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Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned, and he has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob from the look on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not as favourable as it had previously been.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I can tell from the look on your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not as favourable as before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not let harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages’, then all the flock gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages’, then all the flock gave birth to streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.”
10 “During the breeding season I once had a dream where I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, or spotted. 11 Then the Angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob’, and I said, ‘Here I am’. 12 And He said, ‘Look up and see, all the male goats that are mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to Me. Now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth’.”
14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s household? 15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For not only has he has sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God has taken from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.”
17 Then Jacob made ready, and he put his children and his wives on camels. 18 He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove all his livestock to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. 20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 So he fled with all that he had, and crossing the Euphrates River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead.
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So taking his relatives with him, Laban pursued Jacob for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night, and said to him, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
25 When Laban caught up with Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, and Laban and his brothers also camped there. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives in war! 27 Why did you secretly flee from me, and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, and I would have sent you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps. 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters farewell! You have done a foolish thing, 29 and it is in my power to do to you harm. However, last night the God of your father spoke to me and said, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad’. 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s house, but why have you stolen my household gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find your household gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, point out anything I have that is yours, and take it.” However, Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household gods.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and went into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle, and she was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent, but did not find them.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but he could not find the household gods.
36 Jacob became angry and he berated Laban. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me and hunted me down? 37 Now you have searched through all my possessions, have you found anything belonging to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them decide between the two of us.
38 “I have been with you these last twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. You required payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or by night! 40 “There I was—by day the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 For twenty years I have worked in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had not been with me, you surely would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rebuked you.”
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these my daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why he named it Galeed, 49 and also Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one else is with us, remember that God will be a witness between you and me.”
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “See this heap and see this pillar which I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to harm you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to do harm to me. 53 May the God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.”
So Jacob swore an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to the meal. Then they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
55 Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.