31

Jacob Flees from Laban

¹Now 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 ⚓wealth.” ²And Jacob saw the ⚓countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not ⚓favorable toward him as before. ³Then the Lord said to Jacob, ⚓“Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will ⚓be with you.”
⁴So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, ⁵and said to them, ⚓“I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father ⚓has been with me. ⁶And ⚓you know that with all my might I have served your father. ⁷Yet your father has deceived me and ⚓changed my wages ⚓ten times, but God ⚓did not allow him to hurt me. ⁸If he said thus: ‘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 ⚓taken 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 ⚓the 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 ⚓I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. ¹³I am the God of Bethel, ⚓where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now ⚓arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”
¹⁴Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, ⚓“Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? ¹⁵Are we not considered strangers by him? For ⚓he 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.”
¹⁷Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. ¹⁸And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of ⚓Canaan. ¹⁹Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the ⚓household idols that were her father’s. ²⁰And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. ²¹So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and ⚓headed toward the mountains of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

²²And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. ²³Then he took ⚓his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. ²⁴But God ⚓had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you ⚓speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
²⁵So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.
²⁶And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and ⚓carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? ²⁷Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? ²⁸And you did not allow me ⚓to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now ⚓you have done foolishly in so doing. ²⁹It is in my power to do you harm, but the ⚓God of your father spoke to me ⚓last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ ³⁰And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you ⚓steal my gods?”
³¹Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was ⚓afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ ³²With whomever you find your gods, ⚓do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
³³And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. ³⁵And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot ⚓rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.
³⁶Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? ³⁷Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! ³⁸These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. ³⁹⚓That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. ⚓You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. ⁴¹Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I ⚓served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and ⚓you have changed my wages ten times. ⁴²⚓Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and ⚓the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. ⚓God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and ⚓rebuked you last night.”

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob

⁴³And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴Now therefore, come, ⚓let us make a covenant, ⚓you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”
⁴⁵So Jacob ⚓took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. ⁴⁷Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸And Laban said, ⚓“This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, ⁴⁹also ⚓Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. ⁵⁰If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!”
⁵¹Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. ⁵²This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. ⁵³The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father ⚓judge between us.” And Jacob ⚓swore by ⚓the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. ⁵⁵And early in the morning Laban arose, and ⚓kissed his sons and daughters and ⚓blessed them. Then Laban departed and ⚓returned to his place.

31

Yakhauj tswv ntawm Lanpaa

¹Yakhauj nov has tas Lanpaa cov tub ywg ywg tas, “Yakhauj txeeb peb txwv cuab txhaj cuab taam ib puas tsaav yaam taag lawm, hab tej kws nwg muaj hov puavleej yog tau peb txwv le xwb.” ²Yakhauj pum tas Lanpaa tsw txaus sab rua nwg tsw thooj le yaav thau u lawm. ³Yawmsaub txawm has rua Yakhauj tas, “Ca le rov qaab moog nyob koj tej laug lub tebchaws moog nrug koj kw koj tig nyob. Kuv yuav nrug nraim koj.”
⁴Yakhauj txhad khaiv tuabneeg moog hu Lachee hab Le‑a tuaj tom tshaav zaub kws nwg yug yaaj yug tshws. ⁵Mas nwg has rua ob tug tas, “Kuv pum tas meb txwv tsw txaus sab rua kuv tsw thooj le yaav thau u lawm. Tassws kuv txwv tug Vaajtswv yeej nrug nraim kuv nyob. ⁶Meb yeej paub tas kuv ua meb txwv le daag num kawg daag kawg zug le, ⁷los meb txwv tseed ntxag kuv, txauv kuv nqe zug kaum zag lawm. Tassws Vaajtswv tsw kheev nwg ua tau ib yaam phem le caag rua kuv. ⁸Txwv has tas tej tsaj kws txaij ua tej teev mas muab ua nqe zug rua kuv, tes txhua tug tsaj txawm xyaa mivnyuas txaij ua tej teev taag le. Txwv tsua has tas tej tsaj kws txaij ua tej kaab mas muab ua nqe zug rua kuv tes txhua tug tsaj txawm xyaa mivnyuas txaij ua tej kaab taag huvsw. ⁹Tej nuav yeej yog Vaajtswv rhu koj txwv tej tsaj lug pub rua kuv ntaag. ¹⁰Thaus lub caij kws tej tsaj txhu phuv kuv ua npau suav pum tas tej txwv tshws kws phuv paab tshws ntawd ib txha txaij ua tej kaab ib txha txaij ua tej teev ib txha txheeb. ¹¹Vaajtswv tug tubkhai txawm has rua kuv huv zaaj npau suav hov has tas, ‘Yakhauj.’ Kuv teb tas, ‘Hav, kuv nyob nuav 'os.’ ¹²Nwg has tas, ‘Tsaa muag saib txhua tug txwv tshws kws phuv paab tshws hov ib txha txaij ua tej kaab ib txha txaij ua tej teev hab ib txha txheeb, tsua qhov kuv tub pum txhua yaam kws Lanpaa ua rua koj lawm. ¹³Kuv yog tug Vaajtswv ntawm Npe‑ee kws koj muab roj laub ywg tug ncej zeb txhus ca hab koj tau cog lug tseg rua kuv. Nwgnuav koj ca le sawv tseeg tawm huv lub tebchaws nuav rov qaab moog nyob rua lub tebchaws kws yug koj.’ ”
¹⁴Lachee hab Le‑a ob tug teb tas, “Wb cav tsw muaj feem tau ib txwv tej qub txeeg qub teg. ¹⁵Txwv kuj muab ib saib yaam le yog lwm haiv tuabneeg hab xwb hoj. Txwv tub muab ib muag hab muab ib nqe noj taag. ¹⁶Ib puas tsaav yaam nplua mag kws Vaajtswv rhu ntawm txwv lug hov yeej yog peb le hab peb tej mivnyuas le. Nwgnuav Vaajtswv has kuas koj ua le caag kuj ua lawv le ntawd.”
¹⁷Tes Yakhauj txawm sawv tseeg muab nwg tej quaspuj mivnyuas caij ntxhuav, ¹⁸hab lawv nwg tej tsaj txhu huvsw ua nwg ntej moog, yog tej hov txhua chaw huvsw hab nwg tej tsaj txhu kws nwg tau huv lub tebchaws Panta Alaa rov qaab moog rua nwg txwv Yiha rua huv tebchaws Khana‑aa. ¹⁹Lub swjhawm ntawd Lanpaa moog txav plaub yaaj lawm tes Lachee ca le nyag kag nwg txwv cov txoov daab kws teev huv tsev coj moog. ²⁰Yakhauj kuj daag Lanpaa kws yog tuabneeg Alaa, Yakhauj tsw qha rua Lanpaa paub tas nwg yuav tswv le. ²¹Yakhauj txawm coj ib puas tsaav yaam hov txhua chaw taag nrho tswv moog hlaa tug dej Yufeti ncaaj nraim moog rua peg toj sab Kile‑a tebchaws.

Lanpaa caum Yakhauj qaab

²²Tub tau peb nub lawm le muaj tuabneeg moog has rua Lanpaa paub tas Yakhauj tswv lawm. ²³Lanpaa txhad coj kwvtij caum qaab tau xyaa nub le caum cuag Yakhauj peg tej toj roob Kile‑a tebchaws. ²⁴Mas thaus mo ntuj Vaajtswv lug has rua Lanpaa kws yog tuabneeg Alaa huv npau suav has tas, “Koj ceev faaj zoo zoo tsw xob moog has daabtsw rua Yakhauj le, txawm yog lug zoo lug phem los tsw xob has le.”
²⁵Yakhauj moog tsaa tsev ntaub tsuam chaw su rua peg toj sab Kile‑a tebchaws mas Lanpaa kuj caum cuag Yakhauj. Lanpaa hab nwg cov kwvtij kuj tsuam chaw su rua ntawd hab. ²⁶Lanpaa has rua Yakhauj tas, “Koj ua daabtsw le nuav? Koj daag tau kuv lawm. Koj coj kuv tej ntxhais tswv yaam nkaus le koj moog ntaus rog yeej es koj txeeb tau lug. ²⁷Ua caag koj nyag kev tswv kuv le nuav hab daag kuv tsw qha kuv paub le? Yog kuv paub, kuv tseed yuav paab xaa koj ua xyiv faab quas hlo, tseed yuav hu nkauj nrov seev quas yeeg hab yuav npuaj nruag ntaus nkauj nog ncaas xaa koj hab los sas. ²⁸Ua le caag koj tsw kheev kuv nwj xob kuv tej tub tej ntxhais? Koj ua ruag kawg le. ²⁹Kuv yeej muaj peevxwm ua phem tau rua mej. Tassws yog naag mo mej txwv tug Vaajtswv has rua kuv tas, ‘Koj ceev faaj zoo zoo tsw xob moog has daabtsw rua Yakhauj le, txawm yog lug zoo lug phem los tsw xob has le.’ ³⁰Tej zag qhov kws koj tswv yog koj ncu txug vaaj tse nam txwv heev, tassws ua caag koj tseed nyag kuv tej txoov daab lug lawm hab nawj?” ³¹Yakhauj teb Lanpaa has tas, “Kuv ntshai vem kuv xaav tas tsaam koj tsua txeeb hlo koj tej ntxhais rov qaab. ³²Yog koj pum koj tej txoov daab nyob huv leejtwg teg tes tsw xob tseg tug ntawd sav le. Txwm kaav xawb taab meeg huv peb cov kwvtij neej tsaa, yog pum ib yaam daabtsw kws yog koj le nyob ntawm kuv kuj ca le coj moog.” Yakhauj tsw paub tas Lachee tub nyag tej txoov daab hov lug.
³³Lanpaa txawm nkaag rua huv Yakhauj lub tsev ntaub hab moog rua huv Le‑a lub tsev ntaub hab moog rua huv ob tug nkauj qhev lub tsev ntaub los kuj tsw pum. Nwg txawm tawm huv Le‑a lub tsev ntaub moog nkaag rua huv Lachee lub tsev ntaub. ³⁴Tassws Lachee tub muab tej txoov daab hov coj moog zais rua huv lub eeb ntxhuav nwg txawm nyob tsawg sau lawm. Mas Lanpaa moog xawb nrhav txhua zog huv Lachee lub tsev ntaub los kuj tsw pum le. ³⁵Lachee txawm has rua leej txwv has tas, “Thov txwv tsw xob chim sab. Kuv cev tsw huv kuv txhad sawv tsw tau lug fem txwv.” Tes Lanpaa xawb taag los tsw pum nwg tej txoov daab le.
³⁶Yakhauj txawm chim heev nwg txhad tshev Lanpaa tas, “Kuv ua txhum le caag? Kuv muaj txem le caag es koj yuav swv zug caum kuv qaab ua luaj le? ³⁷Txawm yog koj tub xawb nrhav huv kuv tej nraa huvsw lawm yog koj pum muaj daabtsw kws yog koj le? Ca le muab lug txawb kag rua ntawm nuav taab meeg peb cov kwvtij neej tsaa ob tog es ca puab txav cai rua ib ob tog. ³⁸Kuv nrug koj nyob tau neeg nkaum xyoo lawm. Koj tej yaaj tej tshws tsw muaj ib tug lawb mivnyuas le, hab koj tej txwv yaaj kuv tsw tau noj ib tug le. ³⁹Tej kws tsaj qus tum lawd kuv kuj tsw coj lug rua koj, kuv tseed nrhav kuv lug ntxwv rua xwb. Tej kws tub saab nyag tsw has nyag nruab nub nyag mo ntuj koj kuj muab xaam huvsw rua kuv them. ⁴⁰Kuv lub neej yeej zoo le nuav, nruab nub kuv kuj tiv tshaav ntuj kub mo ntuj kuv kuj tiv no kuv tub pw tsw tsaug zug le. ⁴¹Kuv nrug koj tsev tuabneeg nyob le nuav tau neeg nkaum xyoo. Kuv ua koj zug kaum plaub xyoo yuav koj ob tug ntxhais hab kuv ua koj zug rau xyoo yuav koj tej tsaj txhu los koj tseed txauv kuv nqe zug kaum zag. ⁴²Yog kuv txwv tug Vaajtswv kws yog Aplahaa tug Vaajtswv hab yog tug kws kuv txwv Yiha fwm hab ntshai, tsw tuaj kuv tog tes zag nuav koj yeej yuav ua kuas kuv moog teg dawb teg nplag xwb lauj. Yog Vaajtswv pum kuv txujkev txom nyem lwj sab hab pum tej num kws kuv ua, naag mo Vaajtswv txhad le txwv koj.”
⁴³Lanpaa txawm teb Yakhauj tas, “Tej ntxhais nuav los yog kuv ntxhais, tej mivnyuas nuav los yog kuv mivnyuas, tej nam paab tsaj nuav los yog kuv le, ib puas tsaav yaam kws nyob ntawm koj xubndag nuav puavleej yog kuv le. Nub nua sub kuv nim ua tau le caag rua kuv tej ntxhais hab tej mivnyuas kws puab yug? ⁴⁴Ca le txaav lug es ib sws cog lug ca sub tej lug cog tseg hov txhad ua tau timkhawv rua kuv hab koj.”
⁴⁵Yakhauj txawm muab ib txhwb zeb lug txhus ua ib tug ncej. ⁴⁶Yakhauj has rua nwg cov kwvtij neej tsaa tas “Khaws pob zeb lug.” Puab txawm khaws pob zeb lug tib ua ib pawg. Tes puab txawm noj ib tsum mov rua ntawm pawg pob zeb hov. ⁴⁷Lanpaa tis npe rua pawg pob zeb hov has tas Yeka Xahantutha huas Yakhauj tsua tis npe has tas Kale‑e.⚓ ⁴⁸Lanpaa has tas, “Nub nua pawg pob zeb nuav ua timkhawv rua koj hab kuv.” Vem le nuav txhad hu qhov chaw ntawd ua Kale‑e, ⁴⁹hab hu ua Mixapa,⚓ tsua qhov Lanpaa has tas, “Txawm yog ib ob tog sws ncaim lawm los thov Yawmsaub zuv rawv ib ob tog. ⁵⁰Yog koj tswm txom kuv tej ntxhais lossws koj yuav dua nam yau, txawm yog tsw muaj leejtwg nrug ib ob tog nyob los koj ncu ntsoov tas Vaajtswv ua timkhawv rua koj hab kuv.”
⁵¹Lanpaa kuj has rua Yakhauj tas, “Saib pawg pob zeb hab tug ncej zeb kws ib muab txhus kem koj hab kuv nuav nawj. ⁵²Pawg pob zeb nuav ua timkhawv hab tug ncej zeb ua timkhawv has tas kuv yuav tsw hlaa pawg pob zeb nuav tuaj ua phem rua koj, hab koj yuav tsw hlaa pawg pob zeb hab tug ncej zeb nuav tuaj ua phem rua kuv. ⁵³Ca Aplahaa hab Nahau ob tug tug Vaajtswv kws yog ob tug txwv tug Vaajtswv ua tug kws txav cai rua ib.” Yakhauj kuj tuav tug Vaajtswv kws nwg txwv Yiha fwm hab ntshai lub npe cog lug twv hab. ⁵⁴Yakhauj txawm tua tsaj xyeem sau lub roob hov, hab hu nwg tej kwvtij neej tsaa suavdawg lug noj ib tsum mov ua ke. Puab noj mov nyob ib mos sau lub roob hov.
⁵⁵Lanpaa sawv ntxuv ntxuv lug nwj xob nwg tej xeeb ntxwv hab nwg tej ntxhais hab foom koob moov rua puab taag tes nwg txawm rov moog tsev lawm.