Genesis 31 · Parashat Vayetze

And he heard the words of Lavan’s sons, saying, Ya῾aqov has taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s has he gotten all his glory.

And Ya῾aqov beheld the face of Lavan, and, behold, it was not towards him as before.

And the Lord said to Ya῾aqov, Return to the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

And Ya῾aqov sent and called Raĥel and Le᾽a to the field to his flock,

and he said to them, I see your father’s face, that it is not towards me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

And you know that with all my power I have served your father.

And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God did not allow him to hurt me.

If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled: and if he said thus, The streaked shall be thy hire; then all the flock bore streaked.

Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given it to me.

And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I raised my eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, Ya῾aqov: And I said, Here I am.

And he said, Lift up now thy eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Lavan does to thee.

I am the God of Bet-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, and where thou didst vow a vow to me: now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of thy birth.

And Raĥel and Le᾽a answered and said to him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

Are we not counted strangers by him? for he has sold us, and has quite devoured also our money.

For all the riches which God has taken from our father, it is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatever God has said to thee, do.

Then Ya῾aqov rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels;

and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to Yiżĥaq his father in the land of Kena῾an.

And Lavan went to shear his sheep. Now Raĥel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

And Ya῾aqov outwitted Lavan the Arammian, in that he told him not that he fled.

So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river and set his face toward the mount Gil῾ad.

And it was told Lavan on the third day that Ya῾aqov was fled.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him a seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gil῾ad.

And God came to Lavan the Arammian in a dream by night, and said to him, Take heed that thou speak not to Ya῾aqov either good or bad. Then Lavan overtook Ya῾aqov.

Now Ya῾aqov had pitched his tent in the mount: and Lavan with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gil῾ad.

And Lavan said to Ya῾aqov, What hast thou done, that thou hast cheated me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?

Why didst thou flee away secretly, and rob me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with timbrel, and with lyre?

And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly.

It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Ya῾aqov either good or bad.

And now, though thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou dost long after thy father’s house, yet why hast thou stolen my gods?

And Ya῾aqov answered and said to Lavan, Because I was afraid: for I said, Perhaps thou wouldst take by force thy daughters from me.

Anyone with whom thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Ya῾aqov knew not that Raĥel had stolen them.

And Lavan went into Ya῾aqov’s tent, and into Le᾽a’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then he went out of Le᾽a’s tent, and entered into Raĥel’s tent.

Now Raĥel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat upon them. And Lavan searched all the tent, but found them not.

And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the way of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

And Ya῾aqov was angry and strove with Lavan: and Ya῾aqov answered and said to Lavan, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

Although thou hast searched all my stuff what hast thou found of all thy household goods? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us both.

This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.

That which was torn of beasts I brought not to thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes.

Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Were it not that the God of my father, the God of Avraham, and the Fear of Yiżĥaq, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labour of my hands, and He rebuked thee last night.

And Lavan answered and said to Ya῾aqov, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have born?

Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.

And Ya῾aqov took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

And Ya῾aqov said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.

And Lavan called it Yegar-sahaduta: but Ya῾aqov called it Gal῾ed.

And Lavan said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day.

Therefore was the name of it called Gal῾ed; and also Miżpa; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness between me and thee.

And Lavan said to Ya῾aqov, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have set between me and thee;

this heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

The God of Avraham, and the god of Naĥor, the god of their father, judge between us. And Ya῾aqov swore by the Fear of his father Yiżĥaq.

Then Ya῾aqov offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night on the mountain.