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43 Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? 44 Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be for a witness between me and you.”

45 Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. 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 witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.” 51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. 52 May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. 54 Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain. 55 Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 31:47 “Jegar Sahadutha” means “Witness Heap” in Aramaic.
  2. 31:47 “Galeed” means “Witness Heap” in Hebrew.

43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.(A) 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,(B) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”(C)

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

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

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(M) and here is this pillar(N) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(O) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(P) and pillar to my side to harm me.(Q) 53 May the God of Abraham(R) and the God of Nahor,(S) the God of their father, judge between us.”(T)

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

55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters(Y) and blessed(Z) them. Then he left and returned home.[c](AA)

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Footnotes

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