Genesis 31:22-55

22When Laban was informed on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24However, 1God came to Laban the Aramean in a 2dream of the night and said to him, “34Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

25And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done 5by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27Why did you flee secretly and 6deceive me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with 7tambourine and with 8lyre; 28and did not allow me 9to kiss my 10grandchildren and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29It is in 11my power to do you harm, but 12the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘1314Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’ 30Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal 15my gods?” 31Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 3216The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives 17point out what is yours 18among my belongings and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the 19household idols and put them in the camel’s saddlebag, and she sat on them. So Laban searched through all the tent, but did not find them. 35And she said to her father, “May my lord not be angry that I cannot 20stand in your presence, because the 21way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the 2223household idols.

36Then Jacob became angry and argued with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37Though you have searched through all my property, what have you found of all your household property? Set it here in front of my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide between the two of us. 38For these twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. 39I did not even bring to you that which was torn by wild animals; I took the loss myself. You demanded it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40This is how I was: by day the 24heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41For these twenty years I have been in your house; 25I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you 26changed my wages ten times. 42If 27the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. 28God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, so He 29rendered judgment last night.”

43Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the 30children are my 31grandchildren, 32the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth? 44So now come, let’s 33make a covenant, 34you and I, and 35it shall be a witness between 36you and me.” 45Then Jacob took 37a stone and set it up as a memorial stone. 46Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47Now Laban 38called it 39Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it 40Galeed. 48Laban said, “41This heap is a witness between 42you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49and 4344Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord keep watch between 45you and me when we are 46absent one from the other. 50If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, 47God is witness between 48you and me.” 51Laban also said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the memorial stone which I have set between 49you and me. 52This heap is a witness, and the memorial stone is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this memorial stone to me, for harm. 5350The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, 51judge between us.” So Jacob swore by 52the fear of his father Isaac. 54Then Jacob 53offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to 54the meal; and they ate 55the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 5556Then early in the morning Laban got up, and 57kissed his 58grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.