Genesis 31 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

Genesis 31:1-55

Jacob Flees From Laban

1Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.

3Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, 7yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

10“In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’ ”

14Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

17Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

25Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels 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 said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?”

31Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.

35Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.

36Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged you that you hunt me down? 37Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.

38“I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

43Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”

45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.

48Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 49It was also called Mizpah,31:49 Mizpah means watchtower. because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

51Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 52This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”

So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 54He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and 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 and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.31:55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

創世記 31:1-55

雅各逃離拉班

1雅各聽見拉班的兒子們說:「雅各奪去了我們父親的一切!他的財富都是從我們父親那裡得來的。」 2雅各發覺拉班對他的態度不如從前了。 3這時,耶和華對雅各說:「回到你的家鄉和親族那裡吧!我必與你同在。」 4於是,雅各就派人把拉結利亞叫到放羊的地方, 5對她們說:「我感到你們父親對我不如從前了,但我父親的上帝常與我同在。 6你們知道我是怎樣盡心盡力地替你們父親工作, 7他卻欺騙我,把我的工酬更改了十次。然而,上帝不讓他苦待我。 8如果他說把有斑點的羊給我當酬勞,羊群生的就都是有斑點的;如果他說把有條紋的給我,羊群生的就都是有條紋的。 9上帝就這樣把你們父親的牲畜奪過來給了我。

10「在羊群交配的季節,我夢見所有和母羊交配的公羊都是有條紋或有斑點的。 11在夢中,上帝的天使叫我,我說,『僕人在。』 12他說,『拉班對你的所作所為,我都看見了。現在你留心看看,與母羊交配的公羊都是有條紋或有斑點的。 13我就是你在伯特利遇見的上帝。你在那裡用油澆過柱子,向我許過願。現在,你要動身離開這裡,回到你的家鄉。』」

14拉結利亞說:「父親的家產沒有我們的份兒, 15我們早就被當作外人了,他賣了我們,把我們的身價全部吞了。 16上帝從我們父親那裡奪過來的一切財產,本來就屬於我們和我們的兒女。現在你只管照上帝的吩咐做吧!」

17雅各便起來讓兒女和妻子都騎上駱駝, 18帶著他在巴旦·亞蘭得到的所有牲畜和財物,啟程去迦南的父親以撒那裡。 19那時拉班正在外面剪羊毛,拉結偷了父親的家庭神像。 20雅各不辭而別,背著亞蘭拉班偷偷地跑了。 21他帶著所有的一切渡過幼發拉底河,逃往基列山區。

拉班追趕雅各

22到了第三天,拉班才知道雅各逃走了。 23於是,他帶著族人去追趕,追了七天,在基列山區追上了雅各24當天晚上,上帝在夢中對亞蘭拉班說:「你要當心,不可對雅各多說什麼。」

25拉班追上了雅各,那時雅各基列山搭起帳篷,拉班和他的族人也在那裡搭起帳篷。 26拉班雅各說:「你做的是什麼?你欺瞞我,把我的女兒像戰俘一樣帶走。 27你為什麼要偷偷地溜走?你為什麼不告訴我,我好擊鼓、彈琴、唱歌歡送你? 28你甚至不讓我親吻外孫和女兒,與他們道別,你這樣做真愚蠢。 29我有能力傷害你,但你父親的上帝昨夜對我說,『你要小心,不可對雅各多說什麼。』 30你思家心切,一定要走,但你為什麼要偷走我的神像呢?」

31雅各拉班說:「我逃跑是因為害怕你會奪回你的女兒。 32至於你的神像,你在誰身上搜出來,誰就是該死的。你可以當著眾弟兄的面察看,如果在我這裡有什麼物件是你的,你只管拿走。」雅各不知道拉結偷走了神像。

33拉班進入雅各利亞和兩個婢女的帳篷搜查,卻搜不出什麼。拉班離開利亞的帳篷進入拉結的帳篷, 34那時拉結已經把神像藏在駱駝的鞍座裡,自己坐在上面。拉班搜遍了整個帳篷什麼也找不到。 35拉結對父親說:「父親,請別生氣,我有月事在身,不便起來。」結果,拉班搜來搜去找不到神像。

36雅各發怒,斥責拉班說:「我做錯了什麼、犯了什麼罪以致你對我窮追不捨? 37你搜遍我所有的東西,搜到了什麼?現在就當著眾弟兄的面拿出來,讓他們評評理吧! 38我在你家這二十年,你的母綿羊、母山羊沒有掉過胎,我也沒有吃過你公羊的肉。 39我沒有把被野獸撕裂的羊帶來給你,而是自己賠上。無論在白晝或黑夜被偷去的,你都要我賠償。 40我白天受盡烈日煎熬,晚上飽嚐夜露寒霜,不得好睡。 41這二十年來,我為了你的兩個女兒,替你工作了十四年,又用了六年才從你那裡得到這些羊,你把我的工錢更改了十次。 42如果不是我父親以撒敬畏的上帝,就是亞伯拉罕的上帝與我同在,你肯定會讓我兩手空空地回家。但上帝看見了我的難處和勞苦,所以在昨夜責備了你。」

雅各和拉班立約

43拉班回答說:「女兒是我的,這些孩子是我的,羊群也是我的,你的一切都是我的,我又怎會傷害我的女兒和她們的孩子呢? 44來吧,你我立約為證。」 45於是,雅各拿來一塊石頭,立作柱子, 46又吩咐族人去收集石頭。他們把石頭堆成一堆,在旁邊吃喝。 47拉班稱那石堆為伊迦爾·撒哈杜他31·47 伊迦爾·撒哈杜他」意思是「做見證的石堆」。雅各卻稱那石堆為迦累得31·47 迦累得」意思是「以石堆為證」。

48拉班說:「今日,這石堆是你我之間的憑證。」因此,那地方名叫迦累得49又叫米斯巴,因為拉班說:「我們分手以後,願上帝親自鑒察我們。 50倘若你虐待我的女兒,或在她們以外另娶妻子,即使沒人知道,也有上帝在你我之間做見證。」

51拉班又說:「看我在你我之間立的這石堆和石柱。 52這石堆和石柱都是憑證,我一定不會越過石堆去害你,你也不可越過石堆和石柱來害我。 53亞伯拉罕拿鶴的上帝,就是他們父親的上帝,在你我之間判斷是非。」雅各便在他父親以撒敬畏的上帝面前起誓, 54又在山上獻祭,請眾弟兄吃飯。飯後,他們一同在山上過夜。

55拉班清早起來,親吻外孫和女兒,給他們祝福,然後回家去了。