Genesis 31:22-42
New English Translation
22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left.[a] 23 So he took his relatives[b] with him and pursued Jacob[c] for seven days.[d] He caught up with[e] him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him,[f] “Be careful[g] that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”[h]
25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.[i] 26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me[j] and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war![k] 27 Why did you run away secretly[l] and deceive me?[m] Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps?[n] 28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren[o] goodbye. You have acted foolishly! 29 I have the power[p] to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful[q] that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’[r] 30 Now I understand that[s] you have gone away[t] because you longed desperately[u] for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”[v]
31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!”[w] Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought[x] you might take your daughters away from me by force.[y] 32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death![z] In the presence of our relatives[aa] identify whatever is yours and take it.”[ab] (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)[ac]
33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols.[ad] Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.[ae] 34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle[af] and sat on them.)[ag] Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.[ah] 35 Rachel[ai] said to her father, “Don’t be angry,[aj] my lord. I cannot stand up[ak] in your presence because I am having my period.”[al] So he searched thoroughly,[am] but did not find the idols.
36 Jacob became angry[an] and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban.[ao] “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit?[ap] 37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you?[aq] Set it here before my relatives and yours,[ar] and let them settle the dispute between the two of us![as]
38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself.[at] You always made me pay for every missing animal,[au] whether it was taken by day or at night. 40 I was consumed by scorching heat[av] during the day and by piercing cold[aw] at night, and I went without sleep.[ax] 41 This was my lot[ay] for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave[az] for you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—but you changed my wages ten times! 42 If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears[ba]—had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked,[bb] and he rebuked you last night.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 31:22 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
- Genesis 31:23 tn Heb “his brothers.”
- Genesis 31:23 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 31:23 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
- Genesis 31:23 tn Heb “drew close to.”
- Genesis 31:24 tn Heb “said to him.”
- Genesis 31:24 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
- Genesis 31:24 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
- Genesis 31:25 tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern vav plus subject plus verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
- Genesis 31:26 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
- Genesis 31:26 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
- Genesis 31:27 tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”
- Genesis 31:27 tn Heb “and steal me.”
- Genesis 31:27 tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”
- Genesis 31:28 tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 31:29 tn Heb “There is to the power of my hand.”
- Genesis 31:29 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
- Genesis 31:29 tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
- Genesis 31:30 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 31:30 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
- Genesis 31:30 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
- Genesis 31:30 sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.
- Genesis 31:31 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 31:31 tn Heb “for I said.”
- Genesis 31:31 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
- Genesis 31:32 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
- Genesis 31:32 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Genesis 31:32 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
- Genesis 31:32 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
- Genesis 31:33 tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Genesis 31:33 tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
- Genesis 31:34 tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
- Genesis 31:34 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
- Genesis 31:34 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Genesis 31:35 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 31:35 tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.
- Genesis 31:35 tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
- Genesis 31:35 tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
- Genesis 31:35 tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
- Genesis 31:36 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
- Genesis 31:36 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 31:36 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
- Genesis 31:37 tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
- Genesis 31:37 tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 31:37 tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
- Genesis 31:39 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
- Genesis 31:39 tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
- Genesis 31:40 tn Or “by drought.”
- Genesis 31:40 tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.
- Genesis 31:40 tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
- Genesis 31:41 tn Heb “this to me.”
- Genesis 31:41 tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
- Genesis 31:42 tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42, 53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.
- Genesis 31:42 tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
Genesis 31:22-42
Expanded Bible
22 Three days later ·Laban learned [L it was told/reported to Laban] that Jacob had ·run away [fled], 23 so he ·gathered [L took] his ·relatives [L brothers] and began to ·chase [pursue] him. After seven days Laban ·found [caught up with] him in the mountains of Gilead. 24 That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful! Do not say anything to Jacob, good or bad.”
The Search for the Stolen Idols
25 So Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had ·made his camp [L pitched his tent] in the mountains, so Laban and his ·relatives [L brothers] ·set up their camp [pitched] in the mountains of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You ·cheated me [deceived me; L stole my heart] and ·took [L carried away] my daughters as if you had captured them ·in a war [L with a sword]. 27 Why did you ·run away secretly [sneak off] and ·trick [deceive; L steal from] me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away with joy and singing and with the music of tambourines and ·harps [lyres]. 28 You did not even let me kiss my ·grandchildren [L sons] and my daughters good-bye. You were very foolish to do this! 29 I have the power to harm you, but last night the God of your father spoke to me and warned me not to say anything to you, good or bad. 30 I know you want to go back to ·your home [L the house of your father], but why did you steal my ·idols [L gods; 31:19]?”
31 Jacob answered [L and said to] Laban, “I left without telling you, because I was afraid you would ·take [forcibly remove] your daughters away from me. 32 If you find anyone here who has taken your ·idols [gods], that person will ·be killed [L not live]! ·Your [L Our] ·relatives [L brothers] will be my witnesses. You may look for anything that belongs to you and take anything that is yours.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols.)
33 So Laban ·looked [L went] in Jacob’s tent, in Leah’s tent, and in the tent where the two slave women stayed, but he did not find his idols. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. 34 Rachel had hidden the ·idols [teraphim; 31:19] inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Although Laban looked through the whole tent, he did not find them.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you because ·I am having my monthly period [L the way of women is on me].” So Laban ·looked through the camp [L searched], but he did not find ·his idols [L the teraphim].
36 Then Jacob became very angry and accused Laban and said, “What ·wrong have I done [is my offense]? What ·law have I broken [L is my sin] to cause you to ·chase [hotly pursue] me? 37 You have ·looked [felt] through everything I own, but you have found nothing that belongs to you. If you have found anything, show it to everyone. Put it in front of your ·relatives [L brothers] and my ·relatives [L brothers], and let them ·decide which one of us is right [judge between us]. 38 I have ·worked for [L been with] you now for twenty years. During all that time none of the ·lambs [ewes] and kids ·died during birth [miscarried], and I have not eaten any of the ·male sheep [rams] from your flocks. 39 Any time an animal was killed by wild beasts, I did not bring it to you, but made up for the loss myself. You made me pay for any animal that was stolen during the day or night. 40 In the daytime the ·sun [heat] ·took away my strength [L consumed me], and at night I was cold and ·could not sleep [L sleep fled from my eyes]. 41 I [L was in your house and] worked like a slave for you for twenty years—the first fourteen to get your two daughters and the last six to earn your flocks. During that time you changed my ·pay [wages] ten times. 42 But the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the ·God [L Fear; C a title for God; Prov. 1:7] of Isaac, was with me. Otherwise, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the ·trouble [affliction] I had and the hard work I did, and last night he ·corrected [admonished; reproved] you.”
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