Genesis 31

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BBE WEB

Jacob goes away secretly

Now it came to the ears of Jacob that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken away all our father's property, and in this way he has got all this wealth. He heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. From that which was our father’s, has he gotten all this wealth.”
And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before. Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
Then the Lord said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers, and to your relations, and I will be with you. Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock. Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,
And he said to them, It is clear to me that your father's feeling is no longer what it was to me; but the God of my father has been with me and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
And you have seen how I have done all in my power for your father, You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.
But your father has not kept faith with me, and ten times he has made changes in my payment; but God has kept him from doing me damage. Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn’t allow him to hurt me.
If he said, All those in the flock which have marks are to be yours, then all the flock gave birth to marked young; and if he said, All the banded ones are to be yours, then all the flock had banded young. If he said this, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore streaked.
So God has taken away your father's cattle and has given them to me. Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock, and given them to me.
And at the time when the flock were with young, I saw in a dream that all the he-goats which were joined with the she-goats were banded and marked and coloured. It happened during mating season that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
And he said, See how all the he-goats are banded and marked and coloured: for I have seen what Laban has done to you. He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
I am the God of Beth-el, where you put oil on the pillar and took an oath to me: now then, come out of this land and go back to the country of your birth. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there for us in our father's house? Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
Are we not as people from a strange country to him? for he took a price for us and now it is all used up. Aren’t we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our money.
For the wealth which God has taken from him is ours and our children's; so now, whatever God has said to you, do. For all the riches which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”
Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels; Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,
And sending on before him all his cattle and his property which he had got together in Paddan-aram, he made ready to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
Now Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house. Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean. Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn’t tell him that he was running away.
So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead. So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight. Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.

Laban goes after Jacob

And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him for seven days and overtook him in the hill-country of Gilead. He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob. God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Take heed to yourself that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead. Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war? Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music? Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do. and didn’t allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.
It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob. It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Take heed to yourself that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken my gods? Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”
And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force. Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’
As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them. Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it.” For Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them.
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's. Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn’t find them. He went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.
Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them. Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt about all the tent, but didn’t find them.
And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images. She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He searched, but didn’t find the teraphim.

Jacob's complaint of Laban's behaviour

Then Jacob was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion? Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us. Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.
These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food. “These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven’t eaten the rams of your flocks.
Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night. That which was torn of animals, I didn’t bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes. This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed. These 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.
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

Their agreement at Galeed

Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children? Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us. Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you.”
Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar. Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones. Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.
And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed, Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed
And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings. and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.
If you are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.”
And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me; Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose. May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
And Jacob made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that night on the mountain. Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.
And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country. Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
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