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Laban and Jacob Make a Covenant

43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine or about their children whom they have borne? 44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”(A) 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.(B) 46 And Jacob said to his kinsfolk, “Gather stones,” and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,[a] but Jacob called it Galeed.[b] 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he called it Galeed(C) 49 and the pillar[c] Mizpah, for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other.(D) 50 If you ill-treat my daughters or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, though no one else is with us, remember that God is witness between you and me.”

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and see the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor[d] judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac,(E) 54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the height and called his kinsfolk to eat bread, and they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill country.

55 [e]Early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them; then he departed and returned home.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 31.47 In Aramaic, heap of witness
  2. 31.47 In Hebrew, heap of witness
  3. 31.49 Cn: MT lacks pillar
  4. 31.53 Heb mss Gk: MT adds the God of their father
  5. 31.55 32.1 in Heb

43 Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I.(A) Let it be a witness between the two of us.”

45 So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.(B) 46 Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. 47 Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.[a]

48 Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed 49 and also Mizpah,[b](C) for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.”(D) 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me. 52 This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the gods(E) of Nahor—the gods of their father[c]—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

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Footnotes

  1. 31:47 Jegar-sahadutha is Aramaic, and Galeed is Hb; both names = Mound of Witness
  2. 31:49 = Watchtower
  3. 31:53 Two Hb mss, LXX omit the gods of their father