Part 37

31:8. If at any time, he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white one for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

31:9. And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it to me.

31:10. For after the time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep, that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.

31:11. And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob. And I answered: Here I am.

31:12. And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.

31:13. I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.

31:14. And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?

31:15. Hath he not counted us as strangers, and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

31:16. But God hath taken our father’s riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore, do all that God hath commanded thee.

31:17. Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.

31:18. And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac, his father, to the land of Chanaan.

31:19. At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.

Her father’s idols.... By this it appears that Laban was an idolater; and some of the fathers are of opinion that Rachel stole away these idols to withdraw him from idolatry, removing the occasion of his sin.

31:20. And Jacob would not confess to his father-in-law that he was flying away.

31:21. And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,

31:22. It was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob fled.

31:23. And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

31:24. And he saw in a dream God, saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

31:25. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he, with his brethren, had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.

31:26. And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

31:27. Why wouldst thou run away privately, and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?

31:28. Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters; thou hast done foolishly; and now indeed,

31:29. It is in my power to return thee evil; but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

31:30. Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father’s house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

31:31. Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

31:32. But, whereas, thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.

31:33. So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel’s tent,

31:34. She, in haste, hid the idols under the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,