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Chapter 31 |
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 ring-streaked shall be thy hire; then bare
all the cattle ring-streaked. |
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 ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled. |
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 ring-streaked,
speckled, and grizzled: 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 labor 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. |