Jacob Flees from Laban

1And he heard the wordes of Labans sonnes saying, Iacob hath take away all that was our fathers, and of our fathers goodes hath he gotten all his glorie. 2And Iacob behelde the countenaunce of Laban, and beholde, it was not towardes hym as it was wont to be. 3And the Lorde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kynrede, and I wyll be with thee. 4Therfore Iacob sent, & called Rachel and Lea to the fielde vnto his flocke, 5And sayde vnto them: I see your fathers countenauce that it is not toward me as it was wont to be: but the God of my father hath ben with me. 6And ye knowe howe I haue serued your father to the best of my power. 7But your father hath deceaued me, and chaunged my wages ten tymes: but God suffred hym not to hurt me. 8When he sayde, the spotted shalbe thy wages: then al the sheepe bare spotted. And when he sayd, the ringstraked shalbe thy rewarde: then bare all the sheepe ringstraked. 9Thus hath God taken away the increase of your fathers flocke, and geuen it to me. 10But in rammyng tyme, I lifted vp myne eyes, and sawe in a dreame, and beholde, the Rammes leaped vpon the sheepe that were ringstraked, spotted, and partie. 11And the angell of God spake vnto me in a dreame, saying: Iacob? And I aunswered: here am I. 12And he sayd: lift vp nowe thyne eyes, and see all the Rammes leapyng vpon the sheepe that are ringstraked, spotted, and partie: for I haue seene all that Laban doth vnto thee. 13I am the God of Bethel, where thou annoyntedst the stone set vp on an ende, and where thou vowedst a vowe vnto me: nowe therefore aryse, and get thee out of this countrey, and returne vnto the lande where thou wast borne. 14Then aunswered Rachel, and Lea, and said vnto him: haue we had as yet any portion or inheritaunce in our fathers house? 15Doth not he count vs euen as straungers? for he hath solde vs, & hath quite deuoured also our money. 16Therfore all the ryches whiche God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our chyldrens: nowe then whatsoeuer God hath sayde vnto thee, that do.

17Then Iacob rose vp, & set his sonnes and wyues vp vpon camelles: 18And caryed away all his flockes, and all his substaunce whiche he had procured, the increase of his cattell which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, for to go to Isahac his father vnto the lande of Chanaan. 19But Laban was gone to sheare his sheepe: and Rachel had stolen her fathers images. 20And Iacob stale away the heart of Laban the Syrian, in that he tolde him not that he fled. 21So fled he, and all that he had, and made hym selfe redy, and passed ouer the ryuer, and set his face strayght towarde the mounte Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22Upon the thirde day after, was it told Laban that Iacob fled. 23Then he toke his brethren with him, and folowed after him seuen daies iourney, & ouertoke him at the mounte Gilead. 24And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dreame by nyght, and sayd vnto him: take heede that thou speake not to Iacob ought saue good.

25And Laban ouertoke Iacob, and Iacob had pitched his tent in the mounte: And Laban with his brethren, pitched also vpon the mounte Gilead. 26And Laban said to Iacob: what hast thou done? for thou hast stollen away my heart, and caryed away my daughters as though they had ben taken captiue with the sworde. 27Wherfore wentest thou away secretly vnknowen to me, and dyddest not tell me, that I myght haue let thee go thy way with mirth and songues, with tymbrell and harpe? 28And hast not suffred me to kysse my chyldren and my daughters? thou wast a foole nowe in so doyng. 29For it is in my hand through God to do you hurt: But the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying: Take heede that thou speake not to Iacob ought saue good. 30And nowe though thou wouldest nedes be gone away, because thou sore longest after thy fathers house, yet wherfore hast thou stollen my gods? 31Iacob aunswered and sayde to Laban: because I was afrayde, & thought that peraduenture thou wouldest take away thy daughters from me. 32But with whomsoeuer thou findest thy gods, let hym dye. Here before our brethren, seeke that thyne is by me, and take it to thee: But Iacob wyst not that Rachel had stolen them.

33Then went Laban into Iacobs tent, and into Leas tent, and into the two maydseruaunts tentes: but found them not. Then went he out of Leas tent, and entred into Rachels tent: 34And Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camelles strawe, & sate downe vpon them: And Laban tossed vp all ye tent, but found them not. 35Then sayde she to her father: my Lord, be not angry that I can not ryse vp before thee, for the custome of women is come vpon me. So searched he, but founde not those images.

36And Iacob was wroth, and chode with Laban. Iacob also aunswered and sayd to him: what haue I trespassed? or what haue I offended thee, that thou doest sore pursue after me? 37Thou hast tossed vp all my stuffe, and what hast thou founde of all thy householde stuffe? put it here before thy brethren and my brethren, that they may iudge betwixt vs both. 38Behold, this twentie yere haue I ben with thee, thy sheepe and thy goates haue not ben barren, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten. 39Whatsoeuer was torne of beastes I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of my hande diddest thou require it that was stolen by day or nyght. 40I was in suche case, that by day the heate consumed me, and the frost by nyght, and my slepe departed from mine eyes. 41Thus haue I ben twentie yere in thy house, and serued thee fourteene yeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yere for thy sheepe, and thou hast chaunged my rewarde ten tymes. 42And except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Isahac had ben with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe all emptie: but God behelde my tribulation and the labour of my handes, and rebuked thee yesternyght.

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

43And Laban aunswered and sayd vnto Iacob: these daughters are my daughters, and these chyldren are my chyldren, & these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest is myne: and what can I do this day vnto these my daughters, or vnto their children which they haue borne? 44Nowe therfore come on, and let vs make a league I and thou, which may be a wytnesse betwene me and thee. 45Then toke Iacob a stone, and set it vp on ende. 46And Iacob sayde vnto his brethren: gather stones. And they toke stones, and made an heape: and they dyd eate there vpon the heape. 47And Laban called it Iegar Sahadutha: but Iacob called it Galeed. 48Then saide Laban: this heape is witnesse betwene thee and me this day, therfore it is called Galeed, 49And Mispah: for he said, the Lord loke betwene thee and me when we are departed one from another, 50If thou shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take other wyues beside my daughters: here is no man with vs, beholde, God is wytnesse betwixt me and thee. 51And Laban sayde moreouer to Iacob: beholde this heape, and this stone set vp on ende, whiche I haue layde betwixt me and thee, 52This heape be witnesse, and also this stone set vp on ende, that I wyll not come ouer this heape to thee, and thou shalt not come ouer this heape and this stone set vp on ende vnto me, to do any harme. 53The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, and the God of theyr father, be iudge betwixt vs. And Iacob sware by the feare of his father Isahac. 54Then Iacob dyd sacrifice vpon the mounte, and called his brethren to eate bread: and they did eate bread, and taryed all nyght in the hyll. 55And early in the mornyng Laban rose vp, and kyssed his sonnes and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departyng, went into his place agayne.