the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Hebrew Names Version
Genesis 31
1 He heard the words of Lavan's sons, saying, "Ya`akov has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's, has he gotten all this wealth." 2 Ya`akov saw the expression on Lavan's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 The LORD said to Ya`akov, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you." 4 Ya`akov sent and called Rachel and Le'ah to the field to his flock, 5 and said to them, "I see the expression on your father's face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all of my strength. 7 Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked. 9 Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 It happened at the time that the flock conceive, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Ya`akov,' and I said, 'Here I am.' 12 He said, 'Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Lavan does to you. 13 I am the God of Beit-El, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth." 14 Rachel and Le'ah answered him, "Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15 Aren't we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our money. 16 For all the riches which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."
17 Then Ya`akov rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels, 18 and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-Aram, to go to Yitzchak his father to the land of Kana`an. 19 Now Lavan had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the terafim that were her father's. 20 Ya`akov deceived Lavan the Arammian, in that he didn't tell him that he was running away. 21 So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gil`ad. 22 Lavan was told on the third day that Ya`akov had fled. 23 He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gil`ad. 24 God came to Lavan, the Arammian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Ya`akov either good or bad."
25 Lavan caught up with Ya`akov. Now Ya`akov had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Lavan with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gil`ad. 26 Lavan said to Ya`akov, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn't tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp; 28 and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly. 29 It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Ya`akov either good or bad.' 30 Now, you want to be gone, because you sore longed after your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?" 31 Ya`akov answered Lavan, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.' 32 With whoever you find your gods, he shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Ya`akov didn't know that Rachel had stolen them. 33 Lavan went into Ya`akov's tent, into Le'ah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he didn't find them. He went out of Le'ah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the terafim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Lavan felt about all the tent, but didn't find them. 35 She said to her father, "Don't let my lord be angry that I can't rise up before you; for the manner of women is on me." He searched, but didn't find the terafim.
36 Ya`akov was angry, and argued with Lavan. Ya`akov answered Lavan, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me? 37 Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two. 38 These twenty years have I been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven't eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of animals, I didn't bring to you. I bore the loss of it. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years have I been in your house. 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 Avraham, and the fear of Yitzchak, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
43 Lavan answered Ya`akov, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? 44 Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you." 45 Ya`akov took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 Ya`akov said to his relatives, "Gather stones." They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap. 47 Lavan called it Yegar-Sahaduta, but Ya`akov called it Gal`ed. 48 Lavan said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Gal`ed 49 and Mitzpah, for he said, "The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you will afflict my daughters, and if you will take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you." 51 Lavan said to Ya`akov, "See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. 52 May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 The God of Avraham, and the God of Nachor, the God of their father, judge between us." Then Ya`akov swore by the fear of his father, Yitzchak. 54 Ya`akov offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain. 55 Early in the morning, Lavan rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Lavan departed and returned to his place.
