Genesis 31 ISV NLT Parallel

◄ Genesis 31 ►

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1Now Jacob used to listen while Laban's sons kept on complaining, "Jacob has taken over everything our father owns! He made himself wealthy from what belongs to our father!"

1But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.”

2Jacob also noticed that the way Laban had been looking at him wasn't as nice as it had been just two days earlier.

2And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.

3Then the LORD ordered Jacob, "Go back to your father's territory and to your relatives. I'll be with you."

3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”

4Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where his flock was

4So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock.

5and informed them, "I've noticed that the way your father has been looking at us hasn't been as nice as it was just two days ago. But my father's God has been with me.

5He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.

6You know I've been serving your father with all my heart.

6You know how hard I have worked for your father,

7Even so, your father has cheated me. He broke our wage agreement ten times. However, God didn't allow him to harm me.

7but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.

8"When Laban said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flock gave birth to speckled ones. Then when he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' all the flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

8For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young.

9"So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

9In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.

10As it was, when it was time for the livestock to breed, I once looked up in a dream, and the male goats that were mating with the flock were producing streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.

10“One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

11"Later, the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, 'Jacob.' "'Here I am,' I replied

11Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’

12"'Look around!' he said. 'Go ahead, look! All the male goats have been mating with the flock, producing offspring that are streaked, speckled, and spotted, because I've been watching everything that Laban has done to you.

12“The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.

13I am the God of Bethel, the place where you consecrated that stone and made a vow to me. Now get up, leave this territory, and return to your native land.'"

13I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”

14Then Rachel and Leah asked him, "Do we have anything left of inheritance remaining in our father's house?

14Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway.

15He's treating us like foreigners. He sold us and spent all of the money that rightfully belonged to us.

15He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.

16Furthermore, all of the wealth that God has stripped away from our father belongs to us now and to our children. So do everything that God tells you to do."

16All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”

17So Jacob got up, seated his children and wives on camels,

17So Jacob put his wives and children on camels,

18and drove all his livestock ahead of him, with everything that belonged to him, including the livestock that he had bought and accumulated in Paddan-aram, intending to deliver them to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

18and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived.

19Meanwhile, Laban had been out shearing his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father's personal idols.

19At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.

20Moreover, Jacob had deceived Laban the Aramean, because he had never told him that he was intending to leave.

20Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving.

21Jacob fled, taking everything that he owned. He got up, crossed the river, and headed to the hill country of Gilead.

21So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead. Laban Pursues Jacob

22Three days later, somebody reported to Laban that Jacob had left,

22Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23so he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob. Laban was on the road for seven days when he finally caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead.

23So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.

24That night, God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, "Be careful what you say to Jacob, whether it's one word good or bad."

24But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”

25Meanwhile, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, where Laban had caught up with him. Laban and his relatives encamped on that same mountain in the hill country of Gilead, too.

25Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob’s.

26Then Laban asked Jacob, "What did you do? You deceived me, carried off my daughters like you would war captives,

26“What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war?

27ran away from me secretly, and stole from me by not keeping me informed. Otherwise, I could have sent you off with a party and singing, accompanied by a band playing tambourines and harps.

27Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps.

28As it is, you didn't even allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've acted foolishly.

28Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly!

29It's actually in my power to do some serious evil to you, but last night the God of your father told me, 'Be careful what you say to Jacob whether good or evil.'

29I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’

30Now, you can go if you must go, because you certainly are longing to go to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"

30I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”

31"I was afraid," Jacob replied. "I thought you might take your daughters from me.

31“I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.

32Now as to your gods, if you find someone has them in their possession, he's a dead man. Take our relatives as witnesses, search through our belongings, and take whatever belongs to you that's in my possession." But Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

32But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

33So Laban entered Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maid servants, but he didn't find them. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

33Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of the two servant wives—but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent.

34Meanwhile, Rachel had taken the idols, placed them inside the saddle of her camel, and sat on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but found nothing.

34But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them,

35Then Rachel told her father, "Sir, please don't be angry that I cannot stand up in your presence. It's that time of the month." So Laban searched for the idols, but never did find them.

35she said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly period.” So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.

36Then Jacob got angry and started an argument with Laban. "What have I done?" he demanded. "What's my crime that would cause you to come pursue me so violently?

36Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. “What’s my crime?” he demanded. “What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal?

37Now that you've searched all my belongings, what did you find that belongs to your house? Set it here in front of our relatives and we'll let them judge between us!

37You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!

38Meanwhile, these past 20 years that I've been with you, your sheep and goats never had miscarriages, I never once ate any of the rams from your flock,

38“For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food.

39and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

39If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.

40As it was, I was attacked by drought during the day and by cold at night. I never got any decent rest.

40“I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights.

41I've lived in your house these 20 years—serving fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flocks. During all that time you changed my wages ten times.

41Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times!

42If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the God whom Isaac feared—had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty handed. But God saw my misery and how hard I've worked with my own hands—and he rebuked you last night."

42In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac —you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!” Jacob’s Treaty with Laban

43But Laban answered Jacob, "These women are my daughters. These children are my children. The flocks are mine. In fact, everything that you see belongs to me. But what would I do today to my daughters and the children they have borne?

43Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

44Come, let's make a covenant just between you and me. And let it serve as a witness between you and me."

44So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”

45So Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar.

45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.

46Then Jacob told his relatives, "Go gather some stones." So they picked up stones and stacked them one on top of the other. Then they had a meal together there by the stack of stones.

46Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.

47Laban named the place Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.

47To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).

48Then Laban said, "This stack will serve as a witness between you and me today." That's how the place came to be named Galeed.

48Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.”

49It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May the LORD watch between you and me, when we are estranged from each other.

49But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight.

50If you mistreat my daughters or if you take other wives besides them, though no one is watching us, keep in mind that God stands as a witness between you and me."

50If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.

51"Look!" Laban added, "Here is the stack of stones and here is the pillar that I've set up between you and me.

51“See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us.

52This stack is a witness, and so is this pillar, reminding me not to cross beyond this stack of stones, and reminding you not to pass by this stack in my direction, intending to cause harm.

52They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.

53May Abraham's God and Nahor's god judge between us." So Jacob made an oath by his father's Fear,

53I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line.

54offered sacrifices there on the mountain, and called on his relatives to eat some food. So they ate the food and spent the night on the mountain.

54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

55 Early the next morning, Laban woke up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and then left for home.

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.

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