Genesis 31 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Jacob Leaves While Laban is Gone

Then [fn]Jacob heard^H8085 the words^H1697 of Laban’s^H3837 sons^H1121, saying^H559, “Jacob^H3290 has taken^H3947 away all^H3605 that^H834 belonged to our father^H1, and from what^H834 belonged to our father^H1 he has made^H6213 all^H3605 this^H2088 [fn]wealth^H3519.”

Gen 31:2

Gen 31:2And Jacob saw the face of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.

Gen 31:3

Gen 31:3Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kin, and I will be with you.”

Gen 31:4

Gen 31:4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

Gen 31:5

Gen 31:5and he said to them, “I see your father’s face, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.

Gen 31:6

Gen 31:6“You also know that I have served your father with all my power.

Gen 31:7

Gen 31:7“Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to harm me.

Gen 31:8

Gen 31:8“If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped.

Gen 31:9

Gen 31:9“Thus God has delivered your father’s livestock and given them to me.

Gen 31:10

Gen 31:10“Now it happened at the time when the flock were [fn]mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were [fn]mating were striped, speckled, and mottled.

Gen 31:11

Gen 31:11“Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’

Gen 31:12

Gen 31:12“He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are [fn]mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.

Gen 31:13

Gen 31:13‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, [fn]leave this land, and return to the land of your kin.’”

Gen 31:14

Gen 31:14Then Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house?

Gen 31:15

Gen 31:15“Are we not counted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also [fn]entirely consumed [fn]our purchase price.

Gen 31:16

Gen 31:16“Surely all the riches which God has delivered over to us from our father belong to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”

Gen 31:17

Then Jacob^H3290 arose^H6965 and put^H5375 his children^H1121 and his wives^H802 upon camels^H1581;

Gen 31:18

Gen 31:18and he drove away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had accumulated, his acquired livestock which he had accumulated in Paddan-aram, in order to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.

Gen 31:19

Gen 31:19Now Laban had gone to shear his flock. Then Rachel stole the [fn]household idols that were her father’s.

Gen 31:20

Gen 31:20And Jacob [fn]deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

Gen 31:21

Gen 31:21So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the [fn]River and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

Gen 31:22

Then it was told^H5046 to Laban^H3837 on the third^H7992 day^H3117 that Jacob^H3290 had fled^H1272;

Gen 31:23

Gen 31:23so he took his [fn]relatives with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

Gen 31:24

Gen 31:24And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “[fn]Beware lest you speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

Gen 31:25

So Laban^H3837 caught^H5381 up^H5381 with Jacob^H3290. Now Jacob^H3290 had pitched^H8628 his tent^H168 in the hill^H2022 country^H2022, and Laban^H3837 with his [fn]relatives^H251 camped^H8628 in the hill^H2022 country^H2022 of Gilead^H1568.

Gen 31:26

Gen 31:26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done [fn]by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?

Gen 31:27

Gen 31:27“Why did you flee secretly and [fn]deceive me and not tell me—so that I might have sent you away with gladness and with songs, with tambourine and with lyre—

Gen 31:28

Gen 31:28and not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have acted foolishly.

Gen 31:29

Gen 31:29“It is in my hand to do evil against you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘[fn]Beware of speaking either good or evil to Jacob.’

Gen 31:30

Gen 31:30“So now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

Gen 31:31

Gen 31:31Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, because I said, ‘Lest you take your daughters from me by force.’

Gen 31:32

Gen 31:32“The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our [fn]relatives recognize what is yours [fn]among my belongings and take it for yourself.” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Gen 31:33

So Laban^H3837 went^H935 into Jacob’s^H3290 tent^H168 and into Leah’s^H3812 tent^H168 and into the tent^H168 of the two^H8147 maidservants^H519, but he did not find^H4672 them. Then he went^H3318 out^H3318 of Leah’s^H3812 tent^H168 and entered^H935 Rachel’s^H7354 tent^H168.

Gen 31:34

Gen 31:34Now Rachel had taken the [fn]household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.

Gen 31:35

Gen 31:35And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the [fn]household idols.

Gen 31:36

Then Jacob^H3290 became^H2734 angry^H2734 and contended^H7378 with Laban^H3837; and Jacob^H3290 answered^H6030 and said^H559 to Laban^H3837, “What^H4100 is my transgression^H6588? What^H4100 is my sin^H2403 that you have hotly^H1814 pursued^H310^H1814 me?

Gen 31:37

Gen 31:37“Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Place it here before my [fn]relatives and your [fn]relatives, that they may decide between us two.

Gen 31:38

Gen 31:38“These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

Gen 31:39

Gen 31:39“That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

Gen 31:40

Gen 31:40“Thus I was: by day the [fn]heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

Gen 31:41

Gen 31:41“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 changed my wages ten times.

Gen 31:42

Gen 31:42“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the dread of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered the decision last night.”

The Covenant at Mizpah

Gen 31:43

Then Laban^H3837 answered^H6030 and said^H559 to Jacob^H3290, “The daughters^H1323 are my daughters^H1323, and the children^H1121 are my children^H1121, and the flocks^H6629 are my flocks^H6629, and all^H3605 that you see^H7200 is mine. But what^H4100 can I do^H6213 this day^H3117 to these^H428 daughters of mine^H1323 or^H176 to their children^H1121 whom^H834 they have borne^H3205?

Gen 31:44

Gen 31:44“So now come, let us cut a covenant, [fn]you and I, and let it be a witness between [fn]you and me.”

Gen 31:45

Gen 31:45Then Jacob took a stone and raised it up as a pillar.

Gen 31:46

Gen 31:46And Jacob said to his [fn]relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

Gen 31:47

Gen 31:47And Laban called it [fn]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it [fn]Galeed.

Gen 31:48

Gen 31:48Then Laban said, “This heap is a witness between [fn]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed,

Gen 31:49

Gen 31:49and [fn]Mizpah, for he said, “May Yahweh watch between [fn]you and me when we are [fn]absent one from the other.

Gen 31:50

Gen 31:50“If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between [fn]you and me.”

Gen 31:51

Gen 31:51And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between [fn]you and me.

Gen 31:52

Gen 31:52“This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me for harm.

Gen 31:53

Gen 31:53“The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the dread of his father Isaac.

Gen 31:54

Gen 31:54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his [fn]relatives to eat a [fn]meal; and they ate [fn]the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

Gen 31:55

Gen 31:55 [fn]And Laban arose early in the morning and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.