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Genesis 31:17-42
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Genesis 31:17-42
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 Jacob proceeded to put his children and wives on camels, 18 and he drove off all his livestock and all the property he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban was away shearing his sheep, and Rachel had stolen her father’s household images.[a](A) 20 Jacob had hoodwinked[b] Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was going to flee. 21 Thus he fled with all that he had. Once he was across the Euphrates, he headed for the hill country of Gilead.
22 On the third day, word came to Laban that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking his kinsmen with him, he pursued him for seven days[c] until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But that night God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said to him: Take care not to say anything to Jacob.(B)
Jacob and Laban in Gilead. 25 When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob’s tents were pitched in the hill country; Laban also pitched his tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “How could you hoodwink me and carry off my daughters like prisoners of war?[d] 27 Why did you dupe me by stealing away secretly? You did not tell me! I would have sent you off with joyful singing to the sound of tambourines and harps. 28 You did not even allow me a parting kiss to my daughters and grandchildren! Now what you have done makes no sense. 29 I have it in my power to harm all of you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Take care not to say anything to Jacob!’ 30 Granted that you had to leave because you were longing for your father’s house, why did you steal my gods?” 31 Jacob replied to Laban, “I was frightened at the thought that you might take your daughters away from me by force. 32 As for your gods, the one you find them with shall not remain alive! If, with our kinsmen looking on, you identify anything here as belonging to you, take it.” Jacob had no idea that Rachel had stolen the household images.
33 Laban then went in and searched Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent, as well as the tents of the two maidservants; but he did not find them. Leaving Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s. 34 [e]Meanwhile Rachel had taken the household images, put them inside the camel’s saddlebag, and seated herself upon them. When Laban had rummaged through her whole tent without finding them,(C) 35 she said to her father, “Do not let my lord be angry that I cannot rise in your presence; I am having my period.” So, despite his search, he did not find the household images.
36 Jacob, now angered, confronted Laban and demanded, “What crime or offense have I committed that you should hound me? 37 Now that you have rummaged through all my things, what have you found from your household belongings? Produce it here before your kinsmen and mine, and let them decide between the two of us.
38 “In the twenty years that I was under you, no ewe or she-goat of yours ever miscarried, and I have never eaten rams of your flock. 39 (D)I never brought you an animal torn by wild beasts; I made good the loss myself. You held me responsible for anything stolen by day or night.[f] 40 Often the scorching heat devoured me by day, and the frost by night, while sleep fled from my eyes! 41 Of the twenty years that I have now spent in your household, I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, while you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. But God saw my plight and the fruits of my toil, and last night he reproached you.”(E)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 31:19 Household images: in Hebrew, teraphim, figurines used in divination (Ez 21:26; Zec 10:2). Laban calls them his “gods” (v. 30). The traditional translation “idols” is avoided because it suggests false gods, whereas Genesis seems to accept the fact that the ancestors did not always live according to later biblical religious standards and laws.
- 31:20 Hoodwinked: lit., “stolen the heart of,” i.e., lulled the mind of. Aramean: the earliest extra-biblical references to the Arameans date later than the time of Jacob, if Jacob is dated to the mid-second millennium; to call Laban an Aramean and to have him speak Aramaic (Jegar-sahadutha, v. 47) is an apparent anachronism. The word may have been chosen to underscore the growing estrangement between the two men and the fact that their descendants will be two different peoples.
- 31:23 For seven days: lit., “a way of seven days,” a general term to designate a long distance; it would actually have taken a camel caravan many more days to travel from Haran to Gilead, the region east of the northern half of the Jordan. The mention of camels in this passage is apparently anachronistic since camels were not domesticated until the late second millennium.
- 31:26 Prisoners of war: lit., “women captured by the sword”; the women of a conquered people were treated as part of the victor’s spoil; cf. 1 Sm 30:2; 2 Kgs 5:2.
- 31:34 As in chap. 27, a younger child (Rachel) deceives her father to gain what belongs to him.
- 31:39 Jacob’s actions are more generous than the customs suggested in the Code of Hammurabi: “If in a sheepfold an act of god has occurred, or a lion has made a kill, the shepherd shall clear himself before the deity, and the owner of the fold must accept the loss” (par. 266); cf. Ex 22:12.
Genesis 31:17-42
New International Version
Genesis 31:17-42
New International Version
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives(A) on camels,(B) 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated(C) in Paddan Aram,[a](D) to go to his father Isaac(E) in the land of Canaan.(F)
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,(G) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.(H) 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived(I) Laban the Aramean(J) by not telling him he was running away.(K) 21 So he fled(L) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,(M) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.(N)
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 On the third day(O) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.(P) 23 Taking his relatives(Q) with him(R), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.(S) 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean(T) in a dream at night and said to him,(U) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(V)
25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead(W) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?(X) You’ve deceived me,(Y) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.(Z) 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,(AA) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels(AB) and harps?(AC) 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.(AD) You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you;(AE) but last night the God of your father(AF) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’(AG) 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.(AH) But why did you steal(AI) my gods?(AJ)”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.(AK) 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.(AL) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.(AM)
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent(AN) and into the tent of the two female servants,(AO) but he found nothing.(AP) After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods(AQ) and put them inside her camel’s saddle(AR) and was sitting on them. Laban searched(AS) through everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;(AT) I’m having my period.(AU)” So he searched but could not find the household gods.(AV)
36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged(AW) you that you hunt me down?(AX) 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?(AY) Put it here in front of your relatives(AZ) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.(BA)
38 “I have been with you for twenty years now.(BB) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,(BC) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen(BD) by day or night.(BE) 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.(BF) 41 It was like this for the twenty years(BG) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters(BH) and six years for your flocks,(BI) and you changed my wages(BJ) ten times.(BK) 42 If the God of my father,(BL) the God of Abraham(BM) and the Fear of Isaac,(BN) had not been with me,(BO) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,(BP) and last night he rebuked you.(BQ)”
Footnotes
- Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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