God Commands Jacob to Leave Laban

1. And he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying,
“Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and of that which was our father’s he has gained all this glory.”

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

3. And Jehovah said to Jacob,
“Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred,
and I will be with you.”

Jacob Calls His Wives to Testimony

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

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

6. And you know that with all my strength I have served your father.

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

8. If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’
then all the flock bore streaked;
and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’
then all the flock bore speckled.

9. So God has taken away your father’s livestock,
and given them to me.

Jacob Decides to Depart

10. And it came to pass at the time that the flocks conceived,
that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream,
and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

11. And the angel of God said to me in the dream,
“Jacob!”
And I said, “Here am I.”

12. And He said, “Lift up your eyes, and see all the rams which leap upon the flock,
that they are streaked, speckled, and spotted;
for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

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

14. Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him,
“Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15. Are we not counted by him as strangers?
For he has sold us, and also consumed our money.

16. For all the riches which God has taken from our father,
that is ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

Jacob Flees from Laban

17. Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon the camels;

18. and he carried away all his cattle, all his possessions which he had gained,
the cattle of his gaining, which he had acquired in Paddan-Aram,
to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19. And Laban had gone to shear his sheep;
and Rachel stole the images of her father.

20. And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean,
for he did not tell him that he fled.

21. So he fled with all that he had;
and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

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

23. And he took his brethren with him, and pursued him for seven days’ journey,
and overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.

24. And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him,
“Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad.”

The Confrontation at Gilead

25. Then Laban overtook Jacob.
Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains;
and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.

26. And Laban said to Jacob,
“What have you done, that you have stolen away secretly, and carried away my daughters as captives, like a thief?

27. Why did you flee secretly, and not tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and harp?

28. And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters.
Now you have done foolishly.

29. It is in my power to do you harm;
but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying,
‘Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad.’

30. And now you have surely gone because you longed greatly for your father’s house,
but why did you steal my gods?”

Jacob’s Response

31. Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters away from me by force. 

32. Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 

33. So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 

34. Now Rachel had taken the images and put them in the camel’s saddle and she sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them.

35. And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the images.  

36. Then Jacob became angry and rebuked Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 

37. For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 

38. These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 

39. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 

40. There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 

41. 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 have changed my wages ten times. 

42. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the toil of my hands and rebuked you last night.” 

The Covenant of Mizpah

43. Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? 

44. So, now come, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” 

45. So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 

46. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 

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

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

49. and Mizpah, for he said, “May Jehovah watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. 

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

51. Then Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 

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

53. 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, 

54. and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. 

55. And Laban rose early in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban went and returned to his place.