31:1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father, and from all that belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.¹ 31:2 And Jacob saw the face of Laban, that it was no longer with him² as it had been earlier.

31:3 And the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”³

31:4 So Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah⁴ in the field⁵ where his flocks were.⁶ 31:5 Then he said to them, “I see⁷ that your father’s face is no longer with me as it was earlier; but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You⁸ know that with all my strength I have served your father, 31:7 but your father has deceived me⁹ and changed my wages ten times.¹⁰ But God has not allowed him to harm me.¹¹ 31:8 If he said¹² thus, `The speckled animals will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled animals; but if he said, `The streaked animals will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to streaked animals. 31:9 So God has taken away¹³ the cattle of your father and has given them to me.”

31:10 “Once¹⁴ in breeding season of the flocks I lifted up my eyes¹⁵ and saw in a dream that the male goats mating with¹⁶ the flock were streaked, speckled and spotted. 31:11 And the Angel of God said to me in the dream, `Jacob!’ And I said, `Here I am.’ 31:12 And he said, `Lift up your eyes and see that all the male goats mating with¹⁷ the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel where you anointed¹⁸ the standing stone, where you made a vow to me.¹⁹ Now leave this land immediately,²⁰ and return to the land of your relatives.”²¹

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance²² any longer in our father’s house? 31:15 Are we not regarded as foreigners by him? For he sold us, and he has utterly wasted²³ our money.²⁴ 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God took away²⁵ from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do all that God has said to you.”

31:17 So Jacob put his children and his wives on the camels right away²⁶ 31:18 and he took away all his livestock and all his possessions that he had gathered, the livestock he acquired,²⁷ that he had gathered in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

31:19 When²⁸ Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the teraphim²⁹ that belonged to her father. 31:20 And Jacob deceived³⁰ Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing. 31:21 So he fled with all he had; and he quickly crossed³¹ the river³² and headed for³³ the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 And on the third day it was told to Laban that Jacob had fled. 31:23 So he took his relatives³⁴ with him and pursued after him seven days’ journey and drew close to³⁵ him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night, and he said to him, “Take heed to yourself³⁶ that you do not speak to Jacob either good or evil.”³⁷

31:25 And Laban overtook Jacob when³⁸ Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country; and Laban and his relatives camped in the hill country of Gilead too. 31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried away my daughters like captives with a sword. 31:27 Why did you flee secretly³⁹ and deceive me; and not tell me so that I could send you off⁴⁰ with joy and with singing with tambourines and harps? 31:28 And you did not allow me to kiss my sons⁴¹ and my daughters; now you have acted foolishly.⁴² 31:29 I have⁴³ the power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, `Take heed to yourself not to speak⁴⁴ to Jacob either good or evil. 31:30 And now you have indeed gone away⁴⁵ because you longed greatly⁴⁶ for your father’s house. Why did you steal my gods?”⁴⁷

31:31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid; for I thought,⁴⁸ `What if you take your daughters away from me by force.’ 31:33 With whomever you find your gods, that person⁴⁹ will not live. In the presence of our relatives⁵⁰ see⁵¹ what is yours that is with me and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.⁵²

31:33 So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find them.⁵³ And he went out from Leah’s tent and entered the tent of Rachel. 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim and placed them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.⁵⁴ And Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.⁵⁵ 31:35 And she said to her father, “Do not be angry,⁵⁶ my lord, that I cannot get up⁵⁷ in your presence, for I am having my period.”⁵⁸ So he searched, but did not find the teraphim.

31:36 Then Jacob was angry⁵⁹ and he charged⁶⁰ Laban. So Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued⁶¹ after me? 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, what did you find from all the goods of your household? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives and let them judge⁶² the two of us.

31:38 “These twenty years I have been with you now. Your ewes and your she-goats have not miscarried; neither have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals that were torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss myself. From my hand you required it,⁶³ whether stolen by day or stolen at night. 31:40 By day I was consumed by drought and by frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes. 31:41 This was my lot⁶⁴ for twenty years in your house: I served you for fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times. 31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac,⁶⁵ had not been with me, you would indeed have sent me away empty. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and so rebuked you last night.”

31:43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see belongs to me. But what can I do to these daughters of mine today or to their children whom they bore? 31:44 So now, come,⁶⁶ let’s cut a covenant, you and I, and it will become⁶⁷ a witness⁶⁸ between me and you.”

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar.⁶⁹ 31:46 Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap.⁷⁰ Then they ate there by the heap. 31:47 Laban called it⁷¹ Jegar Sahadutha,⁷² but Jacob called it Galeed.⁷³

31:48 And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between my and you this day.” That is why it was called Galeed⁷⁴ 31:49 and Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD watch⁷⁵ between me and you when we are absent⁷⁶ from one another.⁷⁷ 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, realize⁷⁸ that God is witness between you and me.”

31:51 And Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this standing stone which I have set up between me and you. 31:52 This heap is a witness and the standing stone is a witness that I will not cross over⁷⁹ this heap to you and that you will not cross this heap and this standing stone to me for harm. 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their fathers, judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of Isaac his father. 31:54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice⁸⁰ on the mountain; and he called his relatives to eat the meal.⁸¹ And they ate the meal and spent the night in the mountain.

31:55⁸² Early in the morning Laban kissed⁸³ his children⁸⁴ and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his own place.