Genesis 31
New Living Translation
Jacob Flees from Laban
31 But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.” 2 And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. 5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. 9 In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.
10 “One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel,[a] the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. 16 All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”
17 So Jacob put his wives and children on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived. 19 At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her. 20 Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. 21 So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River,[b] heading for the hill country of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”
25 Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob’s. 26 “What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? 27 Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. 28 Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly! 29 I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’ 30 I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”
31 “I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.
33 Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of the two servant wives—but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent. 34 But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them, 35 she said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly period.” So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.
36 Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. “What’s my crime?” he demanded. “What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal? 37 You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!
38 “For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food. 39 If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.
40 “I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. 41 Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! 42 In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac[c]—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”
Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children? 44 So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. 46 Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. 47 To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).
48 Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” 49 But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
51 “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us. 52 They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. 53 I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac,[d] to respect the boundary line. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
55 [e]Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.
Génesis 31
Palabra de Dios para Todos
Hora de irse, Jacob se escapa
31 Un día Jacob escuchó a los hijos de Labán hablando. Ellos dijeron: «Jacob se apoderó de todo lo que le pertenecía a nuestro papá. Se ha convertido en un hombre rico por medio de las cosas de nuestro papá». 2 Luego se dio cuenta de que Labán ya no se portaba con él como antes. 3 El SEÑOR le dijo a Jacob: «Regresa a la tierra de tus padres, donde naciste. Yo estaré contigo».
4 Entonces Jacob mandó a llamar a Raquel y a Lea al campo, donde estaban sus rebaños, 5 y les dijo:
—He notado que su papá ya no se comporta conmigo como antes. Pero el Dios que mi papá adoraba me ha acompañado. 6 Ustedes saben que yo trabajé con todas mis fuerzas para su papá, 7 pero él me engañó, cambió mi salario diez veces, pero Dios no permitió que él me hiciera nada malo. 8 Si Labán decía: “Te pagaré con las manchadas, entonces todas los rebaños tenían crías manchadas”. Y si decía: “Te pagaré con las rayadas”, entonces todos los rebaños tenían crías rayadas. 9 Por lo tanto Dios le ha quitado los animales a su papá y me los ha dado a mí.
10 »Una vez tuve un sueño en la época en que los animales se estaban apareando. Vi que las ovejas machos que se estaban apareando estaban rayadas, manchadas y punteadas. 11 Después un ángel del Señor me dijo en el sueño: “¡Jacob!” Y yo contesté: “Aquí estoy”. 12 Luego él dijo: “Levanta tus ojos y mira que todas las ovejas machos que se están apareando están rayadas, manchadas y punteadas. Yo vi todo lo que Labán te ha hecho. 13 Yo soy el Dios de Betel donde tú hiciste un altar y donde me hiciste una promesa. Ahora, levántate de aquí y vuelve a la tierra donde naciste”.
14 Entonces Raquel y Lea le respondieron:
—Nuestro papá no tiene nada para darnos cuando se muera. 15 Nos trata como extrañas. Nos vendió y ya se gastó lo que recibió por nosotras. 16 Toda la riqueza que Dios le quitó a nuestro papá, en realidad nos pertenece a nosotros y a nuestros hijos. Entonces, haz todo lo que Dios te dijo que hicieras.
17 Entonces Jacob se preparó para el viaje y montó en camellos a sus mujeres y a sus hijos. 18 Se llevó todos sus animales y las posesiones que había adquirido en Padán Aram, y se fue hacia donde vivía su papá, Isaac, en la tierra de Canaán.
19 En esos días, Labán había ido a cortar la lana de sus ovejas y Raquel se robó los ídolos[a] que su papá usaba para adivinar el futuro. 20 Jacob engañó a Labán el arameo al no decirle que se iba, 21 y huyó rápido con todo lo que tenía. Cruzaron el río Éufrates y viajaron hacia la región montañosa de Galaad.
Labán persigue a Jacob
22 Al tercer día le contaron a Labán que Jacob se había escapado. 23 Entonces Labán reunió a sus hombres y salió a perseguir a Jacob. Después de siete días, Labán alcanzó a Jacob en la región montañosa de Galaad. 24 Esa noche Dios se le apareció en un sueño a Labán el arameo y le dijo: «¡Cuidado! No le digas nada a Jacob, ni bueno ni malo».
25 A la mañana siguiente Labán alcanzó a Jacob, quien había montado su campamento en la montaña y Labán montó también allí el suyo en el monte de Galaad. 26 Labán le dijo a Jacob:
—¿Por qué huiste y me engañaste? Te llevaste a mis hijas como si fueran mujeres capturadas en una guerra. 27 ¿Por qué huiste en secreto? Si me lo hubieras dicho te habría despedido con alegría y con música de tambores y arpas. 28 No dejaste que les diera un beso de despedida a mis nietos y nietas. ¡Fuiste un tonto al hacer esto! 29 Yo soy capaz de hacerte daño, pero anoche se me apareció en un sueño el Dios de tu papá y me dijo: “¡Cuidado! No le digas nada a Jacob, ni bueno ni malo”. 30 Yo sé que te fuiste porque quieres regresar a la casa de tu papá. Pero, ¿por qué te robaste los dioses de mi familia?
31 Jacob le respondió:
—Me fui sin decirte nada porque estaba asustado, pensé que me ibas a quitar a tus hijas. 32 Si encuentras a alguien que tenga tus dioses, esa persona morirá. Aquí, en presencia de nuestros parientes, muéstrame si hay algo que te pertenezca y puedes llevártelo.
Jacob no sabía que Raquel se había robado los dioses de Labán. 33 Entonces Labán buscó en la carpa de Jacob, en la de Lea y en la de las dos siervas, pero no encontró los dioses. Luego se fue para la carpa de Raquel. 34 Raquel había tomado los dioses de la familia y los había escondido en la silla de camello en la que ella estaba sentada. Labán buscó por toda la carpa y no encontró los dioses de su familia. 35 Raquel le dijo al papá:
—Señor mío, no se enoje conmigo si no me levanto ante su presencia, pero es que estoy en mi período de menstruación.
Labán buscó pero no encontró los dioses de su familia. 36 Entonces Jacob se enojó mucho y le dijo:
—¿Qué crimen cometí? ¿Cuál fue mi pecado para que vinieras en mi persecución? 37 Ya buscaste entre todas mis cosas y no encontraste nada que fuera tuyo. Si encontraste algo tráelo y ponlo aquí para que nuestros parientes decidan cuál de los dos tiene la razón. 38 En los 20 años que trabajé para ti, ningún cordero ni ninguna cabra recién nacida murió, y no me comí ningún carnero de tus rebaños. 39 Cuando un animal salvaje mataba alguna de tus ovejas, yo la pagaba. Nunca te llevé un animal muerto que no repusiera yo mismo. A mí me robaban de día y de noche. 40 Durante el día, el sol me quitaba la fuerza y durante la noche, el frío no me dejaba dormir. 41 Trabajé 20 años para ti. Los primeros 14 lo hice por tus dos hijas y los últimos seis por tus rebaños. Tú cambiaste mi salario diez veces. 42 Si el Dios de mis padres, el Dios de Abraham y el Temor de Isaac[b] no hubiera estado conmigo, me habrías echado con las manos vacías. Pero Dios vio mi tristeza y el resultado de mi trabajo, y anoche te reprendió.
Pacto entre Jacob y Labán
43 Labán le dijo a Jacob:
—Estas hijas son mis hijas, estos niños son mis niños y los rebaños son mis rebaños. Todo lo que ves es mío. Sin embargo, ¿qué les puedo hacer ahora a mis hijas o a los hijos que ellas han tenido? 44 Ven, hagamos un pacto entre tú y yo, y que haya un testigo entre los dos.
45 Entonces Jacob agarró una piedra y la puso ahí para mostrar que se había hecho un pacto. 46 Luego les dijo a sus hombres:
—¡Recojan piedras!
Ellos las recogieron y formaron un montón de piedras. Luego comieron al lado del montón de piedras. 47 Labán llamó a ese sitio Yegar Saduta[c], y Jacob lo llamó Galaad[d]. 48 Labán dijo:
—Este montón de piedras nos ayudará a recordar nuestro pacto.
Esta es la razón por la cual Jacob llamó a este sitio Galaad. 49 Después dijo:
—Que el SEÑOR nos vigile el tiempo que estemos separados.
Por esta razón este sitio también se llamó Mizpa[e]. 50 Luego Labán dijo:
—Si les haces daño a mis hijas o si te casas con otra mujer además de ellas, aunque nadie te esté vigilando, recuerda que Dios es el testigo entre tú y yo. 51 Mira este montón de piedras y esta roca que puse entre nosotros. 52 El montón de piedras y esta roca son testigos de que nunca cruzaré de aquí hacia tu lado y de que tú nunca cruzarás de aquí hacia mi lado, con intención de hacernos daño. 53 Que el Dios de Abraham y el Dios de Najor sea el que nos juzgue.
Entonces Jacob hizo la promesa en nombre del Temor[f] de su papá Isaac. 54 Después Jacob ofreció un sacrificio en la montaña e invitó a sus parientes a que compartieran la comida. Comieron y todos pasaron la noche en la montaña. 55 A la mañana siguiente Labán se levantó muy temprano, les dio un beso de despedida a sus hijas y nietos, les dio también su bendición y regresó a casa.
Footnotes
- 31:19 los ídolos Textualmente terafim.
- 31:42 Temor de Isaac Un nombre para Dios.
- 31:47 Yegar Saduta Palabra aramea que significa El montón que sirve de testigo.
- 31:47 Galaad Palabra hebrea que significa El montón que sirve de testigo.
- 31:49 Mizpa Este nombre significa torre de vigilancia.
- 31:53 Temor Un nombre para Dios. Ver Gn 31:42.
Genesis 31
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
31 But after that he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and being enriched by his substance is become great:
2 And perceiving also that Laban's countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,
3 Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
4 He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,
5 And said to them: I see your father's countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.
6 And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.
7 Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.
8 If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.
9 And God hath taken your father's substance, and given it to me.
10 For after that time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.
11 And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am.
12 And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted, and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.
14 And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father's house?
15 Hath he not counted us as strangers and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?
16 But God hath taken our father's riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.
18 And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Chanaan.
19 At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father's idols.
20 And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.
21 And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,
22 It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob fled.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.
24 And he saw in a dream God saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
25 Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he with his brethren had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.
26 And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters, as captives taken with the sword.
27 Why wouldst thou run away privately and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?
28 Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters: thou hast done foolishly: and now, indeed,
29 It is in my power to return thee evil: but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.
30 Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father's house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?
31 Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.
32 But whereas thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel's tent,
34 She in haste hid the idols under the camel's furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,
35 She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me, according to the custom of women, So his careful search was in vain.
36 And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,
37 And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.
38 Have I therefore been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:
39 Neither did I shew thee that which the beast had torn, I made good all the damage: whatsoever was lost by theft, thou didst exact it of me:
40 Day and night was I parched with heat, and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes.
41 And in this manner have I served thee in thy house twenty years, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy flocks: thou hast changed also my wages ten times.
42 Unless the God of my father Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had stood by me, peradventure now thou hadst sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.
43 Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flocks, and all things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my children, and grandchildren?
44 Come therefore, let us enter into a league: that it may be for a testimony between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:
46 And he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. And they gathering stones together, made a heap, and they ate upon it.
47 And Laban called it The witness heap: and Jacob, The hillock of testimony: each of them according to the propriety of his language.
48 And Laban said: This heap shall be a witness between me and thee this day, and therefore the name thereof was called Galaad, that is, The witness heap.
49 The Lord behold and judge between us when we shall be gone one from the other.
50 If thou afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wives over them: none is witness of our speech but God, who is present and beholdeth.
51 And he said again to Jacob: Behold, this heap, and the stone which I have set up between me and thee,
52 Shall be a witness: this heap, I say, and the stone, be they for a testimony, if either I shall pass beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt pass beyond it, thinking harm to me.
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
54 And after he had offered sacrifices in the mountain, he called his brethren to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they lodged there:
55 But Laban arose in the night, and kissed his sons, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned to his place.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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