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Genesis 31:1-21
New English Translation

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining,[a] “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich[b] at our father’s expense!”[c] 2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed.[d]

3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers[e] and to your relatives. I will be with you.”[f] 4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah[g] to come to the field[h] where his flocks were.[i] 5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed,[j] but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could,[k] 7 but your father has humiliated[l] me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 8 If he said,[m] ‘The speckled animals[n] will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

10 “Once[o] during breeding season I saw[p] in a dream that the male goats mating with[q] the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 12 Then he said, ‘Observe that[r] all the male goats mating with[s] the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed[t] the sacred stone and made a vow to me.[u] Now leave this land immediately[v] and return to your native land.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance[w] in our father’s house? 15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted[x] the money paid for us![y] 16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”

17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels.[z] 18 He took away[aa] all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.[ab]

19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep,[ac] Rachel stole the household idols[ad] that belonged to her father. 20 Jacob also deceived[ae] Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving.[af] 21 He left[ag] with all he owned. He quickly crossed[ah] the Euphrates River[ai] and headed for[aj] the hill country of Gilead.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:1 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
  2. Genesis 31:1 sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, kavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).
  3. Genesis 31:1 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
  4. Genesis 31:2 tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed—Jacob had become persona non grata.
  5. Genesis 31:3 tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.
  6. Genesis 31:3 sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.
  7. Genesis 31:4 tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.
  8. Genesis 31:4 tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
  9. Genesis 31:4 tn Heb “to his flock.”
  10. Genesis 31:5 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
  11. Genesis 31:6 tn Heb “with all my strength.”
  12. Genesis 31:7 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
  13. Genesis 31:8 tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance—whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.
  14. Genesis 31:8 tn Heb “speckled” (twice in this verse). The words “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.
  15. Genesis 31:10 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”
  16. Genesis 31:10 tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”
  17. Genesis 31:10 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
  18. Genesis 31:12 tn Heb “said, ‘Lift up (now) your eyes and see.”
  19. Genesis 31:12 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
  20. Genesis 31:13 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.
  21. Genesis 31:13 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.
  22. Genesis 31:13 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.sn Leave this land immediately. The decision to leave was a wise one in view of the changed attitude in Laban and his sons. But more than that, it was the will of God. Jacob needed to respond to God’s call—the circumstances simply made it easier.
  23. Genesis 31:14 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
  24. Genesis 31:15 tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.sn He sold us and…wasted our money. The precise nature of Rachel’s and Leah’s complaint is not entirely clear. Since Jacob had to work to pay for them, they probably mean that their father has cheated Jacob and therefore cheated them as well. See M. Burrows, “The Complaint of Laban’s Daughters,” JAOS 57 (1937): 250-76.
  25. Genesis 31:15 tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.
  26. Genesis 31:17 tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
  27. Genesis 31:18 tn Heb “drove away,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
  28. Genesis 31:18 tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”
  29. Genesis 31:19 tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
  30. Genesis 31:19 tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (terafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.
  31. Genesis 31:20 tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.
  32. Genesis 31:20 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
  33. Genesis 31:21 tn Heb “and he fled.”
  34. Genesis 31:21 tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
  35. Genesis 31:21 tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  36. Genesis 31:21 tn Heb “he set his face.”
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