Genesis 31

1He heard the words of Laban's sons saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has made all this glory."

2Jacob saw that Laban's face was not the same toward him as formerly.

3Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kin, and I will be with you."

4Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field.

5He said to them, “I see your father’s face, that it is not toward me as yesterday and the day before, but my father’s God has been with me.”

6You know that with all my might I have served your father.

7Your father deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8If he said thus, "The speckled shall be your wages," then all the flock bore speckled. And if he said thus, "The streaked shall be your wages," then all the flock bore streaked.

9God has taken away your father's livestock and given them to me.

10It happened at the time the flock conceived that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the he-goats mounting the flock were ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

11God's angel said to me in the dream, "Jacob," and I said, "Here I am."

12He said, "Now lift your eyes and see: all the he-goats leaping on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you."

13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.

14Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there any share or heritage left for us in our father's house?"

15Hasn't he regarded us as foreigners? He has sold us and utterly devoured our money too.

16For all the riches God has rescued from our father belong to us and our children; now then, everything God has said to you, do.

17Jacob arose and lifted his sons and his wives onto the camels.

18He drove away all his livestock and all his property that he had acquired, his purchased livestock that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole her father's teraphim.

20Jacob stole the heart of Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

21He fled with all that he had, arose, crossed the river, and set his face toward Mount Gilead.

22On the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23He took his kinsmen with him and pursued him seven days along the way, overtaking him on Mount Gilead.

24God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, "Watch yourself lest you speak to Jacob, good or bad."

25Laban overtook Jacob. Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, and Laban pitched with his brothers on the mountain of Gilead.

26Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you stole my heart and drove my daughters like captives of the sword?"

27Why did you flee secretly, steal away from me, and not tell me, so I might have sent you off with joy, songs, timbrel, and harp?

28You didn't let me kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you've acted foolishly in doing so.

29There is power in my hand to do evil to you, but the God of your father said to me last night, "Watch yourself lest you speak to Jacob good or bad."

30Now you have gone because you greatly longed for your father's house—why have you stolen my gods?

31Jacob responded to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you seize your daughters from me.'"

32Whomever you find your gods with will not live. Before our brothers, identify what is with me that belongs to you, and take it. Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33Laban entered Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tent of the two maidservants, but did not find them. He left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's.

34Rachel took the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but did not find them.

35She said to her father, "Let my lord not be angry, for I cannot stand before you—the way of women is upon me." He searched, but did not find the teraphim.

36Jacob became angry and contended with Laban. Jacob replied to Laban, "What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?"

37Since you have searched all my goods, what have you found from all your household goods? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, that they may judge between us two.

38These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and she-goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

39I did not bring to you any animal torn by beasts; I myself bore the blame for it—from my hand you required it, whether stolen from me by day or stolen from me by night.

40This is how I was: drought consumed me by day, and frost by night; sleep fled from my eyes.

41These twenty years I served you in your house, fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.

42Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had been with me, you would have sent me away empty by now. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.

43Laban answered Jacob: "The daughters are my daughters, the sons my sons, the flocks my flocks, and all that you see is mine—what can I do today to these my daughters or to their sons whom they have borne?"

44Now come, let us cut a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you.

45Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar.

46Jacob said to his kinsmen, "Gather stones." They took stones, made a heap, and ate there by the heap.

47Laban called it Jegar-Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.

48Laban said, “This heap is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed.

49And Mizpah, for he said, “May Yahweh watch between me and you when we are hidden one from another.”

50If you mistreat my daughters, or take wives in addition to my daughters, no one is with us—see, God is witness between me and you.

51Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap, and see the pillar that I have set between me and you."

52This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not cross over this heap to you, and that you will not cross over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us. Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his brothers to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night on the mountain.

55Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his sons and his daughters, blessed them, left, and returned home.