Old/New Testament
Jacob runs away from Laban
31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining about him. They were saying, ‘Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. He has taken things from our father and he has become rich himself.’
2 And Jacob could see that Laban was not as nice to him as he had been before.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land where your father and grandfather lived. Go back to your relatives. I will be with you there.’ 4 Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leah. He said that they must come to the field where he was taking care of his animals. 5 Jacob said to them, ‘I see that your father is not as nice to me now as he was before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have worked very hard for your father. I have worked as well as I can. 7 But your father has cheated me many times. He has changed what I receive for my work at least ten times. But God has protected me from him. 8 Sometimes Laban said, “I will pay you with the animals that have different colours on their skin.” If he said that, all the animals gave birth to babies with different colours on their skins. Sometimes he said, “I will pay you with the animals that have marks on them.” Then all the animals gave birth to babies with marks on them. 9 In this way God took away your father's animals, and he gave them to me.
10 One night I had a dream. It was at the time when the animals were becoming pregnant. In the dream, I saw that the male goats had marks and different colours on their skin. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in the dream. He said, “Jacob.” I replied, “Yes, here I am.” 12 The angel said, “Look carefully. See all the male goats that are having sex with the female goats. They all have marks and different colours on their skin. I am helping you because I have seen the bad things that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel. That is where you poured oil on the special stone and you made a promise to me. Now I am telling you to leave this land. Go back to the land where you were born.” ’
14 Rachel and Leah replied, ‘Our father will not give us anything more when he dies. 15 He now thinks of us like foreigners. You worked hard for him so that we could become your wives. He has cheated us as well as you! 16 So everything that God has taken away from our father really belongs to us and to our children. So you must do everything that God has told you to do.’
17 So Jacob put his children and wives on his camels. 18 He put together all his animals and everything that he had received in Paddan Aram. He took them with him to go to the land of Canaan. He left to go back to his father Isaac. 19 Before they left, Laban had gone to cut the wool from his sheep. While he was away from the house, Rachel took the idols that Laban worshipped in his house.[a]
20 Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean. He did not tell Laban that he was going away. 21 Jacob went away quickly and he took all his things. He went across the Euphrates river. He went towards the hill country of Gilead.
22 After three days, someone told Laban that Jacob had gone away. 23 So Laban took his relatives with him and he followed Jacob. After seven days, he found him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. God warned him, ‘Be careful what you say to Jacob. Do not say anything good or bad to him.’
25 Jacob had put up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That is where Laban found him. So Laban and his relatives also put up their tents in that place. 26 Laban said to Jacob, ‘Why did you do that? You have deceived me. You have taken my daughters away as if you had caught them in a war. 27 Why did you go away secretly? Yes, you have deceived me. You should have told me that you were leaving. Then I would have prepared a big meal. We would have been happy together, with songs and music. 28 But you did not even let me say “goodbye” to my daughters or my grandchildren. What you have done is not right. 29 I have the power to hurt you. But last night the God of your father appeared to me. He told me, “Be careful what you say to Jacob. Do not say anything good or bad against him.” 30 I know that you want very much to return to your father's house. That is why you have left my home. But why did you take my idols?’
31 Jacob replied, ‘I left secretly because I was afraid. I thought that you might fight me to take your daughters away from me. 32 But if you find your idols with anyone here, that person must die. While our relatives watch, you may look for anything that belongs to you. If you find anything then take it.’
Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken her father's idols.
33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent. Then he went into Leah's tent. He also went into the female servants' tent. But he did not find the idols. When he left Leah's tent, he went into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel had taken the idols and she had put them inside her camel's seat. Now she was sitting on them. Laban looked everywhere in Rachel's tent but he did not find the idols. 35 Rachel said to him, ‘Do not be angry with me, sir. I cannot stand up in front of you. It is the time of my monthly blood loss.’[b] So Laban looked everywhere for the idols, but he did not find them.
36 Then Jacob became angry and he quarrelled with Laban. He asked Laban, ‘What have I done wrong? What sin have I done against you so that you had to catch me? 37 Now you have looked through everything that I have. Did you find anything that belongs to you? If you have found anything, put it here. Then your relatives and my relatives can see it. Our relatives can decide which of us is right, you or me!’
38 Jacob continued to say to Laban, ‘I have worked for you for 20 years. Your female sheep and goats have all safely given birth to young ones. I have not taken any of your male animals as food for myself. 39 If wild animals attacked your sheep or goats, I did not show them to you. I myself paid you for them. If any animal was lost, in the day or at night, you said that I must pay you for it. 40 This is what it was like to work for you: I worked in the strong heat of the sun in the day. I had pain from the cold at night. I could not always sleep. 41 It was like this for 20 years as I worked like a slave for you. I worked for 14 years to pay you for your two daughters. Then I worked for six years for your sheep and goats. You changed what you paid me at least ten times! 42 The God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac was with me.[c] If he had not helped me, then you would have sent me away with nothing. But God has seen what you have done to hurt me. He has seen how hard I have worked for you. So last night he told you that you had done wrong.’
43 Laban replied to Jacob, ‘These women are my daughters. Their children are my grandchildren. The animals are my animals. Everything that you have with you here belongs to me. But there is nothing that I can do today about my daughters or about their children. 44 So we should be friends. Let us make an agreement together. It will show that we have agreed to be friends.’
45 So Jacob took a large stone and made it stand up in the ground. 46 He said to his relatives, ‘Go and get some stones.’ So they brought some stones and they put them together on the ground. Then they all ate a meal together, near the heap of stones.[d]
47 Laban called that place Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob called it Galeed.[e]
48 Laban said, ‘These stones show that we have made an agreement today.’ That is why the place was called Galeed. 49 The place was also called Mizpah. That was because Laban said, ‘May the Lord watch you and me when we are away from each other. 50 Remember that God is watching you. If you do wrong to my daughters, God will see it. And if you marry any other women, remember this. God is watching you. Even if no one else sees you, God will know.’
51 Laban also said, ‘I have put this special stone here, and the heap of stones near it. They stand there between your land and my land. 52 I will not go past the stones to your side to hurt you. And you must not go past them to my side to hurt me. 53 Let the God of Abraham, Nahor, and their ancestors decide if one of us is guilty.’
So Jacob made a promise in the name of the God that his father Isaac worshipped. 54 He offered a sacrifice to God there in the hill country. He asked his relatives to eat a meal with him. After they had eaten, they stayed the night there.
55 Early the next morning, Laban got up to return home. He kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He said ‘goodbye’ and he blessed them. Then he left and he went back to his home.
Jacob's journey home
32 Jacob continued on his journey to his father's house. On his way the angels of God met him.[f] 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, ‘This is where God's army has put up their tents!’ So he called that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent men with a message to his brother Esau. Esau was living in the land of Seir, also called Edom. 4 Jacob told his men, ‘This is what you must say to my master Esau: Your servant Jacob says, “I have been staying with Laban until now. 5 I have cows, donkeys, sheep and goats. I have male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord so that you will be happy with me.” ’
6 When the men returned, they said to Jacob, ‘We went to your brother Esau. Now he is coming to meet you and he has 400 men with him.’ 7 Jacob was very frightened and upset when he heard this. So he separated his people into two groups. He also separated his animals. 8 He thought, ‘If Esau attacks one group, the other group may run away safely.’
9 Then Jacob prayed, ‘God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac, Lord, you said to me, “Go back to your country and to your relatives. I will do good things for you there.” 10 You have always loved me. You have continued to be kind to me. I do not deserve this. When I crossed the Jordan River to go to Haran, I only had my stick. But now I can make two big groups of people and animals. 11 I pray that you will save me from the power of my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will come and attack me. He may also attack my family. 12 But you have said, “I will give you many good things. I will give you so many descendants that nobody will be able to count them. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore of the sea.” ’[g]
13 Jacob stayed in that place for the night. He chose some of his animals as a gift for Esau. 14 He chose 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15 He also chose 30 female camels, with their young ones, 40 cows and ten bulls, 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He told his servants to take care of them. He separated each group of animals from the other groups. Jacob said to his servants, ‘Go in front of me. Keep some space between each group of animals.’ 17 He told the servant who led the first group of animals, ‘When my brother Esau meets you, he may ask, “Who do you belong to? Where are you going? Who do all these animals belong to?” 18 Then you must say, “They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift that he has sent to my lord Esau. Jacob himself is coming behind us.” ’ 19 Jacob also told the servants who led the other groups of animals, as well as the servants who followed behind them, ‘You are to say the same thing to Esau, when you meet him. 20 You must also say “Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.” ’
Jacob thought, ‘Esau will be happy to receive my gifts. He will no longer be angry with me. Then, when I meet him, he will not hurt me.’ 21 So Jacob sent the men with his gifts to go on to meet Esau. But he himself stayed in that place for the night.
22 During the night Jacob took with him his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons. They went across the Jabbok river where there was a place to cross.[h] 23 After Jacob had sent his family across, he also sent all his things across the stream. 24 Then Jacob was alone. A man came and fought with him for a long time.[i] They continued until dawn.
25 The man saw that he was not winning the fight against Jacob. So he hit Jacob's hip while they were fighting.[j] In that way, Jacob's hip moved out of its proper place. 26 Then the man said to Jacob, ‘Now let me go because dawn has come.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’
27 The man asked Jacob, ‘What is your name?’ Jacob replied, ‘My name is Jacob.’ 28 Then the man said, ‘Your name will not be Jacob any longer. Your name will now be Israel.[k] That is because you have fought with God and you have fought with men. And you have won!’
29 Then Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But the man said, ‘Why do you want to know my name?’ Then he blessed Jacob in that place. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel.[l] He said, ‘I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive!’
31 The sun rose in the sky as Jacob passed through Peniel. He could not walk properly because of his hip.
32 Even today, the Israelite people do not eat the meat of an animal where it joins to the hip. This is because God touched Jacob's hip.[m]
Jesus causes a dead girl to become alive again
18 While Jesus was saying these things to the people, a leader at the Jewish meeting place came to him. The man went down on his knees in front of Jesus and said to him, ‘My daughter has just died. Come to my house. Put your hand on her and then she will live again.’ 19 So Jesus went with the man. His disciples also went with them.
20 There was a sick woman in the crowd. She had been losing blood for 12 years. She came near to Jesus, behind him. She touched the edge of his coat. 21 The woman thought, ‘Even if I only touch his coat, I will become well again.’
22 Jesus turned round and he saw the woman. He said to her, ‘Young woman, do not be afraid. You are now well again because you believed in me.’ And immediately the woman became well again.
23 Then Jesus arrived at the Jewish leader's house. Some people there were making sad music and the crowd was making a loud noise.[a]
24 When Jesus saw this, he said to everybody in the house, ‘Go outside. This girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.’ The people laughed at Jesus when he said that. 25 The family sent all the people out of the house. Jesus went inside and he held the girl's hand. Immediately she stood up. 26 People in all that part of the country heard about what had happened.
Jesus causes two blind men to see again
27 Jesus left the house. While he walked along, two blind men began to follow him. They were shouting out to him, ‘Son of David! Please be kind to us and help us!’[b]
28 Jesus went into a house and the blind men came to him there. Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe that I can make your eyes become well?’ The men replied, ‘Yes, Master, we believe that you can do this.’
29 So Jesus touched the men's eyes. He said to them, ‘Because you believed in me, you will now see again.’ 30 Then immediately the men could see again. Jesus said strongly to them, ‘You must not tell anyone about this.’ 31 So the men went away. But they told everybody in that part of the country all about what Jesus had done for them.
Jesus causes a man to speak again
32 While those two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not speak because of a bad spirit in him. 33 Jesus made the bad spirit go out of the man and leave him. Then the man began to speak again. Everybody there was very surprised. They said, ‘Nobody has seen anything like this happen in Israel before.’
34 But the Pharisees said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Satan gives him authority. Satan is the one who rules the bad spirits.’
Jesus wants God to send out more disciples
35 Jesus went to visit all the towns and villages near there. He taught the people in the Jewish meeting places. He told them the good news about God's kingdom. He also caused sick people to become well again from all their different pains and illnesses.
36 When Jesus saw the crowds of people, he felt sorry for them. They had trouble in their minds. They had nobody to help them. Jesus thought, ‘These people are like sheep that have nobody to take care of them.’ 37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Many people are ready to believe God's message. They are like crops in the fields at harvest time. But there are very few workers to bring in the crops. 38 So pray to God to send out workers. The field and the crops belong to him.’[c]
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