| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich at our father's expense!" | 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.” |
| 2When Jacob saw the look on Laban's face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. | 2And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him. |
| 3The LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will 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.” |
| 4So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah to come to the field where his flocks were. | 4So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. |
| 5There he said to them, "I can tell that your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father 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 that I've worked for your father as hard as I could, | 6You know how hard I have worked for your father, |
| 7but your father has humiliated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. | 7but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. |
| 8If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wage,' then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, 'The streaked animals will be your wage,' then the entire 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. |
| 9In this way God has snatched away your father's livestock and given them to me. | 9In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me. |
| 10"Once during breeding season I saw in a dream that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. | 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. |
| 11In the dream the angel of God said to me, '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.’ |
| 12Then he said, 'Observe that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all 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, where you anointed the sacred stone and made a vow to me. Now leave this land immediately 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 replied to him, "Do we still have any portion or inheritance 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. |
| 15Hasn't he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for 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. |
| 16Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you." | 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 immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. | 17So Jacob put his wives and children on camels, |
| 18He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. | 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. |
| 19While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father. | 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. |
| 20Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. | 20Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. |
| 21He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for 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 Laban discovered Jacob had left. | 22Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. |
| 23So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days. He caught up with him 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. |
| 24But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, "Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob." | 24But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!” |
| 25Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there 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. |
| 26"What have you done?" Laban demanded of Jacob. "You've deceived me and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! | 26“What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? |
| 27Why did you run away secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, 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. |
| 28You didn't even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren good-bye. You have acted foolishly! | 28Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly! |
| 29I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, 'Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.' | 29I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’ |
| 30Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for your father's house. Yet 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 left secretly because I was afraid!" Jacob replied to Laban. "I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force. | 31“I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. |
| 32Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! In the presence of our relatives identify whatever is yours and take it." (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) | 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, and Leah's tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's. | 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. |
| 34(Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel's saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. | 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, |
| 35Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord. I cannot stand up in your presence because I am having my period." So he searched thoroughly, but did not find the idols. | 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. |
| 36Jacob became angry and argued with Laban. "What did I do wrong?" he demanded of Laban. "What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? | 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? |
| 37When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? Set it here before my relatives and yours, and let them settle the dispute between the two of 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! |
| 38"I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. | 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. |
| 39Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether it was taken by day or at 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. |
| 40I was consumed by scorching heat during the day and by piercing cold at night, and I went without sleep. | 40“I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. |
| 41This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for you--fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but 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 one whom Isaac fears--had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, 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 |
| 43Laban replied to Jacob, "These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today or the children to whom they have given birth? | 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? |
| 44So now, come, let's make a formal agreement, you and I, and it will be proof that we have made peace." | 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 set it up as a memorial pillar. | 45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. |
| 46Then he said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they brought stones and put them in a pile. They ate there by the pile 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 called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called 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). |
| 48Laban said, "This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement today." That is why it was called 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 he said, "May the LORD watch between us when we are out of sight of one another. | 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 wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions." | 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"Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you," Laban said to Jacob. | 51“See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us. |
| 52"This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. | 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 the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us." Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. | 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. |
| 54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal 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. |
| 55Early in the morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned 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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