Genesis 31–33

1Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.”

2Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

3Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,

5and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

6You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.

7Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn’t allow him to hurt me.

8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore streaked.

9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock, and given them to me.

10During mating season, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

11The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’

12He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”

14Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15Aren’t we considered as foreigners by him? For he has sold us, and has also used up our money.

16For all the riches which God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

17Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,

18and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

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

20Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn’t tell him that he was running away.

21So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

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

23He took his relatives with him, and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

24God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

25Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.

26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?

27Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;

28and didn’t allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.

29It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.’

30Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”

31Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’

32Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it.” For Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them.

33Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn’t find them. He went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.

34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but didn’t find them.

35She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He searched, but didn’t find the teraphim.

36Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?

37Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.

38“These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven’t eaten the rams of your flocks.

39That which was torn of animals, I didn’t bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from 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.

42Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

43Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?

44Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be for a witness between me and you.”

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

46Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.

47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

48Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed

49and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

50If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.”

51Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.

52May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a 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.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.

54Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.

55Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.

1Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

2When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s army.” He called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

4He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau: ‘This is what your servant, Jacob, says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until now.

5I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’”

6The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, along with the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies.

8He said, “If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape.”

9Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’

10I am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with just my staff I crossed over this Jordan; and now I have become two companies.

11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me and the mothers with the children.

12You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can’t be counted because there are so many.’”

13He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him a present for Esau, his brother:

14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

15thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.

16He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd.”

17He commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?’

18Then you shall say, ‘They are your servant, Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord, Esau. Behold, he also is behind us.’”

19He commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, “This is how you shall speak to Esau, when you find him.

20You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’” For, he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”

21So the present passed over before him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

22He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok.

23He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.

24Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.

25When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him, the man touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained as he wrestled.

26The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”

27He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob”.

28He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask what my name is?” So he blessed him there.

30Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

31The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.

32Therefore the children of Israel don’t eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

1Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants.

2He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

3He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.

5He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

6Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.

7Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

8Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

9Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”

10Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

11Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it.

12Esau said, “Let’s take our journey, and let’s go, and I will go before you.”

13Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.

14Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.”

15Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”

16So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

17Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.

19He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.

20He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.