Genesis 31-32

Contemporary English Version

Jacob Runs from Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, “Jacob is now a rich man, and he got everything he owns from our father.” ² Jacob also noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. ³ One day the Lord said, “Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will be with you.”

⁴ Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him in the pasture where he kept his sheep, ⁵ and he told them:

Your father isn't as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side. ⁶ You know that I have worked hard for your father ⁷ and that he keeps cheating me by changing my wages time after time. But God has protected me. ⁸ When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted. ⁹ That's how God has taken sheep and goats from your father and given them to me.

¹⁰ Once, when the flocks were mating, I dreamed that all the rams were either spotted or speckled. ¹¹ Then God's angel called me by name. I answered, ¹² and he said, “Notice that all the rams are either spotted or speckled. I know everything Laban is doing to you, ^13 (A) and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel,^[a] when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here at once and return to the land where you were born.”

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah said to Jacob:

There's nothing left for us to inherit from our father. ¹⁵ He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price^[b] that should have been ours. ¹⁶ So do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.

¹⁷ Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left ¹⁸ northern Syria^[c] for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took along all his flocks, herds, and other property.

¹⁹ Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols^[d] while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

²⁰ Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean^[e] by not saying that he intended to leave. ²¹ When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned.

Laban Catches Up with Jacob

²² Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had gone. ²³ So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God appeared to Laban in a dream that night and warned, “Don't say a word to Jacob. Don't make a threat or a promise.”

²⁵ Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob ²⁶ and said:

Look what you've done! You've tricked me and run off with my daughters like a kidnapper. ²⁷ Why did you sneak away without telling me? I would have given you a going-away party with singing and with music on tambourines and harps. ²⁸ You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my own grandchildren and daughters goodbye. That was really foolish. ²⁹ I could easily hurt you, but the God your father worshiped has warned me not to make any threats or promises.

³⁰ I can understand why you were eager to return to your father, but why did you have to steal my idols?

³¹ Jacob answered, “I left secretly because I was afraid you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² If you find that any one of us has taken your idols, I'll have that person killed. Let your relatives be witnesses. Show me what belongs to you, and you can take it back.” Jacob did not realize that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

³³ Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two servant women,^[f] but did not find the idols. Then he went to Rachel's tent. ³⁴ She had already hidden them in the cushion she used as a saddle and was sitting on it. Laban searched everywhere and did not find them. ³⁵ Rachel said, “Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I'm having my period.” Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.

³⁶ Jacob became very angry and said to Laban:

What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down? ³⁷ After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.

³⁸ In all the 20 years that I've worked for you, not one of your sheep or goats has had a miscarriage, and I've never eaten even one of your rams. ³⁹ If a wild animal killed one of your sheep or goats, I paid for it myself. In fact, you demanded the full price, whether the animal was killed during the day or at night.^{[g] 40} I sweated every day, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold.

⁴¹ I had to work 14 of these 20 long years to earn your two daughters and another 6 years to buy your sheep and goats. During that time you kept changing my wages. ⁴² If the fearsome God^[h] worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.

Jacob and Laban Make an Agreement

⁴³ Laban said to Jacob, “Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children. ⁴⁴ So I am ready to make an agreement with you, and we will pile up some large rocks here to remind us of the agreement.”

⁴⁵ After Jacob had set up a large rock, ⁴⁶ he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of rocks Jegar Sahadutha.^[i] But Jacob named it Galeed.^{[j] 48} Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will remind us of our agreement.” That's why the place was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ Laban also said, “This pile of rocks means that the Lord will watch us both while we are apart from each other.” So the place was also named Mizpah.^[k]

⁵⁰ Then Laban said:

If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us! ^51-52 Both this pile of rocks and this large rock have been set up between us as a reminder. I must never go past them to attack you, and you must never come past them to attack me. ⁵³ My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement.

Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God^[l] his father Isaac had worshiped. ⁵⁴ Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice there on the mountain, and he invited his men to eat with him. After the meal they spent the night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren goodbye, then he left to go back home.

Jacob Gets Ready To Meet Esau

32 As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him. ² When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp.” So he named the place Mahanaim.^[m]

³ Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. ⁴ Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, ⁵ and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”

⁶ When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with 400 men.”

⁷ Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”

⁹ Then Jacob prayed:

You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. ¹⁰ I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. ¹¹ Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. ^12 (B) But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the grains of sand along the seashore.

¹³ After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: ^14-15 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 males.

¹⁶ Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.” ¹⁷ Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, “When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. ¹⁸ So tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.’ ”

¹⁹ Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. ²⁰ And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. ²¹ Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.

Jacob's Name Is Changed to Israel

^22-23 (C) Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. ^24 (D) Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. ²⁶ They kept on wrestling until the man said, “Let go of me! It's almost daylight.”

“You can't go until you bless me,” Jacob replied.

²⁷ Then the man asked, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

^28 (E) The man said, “From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel,^[n] because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.”

^29 (F) Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”

“Don't you know who I am?” he asked. And he blessed Jacob.

³⁰ Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel.^{[o] 31} The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, ³² and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.