Genesis 31

₁Jacob heard that Laban's sons had said: ‘Jacob took everything that belonged to our father. He has become rich from our father's animals.’

₂Jacob also saw that Laban was no longer friendly to him as he was before. ₃The Lord told Jacob: ‘Go back to the land where you were born and to your family. I will be with you.’

₄Jacob sent someone to call Rachel and Leah to the field where he was with his sheep and goats. ₅He said to them: ‘I see your father is not friendly to me anymore, as he was before, but the God of my father has been with me. ₆You know that I have worked very hard for your father, ₇but your father has cheated me and has changed my reward 10 times. But God has protected me against his plans. ₈When your father said the sheep and goats with spots would be my reward, all the sheep and goats had lambs with spots. And when he said all the sheep and goats with stripes would be my reward, all the sheep and goats had lambs with stripes. ₉This is how the Lord has taken your father's animals and He has given them to me. ₁₀At the time when the sheep and goats mated, I dreamed and saw that all the goat-rams that mated with the ewes had spots or stripes. ₁₁I dreamed and the Angel of God said to me: “Jacob.”

And I said: “Here I am.”

₁₂He said: “You must look carefully. All the goat-rams that mate with the ewes have stripes or spots. I have seen everything that Laban has done to you. ₁₃I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel where you poured olive oil out onto the monument, when you promised to serve Me. Now you must leave this land and go back to the land where you were born.” ’

₁₄Rachel and Leah said to Jacob: ‘We will not inherit anything from our father. ₁₅He does with us as he does with strangers from another nation. He sold us to you long ago and he used up all the money. ₁₆Everything that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. You must do what God has told you to do.’

₁₇Jacob went and put his children and his wives on camels ₁₈and he took all his animals and everything that he had got in Paddan-Aram and he went to Canaan, to his father Isaac.

₁₉When Laban went away to shear his sheep and goats, Rachel stole her father's idols. ₂₀Jacob deceived Laban because he did not tell Laban that he wanted to go away. ₂₁Jacob took everything that he had and he fled. He went through the Euphrates River and to Mount Gilead.

₂₂It was 3 days later when they told Laban that Jacob had fled. ₂₃Laban took all the men in his family with him and they followed_and_chased Jacob. After 7 days they found Jacob at Mount Gilead.

₂₄That night Laban dreamed. God came to him and told him: ‘You must be careful what you say to Jacob. If it is good or if it is bad, be careful.’

₂₅When Laban came to Jacob, Jacob had just put up his tents at Mount Gilead. Laban and his men also put up their tents there. ₂₆Laban said to Jacob: ‘What have you done? You have deceived me and you have taken my daughters away like prisoners. ₂₇Why did you go away like a thief and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me anything? I would have let you go and we would have been happy. We would have sung and made music with tambourines and lyres. ₂₈You went away and you did not give me any time to say goodbye to my grandsons and my daughters. You have done wrong. ₂₉I can punish you if I want to, but the God of your father came to me last night and He talked to me. He said: “You must be careful what you say to Jacob. If it is anything good or anything bad, be careful.” ₃₀It is good if you have gone away because you long for your father's family, but why did you steal my idols?’

₃₁Jacob said to Laban: ‘I fled because I was afraid and I thought that maybe you would take your daughters away from me. ₃₂If you find your idols here with anyone, that person must die. You can look for them and your men can be your witnesses. Take anything that belongs to you.’

Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. ₃₃Laban looked into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and the tents of the 2 servant girls, but he did not find anything. He went from Leah's tent to Rachel's tent. ₃₄Rachel had hidden the idols in a bag and she sat on top of the bag. Laban looked around all the tents but he did not find anything.

₃₅Rachel said to her father: ‘Father, please do not be angry with me if I do not stand up for you. I am menstruating.’

Laban looked further, but he did not find anything.

₃₆Then Jacob became angry and he said to Laban: ‘What did I do wrong? What sin have I done? Why have you followed_and_chased me? ₃₇You have looked in everything that I have. Did you find anything from your home? If you have found something, put it here in front of my family and your family, so that they can say who was right, you or I.

₃₈I have been with you for 20 years. Your sheep and goat ewes had lambs every year and I did not kill your rams to eat them. ₃₉When wild animals killed one of your sheep or goats, I did not bring the dead animal to you. I had to give you one of my animals in its place. When thieves came by day or night to steal your animals, I had to give my animals to you for every animal that they stole. ₄₀I have suffered a lot. In the day the sun burnt me and at night I was very cold, and I could not sleep. ₄₁I have worked for you for 20 years. I worked for your 2 daughters for 14 years and for 6 years to get sheep and goats from you. You have changed my reward 10 times. ₄₂If the God of my father had not helped me, then you would have sent me away and you would have given me nothing. The God of Abraham, the God who protected Isaac, saw how I was suffering. He saw how hard I worked and He told you last night that you were wrong and I was right.’

₄₃Then Laban said to Jacob: ‘These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these sheep and goats are my sheep and goats. Everything you see is mine. I will not do anything bad to my daughters or to their children. ₄₄Let the 2 of us make an agreement and let there be a witness between us.’

₄₅Jacob took a stone and put it upright as a monument that would help them remember their agreement. ₄₆Jacob said to his family: ‘Bring some more stones.’

They made a heap of stones and they ate there at the monument. ₄₇Laban named that place Jegar-Sahadutha and Jacob named it Galeed. ₄₈Then Laban said: ‘Today this heap of stones will help us to remember our agreement.’ That is why they named it Galeed. ₄₉Laban also named the place Mizpah. He said: ‘The Lord will look at both of us when we are away from each other. ₅₀God will know when you do something bad to my daughters or marry other women, even if there is no one else with us.’

₅₁Laban said to Jacob: ‘Here is the heap of stones, the monument that I have put up. ₅₂This heap and monument are the signs that we will not go past here if we want to do something bad to each other. ₅₃The God of your father Abraham and the God of my father Nahor will always say who is right and who is wrong, you or I.’

Jacob then said that the God who protected his father Isaac was Witness to their agreement. ₅₄Jacob gave an offering to the Lord on the mountain. He called his family to come and eat with him. They ate and they slept on the mountain that night.

₅₅Early the next morning Laban said goodbye to his grandsons and his daughters and he blessed them. Then he went back home.