Genesis 31:22-55 ▼

22 And the third day after was it told Laban, that Iaakob fled.

23 Then he tooke his brethren with him, & followed after him seuen dayes iourney, and ouertooke him at mount Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Aramite in a dreame by night, and sayde vnto him, Take heede that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.

25 Then Laban ouertooke Iaakob, & Iaakob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban also with his brethren pitched vpon mount Gilead.

26 Then Laban sayde to Iaakob, What hast thou done? thou hast euen stolen away mine heart and caried away my daughters as though they had bene taken captiues with the sworde.

27 Wherfore diddest thou flie so secretly and steale away from me, and diddest not tel me, that I might haue sent thee foorth with mirth & with songs, with timbrel and with harpe?

28 But thou hast not suffered me to kisse my sonnes and my daughters: nowe thou hast done foolishly in doing so.

29 I am able to do you euill: but the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying, Take heed that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.

30 Nowe though thou wentest thy way, because thou greatly longedst after thy fathers house, yet wherefore hast thou stollen my gods?

31 Then Iaakob answered, and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, & thought that thou wouldest haue taken thy daughters from me.

32 But with whome thou findest thy gods, let him not liue. Search thou before our brethre what I haue of thine, & take it to thee, (but Iaakob wist not that Rahel had stolen them)

33 Then came Laban into Iaakobs tent, and into Leahs tent, and into the two maides tentes, but founde them not. So hee went out of Leahs tent, and entred into Rahels tent.

34 (Nowe Rahel had taken the idoles, & put them in the camels litter and sate downe vpon them) and Laban searched al the tent, but found them not.

35 Then said she to her father, My Lord, be not angrie that I cannot rise vp before thee: for the custome of women is vpo me: so he searched, but found not the idoles.

36 The Iaakob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iaakob also answered and sayd to Laban, What haue I trespassed? what haue I offended, that thou hast pursued after me?

37 Seeing thou hast searched all my stuffe, what hast thou foud of all thine houshold stuffe? put it here before my brethren & thy brethren, that they may iudge betweene vs both.

38 This twenty yere I haue bin with thee: thine ewes & thy goates haue not cast their yong, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten.

39 Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts, I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of mine hand diddest thou require it, were it stollen by day or stollen by night.

40 I was in the day consumed with heate, and with frost in the night, and my sleepe departed from mine eyes.

41 Thus haue I bene twentie yeere in thine house, and serued thee fourteene yeeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yeeres for thy sheepe, and thou hast changed my wages tenne times.

42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Izhak had bene with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe emptie: but God behelde my tribulation, & the labour of mine hads, & rebuked thee yester night.

43 Then Laban answered, and saide vnto Iaakob, These daughters are my daughters, & these sonnes are my sonnes, and these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest, is mine, and what can I doe this day vnto these my daughters, or to their sonnes which they haue borne?

44 Nowe therefore come and let vs make a couenant, I and thou, which may be a witnes betweene me and thee.

45 Then tooke Iaakob a stone, and set it vp as a pillar:

46 And Iaakob sayde vnto his brethren, Gather stones: who brought stones, and made an heape, and they did eate there vpon the heape.

47 And Laban called it Iegar-sahadutha, and Iaakob called it Galeed.

48 For Laban sayd, This heape is witnesse betweene me and thee this day: therefore he called the name of it Galeed.

49 Also he called it Mizpah, because he said, The Lorde looke betweene me and thee, when we shalbe departed one from another,

50 If thou shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take wiues beside my daughters: there is no man with vs, beholde, God is witnesse betweene me and thee.

51 Moreouer Laban sayd to Iaakob, Beholde this heape, and behold the pillar, which I haue set betweene me and thee,

52 This heape shall be witnesse, and the pillar shall be witnesse, that I will not come ouer this heape to thee, and that thou shalt not passe ouer this heape and this pillar vnto me for euill.

53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nabor, and the God of their father be iudge betweene vs: But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak.

54 Then Iaakob did offer a sacrifice vpon the mount, and called his brethren to eate bread; they did eate bread, and taried all night in the mount.

55 And earely in the morning Laban rose vp and kissed his sonnes and his daughters, & blessed them, & Laban departing, went vnto his place againe.