Genesis 31:1–16

Jacob Flees from Laban

31Now he^a heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that our father has,” and “From that which was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” ²Then Jacob saw the face of Laban and, behold, it was not like it had been in the past.^{b 3}And Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your ancestors^c and to your family, and I will be with you.” ⁴So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flocks, ⁵and he said to them, “Look, I see the face of your father, that it is not like it has been toward me in the past.^d But the God of my father is with me. ⁶Now you yourselves know that I have served your father with all my strength, ⁷and your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to harm me. ⁸If thus he said, ‘Speckled shall be your wage,’ then all the flock bore speckled. And if he said, ‘Streaked shall be your wage,’ then all the flock bore streaked. ⁹God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. ¹⁰Now it happened that at the time of the mating of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams mounting the flock were streaked, speckled, and dappled. ¹¹Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ¹²And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see—all the rams mounting the flock are streaked, speckled, and dappled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. ¹³I am the God of Bethel where you anointed a stone pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out from this land and return to the land of your birth.’ ” ¹⁴Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there yet a portion for us, and an inheritance in the house of our father? ¹⁵Are we not regarded as foreigners by him, because he has sold us and completely consumed our money? ¹⁶For all the wealth that God has taken away from our father, it belongs to us and to our sons. So now, all that God has said to you, do.”