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Genesis 30:25-31:55
New American Standard Bible

Jacob Prospers

25 Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “(A)Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26 Give me my wives and my children (B)for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have [a]rendered you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If [b]it pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination (C)that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” 28 He [c]continued, “(D)Name me your wages, and I will give them.” 29 But Jacob said to him, “(E)You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have [d]fared with me. 30 For you had little before [e]I came, and it has [f]increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you [g]wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every (F)speckled or spotted sheep and every black sheep among the lambs, and the spotted or speckled among the goats; and those shall be my wages. 33 So my [h]honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my [i]wages. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34 Laban said, “[j]Good, let it be according to your word.” 35 So he removed on that day the striped or spotted male goats, and all the speckled or spotted female goats, every one with white on it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and put them in the [k]care of his sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob [l]took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was [m]in the rods. 38 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the drinking troughs, that is, in the watering channels where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks delivered striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and [n]made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the drinking troughs, so that they would mate by the rods; 42 but when the flock was sickly, he did not put them in; so the sickly were Laban’s, and the stronger were Jacob’s. 43 So (G)the man [o]became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob Leaves Secretly for Canaan

31 Now [p]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 [q]wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw the [r]attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “(H)Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and (I)I will be with you.” 4 So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field, 5 and said to them, “(J)I see your father’s [s]attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as it was before, but (K)the God of my father has been with me. 6 (L)You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7 Yet your father has (M)cheated me and (N)changed my wages ten times; however, (O)God did not allow him to do me harm. 8 If (P)he said this: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered speckled; and if he said this: ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock delivered striped. 9 So God has (Q)taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. 10 And it came about at the time when the flock was breeding that I raised my eyes and saw in a dream—and behold—the male goats that were [t]mating were striped, speckled, or mottled. 11 Then (R)the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob’; and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 He said, ‘Now raise your eyes and see that all the male goats that are [u]mating are striped, speckled, or mottled; for (S)I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am (T)the God of Bethel, where you (U)anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, [v]leave this land, and (V)return to the land of your birth.’” 14 Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any share or inheritance in our father’s house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For (W)he has sold us, and has also [w]entirely consumed our [x]purchase price. 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 told you.”

17 Then Jacob stood up and put his children and his wives on camels; 18 and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had acquired, the livestock he possessed which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, (X)to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the [y](Y)household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob [z]deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he got up and crossed the Euphrates River, and set [aa]out for the hill country of (Z)Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22 When Laban was informed on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 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. 24 However, (AA)God came to Laban the Aramean in a (AB)dream of the night and said to him, “[ab](AC)Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

25 And Laban 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. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done [ac]by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and [ad]deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with (AD)tambourine and with (AE)lyre; 28 and did not allow me (AF)to kiss my [ae]grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in [af]my power to do you harm, but (AG)the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘[ag](AH)Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’ 30 Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal (AI)my gods?” 31 Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 (AJ)The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives [ah]point out what is yours [ai]among my belongings and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the [aj]household idols and put them in the camel’s saddlebag, and she sat on them. So Laban searched through all the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “May my lord not be angry that I cannot (AK)stand in your presence, because the [ak]way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the [al](AL)household idols.

36 Then Jacob became angry and argued with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Though you have searched through all my property, what have you found of all your household property? Set it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide between the two of us. 38 For 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. 39 I did not even bring to you that which was torn by wild animals; I took the loss myself. You demanded it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 This is how I was: by day the [am]heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 For these twenty years I have been in your house; (AM)I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you (AN)changed my wages ten times. 42 If (AO)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. (AP)God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, so He (AQ)rendered judgment last night.”

The Covenant of Mizpah

43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the [an]children are my [ao]grandchildren, (AR)the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth? 44 So now come, let’s (AS)make a covenant, [ap]you and I, and (AT)it shall be a witness between [aq]you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took (AU)a stone and set it up as a memorial stone. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Now Laban (AV)called it [ar]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it [as]Galeed. 48 Laban said, “(AW)This heap is a witness between [at]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and [au](AX)Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord keep watch between [av]you and me when we are [aw]absent one from the other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, (AY)God is witness between [ax]you and me.” 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between [ay]you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone 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 memorial stone to me, for harm. 53 (AZ)The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, (BA)judge between us.” So Jacob swore by (BB)the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob (BC)offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to [az]the meal; and they ate [ba]the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 [bb]Then early in the morning Laban got up, and (BD)kissed his [bc]grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:26 Lit served
  2. Genesis 30:27 Lit I have found favor in your eyes
  3. Genesis 30:28 Lit said
  4. Genesis 30:29 Lit been
  5. Genesis 30:30 Lit me
  6. Genesis 30:30 Lit broken forth
  7. Genesis 30:30 Lit at my foot
  8. Genesis 30:33 Lit righteousness
  9. Genesis 30:33 Lit wages which are before you
  10. Genesis 30:34 Lit Behold, would that it might be
  11. Genesis 30:35 Lit hand
  12. Genesis 30:37 Lit took to himself
  13. Genesis 30:37 Lit on
  14. Genesis 30:40 Lit set the faces
  15. Genesis 30:43 Lit broke forth
  16. Genesis 31:1 Lit he
  17. Genesis 31:1 Lit glory
  18. Genesis 31:2 Lit face
  19. Genesis 31:5 Lit face
  20. Genesis 31:10 Lit leaping upon the flock
  21. Genesis 31:12 Lit leaping upon the flock
  22. Genesis 31:13 Lit Go out from
  23. Genesis 31:15 I.e., enjoyed the benefit of
  24. Genesis 31:15 Lit money
  25. Genesis 31:19 Heb teraphim
  26. Genesis 31:20 Lit stole the heart of
  27. Genesis 31:21 Lit his face
  28. Genesis 31:24 Lit Take heed to yourself
  29. Genesis 31:26 Lit and you have stolen my heart
  30. Genesis 31:27 Lit steal me
  31. Genesis 31:28 Lit sons
  32. Genesis 31:29 Lit the power of my hand
  33. Genesis 31:29 Lit Take heed to yourself
  34. Genesis 31:32 Lit recognize
  35. Genesis 31:32 Lit with me
  36. Genesis 31:34 Heb teraphim
  37. Genesis 31:35 I.e., menstruation
  38. Genesis 31:35 Heb teraphim
  39. Genesis 31:40 Or drought
  40. Genesis 31:43 Lit sons
  41. Genesis 31:43 Lit sons
  42. Genesis 31:44 Lit I and you
  43. Genesis 31:44 Lit me and you
  44. Genesis 31:47 I.e., the heap of witness, in Aram
  45. Genesis 31:47 I.e., the heap of witness, in Heb
  46. Genesis 31:48 Lit me and you
  47. Genesis 31:49 Lit the Mizpah; i.e., the watchtower
  48. Genesis 31:49 Lit me and you
  49. Genesis 31:49 Lit hidden
  50. Genesis 31:50 Lit me and you
  51. Genesis 31:51 Lit me and you
  52. Genesis 31:54 Lit eat bread
  53. Genesis 31:54 Lit bread
  54. Genesis 31:55 Ch 32:1 in Heb
  55. Genesis 31:55 Lit sons
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Genesis 30:25-31:55
New International Version

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(A) so I can go back to my own homeland.(B) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(C) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(D) please stay. I have learned by divination(E) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(F) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(G) and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(H) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(I) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(J) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(K)”

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(L) They will be my wages.(M) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(N) will be considered stolen.(O)”

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(P) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(Q) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(R) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(S) and plane trees(T) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(U) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(V) in all the watering troughs,(W) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(X) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(Y) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(Z) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(AA) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(AB) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(AC) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(AD) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(AE)

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons(AF) were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”(AG) 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.(AH)

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back(AI) to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”(AJ)

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s(AK) attitude toward me is not what it was before,(AL) but the God of my father has been with me.(AM) 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,(AN) 7 yet your father has cheated(AO) me by changing my wages(AP) ten times.(AQ) However, God has not allowed him to harm me.(AR) 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’(AS) then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock(AT) and has given them to me.(AU)

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream(AV) in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God(AW) said to me in the dream,(AX) ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’(AY) 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted,(AZ) for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.(BA) 13 I am the God of Bethel,(BB) where you anointed a pillar(BC) and where you made a vow(BD) to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.(BE)’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share(BF) in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners?(BG) Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.(BH) 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children.(BI) So do whatever God has told you.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives(BJ) on camels,(BK) 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated(BL) in Paddan Aram,[a](BM) to go to his father Isaac(BN) in the land of Canaan.(BO)

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,(BP) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.(BQ) 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived(BR) Laban the Aramean(BS) by not telling him he was running away.(BT) 21 So he fled(BU) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,(BV) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.(BW)

Laban Pursues Jacob

22 On the third day(BX) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.(BY) 23 Taking his relatives(BZ) with him(CA), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.(CB) 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean(CC) in a dream at night and said to him,(CD) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(CE)

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead(CF) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?(CG) You’ve deceived me,(CH) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.(CI) 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,(CJ) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels(CK) and harps?(CL) 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.(CM) You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you;(CN) but last night the God of your father(CO) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’(CP) 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.(CQ) But why did you steal(CR) my gods?(CS)”

31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.(CT) 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.(CU) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.(CV)

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent(CW) and into the tent of the two female servants,(CX) but he found nothing.(CY) After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods(CZ) and put them inside her camel’s saddle(DA) and was sitting on them. Laban searched(DB) through everything in the tent but found nothing.

35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;(DC) I’m having my period.(DD)” So he searched but could not find the household gods.(DE)

36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged(DF) you that you hunt me down?(DG) 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?(DH) Put it here in front of your relatives(DI) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.(DJ)

38 “I have been with you for twenty years now.(DK) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,(DL) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen(DM) by day or night.(DN) 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.(DO) 41 It was like this for the twenty years(DP) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters(DQ) and six years for your flocks,(DR) and you changed my wages(DS) ten times.(DT) 42 If the God of my father,(DU) the God of Abraham(DV) and the Fear of Isaac,(DW) had not been with me,(DX) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,(DY) and last night he rebuked you.(DZ)”

43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.(EA) All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant,(EB) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”(EC)

45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.(ED) 46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,(EE) and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[b](EF)

48 Laban said, “This heap(EG) is a witness between you and me today.”(EH) That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[c](EI) because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat(EJ) my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness(EK) between you and me.”(EL)

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(EM) and here is this pillar(EN) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(EO) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(EP) and pillar to my side to harm me.(EQ) 53 May the God of Abraham(ER) and the God of Nahor,(ES) the God of their father, judge between us.”(ET)

So Jacob took an oath(EU) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.(EV) 54 He offered a sacrifice(EW) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.(EX) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters(EY) and blessed(EZ) them. Then he left and returned home.[d](FA)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  2. Genesis 31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.
  3. Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchtower.
  4. Genesis 31:55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1.
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