Genesis 31:1–32
Jacob Leaves Secretly for Canaan
1 Now 1Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this 2wealth.”
2 Jacob saw the 1attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “aReturn to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and bI will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,
5 and said to them, “aI see your father’s 1attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but bthe God of my father has been with me.
6 “aYou know that I have served your father with all my strength.
7 “Yet your father has acheated me and bchanged my wages ten times; however, cGod did not allow him to hurt me.
8 “If ahe spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped.
9 “Thus God has ataken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10 “And it came about at the time when the flock were 1mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were 2mating were striped, speckled, and mottled.
11 “Then athe angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
12 “He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are 1mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for aI have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.
13 ‘I am athe God of Bethel, where you banointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, 1leave this land, and creturn to the land of your birth.’ ”
14 Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house?
15 “Are we not reckoned by him as foreigners? For ahe has sold us, and has also 1entirely consumed 2our purchase price.
16 “Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”
17 Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels;
18 and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, ato go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the 1ahousehold idols that were her father’s.
20 And Jacob 1deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.
21 So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of aGilead.
22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,
23 then he took his 1kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
24 aGod came to Laban the Aramean in a bdream of the night and said to him, “1cBe careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his 1kinsmen 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 did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with atimbrel and with blyre;
28 and did not allow me ato kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.
29 “It is in 1my power to do you harm, but athe God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘2bBe careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’
30 “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 replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
32 “aThe one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our 1kinsmen 2point out what is yours 3among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.