Now 1Jacob heard the words
of Laban's
sons
, saying
, "Jacob
has taken
away all
that was our father's
, and from what
belonged to our father
he has made
all
this
2wealth
."
Jacob saw
the 1attitude
of Laban
, and behold
, it was not friendly toward
him as formerly
.
Then the LORD said
to Jacob
, " aReturn
to the land
of your fathers
and to your relatives
, and bI will be with you."
So Jacob sent
and called
Rachel
and Leah
to his flock
in the field
,
and said to them, " aI see
your father's
1attitude
, that it is not friendly toward
me as formerly
, but bthe God
of my father
has been
with me.
" aYou know that I have served
your father
with all
my strength
.
"Yet your father has acheated
me and bchanged
my wages
ten
times
; however, cGod
did not allow
him to hurt
me.
"If ahe spoke
thus
, `The speckled
shall be your wages
,' then all
the flock
brought
forth
speckled
; and if
he spoke
thus
, `The striped
shall be your wages
,' then all
the flock
brought
forth
striped
.
"Thus God has ataken
away
your father's
livestock
and given
them to me.
"And it came about at the time
when the flock
were 1mating
that I lifted
up my eyes
and saw
in a dream
, and behold
, the male
goats
which were 2mating
were striped
, speckled
, and mottled
.
"Then athe angel of God
said
to me in the dream
, `Jacob
,' and I said
, `Here
I am.'
"He said, `Lift
up now
your eyes
and see
that all
the male
goats
which are 1mating
are striped
, speckled
, and mottled
; for aI have seen
all
that Laban
has been doing
to you.
`I am athe God of Bethel
, where
you banointed
a pillar
, where
you made
a vow
to Me; now
arise
, 1leave
this
land
, and creturn
to the land
of your birth
.' "
Rachel and Leah
said
to him, "Do we still
have any portion
or inheritance
in our father's
house
?
"Are we not reckoned by him as foreigners
? For ahe has sold
us, and has also
1entirely
consumed
2our purchase
price
.
"Surely all
the wealth
which
God
has taken
away
from our father
belongs to us and our children
; now
then, do
whatever
God
has said
to you."
Then Jacob arose
and put
his children
and his wives
upon camels
;
and he drove away
all
his livestock
and all
his property
which
he had gathered
, his acquired
livestock
which
he had gathered
in Paddan-aram
, ato go
to the land
of Canaan
to his father
Isaac
.
When Laban had gone
to shear
his flock
, then Rachel
stole
the 1 ahousehold
idols
that were her father's
.
And Jacob 1deceived
Laban
the Aramean
by not telling
him that he was fleeing
.
So he fled with all
that he had; and he arose
and crossed
the Euphrates River
, and set
his face
toward the hill
country
of aGilead
.
When it was told Laban
on the third
day
that Jacob
had fled
,
then he took his 1kinsmen
with him and pursued
him a distance of seven
days'
journey
, and he overtook
him in the hill
country
of Gilead
.
aGod came
to Laban
the Aramean
in a bdream
of the night
and said
to him, " 1 cBe careful
that you do not speak
to Jacob
either
good
or
bad
."
Laban caught
up with Jacob
. Now Jacob
had pitched
his tent
in the hill
country
, and Laban
with his 1kinsmen
camped
in the hill
country
of Gilead
.
Then Laban said
to Jacob
, "What
have you done
1by deceiving
me and carrying
away
my daughters
like captives
of the sword
?
"Why did you flee
secretly
and 1deceive
me, and did not tell
me so that I might have sent
you away
with joy
and with songs
, with atimbrel
and with blyre
;
and did not allow me ato kiss
my sons
and my daughters
? Now
you have done
foolishly
.
"It is in 1my power to do
you harm
, but athe God
of your father
spoke
to me last
night
, saying
, ` 2 bBe careful
not to speak
either
good
or
bad
to Jacob
.'
"Now you have indeed
gone
away because
you longed
greatly
for your father's
house
; but why
did you steal
amy gods
?"
Then Jacob replied
to Laban
, "Because
I was afraid
, for I thought
that you would take
your daughters
from me by force
.
" aThe one with whom you find
your gods
shall not live
; in the presence
of our 1kinsmen
2point
out what
is yours 3among
my belongings
and take
it for yourself." For Jacob
did not know
that Rachel
had stolen
them.
So Laban went
into Jacob's
tent
and into Leah's
tent
and into the tent
of the two
maids
, but he did not find
them. Then he went
out of Leah's
tent
and entered
Rachel's
tent
.
Now Rachel had taken
the 1household
idols
and put
them in the camel's
saddle
, and she sat
on them. And Laban
felt
through
all
the tent
but did not find
them.
She said to her father
, "Let not my lord
be angry
that I cannot
arise
before
you, for the manner
of women
is upon me." So he searched
but did not find
the 1 bhousehold
idols
.
Then Jacob became
angry
and contended
with Laban
; and Jacob
said
to Laban
, "What
is my transgression
? What
is my sin
that you have hotly
pursued
me?
"Though you have felt
through
all
my goods
, what
have you found
of all
your household
goods
? Set
it here
before
my 1kinsmen
and your 1kinsmen
, that they may decide
between
us two
.
"These twenty
years
I have been with you; your ewes
and your female
goats
have not miscarried
, nor
have I eaten
the rams
of your flocks
.
"That which was torn of beasts I did not bring
to you; I bore
the loss
of it myself
. You required
it of my hand
whether stolen
by day
or stolen
by night
.
"Thus I was: by day the 1heat
consumed
me and the frost
by night
, and my sleep
fled
from my eyes
.
"These twenty
years
I have been in your house
; aI served
you fourteen
years
for your two
daughters
and six
years
for your flock
, and you bchanged
my wages
ten
times
.
"If athe God
of my father
, the God
of Abraham
, and the fear
of Isaac
, had
not been
for me, surely
now
you would have sent
me away
empty-handed
. bGod
has seen
my affliction
and the toil
of my hands
, so He crendered
judgment
last
night
."
Then Laban replied
to Jacob
, "The daughters
are my daughters
, and the children
are my children
, and athe 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
?
"So now come
, let us amake
a covenant
, 1you and I, and blet it be a witness
between
2you and me."
Then Jacob took
aa stone
and set
it up as a pillar
.
Jacob said
to his 1kinsmen
, "Gather
stones
." So they took
stones
and made
a heap
, and they ate
there
by the heap
.
Now Laban acalled
it 1Jegar-sahadutha
, but Jacob
called
it 2Galeed
.
Laban said
, " aThis
heap
is a witness
between
1you and me this day
." Therefore
it was named
Galeed
,
and 1 aMizpah, for he said
, "May the LORD
watch
between
2you and me when
we are 3absent
one
from the other
.
"If you mistreat
my daughters
, or if
you take
wives
besides
my daughters
, although no
man
is with us, see
, aGod
is witness
between
1you and me."
Laban said
to Jacob
, "Behold
this
heap
and behold
the pillar
which
I have set
between
1you and me.
"This heap
is a witness
, and the pillar
is a witness
, that I will not pass
by this
heap
to you for harm, and you will not pass
by this
heap
and this
pillar
to me, for harm
.
" aThe God of Abraham
and the God
of Nahor
, the God
of their father
, bjudge
between
us." So Jacob
swore
by cthe fear
of his father
Isaac
.
Then Jacob aoffered
a sacrifice
on the mountain
, and called
his 1kinsmen
to 2the meal
; and they ate
3the meal
and spent
the night
on the mountain
.
1Early in the morning
Laban
arose
, and akissed
his sons
and his daughters
and blessed
them. Then Laban
departed
and returned
to his place
.