Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. He got all his wealth from what our father owned."
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He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's, has he gotten all this wealth."
2 He also saw that Laban was no longer as friendly as he had been earlier.
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Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
3 Then the Lord said to him, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you."
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Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where his flocks were.
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Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,
5 He said to them, "I have noticed that your father is not as friendly toward me as he used to be; but my father's God has been with me.
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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 both know that I have worked for your father with all my strength.
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You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.
7 Yet he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not let him harm me.
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Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me.
8 Whenever Laban said, "The speckled goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced speckled young. When he said, "The striped goats shall be your wages,' all the flocks produced striped young.
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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 God has taken flocks away from your father and given them to me.
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Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.
10 "During the breeding season I had a dream, and I saw that the male goats that were mating were striped, spotted, and speckled.
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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 spoke to me in the dream and said, "Jacob!' "Yes,' I answered.
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The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.'
12 "Look,' he continued, "all the male goats that are mating are striped, spotted, and speckled. I am making this happen because I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
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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 Laban does to you.
13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you dedicated a stone as a memorial by pouring olive oil on it and where you made a vow to me. Now get ready and go back to the land where you were born.' "
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I am the God of Bethel, 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 Leah answered Jacob, "There is nothing left for us to inherit from our father.
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Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
15 He treats us like foreigners. He sold us, and now he has spent all the money he was paid for us.
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Aren't we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our money.
16 All this wealth which God has taken from our father belongs to us and to our children. Do whatever God has told you."
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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 So Jacob got ready to go back to his father in the land of Canaan. He put his children and his wives on the camels, and drove all his flocks ahead of him, with everything that he had gotten in Mesopotamia.
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Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,
19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and during his absence Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father.
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Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.
20 Jacob deceived Laban by not letting him know that he was leaving.
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Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn't tell him that he was running away.
21 He took everything he owned and left in a hurry. He crossed the Euphrates River and started for the hill country of Gilead.
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So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
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Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 He took his men with him and pursued Jacob for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
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He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
24 In a dream that night God came to Laban and said to him, "Be careful not to threaten Jacob in any way."
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God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad."
25 Jacob had set up his camp on a mountain, and Laban set up his camp with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead.
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Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, "Why did you deceive me and carry off my daughters like women captured in war?
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Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
27 Why did you deceive me and slip away without telling me? If you had told me, I would have sent you on your way with rejoicing and singing to the music of tambourines and harps.
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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 You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. That was a foolish thing to do!
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and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.
29 I have the power to do you harm, but last night the God of your father warned me not to threaten you in any way.
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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 Jacob either good or bad.'
30 I know that you left because you were so anxious to get back home, but why did you steal my household gods?"
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Now, you want to be gone, because you sore longed after your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?"
31 Jacob answered, "I was afraid, because I thought that you might take your daughters away from me.
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Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.'
32 But if you find that anyone here has your gods, he will be put to death. Here, with our men as witnesses, look for anything that belongs to you and take what is yours." Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's gods.
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With whoever you find your gods, he shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 Laban went and searched Jacob's tent; then he went into Leah's tent, and the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find his gods. Then he went into Rachel's tent.
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Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he didn't find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
34 Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but did not find them.
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Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt about all the tent, but didn't find them.
35 Rachel said to her father, "Do not be angry with me, sir, but I am not able to stand up in your presence; I am having my monthly period." Laban searched but did not find his household gods.
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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 teraphim.
36 Then Jacob lost his temper. "What crime have I committed?" he asked angrily. "What law have I broken that gives you the right to hunt me down?
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Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
37 Now that you have searched through all my belongings, what household article have you found that belongs to you? Put it out here where your men and mine can see it, and let them decide which one of us is right.
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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 I have been with you now for twenty years; your sheep and your goats have not failed to reproduce, and I have not eaten any rams from your flocks.
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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 Whenever a sheep was killed by wild animals, I always bore the loss myself. I didn't take it to you to show that it was not my fault. You demanded that I make good anything that was stolen during the day or during the night.
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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 Many times I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was not able to sleep.
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Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
41 It was like that for the whole twenty years I was with you. For fourteen years I worked to win your two daughters - and six years for your flocks. And even then, you changed my wages ten times.
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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 If the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac, had not been with me, you would have already sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my trouble and the work I have done, and last night he gave his judgment."
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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. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
43 Laban answered Jacob, "These young women are my daughters; their children belong to me, and these flocks are mine. In fact, everything you see here belongs to me. But since I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children,
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Laban answered Jacob, "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 I am ready to make an agreement with you. Let us make a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement."
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Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you."
45 So Jacob got a stone and set it up as a memorial.
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Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46 He told his men to gather some rocks and pile them up. Then they ate a meal beside the pile of rocks.
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Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.
47 Laban named it Jegar Sahadutha, while Jacob named it Galeed.
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Laban called it Jegar-saha-dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said to Jacob, "This pile of rocks will be a reminder for both of us." That is why that place was named Galeed.
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Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Galeed
49 Laban also said, "May the Lord keep an eye on us while we are separated from each other." So the place was also named Mizpah.
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and Mizpah, for he said, "Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.
50 Laban went on, "If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other women, even though I don't know about it, remember that God is watching us.
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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 Here are the rocks that I have piled up between us, and here is the memorial stone.
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Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
52 Both this pile and this memorial stone are reminders. I will never go beyond this pile to attack you, and you must never go beyond it or beyond this memorial stone to attack me.
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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 Abraham and the God of Nahor will judge between us." Then, in the name of the God whom his father Isaac worshiped, Jacob solemnly vowed to keep this promise.
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The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
54 He killed an animal, which he offered as a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his men to the meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
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Jacob 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 the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters good-bye, and left to go back home.
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Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.