| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” | 1Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.” |
| 2And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. | 2And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed. |
| 3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” | 3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” |
| 4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, | 4So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were, |
| 5and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. | 5and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me. |
| 6And you know that with all my might I have served your father. | 6You know that I have served your father with all my strength. |
| 7Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. | 7And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me. |
| 8If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. | 8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring. |
| 9So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. | 9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. |
| 10“And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. | 10When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. |
| 11Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ | 11In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’ |
| 12And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. | 12‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. |
| 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ” | 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’ ” |
| 14Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? | 14And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house? |
| 15Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. | 15Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us. |
| 16For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.” | 16Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.” |
| 17Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. | 17Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels, |
| 18And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. | 18and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan. |
| 19Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. | 19Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. |
| 20And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. | 20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was running away. |
| 21So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead. | 21So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead. |
| 22And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. | 22On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. |
| 23Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. | 23So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. |
| 24But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” | 24But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” |
| 25So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. | 25Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well. |
| 26And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? | 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war! |
| 27Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? | 27Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps. |
| 28And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. | 28But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing. |
| 29It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ | 29I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ |
| 30And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” | 30Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?” |
| 31Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ | 31“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. |
| 32With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. | 32If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. |
| 33And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. | 33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. |
| 34Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. | 34Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing. |
| 35And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols. | 35Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols. |
| 36Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? | 36Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me? |
| 37Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! | 37You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us. |
| 38These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. | 38I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock. |
| 39That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. | 39I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. |
| 40There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. | 40As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. |
| 41Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. | 41Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! |
| 42Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.” | 42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.” |
| 43And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; 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 daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne? |
| 44Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” | 44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.” |
| 45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. | 45So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, |
| 46Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. | 46and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. |
| 47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. | 47Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. |
| 48And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, | 48Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed. |
| 49also Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. | 49It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other. |
| 50If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!” | 50If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.” |
| 51Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. | 51Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. |
| 52This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. | 52This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. |
| 53The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. | 53May 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. |
| 54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. | 54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. |
| 55And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place. | 55Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home. |
|
