Jacob Flees from Laban

1But afterwards, he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and being enlarged by his ability, he has become famous.” 2Likewise, he observed that Laban’s face was not the same toward him as it was yesterday and the day before. 3Most importantly, the Lord was saying to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your generation, and I will be with you.” 4He sent and called for Rachel and Leah, in the field where he pastured the flocks, 5and he said to them: “I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as it was yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6And you know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7Even so, your father has circumvented me, and he has changed my wages ten times. And yet God has not permitted him to harm me. 8Whenever he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ all the sheep gave birth to speckled newborns. Yet truly, when he said the contrary, ‘You will take whatever is white for your wages,’ all the flocks gave birth to white ones. 9And it is God who has taken your father’s substance and given it to me. 10For after the time had arrived for the ewes to conceive, I lifted up my eyes, and I saw in my sleep that the males climbing on the females were of variegated, and spotted, and diverse colors. 11And the Angel of God said to me in my sleep, ‘Jacob.’ And I responded, ‘Here I am.’ 12And he said: ‘Lift up your eyes, and see that all the males climbing on the females are variegated, spotted, and also speckled. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and depart from this land, returning to the land of your nativity.’ ” 14And Rachel and Leah responded: “Have we anything left behind among the resources and inheritance of our father’s house? 15Has he not considered us as foreigners, and sold us, and consumed our price? 16But God has taken our father’s riches and handed these to us and to our sons. Therefore, do all that God has instructed you.”

17And so Jacob rose up, and having placed the children and his wives upon camels, he went forth. 18And he took all his substance and flocks, and whatever he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and he journeyed to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan. 19At that time, Laban had gone to shear the sheep, and so Rachel stole her father’s idols. 20And Jacob was not willing to confess to his father-in-law that he was fleeing. 21And when he had gone away with all such things that were justly his, and, having crossed the river, was continuing on toward Mount Gilead,

Laban Pursues Jacob

22it was reported to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23And taking his brothers with him, he pursued him for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead. 24And he saw in a dream, God saying to him, “Beware that you not speak anything harsh against Jacob.”

25And now Jacob had pitched his tent at the mountain. And when he, with his brothers, had overtaken him, he set his tent at the same place at Mount Gilead. 26And he said to Jacob: “Why have you acted this way, departing from me in secret, with my daughters like captives of the sword? 27Why would you want to flee without my knowledge and without telling me, though I might have led you forward with gladness, and songs, and timbrels, and lyres? 28You have not permitted me to kiss my sons and daughters. You have acted foolishly. And now, indeed, 29my hand has power to repay you with harm. But the God of your father said to me yesterday, ‘Beware that you not speak anything stern against Jacob.’ 30It may be that you desired to go to your own, and that you longed for the house of your father. But why have you stolen my gods?” 31Jacob answered: “I set out, unknown to you, because I feared that you might take away your daughters by violence. 32But, since you accuse me of theft, with whomever you will find your gods, let him be slain in the sight of our brothers. Search; anything of yours that you will find with me, take it away.” Now when he said this, he did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33And so Laban, entering the tent of Jacob, and of Leah, and of both the handmaids, did not find them. And when he had entered the tent of Rachel, 34she quickly hid the idols under the camel’s bedding, and she sat upon them. And when he had searched the entire tent and found nothing, 35she said: “Do not be angry, my lord, that I am unable to rise up in your sight, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women.” So his careful search was thwarted.

36And Jacob, being inflated, said with contention: “For which fault of mine, or for what sin of mine, have you become so enraged against me 37and searched all the items of my house? What have you found from all the substance of your house? Place it here before my brothers, and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you. 38For what reason have I been with you for twenty years? Your ewes and she-goats were not barren; the rams of your flocks I did not consume. 39Neither did I reveal to you what was seized by the wild beast. I replaced all that was damaged. Whatever was lost by theft, you collected it from me. 40Day and night, I was burned by heat and by frost, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41And in this way, for twenty years, I have served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks. You have also changed my wages ten times. 42If the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been close to me, perhaps by now you would have sent me away naked. But God looked kindly on my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he rebuked you yesterday.”

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

43Laban answered him: “My daughters and sons, and your flocks, and all that you discern are mine. What can I do to my sons and grandchildren? 44Come, therefore, let us enter into a pact, so that it may be a testimony between me and you.” 45And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial. 46And he said to his brothers, “Bring stones.” And they, gathering together stones, made a tomb, and they ate upon it. 47And Laban called it, ‘Tomb of Witness,’ and Jacob, ‘Pile of Testimony;’ each of them according to the fitness of his own language. 48And Laban said: “This tomb will be a witness between me and you this day.” (And for this reason, its name has been called Gilead, that is, ‘Tomb of Witness.’) 49“May the Lord consider and judge between us, when we will have withdrawn from one another. 50If you afflict my daughters, and if you bring in other wives over them, no one is a witness of our words except God, who understands beforehand.” 51And again he said to Jacob. “Lo, this tomb and the stone that I have set up between me and you, 52will be a witness. This tomb,” I say, “and the stone, they are for testimony, in case either I cross beyond it going toward you, or you cross beyond it thinking to harm me. 53May the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Therefore, Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 54And after he had immolated sacrifices on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there. 55In truth, Laban rose up in the night, and he kissed his sons and daughters, and he blessed them. And he returned to his place.