 1 He heard the words of Laban's sons saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's and he has gotten all this glory from what was our father's. 2 Jacob saw the countenance of Laban and it was not toward him as before. 3 The Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred and I will be with you. 4 Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flocks. 5 He said to them, I see in your father's face that he is not toward me as before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my ability+. 7 But your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times. Yet God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said, The speckled will be your wages, then all the flocks bore speckled. If he said, The striped will be your hire, then all the flocks bore striped. 9 God has taken away the flocks of your father and given them to me. 10 At the time the cattle conceived, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams that leaped upon the cattle were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in a dream saying, Jacob. I said, Here am I. 12 He said, Lift up your eyes and see all the rams that leap upon the cattle. They are striped, speckled, and mottled. For I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your kindred. 14 Rachel and Leah said to him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15 Are we not counted strangers by him? For he has sold us and has also entirely devoured our silver. 16 For all the riches that God has taken from our father that is ours our children's, now do whatever God has said to you. 17 Then Jacob arose and set his children and wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his cattle and all his goods that he had gotten, the cattle of his property that he had gotten in Padanaram, in order to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 Laban went to shear his sheep and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. 20 Jacob deceived the heart of Laban the Syrian in that he did not tell him that he fled. 21 He fled with all that was his and passed over the river and set his face toward Mount Gilead. 22 On the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So he took his brothers and pursued after him for seven days and overtook him in Mount Gilead. 24 Then God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and said to him, Take heed that you do not speak either good or bad to Jacob. 25 Then Laban overtook Jacob and Jacob pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with his brothers pitched in Mount Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, What have you done that you have deceived me and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27 Why did you run away secretly and steal from me and not tell me so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tabret and harp? 28 Why have you not allowed me to kiss my sons and my daughters? In this, you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do harm to you. But the God of your fathers spoke to me last night saying, Take heed that you do not speak either good or bad to Jacob. 30 Now you have gone because you longed after your father's house. Why have you stolen my gods? 31 Jacob said to Laban, Because I was afraid, for I said, Perhaps you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 With whomever you find your gods, let him not live. Before our brothers, choose what is yours with me, and take it to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two slave women, and he did not find. And he left Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel had taken the images and put them into the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all the tent, but did not find them. 35 But she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you. For the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but did not find the images. 36 Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban. He said to Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me? 37 For you have searched all my stuff. What have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers so that they may judge between us both. 38 I was with you these 20 years. Your ewes and she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of your flock I have not eaten. 39 Whatever was mangled I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it. You required it at my hand, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 I was there. In the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night. And my sleep departed from my eyes. 41 I have been 20 years in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six for your flocks. And you have changed my wages ten times. 42 Unless the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac had been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night. 43 Laban said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children and these cattle are my cattle. All that you see is mine. What can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have born? 44 Come now. Let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be for a witness between you and me. 45 Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 46 Jacob said to his brothers, Gather stones. So they took stones and made a heap and ate there upon the heap. 47 Laban called it in Syrian, Heap of the Testimony. Jacob called it in Hebrew, Heap of Testimony. 48 Laban said, This heap is a witness between you and me this day. Therefore the name of it was called Heap of Testimony. 49 Also Watchtower. For he said, The Lord watch between you and me when we are absent from one another. 50 If you shall not afflict my daughters, or if you shall take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us. See. God is witness between you and me. 51 Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar that I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness and the pillar is a witness that I will not pass over this heap to you and that you shall not pass over this heap and this pillar to harm me. 53 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. 54 Jacob offered sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread. They ate bread and stayed all night in the mountain. 55 Early in the morning Laban rose, kissed his sons and his daughters, blessed them, and departed and returned to his place.
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