Jacob Flees from Laban

1And Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and of our father's property has he gotten all this glory. 2And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before. 3And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family, and I will be with thee. 4And Jacob sent and called Lea and Rachel to the plain where the flocks were. 5And he said to them, I see the face of your father, that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father was with me. 6And ye too know that with all my might I have served your father. 7But your father deceived me, and changed my wages for the ten lambs, yet God gave him not power to hurt me. 8If he should say thus, The speckled shall be thy reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be thy reward, then would all the cattle bear white. 9So God has taken away all the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10And it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I beheld with mine eyes in sleep, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots. 11And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob; and I said, What is it? 12And he said, Look up with thine eyes, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does to thee. 13I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God where thou anointedst a pillar to me, and vowedst to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee. 14And Rachel and Lea answered and said to him, Have we yet a part or inheritance in the house of our father? 15Are we not considered strangers by him? for he has sold us, and quite devoured our money. 16All the wealth and the glory which God has taken from our father, it shall be our's and our children's; now then do whatsoever God has said to thee.

17And Jacob arose and took his wives and his children up on the camels; 18and he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan. 19And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole her father's images. 20And Jacob hid the matter from Laban the Syrian, so as not to tell him that he ran away. 21And he departed himself and all that belonged to him, and passed over the river, and went into the mountain Galaad.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22But it was told Laban the Syrian on the third day, that Jacob was fled. 23And having taken his brethren with him, he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on Mount Galaad. 24And God came to Laban the Syrian in sleep by night, and said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not at any time to Jacob evil things.

25And Laban overtook Jacob; and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban stationed his brothers in the mount Galaad. 26And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done? wherefore didst thou run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27Whereas if thou hadst told me, I would have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp. 28And I was not counted worthy to embrace my children and my daughters; now then thou hast wrought foolishly. 29And now my hand has power to hurt thee; but the God of thy father spoke to me yesterday, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not evil words to Jacob. 30Now then go on thy way, for thou hast earnestly desired to depart to the house of thy father; wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest at any time thou shouldest take away thy daughters from me, and all my possessions. 32And Jacob said, With whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, he shall not live in the presence of our brethren; take notice of what I have of thy property, and take it; and he observed nothing with him, but Jacob knew not that his wife Rachel had stolen them.

33And Laban went in and searched in the house of Lea, and found them not; and he went out of the house of Lea, and searched in the house of Jacob, and in the house of the two maid-servants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel. 34And Rachel took the idols, and cast them among the camel's packs, and sat upon them. 35And she said to her father, Be not indignant, Sir; I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me according to the manner of women. Laban searched in all the house, and found not the images.

36And Jacob was angry, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my injustice, and what my sin, that thou hast pursued after me, 37and that thou hast searched all the furniture of my house? what hast thou found of all the furniture of thine house? set it here between thy relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two. 38These twenty years have I been with thee; thy sheep, and thy she-goats have not failed in bearing; I devoured not the rams of thy cattle. 39That which was taken of beasts I brought not to thee; I made good of myself the thefts of the day, and the thefts of the night. 40I was parched with heat by day, and chilled with frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 41These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years among thy sheep, and thou didst falsely rate my wages for ten lambs. 42Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now thou wouldest have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

Jacob's Covenant with Laban

43And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which thou seest are mine, and the property of my daughters; what shall I do to them to-day, or their children which they bore? 44Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and thou, and it shall be for a witness between me and thee; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and thee. 45And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar. 46And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and thee to-day. 47And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap. 48And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and thee; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses. 49And the vision of which he said—Let God look to it between me and thee, because we are about to depart from each other, — 50If thou shalt humble my daughters, if thou shouldest take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God is witness between me and thee. 51And Laban said to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness. 52For if I should not cross over unto thee, neither shouldest thou cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar. 53The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54And he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in the mountain. 55And Laban rose up in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban having turned back, departed to his place.