Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Genesis 31
Close NASB

Genesis 31
New American Standard Bible

Jacob Leaves Secretly for Canaan

31 Now [a]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 [b]wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw the [c]attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “(A)Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and (B)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, “(C)I see your father’s [d]attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as it was before, but (D)the God of my father has been with me. 6 (E)You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7 Yet your father has (F)cheated me and (G)changed my wages ten times; however, (H)God did not allow him to do me harm. 8 If (I)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 (J)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 [e]mating were striped, speckled, or mottled. 11 Then (K)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 [f]mating are striped, speckled, or mottled; for (L)I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am (M)the God of Bethel, where you (N)anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, [g]leave this land, and (O)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 (P)he has sold us, and has also [h]entirely consumed our [i]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, (Q)to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the [j](R)household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob [k]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 [l]out for the hill country of (S)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, (T)God came to Laban the Aramean in a (U)dream of the night and said to him, “[m](V)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 [n]by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and [o]deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with (W)tambourine and with (X)lyre; 28 and did not allow me (Y)to kiss my [p]grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in [q]my power to do you harm, but (Z)the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘[r](AA)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 (AB)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 (AC)The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives [s]point out what is yours [t]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 [u]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 (AD)stand in your presence, because the [v]way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the [w](AE)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 [x]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; (AF)I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you (AG)changed my wages ten times. 42 If (AH)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. (AI)God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, so He (AJ)rendered judgment last night.”

The Covenant of Mizpah

43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the [y]children are my [z]grandchildren, (AK)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 (AL)make a covenant, [aa]you and I, and (AM)it shall be a witness between [ab]you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took (AN)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 (AO)called it [ac]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it [ad]Galeed. 48 Laban said, “(AP)This heap is a witness between [ae]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and [af](AQ)Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord keep watch between [ag]you and me when we are [ah]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, (AR)God is witness between [ai]you and me.” 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between [aj]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 (AS)The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, (AT)judge between us.” So Jacob swore by (AU)the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob (AV)offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to [ak]the meal; and they ate [al]the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 [am]Then early in the morning Laban got up, and (AW)kissed his [an]grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:1 Lit he
  2. Genesis 31:1 Lit glory
  3. Genesis 31:2 Lit face
  4. Genesis 31:5 Lit face
  5. Genesis 31:10 Lit leaping upon the flock
  6. Genesis 31:12 Lit leaping upon the flock
  7. Genesis 31:13 Lit Go out from
  8. Genesis 31:15 I.e., enjoyed the benefit of
  9. Genesis 31:15 Lit money
  10. Genesis 31:19 Heb teraphim
  11. Genesis 31:20 Lit stole the heart of
  12. Genesis 31:21 Lit his face
  13. Genesis 31:24 Lit Take heed to yourself
  14. Genesis 31:26 Lit and you have stolen my heart
  15. Genesis 31:27 Lit steal me
  16. Genesis 31:28 Lit sons
  17. Genesis 31:29 Lit the power of my hand
  18. Genesis 31:29 Lit Take heed to yourself
  19. Genesis 31:32 Lit recognize
  20. Genesis 31:32 Lit with me
  21. Genesis 31:34 Heb teraphim
  22. Genesis 31:35 I.e., menstruation
  23. Genesis 31:35 Heb teraphim
  24. Genesis 31:40 Or drought
  25. Genesis 31:43 Lit sons
  26. Genesis 31:43 Lit sons
  27. Genesis 31:44 Lit I and you
  28. Genesis 31:44 Lit me and you
  29. Genesis 31:47 I.e., the heap of witness, in Aram
  30. Genesis 31:47 I.e., the heap of witness, in Heb
  31. Genesis 31:48 Lit me and you
  32. Genesis 31:49 Lit the Mizpah; i.e., the watchtower
  33. Genesis 31:49 Lit me and you
  34. Genesis 31:49 Lit hidden
  35. Genesis 31:50 Lit me and you
  36. Genesis 31:51 Lit me and you
  37. Genesis 31:54 Lit eat bread
  38. Genesis 31:54 Lit bread
  39. Genesis 31:55 Ch 32:1 in Heb
  40. Genesis 31:55 Lit sons
Close ASV

Genesis 31
American Standard Version

31 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this [a]glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime. 3 And Jehovah said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstreaked shall be thy wages; then bare all the flock ringstreaked. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceive, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11 And the angel of God said unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see: all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity. 14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not accounted by him as foreigners? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured [b]our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; 18 and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan. 19 Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob [c]stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over [d]the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. 23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. 24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said unto him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 25 And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and Laban with his brethren encamped in the mountain of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the sword? 27 Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and [e]steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp; 28 and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly. 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 heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force. 32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not. 35 And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two. 38 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou 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; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. 41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children whom they have borne? 44 And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap: and they did eat there by the heap. 47 And Laban called it [f]Jegar-saha-dutha: but Jacob called it [g]Galeed. 48 And Laban said, This heap is witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed: 49 and [h]Mizpah, for he said, Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we are [i]absent one from another. 50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. 51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set betwixt me and thee. 52 This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the [j]God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain. 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.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:1 Or, wealth
  2. Genesis 31:15 Or, the price paid for us
  3. Genesis 31:20 Hebrew stole the heart of Laban the Aramean.
  4. Genesis 31:21 That is the Euphrates.
  5. Genesis 31:27 Hebrew didst steal me.
  6. Genesis 31:47 That is, The heap of witness, in Aramaic.
  7. Genesis 31:47 That is, The heap of witness, in Hebrew.
  8. Genesis 31:49 That is, The watch tower.
  9. Genesis 31:49 Hebrew hidden.
  10. Genesis 31:53 Or, gods
Next
Genesis 30
Genesis 32
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
American Standard Version (ASV)

Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)