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¹ And he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was to our father, and from that which was to our father he has gotten all this wealth.² And Jacob saw the face of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.³ And Jehovah said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred. And I will be with you.⁴ And Jacob sent and called for Rachel and for Leah to come to the field, to his flocks.⁵ And he said to them, I see your father's face, that it is not toward me as before. But the God of my father has been with me.⁶ And you know that with all my power I have served your father.⁷ And your father has cheated me and has changed my wages ten times. And God has not let him do evil to me.⁸ And if he said this: The speckled shall be your wages, then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said this, The striped shall be your wages, then all the flocks bore striped.⁹ And God has taken away the livestock of your father and has given to me.¹⁰ And it happened at the time the flock was in heat, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream: And behold! The rams leaping on the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted.¹¹ And the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, Jacob! And I said, Behold me.¹² And He said, Lift up your eyes and see all the rams leaping on the flock; they are striped, speckled and spotted. For I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.¹³ I am the God of Bethel, there where you anointed the pillar, where you vowed a vow to Me. Now rise up; go out of this land and go back to the land of your kindred.¹⁴ And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there yet to us a portion and an inheritance in the house of our father?¹⁵ Are we not counted strangers by him. For he has sold us, and selling he has sold us for silver.¹⁶ For all the wealth which God has taken from our father, it is for us and for our sons. And now all that which God has said to you, do.

¹⁷ And Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels.¹⁸ And he drove all the livestock, and he took all his goods which he had gotten, livestock of his property which he had gotten in Padan-aram, to come to his father Isaac, to the land of Canaan.¹⁹ And Laban went to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the household idols which were her father's.²⁰ And Jacob deceived the heart of Laban the Syrian, for he did not tell him that he was about to flee.²¹ And he and all that was to him fled. And he rose up and crossed the River and set his face to Mount Gilead.²² And on the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.²³ And he took his brothers with him and pursued him, seven days journey. And he overtook him in Mount Gilead.²⁴ And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, Watch out for yourself, that you not speak with Jacob from good to evil.

²⁵ And Laban overtook Jacob. And Jacob had pitched his tent at the Mount. And Laban with his brothers had pitched at Mount Gilead.²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done? And you have deceived my heart and have taken my daughters like captives of the sword.²⁷ Why did you hide so as to flee, and have deceived me and have not told me. And I would have sent you away with rejoicing and with music, with tabret and with harp.²⁸ And you have not let me kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have been foolish to do this .²⁹ It is in the power of my hand to do you harm. But the God of your fathers spoke to me last night, saying, Watch out for yourself that you do not speak with Jacob from good to evil.³⁰ And now surely you have gone because you have longed after your father's house. Why have you stolen my gods?³¹ And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid. For I said, Lest by force you take your daughters from me.³² With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live before our brothers here. See for yourself what is with me, and take it to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.³³ And Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two slave-girls; and he did not find. And he went out of Leah's tent and came into Rachel's tent.³⁴ And Rachel had taken the household idols and put them into the camel's saddle; and she sat on them. And Laban felt around all the tent, but did not find.³⁵ And she said to her father, Let no anger be in the eyes of my lord, for I am not able to rise before your face, for the way of women is to me. And he searched for and did not find the household idols.

³⁶ And Jacob was angry, and he argued with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my transgression; what my sin that you have hotly pursued me?³⁷ For you have felt around all my articles; what have you found from all the articles of your house? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers and let them decide between the two of us.³⁸ Now I was with you twenty years. Your ewes and your she-goats have not failed to bear, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.³⁹ I did not bring to you the mangled; I replaced it. From my hand you exacted it, that stolen by day and that stolen by night.⁴⁰ I was there; by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night. And my sleep fled from my eyes.⁴¹ Now I have been twenty years 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 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, truly now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hand, and last night He judged.

⁴³ And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters and the sons my sons. And the flocks are my flocks; yea, all which you see, it is mine and my daughters'.What can I do to these today, or to theirsons whom they have borne?⁴⁴ And now come, let us cut a covenant, you and me; and let it be a witness between you and me.⁴⁵ And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial.⁴⁶ And Jacob said to his brothers, Gather stones. And they took stones and they made a memorial pillar.⁴⁷ And Laban called it, Heap of the Testimony. And Jacob called it in Hebrew, Heap of Testimony.⁴⁸ And Laban said, This heap is a witness between you and between me today; so he called its name Heap of Testimony;⁴⁹ also, Watchtower; for he said, May Jehovah watch between you and me, for we are hidden, when we are out of sight, each from his neighbor.⁵⁰ If you will not afflict my daughters, and if you will not take wives above my daughters, no man is with us. Behold! God is a witness between you and me.⁵¹ And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me.⁵² This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a testimony. As for me, I will not pass over this heap to you; and as for you, you will not pass over this heap and this pillar for evil to me.⁵³ The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, let judge between us. And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.⁵⁴ And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread. And they ate bread and lodged on the mountain.⁵⁵ And Laban rose up early in the morning and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. And Laban went away and returned to his own place.