Genesis 31

Jacob Flees from Laban

31But Jacob soon learned that Laban's sons were grumbling about him. "Jacob has robbed our father of everything!" they said. "He has gained all his wealth at our father's expense."H8085H1697H3837H1121H559H3290H3947H1H1H6213H35192And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban's attitude toward him.H3290H7200H6440H3837H8543H80323Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you."H3068H559H3290H7725H776H1H41384So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock.H3290H7971H7121H7354H3812H7704H66295He said to them, "I have noticed that your father's attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.H559H7200H1H6440H8543H8032H430H1H19616You know how hard I have worked for your father,H859H3045H3581H5647H17but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.H1H2048H2498H4909H6235H4489H430H5414H7489H59788For if he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, 'The striped animals will be your wages,' then the whole flock produced striped young.H559H5348H7939H6629H3205H5348H559H6124H7939H3205H6629H61249In this way, God has taken your father's animals and given them to me.H430H5337H4735H1H541410"One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted.H6256H6629H3179H5375H5869H7200H2472H6260H5927H6629H6124H5348H126111Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, 'Jacob!' And I replied, 'Yes, here I am.'H4397H430H559H2472H3290H55912"The angel said, 'Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.H559H5375H5869H7200H6260H5927H6629H6124H5348H1261H7200H3837H621313I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel

, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.'"H410H1008H4886H4676H5087H5088H6965H3318H776H7725H776H413814Rachel and Leah responded, "That's fine with us! We won't inherit any of our father's wealth anyway.H7354H3812H6030H559H2506H5159H1H100415He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.H2803H5237H4376H398H398H370116All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you."H6239H430H5337H1H1121H430H559H621317So Jacob put his wives and children on camels,H3290H6965H5375H1121H802H158118and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived.H5090H4735H7399H7408H4735H7075H7408H6307H935H3327H1H776H366719At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father's household idols and took them with her.H3837H1980H1494H6629H7354H1589H8655H120Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving.H3290H1589H3820H3837H761H5921H5046H1097H127221So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River

, heading for the hill country of Gilead.H1272H6965H5674H5104H7760H6440H2022H1568

Laban Pursues Jacob

22Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.H5046H3837H7992H3117H3290H127223So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.H3947H251H7291H310H7651H3117H1870H1692H2022H156824But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, "I'm warning you—leave Jacob alone!"H430H935H3837H761H2472H3915H559H8104H1696H5973H3290H2896H5704H745125Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob's.H3837H5381H3290H3290H8628H168H2022H3837H251H8628H2022H156826"What do you mean by deceiving me like this?" Laban demanded. "How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war?H3837H559H3290H6213H1589H3824H5090H1323H7617H271927Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn't you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps.H1272H2244H1589H5046H7971H8057H7892H8596H365828Why didn't you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly!H5203H5401H1121H1323H5528H621329I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, 'Leave Jacob alone!'H3426H410H3027H6213H7451H430H1H559H570H559H8104H1696H3290H2896H745130I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father's home. But why have you stolen my gods?"H1980H1980H3700H3700H1H1004H1589H43031"I rushed away because I was afraid," Jacob answered. "I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.H3290H6030H559H3837H3372H559H6435H1497H132332But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!" But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.H834H4672H430H2421H5048H251H5234H3947H3290H3045H7354H158933Laban went first into Jacob's tent to search there, then into Leah's, and then the tents of the two servant wives—but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel's tent.H3837H935H3290H168H3812H168H8147H519H168H4672H3318H3812H168H935H7354H16834But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them,H7354H3947H8655H7760H1581H3733H3427H3837H4959H168H467235she said to her father, "Please, sir, forgive me if I don't get up for you. I'm having my monthly period." So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.H559H1H2734H5869H113H3201H6965H6440H1870H802H2664H4672H865536Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. "What's my crime?" he demanded. "What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal?H3290H2734H7378H3837H3290H6030H559H3837H6588H2403H1814H31037You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!H3588H4959H3627H4672H1004H3627H7760H3541H251H251H3198H996H814738"For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food.H6242H8141H7353H5795H7921H352H6629H39839If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.H2966H935H2398H3027H1245H1589H3117H1589H391540"I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights.H3117H2721H398H7140H3915H8142H5074H586941Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times!H6242H8141H1004H5647H702H6240H8141H8147H1323H8337H8141H6629H2498H4909H6235H448942In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac

—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!"H3884H430H1H430H85H6343H3327H7971H7387H430H7200H6040H3018H3709H3198H570

Jacob’s Treaty with Laban

43Then Laban replied to Jacob, "These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?H3837H6030H559H3290H1323H1323H1121H1121H6629H6629H7200H6213H3117H1323H176H1121H320544So come, let's make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment."H3212H3772H1285H570745So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.H3290H3947H68H7311H467646Then he told his family members, "Gather some stones." So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.H3290H559H251H3950H68H3947H68H6213H1530H398H153047To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means "witness pile" in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means "witness pile" in Hebrew).H3837H7121H3026H3290H7121H156748Then Laban declared, "This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today." This explains why it was called Galeed—"Witness Pile."H3837H559H1530H5707H3117H8034H7121H156749But it was also called Mizpah (which means "watchtower"), for Laban said, "May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other's sight.H4709H834H559H3068H6822H5641H376H745350If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.H6031H1323H3947H802H5921H1323H376H7200H430H570751"See this pile of stones," Laban continued, "and see this monument I have set between us.H3837H559H3290H1530H4676H338452They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.H1530H5707H4676H5713H5674H1530H5674H1530H4676H745153I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us." So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac

, to respect the boundary line.H430H85H430H5152H430H1H8199H3290H7650H6343H1H332754Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.H3290H2076H2077H2022H7121H251H398H3899H398H3899H3885H202255

Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.H7925H1242H3837H7925H5401H1121H1323H1288H3837H3212H7725H4725