Study Desk

Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth."

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.

And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before.

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,

and said to them, "I see your father's attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.

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.

"You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.

"Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to do me harm.

And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

"If he said this: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flock delivered speckled; and if he said this: 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock delivered striped.

If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

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

Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

"And it came about at the time when the flock was breeding that I raised my eyes and saw in a dream—and behold—the male goats that were mating were striped, speckled, or mottled.

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 ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

"Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob'; and I said, 'Here I am.'

And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

"He said, 'Now raise your eyes and see that all the male goats that are mating are striped, speckled, or mottled; for I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you.

And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

'I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"

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.

Rachel and Leah said to him, "Do we still have any share or inheritance in our father's house?

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

"Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also entirely consumed our purchase price.

Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.

"Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has told you."

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.

Then Jacob stood up and put his children and his wives on camels;

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

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

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.

Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the household idols that were her father's.

And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

So he fled with all that he had; and he got up and crossed the Euphrates River, and set out for the hill country of Gilead.

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.

When Laban was informed on the third day that Jacob had fled,

And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

However, God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, "Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad."

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.

And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead.

Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?

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?

"Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with tambourine and with lyre;

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?

and did not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.

And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.

"It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.'

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.

"Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house; but why did you steal my gods?"

And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

Then Jacob replied to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.

"The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

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.

So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

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.

Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel's saddlebag, and she sat on them. So Laban searched through all the tent, but did not find them.

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.

And she said to her father, "May my lord not be angry that I cannot stand in your presence, because the way of women is upon me." So he searched but did not find the household idols.

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.

Then Jacob became angry and argued with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, "What is my offense? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?

And Jacob was wroth, and chode 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?

"Though you have searched through all my property, what have you found of all your household property? Set it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide between the two of us.

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.

"For 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.

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.

"I did not even bring to you that which was torn by wild animals; I took the loss myself. You demanded it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

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.

"This is how I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

"For 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.

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.

"If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night."

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.

Then Laban replied to Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my grandchildren, the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth?

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?

"So now come, let's make a covenant, you and I, and it shall be a witness between you and me."

Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.

Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.

Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.

Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore it was named Galeed,

And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

and Mizpah, for he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.

And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

"If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."

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.

Laban also said to Jacob, "Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between you and me.

And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee:

"This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone 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 memorial stone to me, for harm.

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.

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

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.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

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.

Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

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.