Jacob and Laban

¹ Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob had taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which [was] our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

² Jacob looked at Laban’s face and behold, it was not toward him as before.

³ Enki said to Jacob:

Return unto the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.

⁴ Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock {31:5} and said to them:

I see your father’s face, that it [is] not toward me as before; but Enki had been with me. {31:6} And you know that with all my power I have served your father. {31:7} Your father had deceived me, and changed my wages 10 times. But Enki suffered him not to hurt me. {31:8} If he said thus, The speckled shall be your wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be your hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. {31:9} Thus, Enki had taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. {31:10} And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle [were] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

¹¹ The agent of Enki told me in a dream:

Here I am. ¹² Look up and see all the rams which leap on the cattle [are] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto you. {31:13} I am Enki of Bethel, where you anointedst the pillar, [and] where you vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get you out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred.

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah replied:

Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? {31:15} Are we not counted of him strangers?

He had sold us and had quite devoured our money. ¹⁶ For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that [is] ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto you, do.

¹⁷ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

{31:18} And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

{31:19} And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her father’s.

{31:20} Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. {31:21} So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face [toward] the mount Gilead.

{31:22} Laban was told on the 3rd day that Jacob had fled.

²³ And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

²⁴ Enki came to Laban the Syrian in a dream and said to him:

Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

²⁵ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

²⁶ Laban said to Jacob:

What have you done? You have stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives [taken] with the sword? {31:27} Wherefore didst you flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? {31:28}

Have you not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? you hast now done foolishly in so doing. {31:29} It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take you heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad. {31:30} And now, [though] you wouldest needs be gone, because you sore longedst after your father’s house, [yet] wherefore hast you stolen my gods?

Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ Laban went into:

• Jacob’s tent
• Leah’s tent
• the two maidservants’ tents

But he did not find them.

Then he went into Rachel’s tent. {31:34} Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat on them.

Laban searched all the tent, but found did not find them.

{31:35} She said to her father:

Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

³⁶ Jacob was angry and chode with Laban: Jacob answered and said to Laban:

What [is] my trespass? what [is] my sin, that you hast so hotly pursued after me?

³⁷ You have searched all my stuff. What have you found? set [it] here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.

³⁸ I have been with you for 20 years. Your ewes and your she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of your flock have I not eaten.

{31:39} That which was torn [of beasts] I brought not unto you; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst you require it, [whether] stolen by day, or stolen by night.

⁴⁰ Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; my sleep departed from mine eyes.

{31:41} Thus have I been twenty years in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle: and you hast changed my wages ten times.

{31:42} Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you hadst sent me away now empty.

Enki had seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked [you] yesternight.

⁴⁵ Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar.

⁴⁶ Jacob said to his brethren:

Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. {31:47} And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.

⁴⁸ Laban said:

This heap [is] a witness between me and you this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; {31:49} And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. {31:50} If you shalt afflict my daughters, or if you shalt take [other] wives beside my daughters, no man [is] with us; see, God [is] witness betwixt me and you.

{31:51} And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold [this] pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and you; {31:52} This heap [be] witness, and [this] pillar [be] witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. {31:53} The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.

Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. {31:54} Then Jacob offered sacrifice on the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. {31:55} And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.