Then he took his brethren with him and followed after him
seven days' journey, and overtook him at the mount Gilead. And God came
to Laban the Sirian in a dream by night, and said unto him: take heed
to thyself, that thou speak not to Iacob ought save good. And Laban
overtook Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his tent in that mount. And Laban
with his brethren pitched their tent also upon the mount Gilead. Then
said Laban to Iacob: why hast thou this done unknowing to me, {done to
steal away my heart} and hast carried away my daughters as though they
had been taken captive with sword? Wherefore wentest thou away secretly
unknown to me and didst not tell me, that I might have brought thee on
the way with mirth, singing, timbrels and harps, and hast not suffered
me to kiss my children and my daughters?. Thou wast a fool to do it,
for I am able to do you evil. But the God of your father spake unto me
yesterday saying take heed that thou speak not to Iacob ought save
good. And now though thou wentest thy way because thou longest after
thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? Iacob
answered and said to Laba: because I was afraid, and thought that thou
wouldest have taken away thy daughters from me. But with whomsoever
thou findest thy gods, let him die here before our brethren. Seek that
thine is by me, and take it to thee: for Iacob wist not that Rahel had
stolen them. Then went Laban into Iacob's tent, and into Lea's tent,
and into two maidens' tents: but found them not. Then went he out of
Lea's tent, and entered into Rahel's tent. And Rahel took the images,
and put them in the camel's straw, and sat down upon them. And Laban
searched all the tent: but found them not. Then said she to her father:
my lord, be not angry that I can not rise up before thee, for the
disease of women is come upon me. So searched he, but found them not.
Iacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iacob also answered and said to
him: what have I trespassed or what have I offended, that thou
followedest after me? Thou hast searched all my stuff, and what hast
thou found of all thy household stuff? put it here before thy brethren
and mine, and let them judge betwixt us both. This twenty years that I
have been with thee, thy sheep and thy goats have not been barren, and
the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. Whatsoever was torn of beasts I
brought it not unto thee, but made it good myself: of my hand didst
thou require it, whether it was stolen by day or night. Moreover by day
the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep departed from
mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house, and served thee
fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy sheep, and
thou hast changed my reward ten times. And except the God of my father,
the God of Abraham, and the God whom Isaac feareth, had been with me:
surely thou hadst sent me away now all empty. But God beheld my
tribulation, and the labour of my, hands: and rebuked thee yesterday.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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