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Jacob Flees from Laban
But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.”
But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.”
Jacob Flees from Laban
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and of what was our father's he has acquired all this glory.
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and of what was our father's he has acquired all this glory.
And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as previously.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”
And Jehovah said to Jacob, Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock.
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the fields to his flock,
He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.
and said to them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as previously; but the God of my father has been with me.
You know how hard I have worked for your father,
And you know that with all my power I have served your father.
but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.
And your father has mocked me, and has changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young.
If he said thus; The speckled shall be thy hire, then all the flocks bore speckled; and if he said thus: The ringstraked shall be thy hire, then all the flocks bore ringstraked.
In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.
And God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given [them] to me.
“One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
And it came to pass at the time of the ardour of the flocks, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams that leaped upon the flocks were ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
And the Angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob! And I said, Here am I.
“The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.
And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see: all the rams that leap upon the flock are ringstraked, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban does to thee.
I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, where thou vowedst a vow to me. Now arise, depart out of this land, and return to the land of thy kindred.
Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway.
And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.
Are we not reckoned of him strangers? for he has sold us, and has even constantly devoured our money.
All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”
For all the wealth that God has taken from our father is ours and our children's; and now whatever God has said to thee do.
So Jacob put his wives and children on camels,
And Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels,
and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived.
and carried away all his cattle, and all his property that he had acquired -- the cattle of his possessions that he had acquired in Padan-Aram, to go to Isaac his father, into the land of Canaan.
At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.
And Laban had gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that [belonged] to her father.
Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving.
And Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he fled.
And he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed over the river, and set his face [toward] mount Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
Laban Pursues Jacob
And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.
And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on mount Gilead.
But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you — leave Jacob alone!”
And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob’s.
And Laban came up with Jacob; and Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain; Laban also with his brethren pitched on mount Gilead.
“What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war?
And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast deceived me, and hast carried away my daughters as captives of war?
Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps.
Why didst thou flee away covertly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have conducted thee with mirth and with songs, with tambour and with harp;
Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly!
and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now thou hast acted foolishly.
I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’
It would be in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Take care that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”
And now that thou must needs be gone, because thou greatly longedst after thy father's house, why hast thou stolen my gods?
“I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
And Jacob answered and said to Laban, I was afraid; for I said, Lest thou shouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.
With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live. Before our brethren discern what is thine with me, and take [it] to thee. But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of the two servant wives — but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent.
And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two handmaids' tents, and found nothing; and he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them,
Now Rachel had taken the teraphim and put them under the camel's saddle; and she sat upon them. And Laban explored all the tent, but found nothing.
she said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly period.” So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.
And she said to her father, Let it not be an occasion of anger in the eyes of my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me after the manner of women. And he searched carefully, but did not find the teraphim.
Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. “What’s my crime?” he demanded. “What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal?
And Jacob was angry, and he disputed with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my fault, what my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!
Whereas thou hast explored all my baggage, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set [it] here before my brethren and thy brethren, and let them decide between us both.
“For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food.
These twenty years have I been with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten.
If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.
What was torn I have not brought to thee; I had to bear the loss of it: of my hand hast thou required it, [whether] stolen by day or stolen by night.
“I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights.
Thus it was with me: in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes.
Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times!
I have been these twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
Had not the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, been with me, it is certain thou wouldest have sent me away now empty. God has looked upon my affliction and the labour of my hands, and has judged last night.
Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks — in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?
Jacob's Covenant with Laban
And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that thou seest is mine; but as for my daughters, what can I do this day to them, or to their sons whom they have brought forth?
And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that thou seest is mine; but as for my daughters, what can I do this day to them, or to their sons whom they have brought forth?
So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”
And now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be a witness between me and thee.
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar.
Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.
And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones. And they took stones, and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap.
To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).
And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed — “Witness Pile.”
And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,
But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight.
-- and Mizpah; for he said, Let Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we shall be hidden one from another:
If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
if thou shouldest afflict my daughters, or if thou shouldest take wives besides my daughters, -- no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and thee!
“See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us.
And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set up between me and thee:
They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.
[let] this heap be witness, and the pillar a witness, that neither I pass this heap [to go] to thee, nor thou pass this heap and this pillar [to come] to me, for harm.
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us! And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
And Jacob offered a sacrifice upon the mountain, and invited his brethren to eat bread: and they ate bread, and lodged on the mountain.