GE-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.
GE-31:2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold,
it
[was] not toward him as before.
GE-31:3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of
thy
fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
GE-31:4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field
unto
his flock,
GE-31:5 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.
GE-31:6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your
father.
GE-31:7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages
ten
times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
GE-31:8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then
all
the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstreaked
shall
be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstreaked.
GE-31:9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and
given
[them] to me.
GE-31:10 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] ringstreaked, speckled, and
grisled.
GE-31:11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream,
[saying],
Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I.
GE-31:12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the
rams
which leap upon the cattle [are] ringstreaked, speckled, and
grisled:
for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
GE-31:13 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.
GE-31:14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, [Is
there]
yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
GE-31:15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold
us,
and hath quite devoured also our money.
GE-31:16 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.
GE-31:17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon
camels;
GE-31:18 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.
GE-31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had
stolen the
images that [were] her father's.
GE-31:20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in
that
he told him not that he fled.
GE-31:21 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.
GE-31:22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was
fled.
GE-31:23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after
him
seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
GE-31:24 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.
GE-31:25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his
tent in
the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of
Gilead.
GE-31:26 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?
GE-31:27 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?
GE-31:28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my
daughters?
thou hast now done foolishly in [so] doing.
GE-31:29 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.
GE-31:30 And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because
thou
sore longedst after thy father's house, [yet] wherefore hast thou
stolen my gods?
GE-31:31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was
afraid:
for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy
daughters
from me.
GE-31:32 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.
GE-31:33 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.
GE-31:34 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.
GE-31:35 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.
GE-31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chided 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?
GE-31:37 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.
GE-31:38 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.
GE-31:39 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.
GE-31:40 [Thus] I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and
the
frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
GE-31:41 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.
GE-31:42 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 labour of my hands,
and
rebuked [thee] yesternight.
GE-31:43 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?
GE-31:44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and
thou;
and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
GE-31:45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar.
GE-31:46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and
they
took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the
heap.
GE-31:47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it
Galeed.
GE-31:48 And Laban said, This heap [is] a witness between me
and thee
this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
GE-31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and
thee,
when we are absent one from another.
GE-31:50 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.
GE-31:51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold
[this]
pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
GE-31:52 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.
GE-31:53 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.
GE-31:54 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.
GE-31:55 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.
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