Genesis chapter .xxxj.
¶ And Iacob heard the words of Laban's sons how they said: Iacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and of our father's goods, hath he gotten all this honour.
And Iacob beheld the countenance of Laban, that it was not toward him as it was in times past.
And the LORD said unto Iacob: turn again into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
Then Iacob sent and called Rahel and Lea to the field unto his sheep,
and said unto them: I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as in times past. Moreover the God of my father hath been with me.
And ye know how that I have served your father with all my might.
And your father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times: But God suffered him not to hurt me.
When he said the spotted shall be thy wages, then all the sheep bare spotted. If he said, the streaked shall be thy reward, then bare all the sheep streaked:
thus hath God taken away your father's cattle and given them me.
For in bucking time, I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream: and behold, the rams that bucked the sheep were streaked, spotted and party.
And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream saying: Iacob?. And I answered: here am I.
And he said: lift up thine eyes and see how all the rams that leap upon the sheep are streaked, spotted and party: for I have seen all that Laban doth unto thee.
I am the God of Bethel where thou anointedest the stone and where thou vowdest a vow unto me. Now arise and get thee out of this country, and return unto the land where thou wast born.
Then answered Rahel and Lea and said unto him: we have no part nor inheritance in our father's house:
he counteth us even as strangers, for he hath sold us, and hath even eaten up the price of us.
Moreover all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now therefore whatsoever God hath said unto thee, that do.
¶ Then Iacob rose up and set his sons and wives up upon camels,
and carried away all his cattle and all his substance which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, for to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan
Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rahel had stolen her father's images.
And Iacob went away unknowing to Laban the Sirian, and told him not that he fled.
So fled he and all that he had, and made himself ready, and passed over the rivers, and set his face straight toward the mount Gilead.
Upon the third day after, was it told Laban that Iacob was fled.
Then he took his brethren with him and followed after him seven days' journey, and overtook him at the mount Gilead.
And God came to Laban the Sirian in a dream by night, and said unto him: take heed to thyself, that thou speak not to Iacob ought save good.
¶ And Laban overtook Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his tent in that mount. And Laban with his brethren pitched their tent also upon the mount Gilead.
Then said Laban to Iacob: why hast thou this done unknowing to me, and hast carried away my daughters as though they had been taken captive with sword?
Wherefore wentest thou away secretly unknown to me and didst not tell me, that I might have brought thee on the way with mirth, singing, timbrels and harps,
and hast not suffered me to kiss my children and my daughters?. Thou wast a fool to do it,
for I am able to do you evil. But the God of your father spake unto me yesterday saying take heed that thou speak not to Iacob ought save good.
And now though thou wentest thy way because thou longest after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?
Iacob answered and said to Laba: because I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest have taken away thy daughters from me.
But with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him die here before our brethren. Seek that thine is by me, and take it to thee: for Iacob wist not that Rahel had stolen them.
Then went Laban into Iacob's tent, and into Lea's tent, and into two maidens' tents: but found them not. Then went he out of Lea's tent, and entered into Rahel's tent.
And Rahel took the images, and put them in the camel's straw, and sat down upon them. And Laban searched all the tent: but found them not.
Then said she to her father: my lord, be not angry that I can not rise up before thee, for the disease of women is come upon me. So searched he, but found them not.
¶ Iacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iacob also answered and said to him: what have I trespassed or what have I offended, that thou followedest after me?
Thou hast searched all my stuff, and what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? put it here before thy brethren and mine, and let them judge betwixt us both.
This twenty years that I have been with thee, thy sheep and thy goats have not been barren, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
Whatsoever was torn of beasts I brought it not unto thee, but made it good myself: of my hand didst thou require it, whether it was stolen by day or night.
Moreover by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house, and served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy sheep, and thou hast changed my reward ten times.
And except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the God whom Isaac feareth, had been with me: surely thou hadst sent me away now all empty. But God beheld my tribulation, and the labour of my, hands: and rebuked thee yesterday.
¶ Laban answered and said unto Iacob: the daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the sheep are my sheep, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
Now therefore come on, let us make a bond, I and thou together, and let it be a witness between thee and me.
Then took Iacob a stone and set it up on end,
and said unto his brethren, gather stones. And they took stones, and made an heap, and they ate there, upon the heap.
And Laban called it Zegar Sahadutha, but Iacob called Gilead.
Then said Laban: this heap be witness between thee and me this day (therefore is it called Gilead)
and this toot hill which the LORD seeth (said he) be witness between me and thee when we are departed one from another:
that thou shalt not vex my daughters neither shalt take other wives unto them. Here is no man with us: behold, God is witness betwixt thee and me.
And Laban said moreover to Iacob: behold, this heap and this mark which I have set here, betwixt me and thee:
this heap be witness and also this mark, that I will not come over this heap to thee, and thou shalt not come over this heap and this mark, to do any harm.
The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor and the God of their fathers, be judge betwixt us. And Iacob sware by him that his father Isaac feared.
Then Iacob did sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill.
And early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his children and his daughters, and blessed them and departed and went unto his place again.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.