Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ח HETH

Jacob Flees from Laban

31 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this ^(A)wealth.” ² And Jacob saw the ^(B)countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not ^(C)favorable toward him as before. ³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, ^(D)“Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will ^(E)be with you.”

¹⁷ Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. ¹⁸ And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of ^(A)Canaan. ¹⁹ Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the ^(B)household^[a] idols that were her father’s. ²⁰ And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. ²¹ So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and ^(C)headed^[b] toward the mountains of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

²² And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. ²³ Then he took ^(D)his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. ²⁴ But God ^(E)had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you ^(F)speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”

²⁵ So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.

²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and ^(G)carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? ²⁸ And you did not allow me ^(H)to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now ^(I)you have done foolishly in so doing. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm, but the ^(J)God of your father spoke to me ^(K)last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ ³⁰ And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you ^(L)steal my gods?”

³¹ Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was ^(M)afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ ³² With whomever you find your gods, ^(N)do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the ^[c]household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban ^[d]searched all about the tent but did not find them. ³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot ^(O)rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the ^[e]household idols.

³⁶ Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my ^[f]trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? ³⁷ Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! ³⁸ These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. ^39 (P)That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. ^(Q)You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. ⁴¹ Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I ^(R)served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and ^(S)you have changed my wages ten times. ^42 (T)Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and ^(U)the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. ^(V)God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and ^(W)rebuked you last night.”

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob

⁴³ And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴ Now therefore, come, ^(X)let us make a ^[g]covenant, ^(Y)you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob ^(Z)took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it ^[h]Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it ^[i]Galeed. ⁴⁸ And Laban said, ^(AA)“This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, ⁴⁹ also ^(AB)Mizpah,^[j] because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. ⁵⁰ If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!”

^14 (A)Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, ^(B)without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone ^(C)fall short of the grace of God; lest any ^(D)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any ^(E)fornicator or ^[a]profane person like Esau, ^(F)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.