40. Nearly caught (31:17-42)

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Laban's gods

17 YAKOV got up and lifted

his children and his wives onto the camels

18 he took all the animals

and all his belongings

that he had acquired in Padan-Aram

to go to his father Yitzhak's house

in the land of Canaan

19 when Laban had gone to shear the flock

Rachel stole her father's idols

20 Yakov deceived Laban

by not warning the Aramean

that he was going to flee

21 Yakov fled with all he had

he reached the river and crossed to the other side

he set out towards the mountain of Gil'ad

22 Laban was told on the third day

that Yakov had fled away

23 he took his kinsmen with him

and ran after him

and in seven days' time

he caught up
on the mountain of Gil'ad

24 God came before Laban the Aramean

when he dreamt at night

he told him: don't you talk

to Yakov about what's right

or wrong

25 Laban presented himself

where Yakov was

Yakov had set up his tent on the mountain

Laban set up his tent with his kinsmen

on the mountain of Gil'ad

26 Laban said to Yakov:

what have you done?

you have deceived me

and you've carried away my daughters

like prisoners under a sword!

27 why have you run away in secret

and deceived me

and not told me?

I would have seen you off with a celebration

music and singing!

28 you didn't allow me

to kiss my grandchildren goodbye

or my daughters

like a fool

you have acted!

29 I could do with you what I wanted

nonetheless, the God of your father

came to speak to me at night:

"don't talk to Yakov

about what's right or wrong"

30 very well, so you went

because you long

for your father's house

but why have you stolen

my gods?

31 Yakov replied

and said to Laban:

because I was afraid

I thought: lest you take away

your daughters from me

32 and whomever you find your gods with

will not live in the presence of our people

go ahead, search me for anything that is yours

and take it
Yakov didn't know that Rachel had stolen them

33 Laban entered Yakov's dwelling and Leah's

and those of the two maidservants

not finding anything

he came out of Leah's tent

and entered Rachel's place

34 now Rachel had taken the idols

and put them in the camel's saddle

and sat on top of them

Laban searched the whole tent

and didn't find them

35 she said to her father: let not my lord be angry

I cannot get up in front of you

for I am with the way of women

so although he searched everywhere

he couldn't find the idols

36 Yakov grew angry, he scolded Laban

he responded and began to criticise him:

what have I done?

what have you got against me?

why do you want to catch me?

37 you searched through all my belongings

and what did you find of yours?

put it here

in front of everyone

and let us see who is in the right!

38 these twenty years I have been with you

not a sheep nor a goat miscarried

I haven't so much as eaten a lamb

39 nor have I brought an injured sheep to you

but that I paid you for it myself

what was lost by day, you demanded of me at night

40 in the daytime I suffered in the heat

by night I shivered with cold

wide-eyed I could not sleep

41 a score of years I've spent in your house

I worked for fourteen years

for your two daughters

and six years for your flock

you changed my pay twenty times

42 if I didn't have the God of my father on my side

the God of Abraham, the fear of Yitzhak

you'd have sent me away empty-handed

God has seen my plight and the labour of my hands

and yesterday he helped me