Jacob Flees from Laban

1And Iacob herde the wordes of Labas sonnes how they sayde: Iacob hath take awaye all that was oure fathers and of oure fathers goodes hath he gote all this honoure. 2And Iacob behelde the countenauce of Laban that it was not toward him as it was in tymes past. 3And the LORde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne in to the lade of thy fathers and to thy kynred and I wilbe with ye. 4Tha Iacob sent and called Rahel and Lea to the felde vnto his shepe 5and sayde vnto the: I se youre fathers countenauce yt it is not toward me as in tymes past. Morouer ye God of my father hath bene with me. 6And ye knowe how that I haue serued youre father with all my myghte. 7And youre father hath disceaued me and chaunged my wages .x. tymes: But God suffred him not to hurte me. 8When he sayde the spotted shalbe thy wages tha all the shepe barespotted. Yf he sayde the straked shalbe thi rewarde tha bare all the shepe straked: 9thus hath God take awaye youre fathers catell and geue the me. 10For in buckynge tyme I lifted vp myne eyes and sawe in a dreame: and beholde the rammes that bucked the shepe were straked spotted and partie. 11And the angell of God spake vnto me in a dreame saynge: Iacob. And I answered: here am I. 12And he sayde: lyfte vp thyne eyes ad see how all therames that leape vpon the shepe are straked spotted and partie: for I haue sene all that Laban doth vnto ye. 13I am ye god of Bethell where thou anoynteddest the stone ad where thou vowdest a vowe vnto me. Now aryse and gett the out of this countre ad returne vnto the lade where thou wast borne. 14Than answered Rahel and Lea and sayde vnto him: we haue no parte nor enheritaunce in oure fathers house 15he cownteth us eue as straungers for he hath solde vs and hath euen eaten vp the price of vs. 16Moreouer all the riches which God hath take from oure father that is oures and oure childerns. Now therfore what soeuer God hath sayde vnto the that doo.

17Tha Iacob rose vp and sett his sones and wiues vp vpon camels 18and caried away all his catell and all his substace which he had gotte in Mesopotamia for to goo to Isaac his father vnto the lade of Canaan. 19Laba was gone to shere his shepe and Rahel had stolle hir fathers ymages. 20And Iacob went awaye vnknowynge to Laban the Sirie and tolde him not yt he fled. 21So fled he and all yt he had and made him self redy and passed ouer the ryuers and sett his face streyght towarde the mounte Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22Apo the thirde day after was it tolde Laba yt Iacob was fled. 23Tha he toke his brethre with him and folowed after him .vij. dayes iourney and ouer toke him at the mounte Gilead. 24And God came to Laba the Siria in a dreame by nyghte a nd sayde vnto him: take hede to thi selfe that thou speake not to Iacob oughte save good.

25And Laba ouer toke Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his tete in yt mounte. And Laban with his brethern pitched their tete also apon the mounte Gilead. 26Than sayde Laba to Iacob: why hast thou this done vnknowynge to me and hast caried awaye my doughters as though they had bene take captyue with swerde? 27Wherfore wentest thou awaye secretly vnknowne to me and didest not tell me yt I myghte haue broughte yt on the waye with myrth syngynge tymrells and harppes 28and hast not suffred me to kysse my childern and my doughters. Thou wast a fole to do 29it for I am able to do you evell. But the God of youre father spake vnto me yesterdaye saynge take hede tha thou speake not to Iacob oughte saue goode. 30And now though thou wetest thi waye because thou logest after thi fathers house yet wherfore hast thou stollen my goddes? 31Iacob answered and sayde to Laba: because I was afrayed and thought that thou woldest haue take awaye thy doughters fro me. 32But with whome soeuer thou fyndest thy goddes let him dye here before oure brethre. Seke that thine is by me and take it to the: for Iacob wist not that Rahel had stolle the.

33Tha wet Laba in to Iacobs tete and in to Leas tete and in to .ij. maydens tentes: but fownde the not. Tha wet he out of Leas tete and entred in to Rahels tete. 34And Rahel toke the ymages and put them in the camels strawe and sate doune apo the. And Laba serched all the tete: but fownde the not. 35Tha sayde she to hir father: my lorde be not angrye yt I ca not ryse vp before the for the disease of weme is come apon me. So searched he but foude the not.

36Iacob was wrooth and chode with Laba: Iacob also answered and sayde to him: what haue I trespaced or what haue I offended that thou foloweddest after me? 37Thou hast searched all my stuffe and what hast thou founde of all thy housholde stuffe? put it here before thi brethern and myne and let the iudge betwyxte vs both. 38This xx. yere yt I haue bene wyth the thy shepe and thy gootes haue not bene baren and the rammes of thi flocke haue I not eate. 39What soeuer was torne of beastes I broughte it not vnto ye but made it good mysilf: of my hade dydest thou requyre it whether it was stollen by daye or nyghte 40Moreouer by daye the hete consumed me and the colde by nyghte and my slepe departed fro myne eyes. 41Thus haue I bene .xx. yere in thi house and serued the .xiiij. yeres forthy .ij. doughters and vi. yere for thi shepe and thou hast changed my rewarde .x. tymes. 42And excepte the God of my father the God of Abraha and the God whome Isaac feareth had bene with me: surely thou haddest sent me awaye now all emptie. But God behelde my tribulation and the laboure of my handes: and rebuked the yester daye.

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

43Laban answered ad sayde vnto Iacob: the doughters are my doughters and the childern ar my childern and the shepe are my shepe ad all that thou seist is myne. And what can I do this daye vnto these my doughters or vnto their childern which they haue borne? 44Now therfore come on let us make a bonde I and thou together and let it be a wytnesse betwene the and me. 45Than toke Iacob a stone and sett it vp an ende 46ad sayde vnto his brethern gather stoones And they toke stoones ad made an heape and they ate there vpo the heape. 47And Laba called it Iegar Sahadutha but Iacob called it Gylead. 48Than sayde Laban: this heape be witnesse betwene the and me this daye (therfore is it called Gilead) 49and this totehill which the lorde seeth (sayde he) be wytnesse betwene me and the when we are departed one from a nother: 50that thou shalt not vexe my doughters nether shalt take other wyves vnto them. Here is no man with vs: beholde God is wytnesse betwixte the and me. 51And Laban sayde moreouer to Iacob: beholde this heape and this marke which I haue sett here betwyxte me and the: 52this heape be wytnesse and also this marcke that I will not come ouer this heape to the ad thou shalt not come ouer this heape ad this marke to do any harme. 53The God of Abraham the God of Nahor and the God of theyr fathers be iudge betwixte vs.And Iacob sware by him that his father Isaac feared. 54Then Iacob dyd sacrifyce vpon the mounte and called his brethern to eate breed. And they ate breed and taried all nyghte in the hyll. 55And early in the mornynge Laban rose vp and kyssed his childern and his doughters and blessed the and departed and wet vnto his place agayne.