Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing;

and he fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face toward the mount of Gilead.

And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled,

and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead.

And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramaean in a dream of the night, and saith to him, `Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.'

And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed theirs in the mount of Gilead.

And Laban saith to Jacob, `What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword?

Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp,

and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? --now thou hast acted foolishly in doing so ;

my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.

`And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?'

And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, `Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me;

with whomsoever thou findest thy gods--he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what is with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath stolen them.

And Laban goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent of Rachel.

And Rachel hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found;

and she saith unto her father, `Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women is on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim.

And it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, `What is my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned after me?

for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both.

`These twenty years I am with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten;

the torn I have not brought in unto thee--I, I repay it--from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night;

I have been thus : in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes.

`This is to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times;

unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.'

And Laban answereth and saith unto Jacob, `The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing is mine; and to my daughters--what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born?

and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.'