Genesis 31

Jacob Flees from Laban

1Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and he has gotten all his wealth from what was our father’s.” # Ecc 4:4 2Jacob saw the look of Laban and saw he was not congenial toward him as before. # Ge 4:5

3Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, to your family, and I will be with you.” # Ge 28:15; 31:13; 32:9

4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock was, 5and said to them, “I see your father’s demeanor, that it is not congenial toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me. # Ge 31:42 6You know that with all my strength I have served your father. # Ge 30:29 7Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, # Ge 31:41 but God did not allow him to hurt me. # Ge 31:29 8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flock produced speckled. If he said, ‘The striped will be your pay,’ then all the flock produced striped. # Ge 30:32 9In this way God has taken away your father’s flock and given them to me. # Ge 31:1, 16

10“When the livestock conceived, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the male goats mating with the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted. 11The angel of God spoke to me in a dream, # Ge 31:13 saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes and see all the male goats which mate with the flock are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. # Ex 3:7 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, and get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ” # Ge 31:3; 32:9

14Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left for us in our father’s house? 15Are we not seen by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has completely spent our money also. # Ge 29:15–20; 30:26 16For all the riches which God has taken from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

17Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18Then he carried away all his livestock and all his goods which he had obtained, his acquired livestock which he had gotten in Paddan Aram, in order to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s. # Ge 31:30; 1Sa 19:13 20Jacob also deceived Laban the Syrian by not telling him that he was fleeing. 21So Jacob fled with all that he had, and he rose up and passed over the river and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23He took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days until he caught up with him in the mountains of Gilead. 24But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night # Ge 20:3 and said to him, “Take care that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” # Ge 24:50; 31:29

25Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched in the mountains of Gilead. 26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done that you have stolen away without my knowing and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? # 1Sa 30:2 27Why did you flee away secretly and sneak away from me and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and with songs, with the tambourine and harp. # Ex 15:20 28And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? # Ge 31:55; Ru 1:9 You have acted foolishly in so doing. 29It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father # Ge 31:42, 53 spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Take care that you not speak to Jacob either good or bad.’ 30Now you surely have gone away because you longed desperately after your father’s house, yet why have you stolen my gods?” # Ge 31:19; Jdg 18:24

31Then Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32But anyone with whom you find your gods, let him not live. In the presence of our kinsmen, point out what I have that is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the two female servants’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban searched the entire tent, but could not find them.

35She said to her father, “Let not my lord be displeased that I cannot rise before you, # Ex 20:12; Lev 19:32 for the manner of women is on me.” So he searched, but he did not find the household idols.

36Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. And Jacob asked Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin that you have so hotly pursued after me? 37You have searched all my things, and yet what have you found of all your household things? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, so that they may judge between us both.

38“This twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and the male goats of your flock I have not eaten. 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 it was stolen by day or stolen by night. 40It was like this with me: In the day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41I have been twenty years in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. # Ge 31:7 42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely you would have sent me away empty now. God has seen my affliction # Ge 29:32 and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.” # Ge 31:29

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob

43Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these 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 my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? 44Now therefore come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be as a witness between you and me.”

45So Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. 46Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile, and they ate there on the pile. 47And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

48Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you this day.” # Jos 24:27 Therefore its name was called Galeed, 49and Mizpah, # Jdg 11:29 for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me, when we are apart from one another. 50If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take other wives beside my daughters, although no one else is with us, remember that God is witness between you and me.” # Jer 29:23; 42:5

51Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this pile and see this pillar which I have thrown between you and me. 52This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, so that I will not cross over this pile to you and so that you will not pass over this pile and this pillar to me for harm. 53The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father, judge between us.” # Ge 16:5

Then Jacob vowed by the Fear of his father Isaac. # Ge 31:42 54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his kinsmen to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. # Ex 18:12

55Early in the morning Laban rose up, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, and blessed them. # Ge 31:28 Then Laban departed and returned to his place. # Ge 18:33

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Genesis 31: MEV

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