Jacob and His Family Flee from Laban

31:1-21

31 Then one day Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining and saying, “Jacob has taken for himself everything that our father owned. In fact, he has gotten all his riches by taking the animals that were our father’s!” 2 Jacob also noticed that Laban no longer acted friendly toward him the way he did in the past. 3 Then Yahweh told Jacob, “Return to your ancestors’ homeland, where your relatives live, and I will stay with you and help you.”

4 So Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leah that they should meet him at the field where he was with his flocks of sheep and goats. 5 When they arrived, he said to them, “I have noticed that your father no longer acts friendly toward me the way he did in the past, but the God whom my father serves has stayed with me and has helped me. 6 You both know how I have worked for your father as hard as I could, 7 but he has cheated me by changing what he pays me ten times. However, God has not permitted him to hurt me. 8 For example, every time that he told me that the speckled animals would be my pay, all the female animals in the flocks gave birth to speckled young. But whenever he changed his mind and told me that the striped animals would be my pay, then they all gave birth to streaked young. 9 In that way, God has taken your father’s animals from him and has given them to me.

10 “One time during the season when the flocks of sheep and goats were mating, I had a dream. In the dream I looked around and was surprised to see that the only male goats and sheep that were mating with the female goats and sheep were striped, speckled, or blotched. 11 Then an angel from God called to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ and I answered, ‘Yes, Lord?’ 12 Then he said to me, ‘Look around and notice that all the male goats and sheep that are mating with the female goats and sheep are striped, speckled, or blotched. I have caused that to happen, because I have noticed all the wrong things that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at the town of Bethel, where you poured oil on top of a memorial stone to dedicate the place to me, and where you made an oath to me. So then, get ready and leave this land immediately, and go back to your home land.’ ”

14 Then Rachel and Leah responded to Jacob, “We will not inherit anything from our father when he dies! 15 It is obvious that he treats us like strangers and not family. For example, he sold us to you, and then he spent all the money that should have been ours. 16 In fact, all the wealth that God has taken from our father rightfully belongs to us and our children. So then, you should do everything that God has told you to do.”

17 So Jacob quickly got ready for the journey and helped his wives and his children get up onto some camels. 18 Then he started herding the camels and all his other animals toward the region of Canaan where his father Isaac lived. He took with him all his possessions that he had accumulated, including all the livestock that he had acquired while living in the region of Paddan Aram.

19 Now before that, Laban the Aramean had gone away for several days to shear his sheep. While her father was gone, Rachel entered his tent and stole his idols that he worshiped. 20 At the same time, Jacob also deceived Laban by fleeing secretly without telling him that he was leaving. 21 So in that way Jacob ran away with his family and took everything that they owned. They quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.