“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. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of
Laban, and, behold, it [was] not toward him as before. 3 And the LORD
said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy
kindred; and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and
Leah to the field unto 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. 6 And ye know that with all my power I
have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed
my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 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. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle
of your father, and given [them] 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. 11 And the angel of God spake unto
me in a dream, [saying], Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I. 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. 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. 14 And Rachel
and Leah answered and said unto him, [Is there] yet any portion or
inheritance for us 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.
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.”
“17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon 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 Padanaram, for
to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to
shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her
father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that
he told him not that he fled. 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. 22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’
journey; and they overtook him in the mount 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.”
“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. 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? 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? 28 And hast not
suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done
foolishly in [so] doing. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”
“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? 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. 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. 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. 40 [Thus] I was; in the day the drought consumed me,
and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine 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. 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.”
“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? 44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou;
and let it be for a witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob took a
stone, and set it up [for] a pillar. 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. 47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha:
but Jacob called 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; 49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee,
when we are absent one from another. 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. 51 And
Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold [this] pillar, which I
have cast betwixt me and thee; 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. 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. 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. 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.” (Ge 31:1-55 AV)
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