1 ¶ Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.

2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude was not favorable to him as before.

3 And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.

4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was,

5 And said to them, I can see that your father’s attitude is not favorable to me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

6 And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.

7 And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8 If he said that, The speckled shall be your wages; then all the cattle bore speckled: and if he said that, The streaked shall be your hire; then all the flock bore streaked.

9 Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

10 And it came to pass at the time when the flocks were mating, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, that the rams which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and mottled.

11 And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lift up your eyes, and see, all the rams that leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled: for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow to me: now arise, move out of this country, and return to the land of your kindred.

14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there yet any share or inheritance left for us in our father’s house?

15 Are we not regarded by him as strangers? for he has sold us, and has used up what he received for us.

16 For all the property that God has taken away from our father, is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatever God has said to you, do.

17 ¶ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

18 And he drove away all his flocks, all his livestock that he had gained, the flocks in his possession, that he had gotten in Padanaram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the images that were her father’s.

20 And Jacob slipped away unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he fled.

21 So he fled with all that he had; starting out, he crossed the river, and set his face toward mount Gilead.

22 When Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23 He took his kinsmen with him, and pursued him for seven days; and they overtook him at mount Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, Be careful that you do not say a word to Jacob either good or bad.

25 ¶ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country: and Laban with his kinsmen pitched in the hill country of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done, that you have slipped away without me being aware of it, and carried away my daughters, like captives taken by the sword?

27 Why did you flee secretly, and steal away from me without telling me; so I might have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, with tambourine, and lyre?

28 And have not allowed me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters farewell? It was a silly thing to do.

29 It is in my power to do you harm: but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Be careful that you do not say a word to Jacob either good or bad.

30 And now, if you would hurry off, because you longed for your father’s house, why have you stolen my gods?

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I thought that you might take your daughters from me by force.

32 With whomever you find your gods, let him not live: in the presence of our kinsmen point out anything I have that is yours, and take it. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ 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 images, and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched the entire tent, but did not find them.

35 And she said to her father, Do not be angry my lord that I cannot rise up before you; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but did not find the images.

36 ¶ Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban: and Jacob said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?

37 Although you have searched all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may judge between us both.

38 These twenty years have I been with you; your ewes and your she goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.

39 I did not bring to you that which was torn by beasts; I bore the loss of it; you required it of my hand it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

40 As for me personally; in the day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night; and sleep fled from my eyes.

41 Thus have I been twenty years in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle: and you have changed my wages ten times.

42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, you surely would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.

43 ¶ And Laban answered and said to Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, these grandchildren are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children which they have born?

44 Now therefore come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between you and me.

45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.

47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.

48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and you this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives beside my daughters, although no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and you.

51 And Laban said to Jacob, See this heap, and this pillar, which I have set between me and you;

52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you shall not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 The 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.

54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his kinsmen to eat bread: and they ate bread, and remained all night on the mountain.

55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his grandsons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban left, and returned home.