Genesis 31

Jacob sneaks away from his father-in-law

Jacob’s in-laws don’t like him anymore

1Jacob got word that Laban’s sons were starting to gripe about him. They said, “Jacob is nothing more than a thief. Everything he owns he took from our father. That’s how he got rich—at our expense.” 2Jacob noticed a chill in Laban’s attitude toward him, too.

3The LORD told Jacob, “Go home. Go back to where your father and the rest of your family live. I’ll go with you.” 4Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah. They met him in a field where he was watching the flock.

5Jacob told them, “I’ve noticed that your father doesn’t seem to like me anymore. But God does. God has been looking out for me all along.” 6You know that I’ve worked myself ragged for your father. 7He repaid me by cheating me and by changing our work agreement 10 times. But God didn’t let him hurt me. 8Instead, God gave me a huge flock. When your father said I could have only the spotted sheep and goats, it seemed as though the whole flock started producing spotted animals. The same thing happened when your father said I could have only the stripped animals. Suddenly, all the newborn animals seemed to come with stripes. 9That’s how God has taken care of me. He took your father’s livestock and gave them to me.

A dream convinces Jacob to leave Laban

10Once during mating season I had an unusual dream. I saw that all the male goats mating with females were either striped, speckled, or marbled in streaks. The males weren’t solid-colored. 11The angel of God called to me: ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’

12The angel said, ‘Take a good look at this. Only male goats that are striped, speckled, or streaked are mating with the females. I’ve seen how Laban is cheating you. 13I am the God you saw in your dream at Bethel. That’s where I promised you that I would be your God and where you anointed a stone pillar as a place to worship me. It’s time for you to pack up and leave here. Move back to the land where you were born.’” 14Rachel and Leah said, “Let’s go. We’re not going to inherit anything from our father. 15He treats us like illegal aliens. After he sold us to you, he spent all the money himself. 16Every asset God has taken from our father and given to you belongs to our family. So go ahead and do whatever God tells you to do.”

17Jacob broke camp. He and his wives and children climbed aboard camels. 18Off they went. They left Laban’s region of Paddan-aram,[1] taking everything they owned, including their livestock. They headed south toward Canaan,[2] where Jacob’s father, Isaac, lived.

19Laban was nowhere around at the time. He was off in some distant field shearing his sheep for another payday. Before Rachel left, she stole her father’s family idols. 20Jacob pulled off the Great Escape. Laban the Aramean[3] had no idea Jacob and his family had left. 21Jacob took everything he owned. He crossed the Euphrates River and headed south for the hills of Gilead.[4]

Laban in hot pursuit

22Jacob got a three-day head start before Laban discovered Jacob had packed up and peeled out. 23Laban quickly rounded up a posse of relatives and off they went on the chase. They caught up with Jacob’s caravan seven days later in the hills of Gilead.

24The night before that, though, God told Laban in a dream, “I’m warning you, don’t mess with Jacob. Don’t bribe him with promises. Don’t threaten him with violence.” 25Laban caught up with Jacob while the caravan was camped in the Gilead hills. Laban set up his camp nearby.

26Laban asked Jacob, “Why did you sneak away like this, taking my daughters like prisoners of war?” 27Why did you trick me? Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted to leave? I would have thrown you a going-away party. We would have enjoyed a feast with lots of singing and the music of tambourines and harps. 28Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren goodbye, you fool? 29I would kill you where you squat if it weren’t for your God. He came to me last night in a dream and warned me to leave you alone. 30I can understand your homesickness and your need to go back. What I don’t understand is why on earth you took my gods.”

31Jacob said, “I snuck away because I was afraid you wouldn’t let your daughters come with me—that you’d force them to stay with you. 32As for your gods, if you find them anywhere in my camp, I’ll execute the person who stole them. And if you find anything else that belongs to you, take it.” Jacob had no idea that Rachel had stolen Laban’s family gods.

Laban searches for idol Rachel stole

33Laban started looking for his idols in Jacob’s tent. Then Leah’s tent. Then the tents of Leah’s and Rachel’s slaves. No luck. He moved on to Rachel’s tent. 34Rachel had stuffed the idols in her camel’s saddle. Then she sat on it. Laban searched the tent and found nothing of his.

35Rachel politely apologized. “Forgive me father for not getting up to greet you. I’m on my period.” Laban searched the rest of Jacob’s camp, but didn’t find one stolen thing. 36

Jacob tells off his father-in-law

37You’ve rifled through everything I call my own. Now show me what you found that you call your own. Set it down right here. Right now. In front of all our relatives. Let them decide which one of us is in the wrong. 38For 20 years I’ve worked for you. In all those years, not one of your sheep or goats has miscarried. And I never so much as butchered and ate a single one of your rams. 39Whenever wild animals killed any in your flock when I was taking care of them, I replaced them with my sheep and goats. And if anyone stole any of your animals—day or night— you made me pay for them. I took all the hits for you.

40I worked for you when the blistering heat of the day withered my body and when the frost of the night chilled me until I was too bone-cold to sleep. 41I did all this work for you for 20 years: 14 years for the right to marry your daughters and six more years for the flocks I earned. During that time, doggone if you didn’t change our working agreement 10 times. 42If it hadn’t been for the God of my grandfather Abraham and of my father Isaac, there’s no doubt in my mind that you would have run me off empty-handed. God saw how you exploited me and how hard I worked for you. He passed judgment on you last night when he warned you not to mess with me."

Jacob makes peace with his father-in-law

43“Listen here,” Laban said to Jacob. “Everything you can see around us right now is mine. These women are my daughters. These children are my grandchildren. These flocks are mine, too. But how can I possibly keep them for myself alone? 44Let’s make peace between the two of us. Let’s set up a stone monument as a reminder of our promise to each other.”

45Jacob found the first stone for the monument. He set it up like a pillar. 46Jacob told his family, “Gather more stones and put them in a pile here.” Then Jacob and Laban sat beside the stone monument and ate a meal to seal their agreement.

47Laban gave the site a name using his language of Aramaic. He called it Jegar-sahadutha, which means Rock Witnesses. Jacob translated that name into his language of Hebrew. He called it Galeed. 48Laban said, “These stones will stay here to remind us of the contract we’ve made today.” That’s why the place became known as Galeed.

49Some people called it Mizpah.[5] They got that name from something Laban said: “May God himself keep an eye on the two of us to make sure we keep our promises to each other even after we go our separate ways. 50If you hurt my daughters in any way, and that includes by marrying other wives, God will see it even if I don’t. God will know who keeps the agreement and who doesn’t.”

51Laban kept talking. “Take a good look at this pile of stones that stands between you and me. 52The pillar you set up and the other stones around it stand as a marker for our peace treaty. I will not pass this marker to come and hurt you. Nor will you pass this marker to come and hurt me. 53May the God of your grandfather Abraham and my grandfather Nahor punish either one of us if we break this promise we have made today.” Jacob agreed. He took an oath on the honor of his father Isaac to keep the promise he made. 54Jacob offered a sacrifice there on the mountain. Then he invited everyone to join him in a meal celebrating the peace treaty. Afterward they spent the night there in the camp. 55Laban got up early the next morning. He kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye. Then he left for home.

Footnotes

Intro Notes for Genesis