Genesis 31:22-55 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Genesis 31:22-55

Laban Pursues Jacob

22 Then it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled; 23 so he took his ¹relatives with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 ^aAnd God came to Laban the Aramean in a ^bdream of the night and said to him, “¹^cBeware lest you speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 So Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his ¹relatives camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done ¹by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and ¹deceive me and not tell me—so that I might have sent you away with gladness and with songs, with ^atambourine and with ^blyre— 28 and not allow me ^ato kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have acted foolishly. 29 It is in my hand to do evil against you, but ^athe God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘¹^bBeware of speaking either good or evil to Jacob.’ 30 So now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal ^amy gods?” 31 Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, because I said, ‘Lest you take your daughters from me by force.’ 32 ^aThe one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our ¹relatives recognize what is yours ²among my belongings and take it for yourself.” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the ¹household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot ^arise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the ¹^bhousehold idols.
36 Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Place it here before my ¹relatives and your ¹relatives, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was: by day the ¹heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house; ^aI served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you ^bchanged my wages ten times. 42 If ^athe God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the dread of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. ^bGod has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He ^crendered the decision last night.”

The Covenant at Mizpah

43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and ^athe flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children whom they have borne? 44 So now come, let us ^acut a covenant, ¹you and I, and ^blet it be a witness between ²you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took ^aa stone and raised it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his ¹relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 And Laban ^acalled it ¹Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it ²Galeed. 48 Then Laban said, “^aThis heap is a witness between ¹you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and ¹^aMizpah, for he said, “May Yahweh watch between ²you and me when we are ³absent one from the other. 50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, ^aGod is witness between ¹you and me.” 51 And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between ¹you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me for harm. 53 ^aThe God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, ^bjudge between us.” So Jacob swore by ^cthe dread of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob ^aoffered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his ¹relatives to eat a ²meal; and they ate ²the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 ¹And Laban arose early in the morning and ^akissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.