King James Version, Updated™

(1) He heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gathered all these riches."

(2) Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not the same toward him as before.

(3) And the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your family, and I will be with you."

(4) Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,

(5) and said to them, "I see your father’s countenance, that it is not the same toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me.

(6) You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

(7) And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to hurt me.

(8) If he said, 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the cattle bore speckled, and if he said, 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the cattle bore striped.

(9) Thus God has taken away the cattle from your father, and given them to me.

(10) And it came to pass at the time that the flocks conceived, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped on the flocks were striped, speckled, and spotted.

(11) And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.'

(12) Then he said, 'Now lift up your eyes, and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are striped, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

(13) I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you made a vow to me; now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"

(14) Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

(15) Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and has also devoured our money.

(16) For all the riches which God has taken from our father, are ours, and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."

(17) Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels.

(18) And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gathered, the cattle he had acquired, which he had gathered in Padanaram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

(19) When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the idols that were her father’s.

(20) Then Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him when he fled.

(21) So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, and crossed the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.

(22) And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.

(23) He took his brethren with him, and pursued after him on a seven day journey, and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

(24) But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Take heed that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad."

(25) Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

(26) And Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have stolen away unaware to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?

(27) Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

(28) Why did you not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly in so doing.

(29) It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.'

(30) And now, you have gone away, because you longed after your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?"

(31) Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.'

(32) Whomever you find with your gods, shall not live. In front of our brethren acknowledge what is yours that I have, and take it for yourself. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

(33) So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.

(34) Now Rachel had taken the images, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban searched all in the tent, but did not find them.

(35) And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you, for the way of women is upon me." And he searched, but did not find the images.

(36) Jacob was angry, and scolded Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?

(37) You have searched all my stuff, what of your household stuff have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both.

(38) These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock.

(39) That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

(40) There I was. In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.

(41) For 20 years I have been in your house. I served you 14 years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages 10 times.

(42) Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.

(43) And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock. All that you see is mine, but what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?

(44) Now therefore come, let us make a covenant, I and you, and let it be for a witness between me and you."

(45) Then Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar.

(46) And Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones." And they took stones, and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.

(47) Laban called it Jegarsahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

(48) And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between me and you this day." Therefore the name of it was called Galeed,

(49) and called Mizpah, for he said, "The LORD watches between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

(50) If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives beside my daughters, though no man is with us to see, God is witness between me and you."

(51) And Laban said to Jacob, "Behold this heap, and this pillar, which I have set between me and you.

(52) This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to harm you, and that you shall not pass over this heap and this pillar to harm me.

(53) The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

(54) Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread, and they ate bread, and stayed all night on the mountain.

(55) And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them, and Laban departed, and returned to his place.