Genesis 31

Jacob Plans to Leave Laban

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were talking about him, saying,

“Jacob is taking everything and getting rich off our dad.”

Jacob also noticed that Laban had stopped being friendly towards him. Around that time the Existing One told Jacob,

“Go back to your hometown where you dad lives, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob had Rachel and Leah come to the field where he was working and told them,

“Your dad hasn’t been too friendly towards me like he used to be. But the God of my dad has kept me company. You both know how hard I’ve been working for your dad, yet he’s been cheating me and has changed my wages ten times. Even so, God didn’t let that affect me negatively. If Laban would have said that I could keep the speckled livestock, then they would have had speckled babies. And if he would have said that I could keep the striped ones, then they would have had striped babies. God has been taking your dad’s livestock and giving them to me. When the animals were ready to mate I looked up and saw in a dream that the striped, speckled, and spotted males were popping up. Then God’s representative told me, ‘Jacob, look at all the speckled, spotted, and striped goats that are popping up. I’ve been watching what Laban has been doing to you. I am the God from that place you named Bethel [which means “God’s house”] where you anointed the monument and made that vow to me. It’s time to leave here and go back to the place where you were born.’”

Rachel and Leah told him,

“It's not like we have any share in Dad’s household or his inheritance anyway. He sees us as foreigners. He sold us and spent all the profits. That’s why God took away all that wealth from him and gave it to us and our kids now. Do whatever God has told you.”

Jacob’s Family Leaves; Rachel Steals Laban’s gods

So Jacob and his family loaded up the camels with their possessions, took all the livestock he had accquired in Syria, and started heading toward Canaan [Israel] where his dad Isaac lived. But before they left, Rachel stole some of dad’s idols while he was out sheering his sheep. Jacob also crossed Laban by not telling him that they were leaving. Jacob took all his belongings and just left. After they crossed the Euphrates they started heading towards the mountains in Gilead [east of the Jordan River]. 

Laban Pursues Jacob; God Tells Him to be Reasonable

Three days later, Laban found out that Jacob had left, so he rounded up his brothers and chased after him. After traveling a distance that normally would have taken a week, they caught up to Jacob in Gilead. That night, God visited Laban the Syrian in a dream and told him,

“When you talk to Jacob, don’t be overly pleasant with him or overly harsh.”

Laban Searches for Stolen gods, but Finds Nothing

So when Laban got there, they set up camp in the mountains close to Jacob. Laban approached him and said,

“Why’d you steal away like that, forcing my daughters along like war captives? And why’d you leave secretly without telling me? We could have had a happy send-off with tambourines, harps, and songs! What if I wanted to kiss my daughters and grandchildren a goodbye? That wasn’t smart, and I have every right to retaliate, but your dad’s God spoke to me last night telling me not to be overly pleasant or overly harsh with you. I realize that you just wanted to go back to your dad’s place, but why’d you have to steal my gods?”

Jacob said,

“I was scared because I thought you might force me to give back your daughters. Whichever one of us took your gods deserves to die. If you see anything that belongs to you, you can point it out right here in front of all our relatives and take it back.”

Jacob only said that because he didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them. 

So Laban searched Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the maids’ tent but didn’t find anything. Then he went into Rachel’s tent—but Rachel had put the idols on the camel’s saddle so that she was sitting on them. After Laban searched her entire tent and couldn’t find them, Rachel said,

“Please don’t get mad at me, but I can’t get off the camel since I’m on my woman’s time right now.”

So when Laban searched her camel, he couldn’t find his idols. 

Jacob Lashes Out at Laban

Then Jacob got mad and stood up to Laban saying,

“What did I do wrong? What did I do to offend you and warrant such a hot pursuit? You just manhandled all my belongings and what have you found that was rightfully yours? Put it out here where both our families can see, and let them decide! I spent the past 20 years working for you, and I always made sure not to eat any of your male goats so that your livestock could reproduce faster. Whenever wild animals attacked your animals I didn’t even tell you about it, because I just took the loss for myself. Yet whenever one of your animals got stolen, you charged me for it, day or night. I worked in the scorching heat all day and then endured the night frost, barely getting any sleep. I’ve been working your property for 20 years—14 for your daughters and 6 for your animals—and you changed my wages 10 times! If the God of my grandpa (Abraham) and my dad (Isaac) wouldn’t have been with me, then you probably would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen how miserable I’ve been and how hard I’ve been working, so he made things right last night.”

Jacob & Laban Form a Truce

Laban replied,

“Your wives are my daughters, your kids are my grandchildren, and your animals came from my livestock—everything you see here today originated from me. What should I do today to help my daughters and grandchildren? I know—let’s make an alliance that will serve as a witness between the two of us.”

So Jacob took a stone and stood it up as a monument. He told his family to gather some rocks and pile them up around it. Then they all ate together by the monument. Laban called it Jager-sahadutha [which means “witness”], while Jacob called it Galeed [which means “witness pile”]. Laban said,

“This pile is a witness between us today.”

So it became known as Galeed or Mizpah [which means “watchtower”], since Laban said,

“May the Existing One keep keep watch between us when we aren’t able to see each other. If you oppress my daughters or marry other women, God will be a witness between us even though I won’t be there to see it for myself. Observe this monument between us; it’s a witness. Neither of us will cross past it to harm the other one. Let the God of Abraham, Nahor [Abraham’s brother], and their father be the judge between us.”

So Jacob swore to it by the One who his father Isaac feared. Then Jacob slaughtered a sacrifice on the mountain and gathered his relatives for the meal. After eating together they all spent the night on the mountain. 

When Laban woke up early the next morning, he kissed his daughters and grandchildren then blessed them. Then Laban departed to go back to his place.