New American Standard Bible 1995

International Standard Version

1Now 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."

1Now Jacob used to listen while Laban's sons kept on complaining, "Jacob has taken over everything our father owns! He made himself wealthy from what belongs to our father!"

2Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.

2Jacob also noticed that the way Laban had been looking at him wasn't as nice as it had been just two days earlier.

3Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

3Then the LORD ordered Jacob, "Go back to your father's territory and to your relatives. I'll be with you."

4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

4Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where his flock was

5and said to them, "I see your father's attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.

5and informed them, "I've noticed that the way your father has been looking at us hasn't been as nice as it was just two days ago. But my father's God has been with me.

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

6You know I've been serving your father with all my heart.

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

7Even so, your father has cheated me. He broke our wage agreement ten times. However, God didn't allow him to harm me.

8"If he spoke thus, 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock brought forth striped.

8"When Laban said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flock gave birth to speckled ones. Then when he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' all the flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

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

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

10"And it came about at the time when the flock were mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were mating were striped, speckled, and mottled.

10As it was, when it was time for the livestock to breed, I once looked up in a dream, and the male goats that were mating with the flock were producing streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.

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

11"Later, the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, 'Jacob.' "'Here I am,' I replied

12"He said, 'Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.

12"'Look around!' he said. 'Go ahead, look! All the male goats have been mating with the flock, producing offspring that are streaked, speckled, and spotted, because I've been watching everything that Laban has done to you.

13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"

13I am the God of Bethel, the place where you consecrated that stone and made a vow to me. Now get up, leave this territory, and return to your native land.'"

14Rachel and Leah said to him, "Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father's house?

14Then Rachel and Leah asked him, "Do we have anything left of inheritance remaining in our father's house?

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

15He's treating us like foreigners. He sold us and spent all of the money that rightfully belonged to us.

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

16Furthermore, all of the wealth that God has stripped away from our father belongs to us now and to our children. So do everything that God tells you to do."

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

17So Jacob got up, seated his children and wives on camels,

18and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.

18and drove all his livestock ahead of him, with everything that belonged to him, including the livestock that he had bought and accumulated in Paddan-aram, intending to deliver them to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father's.

19Meanwhile, Laban had been out shearing his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father's personal idols.

20And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

20Moreover, Jacob had deceived Laban the Aramean, because he had never told him that he was intending to leave.

21So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

21Jacob fled, taking everything that he owned. He got up, crossed the river, and headed to the hill country of Gilead.

22When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,

22Three days later, somebody reported to Laban that Jacob had left,

23then 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.

23so he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob. Laban was on the road for seven days when he finally caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead.

24God 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."

24That night, God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, "Be careful what you say to Jacob, whether it's one word good or bad."

25Laban 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.

25Meanwhile, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, where Laban had caught up with him. Laban and his relatives encamped on that same mountain in the hill country of Gilead, too.

26Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?

26Then Laban asked Jacob, "What did you do? You deceived me, carried off my daughters like you would war captives,

27"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 timbrel and with lyre;

27ran away from me secretly, and stole from me by not keeping me informed. Otherwise, I could have sent you off with a party and singing, accompanied by a band playing tambourines and harps.

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

28As it is, you didn't even allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've acted foolishly.

29"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.'

29It's actually in my power to do some serious evil to you, but last night the God of your father told me, 'Be careful what you say to Jacob whether good or evil.'

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

30Now, you can go if you must go, because you certainly are longing to go to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"

31Then Jacob replied to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.

31"I was afraid," Jacob replied. "I thought you might take your daughters from me.

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

32Now as to your gods, if you find someone has them in their possession, he's a dead man. Take our relatives as witnesses, search through our belongings, and take whatever belongs to you that's in my possession." But Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33So 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. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

33So Laban entered Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maid servants, but he didn't find them. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

34Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel's saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.

34Meanwhile, Rachel had taken the idols, placed them inside the saddle of her camel, and sat on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but found nothing.

35She said to her father, "Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me." So he searched but did not find the household idols.

35Then Rachel told her father, "Sir, please don't be angry that I cannot stand up in your presence. It's that time of the month." So Laban searched for the idols, but never did find them.

36Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, "What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?

36Then Jacob got angry and started an argument with Laban. "What have I done?" he demanded. "What's my crime that would cause you to come pursue me so violently?

37"Though 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.

37Now that you've searched all my belongings, what did you find that belongs to your house? Set it here in front of our relatives and we'll let them judge between us!

38"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.

38Meanwhile, these past 20 years that I've been with you, your sheep and goats never had miscarriages, I never once ate any of the rams from your flock,

39"That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

39and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

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

40As it was, I was attacked by drought during the day and by cold at night. I never got any decent rest.

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 changed my wages ten times.

41I've lived in your house these 20 years—serving fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flocks. During all that time you changed my wages ten times.

42"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 toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night."

42If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the God whom Isaac feared—had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty handed. But God saw my misery and how hard I've worked with my own hands—and he rebuked you last night."

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

43But Laban answered Jacob, "These women are my daughters. These children are my children. The flocks are mine. In fact, everything that you see belongs to me. But what would I do today to my daughters and the children 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."

44Come, let's make a covenant just between you and me. And let it serve as a witness between you and me."

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

45So Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar.

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

46Then Jacob told his relatives, "Go gather some stones." So they picked up stones and stacked them one on top of the other. Then they had a meal together there by the stack of stones.

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

47Laban named the place Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.

48Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore it was named Galeed,

48Then Laban said, "This stack will serve as a witness between you and me today." That's how the place came to be named Galeed.

49and Mizpah, for he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.

49It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May the LORD watch between you and me, when we are estranged from each other.

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

50If you mistreat my daughters or if you take other wives besides them, though no one is watching us, keep in mind that God stands as a witness between you and me."

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

51"Look!" Laban added, "Here is the stack of stones and here is the pillar that I've set up between you and me.

52"This heap is a witness, and the pillar 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 pillar to me, for harm.

52This stack is a witness, and so is this pillar, reminding me not to cross beyond this stack of stones, and reminding you not to pass by this stack in my direction, intending to cause 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.

53May Abraham's God and Nahor's god judge between us." So Jacob made an oath by his father's Fear,

54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

54offered sacrifices there on the mountain, and called on his relatives to eat some food. So they ate the food and spent the night on the mountain.

55Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

55 Early the next morning, Laban woke up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and then left for home.

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