Jacob Runs Away From Laban
1Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.
3Then the Lord spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.”
4So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He told them to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5He said to them, “I see that your father’s feelings toward me have changed. But the God of my father has been with me. 6You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength. 7But your father has cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. In spite of everything that’s happened, God hasn’t let him harm me. 8Sometimes Laban would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with speckles. At other times he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with stripes. 9So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10“Once during the mating season I had a dream. In my dream I looked and saw male goats mating with the flock. The goats had stripes, speckles or spots. 11The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12He said, ‘Look around you. See the male goats mating with the flock. All of them have stripes, speckles or spots. That’s because I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. 13I am the God of Bethel. That is where you poured olive oil on a sacred stone. There you made a promise to me. Now leave this land. Go back to your own land.’ ”
14Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share of our father’s property? 15Doesn’t our father think of us as outsiders? First he sold us. Now he has used up what he was paid for us. 16All the wealth God took away from our father really belongs to us and our children. So do what God has told you to do.”
17Then Jacob put his children and wives on camels. 18He drove all his livestock ahead of him. He also took with him everything he had acquired in Paddan Aram. He left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19Laban had gone to clip the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the statues of the family gods that belonged to her father. 20And that’s not all. Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean. He didn’t tell him he was running away. 21So Jacob ran off with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River. And he headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Laban Chases Jacob
22On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away. 23He took his relatives with him and went after Jacob. Seven days later he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24Then God came to Laban, the Aramean, in a dream at night. He said to him, “Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.”
25Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. 27Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps. 28You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. 29I have the power to harm you. But last night the God of your father spoke to me. He said, ‘Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.’ 30Now you have run away. You longed to go back to your father’s home. But why did you have to steal the statues of my gods?”
31Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32But if you find anyone who has the statues of your gods, that person will not remain alive. While our relatives are watching, look for yourself. See if there’s anything of yours here with me. If you find anything belonging to you, take it.” But Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the statues.
33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent. He went into the tent of their two female servants. But he didn’t find anything. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34Rachel was the one who had taken the statues of Laban’s family gods. She had put them inside her camel’s saddle. She was sitting on them. Laban searched the whole tent. But he didn’t find anything.
35Rachel said to her father, “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t get up for you right now. But don’t be angry with me. I’m having my monthly period.” So he searched everywhere but couldn’t find the statues of his gods.
36Jacob was very angry with Laban. “What is my crime?” he asked. “What have I done to you that you hunt me down like this? 37You have searched through all my things. What have you found that belongs to your family? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine. Let them decide between the two of us.
38“I’ve been with you for 20 years now. The little ones of your sheep and goats were not dead when they were born. I haven’t eaten rams from your flocks. 39I didn’t bring you animals torn apart by wild beasts. I made up for the loss myself. Also, you made me pay for anything stolen by day or night. 40And what was my life like? The heat burned me in the daytime. And it was so cold at night that I froze. I couldn’t sleep. 41That’s what it was like for the 20 years I was living with you. I worked for 14 years to marry your two daughters. I worked for six years to get my share of your flocks. You changed my pay ten times. 42But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God Isaac worshiped. If he hadn’t been with me, you would surely have sent me away without anything to show for all my work. But God has seen my hard times. He has seen all the work my hands have done. So last night he warned you.”
43Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had? 44Come now. Let’s make a formal agreement, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”
45So Jacob set up a stone as a way to remember. 46He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it. 47Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.
48Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. 49It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
51Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this pile of stones. And here is this stone I’ve set up. I’ve set them up between you and me. 52This pile is a witness. And this stone is a witness. They are witnesses that I won’t go past this pile to harm you. And they are witnesses that you won’t go past this pile and this stone to harm me. 53The God of Abraham and Nahor is also the God of their father. May their God decide which of us is right.”
So Jacob made a promise using the name of the God his father Isaac worshiped. 54He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country. And he invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.
55Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He gave them his blessing. Then he left and returned home.
雅各逃离拉班
1雅各听见拉班的儿子们说：“雅各夺去了我们父亲的一切！他的财富都是从我们父亲那里得来的。” 2雅各发觉拉班对他的态度不如从前了。 3这时，耶和华对雅各说：“回到你的家乡和亲族那里吧！我必与你同在。” 4于是，雅各就派人把拉结和利亚叫到放羊的地方， 5对她们说：“我感到你们父亲对我不如从前了，但我父亲的上帝常与我同在。 6你们知道我是怎样尽心尽力地替你们父亲工作， 7他却欺骗我，把我的工酬更改了十次。然而，上帝不让他苦待我。 8如果他说把有斑点的羊给我当酬劳，羊群生的就都是有斑点的；如果他说把有条纹的给我，羊群生的就都是有条纹的。 9上帝就这样把你们父亲的牲畜夺过来给了我。
10“在羊群交配的季节，我梦见所有和母羊交配的公羊都是有条纹或有斑点的。 11在梦中，上帝的天使叫我，我说，‘仆人在。’ 12他说，‘拉班对你的所作所为，我都看见了。现在你留心看看，与母羊交配的公羊都是有条纹或有斑点的。 13我就是你在伯特利遇见的上帝。你在那里用油浇过柱子，向我许过愿。现在，你要动身离开这里，回到你的家乡。’”
14拉结和利亚说：“父亲的家产没有我们的份儿， 15我们早就被当作外人了，他卖了我们，把我们的身价全部吞了。 16上帝从我们父亲那里夺过来的一切财产，本来就属于我们和我们的儿女。现在你只管照上帝的吩咐做吧！”
17雅各便起来让儿女和妻子都骑上骆驼， 18带着他在巴旦·亚兰得到的所有牲畜和财物，启程去迦南的父亲以撒那里。 19那时拉班正在外面剪羊毛，拉结偷了父亲的家庭神像。 20雅各不辞而别，背着亚兰人拉班偷偷地跑了。 21他带着所有的一切渡过幼发拉底河，逃往基列山区。
拉班追赶雅各
22到了第三天，拉班才知道雅各逃走了。 23于是，他带着族人去追赶，追了七天，在基列山区追上了雅各。 24当天晚上，上帝在梦中对亚兰人拉班说：“你要当心，不可对雅各多说什么。”
25拉班追上了雅各，那时雅各在基列山搭起帐篷，拉班和他的族人也在那里搭起帐篷。 26拉班对雅各说：“你做的是什么？你欺瞒我，把我的女儿像战俘一样带走。 27你为什么要偷偷地溜走？你为什么不告诉我，我好击鼓、弹琴、唱歌欢送你？ 28你甚至不让我亲吻外孙和女儿，与他们道别，你这样做真愚蠢。 29我有能力伤害你，但你父亲的上帝昨夜对我说，‘你要小心，不可对雅各多说什么。’ 30你思家心切，一定要走，但你为什么要偷走我的神像呢？”
31雅各对拉班说：“我逃跑是因为害怕你会夺回你的女儿。 32至于你的神像，你在谁身上搜出来，谁就是该死的。你可以当着众弟兄的面察看，如果在我这里有什么物件是你的，你只管拿走。”雅各不知道拉结偷走了神像。
33拉班进入雅各、利亚和两个婢女的帐篷搜查，却搜不出什么。拉班离开利亚的帐篷进入拉结的帐篷， 34那时拉结已经把神像藏在骆驼的鞍座里，自己坐在上面。拉班搜遍了整个帐篷什么也找不到。 35拉结对父亲说：“父亲，请别生气，我有月事在身，不便起来。”结果，拉班搜来搜去找不到神像。
36雅各发怒，斥责拉班说：“我做错了什么、犯了什么罪以致你对我穷追不舍？ 37你搜遍我所有的东西，搜到了什么？现在就当着众弟兄的面拿出来，让他们评评理吧！ 38我在你家这二十年，你的母绵羊、母山羊没有掉过胎，我也没有吃过你公羊的肉。 39我没有把被野兽撕裂的羊带来给你，而是自己赔上。无论在白昼或黑夜被偷去的，你都要我赔偿。 40我白天受尽烈日煎熬，晚上饱尝夜露寒霜，不得好睡。 41这二十年来，我为了你的两个女儿，替你工作了十四年，又用了六年才从你那里得到这些羊，你把我的工钱更改了十次。 42如果不是我父亲以撒敬畏的上帝，就是亚伯拉罕的上帝与我同在，你肯定会让我两手空空地回家。但上帝看见了我的难处和劳苦，所以在昨夜责备了你。”
雅各和拉班立约
43拉班回答说：“女儿是我的，这些孩子是我的，羊群也是我的，你的一切都是我的，我又怎会伤害我的女儿和她们的孩子呢？ 44来吧，你我立约为证。” 45于是，雅各拿来一块石头，立作柱子， 46又吩咐族人去收集石头。他们把石头堆成一堆，在旁边吃喝。 47拉班称那石堆为伊迦尔·撒哈杜他31:47 “伊迦尔·撒哈杜他”意思是“做见证的石堆”。，雅各却称那石堆为迦累得31:47 “迦累得”意思是“以石堆为证”。。
48拉班说：“今日，这石堆是你我之间的凭证。”因此，那地方名叫迦累得， 49又叫米斯巴，因为拉班说：“我们分手以后，愿上帝亲自鉴察我们。 50倘若你虐待我的女儿，或在她们以外另娶妻子，即使没人知道，也有上帝在你我之间做见证。”
51拉班又说：“看我在你我之间立的这石堆和石柱。 52这石堆和石柱都是凭证，我一定不会越过石堆去害你，你也不可越过石堆和石柱来害我。 53愿亚伯拉罕和拿鹤的上帝，就是他们父亲的上帝，在你我之间判断是非。”雅各便在他父亲以撒敬畏的上帝面前起誓， 54又在山上献祭，请众弟兄吃饭。饭后，他们一同在山上过夜。
55拉班清早起来，亲吻外孙和女儿，给他们祝福，然后回家去了。
