1Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.”2And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. (Ge 4:5)3Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” (Ge 28:15; Ge 31:13; Ge 32:9)4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was5and 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. (Ge 31:2; Ge 31:3)6You know that I have served your father with all my strength, (Ge 30:29; Ge 31:38)7yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. (Ge 31:41; Nu 14:22; Ne 4:12; Job 19:3; Zec 8:23)8If 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. (Ge 30:32)9Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. (Ge 31:1)10In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled.11Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’12And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. (Ex 3:7)13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” (Ge 28:18; Ge 31:3; Ge 32:9)14Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? (2Sa 20:1; 1Ki 12:16)15Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. (Ge 29:15; Ge 29:27; Ge 30:26)16All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”17So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels.18He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. (Ge 25:20; Ge 28:2; Ge 28:6)19Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. (Ge 31:30; Ge 31:34; Jud 17:5; 1Sa 15:23; 1Sa 19:13; Eze 21:21; Ho 3:4; Zec 10:2)20And Jacob tricked[1] Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee.21He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates,[2] and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. (Ex 23:31; 2Ki 12:17; Ps 72:8; Lu 9:51)22When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,23he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead.24But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (Ge 20:3; Ge 24:50; Nu 24:13; 2Sa 13:22)25And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead.26And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? (Ge 31:20)27Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? (Ge 31:26)28And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. (Ge 31:55; Ru 1:9; Ru 1:14; 1Ki 19:20; Ac 20:37)29It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your[3] father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ (Ge 28:13; Ge 31:24; Ge 31:42; Ge 31:53; De 28:32; Ne 5:5; Pr 3:27; Mic 2:1)30And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” (Ge 31:19; Jud 18:24)31Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.32Anyone 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. (Ge 44:9)33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.34Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them.35And 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. (Le 19:32)36Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?37For 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. (Ge 31:54)38These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks.39What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. (Ex 22:12)40There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.41These 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. (Ge 29:27; Ge 31:7)42If 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.” (Ge 29:32; Ge 31:29; Ge 31:53; Ps 124:1)43Then 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 for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne?44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” (Ge 26:28; Jos 24:27)45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. (Ge 28:18)46And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.47Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,[4] but Jacob called it Galeed.[5]48Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, (Ge 31:44)49and Mizpah,[6] for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. (Jud 11:29; Jud 11:34)50If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” (Jud 11:10; 1Sa 12:5; Job 16:19; Jer 42:5; Mic 1:2)51Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me.52This 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, to do harm. (Ge 31:43)53The 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, (Ge 31:42)54and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. (Ge 31:37)55[7] Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. (Ge 31:28; Ge 31:43)
Genesis 31
New International Version
Jacob flees from Laban
1Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, ‘Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.’2And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude towards him was not what it had been.3Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.’4So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were.5He said to them, ‘I see that your father’s attitude towards me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.6You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,7yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me.8If he said, “The speckled ones will be your wages,” then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, “The streaked ones will be your wages,” then all the flocks bore streaked young.9So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.10‘In the breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted.11The angel of God said to me in the dream, “Jacob.” I answered, “Here I am.”12And he said, “Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.” ’14Then Rachel and Leah replied, ‘Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate?15Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.16Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.’17Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,18and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,[1] to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.21So he fled with all he had, crossed the River Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Laban pursues Jacob
22On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.23Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.24Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’25Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too.26Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.27Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so that I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps?28You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing.29I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”30Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?’31Jacob answered Laban, ‘I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.32But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.’ Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent.34Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.35Rachel said to her father, ‘Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.’ So he searched but could not find the household gods.36Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. ‘What is my crime?’ he asked Laban. ‘How have I wronged you that you hunt me down?37Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.38‘I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.39I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.40This was my situation: the heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.41It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.’43Laban answered Jacob, ‘The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne?44Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.’45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.46He said to his relatives, ‘Gather some stones.’ So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap.47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[2]48Laban said, ‘This heap is a witness between you and me today.’ That is why it was called Galeed.49It was also called Mizpah,[3] because he said, ‘May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.50If you ill-treat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no-one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.’51Laban also said to Jacob, ‘Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me.52This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me.53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.’ So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.54He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.55Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.[4]