Genesis 31:1–16

Jacob Flees from Laban

31Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this ^awealth.” ²And Jacob saw the ^bcountenance of Laban, and indeed it was not ^cfavorable toward him as before. ³Then the Lord said to Jacob, ^d“Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will ^ebe with you.”

⁴So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, ⁵and said to them, ^f“I see your father’s ¹countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father ^ghas been with me. ⁶And ^hyou know that with all my might I have served your father. ⁷Yet your father has deceived me and ⁱchanged my wages ^jten times, but God ^kdid not allow him to hurt me. ⁸If he said thus: ^l‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. ⁹So God has ^mtaken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

¹⁰“And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. ¹¹Then ⁿthe Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ ¹²And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for ^oI have seen all that Laban is doing to you. ¹³I am the God of Bethel, ^pwhere you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now ^qarise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”

¹⁴Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, ^r“Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? ¹⁵Are we not considered strangers by him? For ^she has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. ¹⁶For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”