Genesis 31–32

Jacob Runs Away From Laban

31Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all of this wealth from what belonged to our father.”

²Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.

³Then the Lord spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.”

⁴So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He told them to come out to the fields where his flocks were.

⁵He said to them, “I see that your father’s feelings toward me have changed. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶You know that I’ve worked for your father with all of my strength.

⁷“But your father has cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. In spite of everything that’s happened, God hasn’t let him harm me. ⁸Sometimes Laban would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with speckles. At other times he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with stripes. ⁹So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given it to me.

¹⁰“Once during the mating season I had a dream. In my dream I looked up and saw male goats mating with the flock. The goats had stripes, speckles or spots.

¹¹“The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ¹²He said, ‘Look up. See the male goats mating with the flock. All of them have stripes, speckles or spots. That is because I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you.

¹³“ ‘I am the God of Bethel. That is where you poured oil on a pillar. There you made a promise to me. Now leave this land. Go back to your own land.’ ”

¹⁴Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in our father’s property? ¹⁵Doesn’t our father think of us as strangers? First he sold us. Now he has used up what he was paid for us. ¹⁶All of the wealth God took away from our father really belongs to us and our children. So do what God has told you to do.”

¹⁷Then Jacob put his children and wives on camels. ¹⁸He drove all of his livestock ahead of him. He also took with him everything he had gotten in Paddan Aram. He left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

¹⁹Laban had gone to clip the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the statues of family gods that belonged to her father. ²⁰And that’s not all. Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean. He didn’t tell him he was running away.

²¹So Jacob ran off with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River. And he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Chases Jacob

²²On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away. ²³He took his relatives with him and went after Jacob. Seven days later he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

²⁴Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. He said to him, “Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.”

²⁵Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too.

²⁶Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. ²⁷Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps. ²⁸You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing.

²⁹“I have the power to harm you. But last night the God of your father spoke to me. He said, ‘Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.’

³⁰“Now you have run away. You longed to go back to your father’s home. But why did you have to steal my gods?”

³¹Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.

³²“But if you find anyone who has your gods, he will not remain alive. While our relatives are watching, look for yourself. See if there’s anything of yours here with me. If you find anything belonging to you, take it.” But Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

³³So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent. He went into the tent of their two female servants. But he didn’t find anything.

After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴Rachel was the one who had taken his family gods. She had put them inside her camel’s saddle. She was sitting on them. Laban searched the whole tent. But he didn’t find anything.

³⁵Rachel said to her father, “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t get up for you right now. But don’t be angry with me. I’m having my monthly period.” So he searched everywhere but couldn’t find his family gods.

³⁶Jacob was very angry with Laban. “What have I done wrong?” he asked. “What sin have I committed to make you hunt me down like this? ³⁷You have searched through all of my things. What have you found that belongs to your family? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine. Let them decide between the two of us.

³⁸“I’ve been with you for 20 years now. The little ones of your sheep and goats were not dead when they were born. I haven’t eaten rams from your flocks. ³⁹I didn’t bring you animals that were torn apart by wild beasts. I made up for the loss myself. Also, you made me pay for anything that was stolen by day or night.

⁴⁰“And what was my life like? The heat burned me in the daytime. And it was so cold at night that I froze. I couldn’t sleep. ⁴¹That’s what it was like for the 20 years I was living with you.

“I worked for 14 years to get your two daughters. I worked for six years to get my share of your flocks. You changed my pay ten times.

⁴²“But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God Isaac worshiped. If he hadn’t been with me, you would certainly have sent me away without anything to show for all of my work. But God has seen my hard times. He has seen all of the work my hands have done. So last night he warned you.”

⁴³Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had?

⁴⁴“Come now. Let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”

⁴⁵So Jacob took a stone. He set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it.

⁴⁷Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.

⁴⁸Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. ⁴⁹It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

⁵¹Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this pile of stones. And here is this pillar. I’ve set them up between you and me. ⁵²This pile is a witness. And this pillar is a witness. They give witness that I won’t go past this pile to harm you. And they give witness that you won’t go past this pile and pillar to harm me.

⁵³“The God of Abraham and Nahor is also the God of their father. May their God decide which of us is right.”

So Jacob took an oath in the name of the God his father Isaac worshiped. ⁵⁴He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country. And he invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

⁵⁵Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He gave them his blessing. Then he left and returned home.

Jacob Gets Ready to Meet Esau

32Jacob also went on his way. The angels of God met him. ²Jacob saw them. He said, “This is the army of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

³Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir. It was also called the country of Edom.

⁴Jacob told the messengers what to do. He said, “Here’s what you must tell my master Esau. ‘Your servant Jacob says, “I’ve been staying with Laban. I’ve remained there until now. ⁵I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats. I also have male and female servants. Now I’m sending this message to you. I hope I can please you.” ’ ”

⁶The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, “We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”

⁷Jacob was very worried and afraid. So he separated the people who were with him into two groups. He also separated the flocks and herds and camels. ⁸He thought, “Esau may come and attack one group. If he does, the group that’s left can escape.”

⁹Then Jacob prayed, “You are the God of my grandfather Abraham. You are the God of my father Isaac.

“Lord, you are the one who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.’ ¹⁰You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I’m not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I’ve become two groups.

¹¹“Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I’m afraid he’ll come and attack me and the mothers with their children. ¹²But you have said, ‘I will certainly give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.’ ”

¹³Jacob spent the night there. He chose a gift for his brother Esau from what he had with him. ¹⁴He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. ¹⁵He chose 30 female camels with their little ones. He chose 40 cows and ten bulls. And he chose 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶He put each herd by itself.

Then he put his servants in charge of them. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me. Keep some space between the herds.”

¹⁷Jacob spoke to his servant who was leading the way. He said, “My brother Esau will meet you. He’ll ask, ‘Who…