Genesis Chapter 31
Jacob Flees from Laban
1 Jacob overheard Laban’s sons say, “Jacob has taken everything our father had and created that wealth.” 2 He saw that Laban’s attitude had changed. 3 The LORD told him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and relatives. I’ll be with you.”
4 Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to his flock in the pasture. 5 He told them,
“Your father’s attitude toward me has changed, but my father’s God has been with me. 6 You know I worked hard for him, 7 but he cheated me and switched my pay ten times. But God didn’t let him hurt me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be your pay,’ the flock brought forth speckled. If he said, ‘The striped will be your pay,’ the flock brought forth striped. 9 That’s how God took your father’s livestock and gave them to me. 10 At the time when the flock was mating, I looked up and saw in a dream that the male goats were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11 Then God’s angel said in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Yes?’ 12 ‘Look up and see that the male goats that are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled, because I’ve seen what Laban’s been doing to you. 13 I’m the God in Bethel, where you anointed a marker and took a vow to me. Now leave this country and go back where you were born.”
14 Rachel and Leah answered,
“Do we still have any inheritance in our father’s family? 15 Doesn’t he treat us like foreigners? He’s sold us and completely used up our purchase price. 16 The wealth God has taken from him clearly belongs to us and our children; do what God has told you.”
Gen 31:1-16
17 Then Jacob put his wives and offspring on camels, 18 and drove away the livestock and property he’d accumulated in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in Canaan. 19 When Laban went to shear his flock, Rachel stole his household idols. 20 Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was leaving. 21 He left with everything he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed toward the hill country in Gilead.
Gen 31:17-21
22 Three days later, Laban heard Jacob had left. 23 He took some of his relatives and chased him for a week. He caught up with him in the hill country in Gilead. 24 God came to Laban in a dream at night, “Don’t say anything to Jacob good or bad.” 25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also camped there. 26 Laban said to Jacob,
“What have you done, deceiving me and taking my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you leave secretly so I couldn’t send you away with joy and songs, with tambourine and harp? 28 You didn’t let me kiss my sons and daughters. You’ve done foolishly. 29 I can do you harm, but your father’s God told me last night not to say anything to you good or bad. 30 Okay, you’ve gone away because you longed for your father’s family, but why steal my gods?”
31 Jacob answered him,
“I left secretly because I was afraid you’d take your daughters away from me by force. 32 The one you find your gods with will die. In front of everybody, point out what’s yours in my belongings and take it.”
Jacob didn’t know Rachel had stolen them.
Gen 31:22-32
33 Laban went to Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, the two maids’ tent, but didn’t find them. He left Leah’s tent and went to Rachel’s. 34 She’d put the household idols in a camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban rummaged through the tent but didn’t find them. 35 She told her father, “Don’t be mad at me for not getting up. The way of women is on me.” He looked around but didn’t find them.
Gen 31:33-35
36 Jacob fussed at Laban,
“What’s my transgression? What’s my sin that you’ve hotly chased me? 37 You’ve rummaged through everything. What have you found from your household goods? Set it here in front of my relatives so they can decide between us. 38 For the 20 years I’ve been with you, your ewes and female goats haven’t miscarried. I haven’t eaten the rams from your flocks. 39 I didn’t bring you what wild animals tore apart; I took the loss myself. You required from me what was stolen day or night. 40 That’s how I was: in the daytime the heat consumed me; at night the frost kept me awake. 41 I worked 14 years for your two daughters and 6 for your flocks. You switched my pay ten times. 42 If the God of my grandfather Abraham, the one Isaac fears, hadn’t been on my side, you would’ve sent me away with nothing. He’s seen my mistreatment and hard work, and he rendered judgment last night.”
Gen 31:36-42
43 Laban answered him,
“By rights, the daughters belong to me, the little ones and flocks too, everything you’re looking at is mine. But what can I do about my daughters and their children now? 44 Let’s make a treaty, a witness between us.”
45 Jacob set up a stone marker. 46 He told his relatives to gather up some rocks; they made a cairn of rocks and ate a covenant meal beside it. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This ‘mound’ serves as a ‘witness’ between us”; so they named it Galeed 49 (also called Mizpah) because he said,
“May the LORD ‘watch over’ us while we’re apart. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, God is ‘witness’ between us. 51 This ‘cairn’ 52 signifies that neither of us will go past it to harm the other. 53 The God of Abraham, Nahor, and their father judge between us.”
Jacob swore out of respect for his father Isaac. 54 He offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat and spent the night there. 55 In the morning, Laban got up early, kissed his daughters and grandchildren, blessed them, and went home.
Gen 31:43-55