Genesis 31
Laban’s children murmur against Jacob.
1And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; all his glory has been obtained at our father’s expense.” 2And Jacob saw the change in Laban, in his countenance, that he was not toward him as before.
God commands Jacob to return to his country.
3And the LORD said to “Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.” 4So Jacob called Rachel and Leah into the field, to his flock, 5and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that he is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. 6And you know that with all my power I have served your father. 7And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God did not allow him to hurt me. 8If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages;’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, ‘The ringstreaked shall be thy wages;’ then all the flock would bare ringstreaked. 9Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.” 10And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11And the angel of God said unto me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and look: all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13I am the God of Beth-el, where you anointed a pillar, where you swore a vow to me; now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your nativity.’” 14Then Rachel and Leah answered him and said, “Is there any portion of inheritance left for us in our father’s house? 15Are we as foreigners to him? for he has sold us, and has spent all the money. 16Now all the riches which God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s; therefore, whatever God has asked of you, you may do it.” 17Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; 18and he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever that he had gotten in Mesopotamia, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
Rachel steals her father’s idols.
19Now when Laban had gone out to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s teraphim idols from his house. 20And when Jacob suddenly left, Laban the Syrian was unaware, for he had not told him he was leaving. 21So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the Riverd, and set his course toward the mountain of Gilead. 22And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
Laban pursues Jacob.
23And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and he overtook him at mount Gilead. 24And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said unto him, “Be very careful that you do not speak to Jacob, to bribe him or to threaten him.” 25Now when Laban had overtaken Jacob, where Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, Laban and his brethren pitched their tents nearby. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you stole away unaware to me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the sword?” 27Why did you secretly flee away, to steale away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp; 28and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters goodbye? that was foolish of you. 29It is in my power now to hurt you; but the God of your father spoke to me last night saying, ‘Take heed that you speak not to Jacob, neither good nor bad.’ 30So now I know you desire to return home, because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?” 31And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “I fled because I was afraid; for I thought ‘Maybe he will take back his daughters from me by force.’ 32But with whomsoever you find your gods, he shall not live; before our brethrena look and see now what is yours and take it back.” For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 33And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not. 35And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me.” And he searched, but found not the teraphim.
Laban is repudiated in public
36And Jacob became angry and answered and said to Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have chased me down like this?” 37Now that you have searched through my things, what have you found from your household? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us. 38These twenty years have I been with you; your sheep and goats have not cast their young, and the rams of your flocks I have not eaten. 39That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you, I bore the loss of it myself; as of my hand did you require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40That is how it was; in the day the drought consumed me, and in the night the frost consumed me, and sleep fled from before my eyes. 41These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock: and you have changed my wages ten times. 42Except that the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty. God saw my suffering and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.” 43And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine; but what can I do now for my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne?”
The covenant between Laban and Jacob.
44Therefore come, let us make a covenant, me and you; and let it be for a witness between me and you.” 45And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46And Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones;” and they took stones, and made a heap: and they ate there by the heap. 47And Laban called it Jegar-saha-dutha (f in Aramaic): but Jacob called it Galeed (g in Hebrew). 48And Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and your this day.” Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; 49and Mizpahh, for he said, “The LORD watch between me and you, when we are apart from one another. 50If you shall cause my daughters suffering, and if you shall take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and you.” 51And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set between me and you. 52This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 54And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they ate bread, and camped all night in the mountain. 55And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; then Laban departed, and returned to his place.