Genesis

Genesis 31

1Jacob is regarded with an evil eye by Laban and his sons; 3is commanded by God to return to his own land, and proposeth his departure to his wives. 17He removeth secretly with his family and substance; Rachel stealeth her father's images. 22Laban pursueth after him; is warned of God, and overtaking Jacob complaineth of the wrong. 31Jacob, ignorant of the theft, permitteth Laban to search for the images; Rachel's policy to hide them. 36Jacob's complaint of Laban. 43The covenant of Jacob and Laban: Laban returneth home.

1AND he heard ^athe words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he ^*gotten all this ^bglory.

a Ps. 120.3,5; 57.4; 64.3,4. Eze. 16.44. v.8,9. Ja. 3.8. Job 5.2. Pr. 14.30; 27.4. Ec. 4.4. Tit. 3.3. b Ps. 49.16,17; 17.14. ch. 45.13.

2And Jacob beheld ^cthe countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him ¹as before.

c ch. 4.5.

3And the ^dLORD said unto Jacob, ^eReturn unto the ^fland of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be ^gwith thee.

d ch. 35.1. Ps. 46.1; 50.15; 91.15. e v.13. ch. 32.9. f v.18. ch. 13.15; 26.3. g ch. 21.22; 26.24; 28.15; 32.9. Is. 41.10. He. 13.5.

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

5And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath ^hbeen with me.

h v.3,13.

6And ye know that ⁱwith all my power I have served your father.

i v.38-40,42. Tit. 2.9,10. 1Pe. 2.18. Ep. 6.5-8. Col. 3.22-25. ch. 30.29.

7And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten ^jtimes; but God ^ksuffered him not to hurt me.

j v.41. Nu. 14.22. Ne. 4.12. Job 19.3. Zec. 8.23. Mat. 18.21. k ch. 20.6. Ps. 105.14,15.

8If he said thus, ^lThe speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ^*ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

l ch. 30.32.

9Thus God hath taken away ^mthe cattle of your father, and given them to me.

m v.1.

10And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw ⁿin a dream, and, behold, the ²rams which leaped upon the cattle were ^*ringstraked, speckled, and ^*grisled.

n ch. 28.12. Nu. 12.6. De. 13.1. 1Ki. 3.5.

11And ^othe angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

o v.5,13. ch. 48.16; 16.7-13; 18.1,17.

12And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ^*ringstraked, speckled, and ^*grisled: for I have ^pseen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

p Ex. 3.7. Ps. 12.5. Je. 5.4. Le. 19.13. De. 24.15. Ep. 6.9.

13I am the ^qGod of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: ^rnow arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

q ch. 28.12,18,19,20. r v.3. ch. 32.9.

14And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

15Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath ^ssold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.

s ch. 29.15,19,20,27. v.41.

16For ^tall the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

t v.8,9. ch. 30.35-43.

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

18And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had ^*gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the ³images that were her father's.

20And Jacob stole away unawares to ⁴Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

21So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and ^uset his face toward the mount Gilead.

u Lu. 9.51,53. Nu. 24.1. 2Ki. 12.17.

22And it was told Laban ^von the third day that Jacob was fled.

v ch. 30.36. Ex. 14.5. Job 5.12,13.

23And he took ^whis brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

w ch. 13.8; 24.27. Ex. 2.11,13.

24And ^xGod came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, ^yTake heed that thou speak not to Jacob ⁵either good or bad.

x ch. 20.3. Nu. 22.26. y v.42. Ps. 105.14,15. ch. 24.50. Is. 37.29.

25¶Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

26And Laban said to Jacob, ^zWhat hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, ^aas captives taken with the sword?

z ch. 3.13; 4.10; 12.18; 20.9,10; 26.10. Jos. 7.19. 1Sa. 14.43. a v.16. ch. 2.24.

27Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and ⁶steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away ^bwith mirth, and with songs, with ^*tabret, and with harp?

b Pr. 26.23-25.

28And hast not suffered me ^cto kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now ^ddone foolishly in so doing.

c ch. 29.13. Ex. 4.27. v.55. d v.3,13. 1Co. 2.14.

29It ^eis in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the ^fGod of your father spake unto me ^g*yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

e Ps. 52.1. Jn. 19.10,11. f Da. 2.47; 3.28; 6.20,26. v.42. ch. 28.13. g v.24,42.

30And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou ^*sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen ^hmy gods?

h v.19. Je. 10.11. Ju. 6.31; 18.24. Nu. 33.4. Ex. 12.12. Je. 43.12.

31And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because ⁱI was afraid: for I said, ^*Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.

i ch. 20.11. Pr. 29.25.

32With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before ^jour brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

j v.23. ch. 19.7; 13.8. Ac. 4.19.

33And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into ^kLeah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

k ch. 24.28,67.

34Now ^lRachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's ^*furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban ⁷searched all the tent, but found them not.

l v.19.

35And she said to her father, Let it not displease ^mmy lord that I cannot ⁿrise up before thee; for ^othe custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

m ch. 18.12. 1Pe. 2.18; 3.6. Ep. 6.1. Le. 19.3. Ex. 20.12. n Le. 19.32. 1Ki. 2.19. o Le. 15.19. ch. 18.11.

36¶And Jacob ^pwas ^*wroth, and ^*chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my ^*trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

p Pr. 28.1. Ep. 4.26. Nu. 16.15.

37Whereas thou hast ⁸searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? ^qset it here before ^rmy brethren and ^sthy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.

q 1Sa. 12.3,4. 1Th. 2.10. 1Pe. 2.12; 3.16. He. 13.18. Nu. 16.15. r v.54. s v.23.

38This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats ^thave not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have ^uI not eaten.

t ch. 30.27. u Eze. 34.2-4.

39That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of ^vmy hand didst thou ^*require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

v Ex. 12.4; 22.10-12.

40Thus I was; ^win the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

w Lu. 2.8. Ho. 12.12. He. 13.17. 1Pe. 5.3.

41Thus ^xhave I been twenty years in thy house; I ^yserved thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ^zten times.

x v.38. 2Co. 11.26. 1Co. 15.10. y ch. 29.27,28. z v.7.

42Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and ^athe fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God ^bhath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee ^c*yesternight.

a ch. 27.33. Is. 8.13. Ps. 76.11,12. v.53. b ch. 16.13; 29.32. Ps. 31.7. Ex. 3.7. c v.29.

43¶And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?

44Now therefore come thou, ^dlet us make a covenant, I and thou; ^eand let it be for a witness between me and thee.

d ch. 21.32; 26.28,31. e v.48. Jos. 24.27.

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

f v.46,48,52. ch. 28.18.

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

g v.23,32,37,54.

47And Laban called it ⁹Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it ¹⁰Galeed.

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

h v.23. De. 2.36; 3.16. Jos. 13.8,9.

49And ¹¹Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

50If thou shalt afflict my daughters, ⁱor if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.

i Le. 18.18. Mat. 19.5. Mal. 3.5.

51And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;

52^jThis heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

j v.44,48.

53The ^kGod of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, ^ljudge betwixt us. And Jacob sware ^mby the fear of his father Isaac.

k ch. 17.7. Ex. 3.6. Jos. 24.2. l ch. 16.5. m De. 6.13. v.42. ch. 14.22; 21.24; 24.3; 26.28.

54Then Jacob ¹²offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren ⁿto eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.

n ch. 21.8; 37.25; 26.30. Ex. 18.12. v.37.

55And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed ^ohis sons and his daughters, ^pand blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.

o v.28,43. p ch. 28.1; 33.4. Nu. 23.5,8,11. De. 23.5; 32.36. Ac. 28.4,5. Ps. 76.10.