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39 the rods, while they were drinking, with the rods in view. So the flocks engendered at the rods and brought forth cattle 40 streaked and spotted and ash coloured. And when Jacob had separated the lambs and placed before the ewes a spotted ram and all that had spots among the lambs, then he kept the flocks which were for himself apart by themselves and did 41 not mix them with the flocks of Laban. And at the season when the sheep were engendering and conceiving, Jacob put the rods in the troughs before some, that they might engender before the rods; but before others that had lambed he did not 42 place them. Thus the indifferent became Laban's but the 43 choicest were Jacob's. And the man became very rich and had much cattle and herds and men servants and maid serXXXI. vants and camels and asses. And Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons saying, Jacob hath taken all that belonged to our father, and with our father's substance he hath 2 acquired all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and lo! it was not towards him as heretofore.

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Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to thy father's land 4 and to thy kindred and I will be with thee. Thereupon Jacob sent for Leia and Rachel to the field where the flocks were 5 and said to them, I see that the countenance of your father is 6 not towards me as heretofore. Though the God of my father 7 was with me; and you also know that with all my ability I have served your father; yet your father hath dealt deceitfully with me, and at the ten lambings hath changed my wages. 8 But God suffered him not to hurt me. When he said the speckled shall be thy wages, then all the cattle brought forth speckled. And when he said, The white shall be thy wages. 9 Then all the cattle brought forth white. So the Lord hath 10 taken all the cattle of your father and given them to me. Indeed when the flocks engendered I beheld with my eyes in a dream, and lo! the he-goats and the rams, which leaped upon the sheep and the goats were ring-streaked, spotted and ash 11 coloured. Moreover an angel of God said to me in a dream, 12 Jacob! And I said, What is the matter. And he said, Lift up

thy eyes and behold the he-goats and the rams which are leaping on the sheep and the goats! They are ring-streaked, speckled and ash coloured; for I have seen what Laban is do

13 ing to thee. I am the God who appeared to thee at the place of God, where thou didst anoint for me a pillar and where thou didst make a vow. Now therefore arise and depart from this land and go to the land of thy nativity, and I will be with 14 thee. In reply to which Rachel and Leia said to him, Have we 15 any more a portion or an inheritance in our father's house? Are

we not accounted by him as strangers? For he hath sold us 16 and spent the money he got for us. Now since all the riches

and glory which God hath taken from our father shall be ours and our children's, do then what God hath commanded thee. 17 So Jacob arose and put his wives and his children on camels, 18 and carried off all his substance, and all the goods which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to go to his father Isaak in the land of Chanaan.

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Now Laban being gone to sheer his sheep, Rachel stole 20 her father's idols. And Jacob concealed his design from Laban 21 the Syrian by not telling him that he was going away. And

he departed with all that belonged to him and crossed the river 22 and bent his course to mount Galaad. But on the third day

news was brought to Laban the Syrian, that Jacob was fled. 23 Whereupon taking with him his brethren he pursued him se24 ven days journey and overtook him at mount Galaad. But God

came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and said to him, 25 Take care that thou speak not evil to Jacob. Now when Laban

overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mount. So 26 Laban halted his brethren at mount Galaad. And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done? Why didst thou flee away secretly, and steal off without my knowledge, and carry away 27 my daughters as if captivated by the sword? Hadst thou told

me I might have sent thee away with joy and musick, with 23 timbrels and the kithara. But I have not been thought worthy 29 to kiss my children and my daughters. Now therefore thou

hast acted foolishly; and it is now in my power to punish thee. But the God of thy father spoke to me last night saying, Take 30 care that thou speak not evil to Jacob. Now grant that thou hast gone because thou hadst a longing desire to return to thy father's house, yet why hast thou stolen my Gods?

31 In reply to this Jacob said to Laban, I was afraid; for I thought that thou perhaps wouldst take from me thy daughters

32 and all that are mine: but said Jacob, with whomsoever thou findest thy Gods, let him not live. In the presence of our brethren, examine what there is of thine with me and take it. He 33 knew of nothing with him. Now Jacob did not know that his wife Rachel had stolen them. So when Laban had gone in and searched Leia's tent and found them not; and from Leia's tent had gone and searched the tent of Jacob and in the tent 34 of the two handmaids but did not find them. Then he went in

also to Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the idols and put 35 them in the camel's furniture and sat upon them, and she said to her father, Be not offended my lord, I cannot rise before thee, for the custom of women is upon me. So when Laban 36 had searched the whole tent but did not find the idols, Jacob was inflamed with resentment and remonstrated against Laban. And Jacob addressing Laban said, What is my crime, and what my offence that thou hast pursued me? And that thou 37 hast searched all the goods of my house? What hast thou found of all the goods of thy house? Set it here before thy brethren and my brethren and let them judge between us both. 38 These twenty years that I have been with thee, thy sheep and thy goats have not cast their young; nor have I devoured the 39 rams of thy flock. What was torn by wild beasts I brought not

to thee. I made up at my own expence the loss of what was 40 stolen by day or by night. I have borne the sultry heat of the

day and the frost of the night, and sleep departed from my 41 eyes. I have been in thy family these twenty years. I served

thee fourteen years for thy two daughters; and six years for thy flocks; though thou didst change my wages at the ten lamb42 ings. Had not the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaak been with me, thou wouldst now have sent me away empty. God hath seen my affliction and the labour of my 43 hands, therefore he rebuked thee last night. In reply to this Laban said to Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the cattle are my cattle. Even all that thou seest are mine and my daughters. What 44 now can I do to them and their children whom they have born? Now therefore come and let us make a covenant, both I and thou. And let it be for a memorial between me and thee. And he said to him, Behold there is none with us; God a witness

45 between me and thee hath seen. Then Jacob took a stone and 46 set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said to his brethren, Collect

stones. And when they had collected stones and made a heap, 47 they eat thereon. Then Laban said to him, This heap is this day a witness between me and thee; so Laban called it, The 48 heap of witness; but Jacob called it Heap witness. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap and this pillar which I have set between me and thee! This heap witnesseth and this pillar witnesseth (for this cause its name was called Heap wit49 nesseth and the sight, which said he, God would see between

me and thee, because we shall be separated one from the 50 other) if thou afflict my daughters, if thou take other wives

besides my daughters, look! though there be none with us to 51 see, God is a witness between me and thee. Moreover Laban 52 said to Jacob, Behold; this heap is a witness and this pillar

also, that if I pass not to thee neither shalt thou pass to me be53 yond this heap and this pillar for harm. The God of Abraham 54 and the God of Nachor judge between us. And Jacob swore

by the Fear of his father Isaak. Then he offered a sacrifice upon the mount and invited his brethren and they ate and drank 55 and slept on the mount. And in the morning Laban arose and XXXII. kissed his daughters and blessed them. And Laban

departed and went to his place and Jacob proceeded on his journey. And raising his eyes he saw a camp of God pitched 2 and messengers of God were coming to meet him. And when Jacob saw them he said, That is a camp of God, So he called the name of that place Camps.

3 Now Jacob had sent messengers before him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom, and had 4 given them a charge, saying, Thus shall you say to my lord 5 Esau, Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and staid till now. And I have got oxen and asses and sheep and men servants and maid servants. And I have sent to give notice to my lord Esau, that thy servant may find fa6 vour in thy sight. So the messengers returned to Jacob and said, We have been to thy brother Esau; and lo! he is coming 7 to meet thee; and four hundred men with him. Thereupon Jacob was greatly terrified and distressed. And he divided the people who were with him and the cattle and the camels and

8 the flocks into two camps. And Jacob said, If Esau come to the first camp and smite it, there will be another camp to 9 escape. Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and the God of my father Isaak, Thou, O Lord, who saidst to me, Return to the land of thy nativity, and I will deal well with 10 thee; let me be satisfied with all the kindness and with all the truth which thou hast shewn to thy servant. For with this staff of mine I crossed the Jordan, but now I am become two 11 camps. Deliver me from the hand of my brother-from the hand of Esau; for I am afraid of him. Peradventure he may 12 come and smite me and the mother with the children. But thou hast said, I will deal well with thee and make thy seed like the sand of the sea, which, for multitude cannot be num13 bered. So he halted there that night and took presents of what 14 he had brought and sent to his brother Esau two hun15 dred she-goats and twenty he-goats; two hundred ewes and

twenty rams; thirty milch camels with their thirty colts; forty 16 cows and ten bulls; twenty asses and ten foles. These he de

livered to his servants, each drove by itself, and he said to his servants, Go on before me and make a small distance between 17 drove and drove. And he gave orders to the first saying, If

my brother Esau meet thee and ask thee saying, To whom dost thou belong, and whither art thou going? And whose are 18 these before thee? thou shalt say, They belong to thy ser

vant Jacob-presents which he hath sent to my lord Esau. 19 And lo! he is behind us. This charge he gave to the first, and to the second, and to the third, and to all who went before him after their droves, saying, In this manner speak to Esau when 20 you meet him. Moreover ye shall say, Behold thy servant Jacob is coming behind us. For he said, I will appease him with these previous gifts, and afterwards I will look him in the face, perhaps he will receive me favourably.

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So the presents went on before him; but he lay that night 22 in the camp. And he arose in the night and took his two wives

with the two handmaids and his eleven sons and crossed the 23 ford of Jabok. And when he had taken and conducted them

over the brook he caused all belonging to him to cross over; 24 and Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him till 25 the morning. And when he saw that he could not prevail

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