an heir's portion 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.	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!
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.	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."
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;	17 Jacob proceeded to put his children and wives on 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 Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.	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.
19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.	19 Now Laban had gone away to shear his sheep, and Rachel had meanwhile appropriated her father's household idols.
20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.	20 Jacob had hoodwinked Laban the Aramean by not telling him of his intended flight.
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.	21 Thus he made his escape with all that he had. Once he was across the Euphrates, he headed for the highlands of Gilead.
22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.	22 On the third day, word came to Laban that Jacob had fled.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.	23 Taking his kinsmen with him, he pursued him for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of 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.	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!"
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.	25 When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob's tents were pitched in the highlands; Laban also pitched his tents there, on Mount 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?	26 "What do you mean," Laban demanded of Jacob, "by hoodwinking me and carrying off my daughters like war captives?
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?	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.
28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.	28 You did not even allow me a parting kiss to my daughters and grandchildren! What you have now done is a senseless thing.
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.	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!'
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?	30 Granted that you had to leave because you were desperately homesick for your father's house, why did you steal 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.	31 "I was frightened," Jacob replied to Laban, "at the thought that you might take your daughters away from me by force.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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,
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.	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.
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?	36 Jacob, now enraged, upbraided Laban. "What crime or offense have I committed," he demanded, "that you should hound me so fiercely?
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.	40 How often the scorching heat ravaged me by day, and the frost by night, while sleep fled from my 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.	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.
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.	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."
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?	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.
44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.	44 Come, then, we will make a pact, you and I; the LORD shall be a witness between us."
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.	45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.
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.	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.
47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.	47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named 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;	48 "This mound," said Laban, "shall be a witness from now on between you and me." That is why it was named Galeed--
49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.	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.
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.	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."
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.	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.
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.