Genesis 31 NIV ISV Parallel

◄ Genesis 31 ►

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1Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father."

1Now Jacob used to listen while Laban's sons kept on complaining, "Jacob has taken over everything our father owns! He made himself wealthy from what belongs to our father!"

2And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been.

2Jacob also noticed that the way Laban had been looking at him wasn't as nice as it had been just two days earlier.

3Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

3Then the LORD ordered Jacob, "Go back to your father's territory and to your relatives. I'll be with you."

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

4Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where his flock was

5He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.

5and informed them, "I've noticed that the way your father has been looking at us hasn't been as nice as it was just two days ago. But my father's God has been with me.

6You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength,

6You know I've been serving your father with all my heart.

7yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me.

7Even so, your father has cheated me. He broke our wage agreement ten times. However, God didn't allow him to harm me.

8If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young.

8"When Laban said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flock gave birth to speckled ones. Then when he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' all the flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

9So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

9"So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

10"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted.

10As it was, when it was time for the livestock to breed, I once looked up in a dream, and the male goats that were mating with the flock were producing streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.

11The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.'

11"Later, the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, 'Jacob.' "'Here I am,' I replied

12And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.

12"'Look around!' he said. 'Go ahead, look! All the male goats have been mating with the flock, producing offspring that are streaked, speckled, and spotted, because I've been watching everything that Laban has done to you.

13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'"

13I am the God of Bethel, the place where you consecrated that stone and made a vow to me. Now get up, leave this territory, and return to your native land.'"

14Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate?

14Then Rachel and Leah asked him, "Do we have anything left of inheritance remaining in our father's house?

15Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.

15He's treating us like foreigners. He sold us and spent all of the money that rightfully belonged to us.

16Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you."

16Furthermore, all of the wealth that God has stripped away from our father belongs to us now and to our children. So do everything that God tells you to do."

17Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,

17So Jacob got up, seated his children and wives on camels,

18and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

18and drove all his livestock ahead of him, with everything that belonged to him, including the livestock that he had bought and accumulated in Paddan-aram, intending to deliver them to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods.

19Meanwhile, Laban had been out shearing his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father's personal idols.

20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.

20Moreover, Jacob had deceived Laban the Aramean, because he had never told him that he was intending to leave.

21So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

21Jacob fled, taking everything that he owned. He got up, crossed the river, and headed to the hill country of Gilead.

22On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

22Three days later, somebody reported to Laban that Jacob had left,

23Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

23so he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob. Laban was on the road for seven days when he finally caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead.

24Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad."

24That night, God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, "Be careful what you say to Jacob, whether it's one word good or bad."

25Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too.

25Meanwhile, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, where Laban had caught up with him. Laban and his relatives encamped on that same mountain in the hill country of Gilead, too.

26Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You've deceived me, and you've carried off my daughters like captives in war.

26Then Laban asked Jacob, "What did you do? You deceived me, carried off my daughters like you would war captives,

27Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps?

27ran away from me secretly, and stole from me by not keeping me informed. Otherwise, I could have sent you off with a party and singing, accompanied by a band playing tambourines and harps.

28You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing.

28As it is, you didn't even allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You've acted foolishly.

29I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.'

29It's actually in my power to do some serious evil to you, but last night the God of your father told me, 'Be careful what you say to Jacob whether good or evil.'

30Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's household. But why did you steal my gods?"

30Now, you can go if you must go, because you certainly are longing to go to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"

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

31"I was afraid," Jacob replied. "I thought you might take your daughters from me.

32But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

32Now as to your gods, if you find someone has them in their possession, he's a dead man. Take our relatives as witnesses, search through our belongings, and take whatever belongs to you that's in my possession." But Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent.

33So Laban entered Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maid servants, but he didn't find them. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

34Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.

34Meanwhile, Rachel had taken the idols, placed them inside the saddle of her camel, and sat on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but found nothing.

35Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." So he searched but could not find the household gods.

35Then Rachel told her father, "Sir, please don't be angry that I cannot stand up in your presence. It's that time of the month." So Laban searched for the idols, but never did find them.

36Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked Laban. "How have I wronged you that you hunt me down?

36Then Jacob got angry and started an argument with Laban. "What have I done?" he demanded. "What's my crime that would cause you to come pursue me so violently?

37Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.

37Now that you've searched all my belongings, what did you find that belongs to your house? Set it here in front of our relatives and we'll let them judge between us!

38"I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.

38Meanwhile, these past 20 years that I've been with you, your sheep and goats never had miscarriages, I never once ate any of the rams from your flock,

39I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.

39and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

40This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

40As it was, I was attacked by drought during the day and by cold at night. I never got any decent rest.

41It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.

41I've lived in your house these 20 years—serving fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flocks. During all that time you changed my wages ten times.

42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you."

42If the God of my father—the God of Abraham, the God whom Isaac feared—had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty handed. But God saw my misery and how hard I've worked with my own hands—and he rebuked you last night."

43Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne?

43But Laban answered Jacob, "These women are my daughters. These children are my children. The flocks are mine. In fact, everything that you see belongs to me. But what would I do today to my daughters and the children they have borne?

44Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us."

44Come, let's make a covenant just between you and me. And let it serve as a witness between you and me."

45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

45So Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar.

46He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

46Then Jacob told his relatives, "Go gather some stones." So they picked up stones and stacked them one on top of the other. Then they had a meal together there by the stack of stones.

47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.

47Laban named the place Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.

48Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." That is why it was called Galeed.

48Then Laban said, "This stack will serve as a witness between you and me today." That's how the place came to be named Galeed.

49It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.

49It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May the LORD watch between you and me, when we are estranged from each other.

50If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me."

50If you mistreat my daughters or if you take other wives besides them, though no one is watching us, keep in mind that God stands as a witness between you and me."

51Laban also said to Jacob, "Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me.

51"Look!" Laban added, "Here is the stack of stones and here is the pillar that I've set up between you and me.

52This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me.

52This stack is a witness, and so is this pillar, reminding me not to cross beyond this stack of stones, and reminding you not to pass by this stack in my direction, intending to cause harm.

53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.

53May Abraham's God and Nahor's god judge between us." So Jacob made an oath by his father's Fear,

54He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

54offered sacrifices there on the mountain, and called on his relatives to eat some food. So they ate the food and spent the night on the mountain.

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

55 Early the next morning, Laban woke up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and then left for home.

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