Genesis 31:22-55

New American Standard Bible 1995

Laban Pursues Jacob

²² When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, ²³ then he took his ^[a]kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. ^24 (A)God came to Laban the Aramean in a ^(B)dream of the night and said to him, “^[b](C)Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

²⁵ Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his ^[c]kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁶ Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done ^[d]by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly and ^[e]deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with ^(D)timbrel and with ^(E)lyre; ²⁸ and did not allow me ^(F)to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. ²⁹ It is in ^[f]my power to do you harm, but ^(G)the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘^[g](H)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 ^(I)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 (J)The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our ^[h]kinsmen ^[i]point out what is yours ^[j]among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For 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 maids, 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 ^[k]household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. ³⁵ She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot ^(K)rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the ^[l](L)household idols.

³⁶ Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? ³⁷ Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my ^[m]kinsmen and your ^[n]kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. ³⁸ 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 That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ Thus I was: by day the ^[o]heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. ⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your house; ^(M)I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you ^(N)changed my wages ten times. ⁴² If ^(O)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. ^(P)God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He ^(Q)rendered judgment last night.”

The Covenant of Mizpah

⁴³ Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and ^(R)the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴ So now come, let us ^(S)make a covenant, ^[p]you and I, and ^(T)let it be a witness between ^[q]you and me.” ⁴⁵ Then Jacob took ^(U)a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Jacob said to his ^[r]kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. ⁴⁷ Now Laban ^(V)called it ^[s]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it ^[t]Galeed. ⁴⁸ Laban said, “^(W)This heap is a witness between ^[u]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, ⁴⁹ and ^[v](X)Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between ^[w]you and me when we are ^[x]absent one from the other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, ^(Y)God is witness between ^[y]you and me.” ⁵¹ Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between ^[z]you and me. ⁵² This heap is a witness, and the pillar 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 pillar to me, for harm. ^53 (Z)The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, ^(AA)judge between us.” So Jacob swore by ^(AB)the fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴ Then Jacob ^(AC)offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his ^[aa]kinsmen to ^[ab]the meal; and they ate ^[ac]the meal and spent the night on the mountain. ^55 [ad]Early in the morning Laban arose, and ^(AD)kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.