1   After he heard the wordes of Labans sonnes saying: Iacob hath taken al that was our fathers, and being enriched of his substance, is become great:

2   and perceauing also Labans countenance, that it was not towards him as yesterday and the other day,

3   especially our Lord saying to him: Returne into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kinred, and I wil be with thee.

4   He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flockes,

5   and said to them: I see your fathers countenance that it is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: and the God of my father hath bene with me.

6   And your selues knowe that I haue serued your father to the vttermost of my power.

7   Yea your father also hath circumuented me, and hath changed my wages tenne times: and yet God hath not suffred him to hurt me.

8   If at any time he said: They of diuers colours shal be thy wages: al the sheepe brought forth young of diuers colours, but when he said contrarie: Thou shalt take al the white ones for thy wages: al the flockes brought forth white ones.

9   And God hath taken your fathers substance, and geuen it to me.

10   For after the time came of the ewes conceauing, I lifted vp mine eyes, and sawe in my sleepe the males ascending vpon the females of diuers colours, and the spotted, and the speckled.

11   And the angel of God said to me in sleepe:

Iacob. Iacob? And I answered: Here I am.

12   Who said: Lyft vp thine eyes, and see al the males ascending vpon the females, them of diuers colours, the spotted and the speckled. For I haue seene al things that Laban hath done to thee.

13   I am the God of Bathel, where thou didest ^note annointe the stone, and didest vowe the vowe vnto me. Now therfore arise, and goe out of this land, returning into the land of thy natiuitie.

14   And Rachel and Lia answered: Haue we any thing left in the goods, and heritage of our fathers house?

15   Hath he not reputed vs as strangers, and sould vs, and eaten vp the price of vs?

16   But God hath taken our fathers riches, and deliuered them to vs, and to our children: wherfore do al things, that God hath commanded thee.

17   Iacob therfore rose vp, and setting his children, and wiues vpon camels, went his way.

18   And he tooke al his substance, and flockes, and whatsoeuer he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father into the land of Chanaan.

19   At that time Laban was gone to sheare his sheepe, and Rachel stole the09Q0075 idols of her father. ^note

20   And Iacob would not confesse to his father in lawe that he fled.

21   And when he was gone aswel him selfe as al things that were his right, and hauing passed the riuer was marching on to Mount Galaad,

22   it was told Laban the third day that Iacob fled.

23   Who, taking his brethren vnto him, pursued him seuen dayes: and he ouertoke him in the Mount Galaad.

24   And he saw in his sleepe God saying vnto him: Take hede thou speake not roughly anie thing against Iacob.

25   And Iacob had now pitched his tent in the mountaine: and when he with his brethren had ouertaken him, he pitched his tent in the same Mount Galaad.

26   And he said to Iacob: Why didest thou so, that vnwitting to me thou wouldest carie away my daughters as captiues with the sword?

27   Why wouldest thou flee without my knowledge, and not tel me, that I might haue brought thee on the way with ioy, and songues, and timbrels, and cithernes?

28   Thou hast not suffred me to kisse my sonnes and daughters: thou hast donne foolishly: now also in dede,

29   my hand is able to requite thee euil: but the God of your father said vnto me yesterday: Take hede thou speake not any thing against Iacob roughly.

30   Suppose, thou diddest desire to goe to thy freinds, and hadest a longing to thy fathers house: why didest thou steale

Iacob. my godds?

31   Iacob answered: In that I departed vnwitting to thee, I feared lest thou wouldest take away thy daughters by force.

32   But wheras thou chargest me with theft: with whom soeuer thou shalt find thy goddes, let him be slaine before our brethen. search, what soeuer of thy things thou shalt finde with me, and take away. Saying this, he knew not that Rachel had stollen the idols.

33   Laban therfore hauing gone into the tent of Iacob, and of Lia, and of both the hand-maides, found them not. And when he was entred into Rachels tent,

34   she in hast hid the idols vnder the camels litter, and satte therupon: and when he had sought al the tent, and found nothing,

35   she said: Let not my lord be angrie that I can not rise vp before thee, because according to the custome of wemen it is now chanced to me. so his carefulnes in seeking was deluded.

36   And Iacob being ^note angrie said in chiding maner: For what fault of myne, and for what offence of my part hast thou so chaffed after me,

37   and searched al my houshould stuffe? What hast thou found of al the sabstance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and let them iudge betwen me & thee.

38   Haue I therfore bene with thee twentie yeares? thy ewes and goates were not barren, the wethers of thy flocke I did not eate:

39   neyther that which the beast had caught did I shew to thee, I made good al the damage: whatsoeuer perished by theft, thou didest exact it of me:

40   day and night was I parched with heate, and with frost, and sleepe did flye from myne eyes.

41   And in this sorte haue I serued thee in thy house twentie yeares, fourtene for thy daughters, and six for thy flockes: thou hast changed also my wages tenne times.

42   Vnles the God of my father Abraham, and the feare of Isaac had holpe me, peraduenture now thou haddest sent me away naked: God beheld my affliction and the laboure of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

43   Laban answered him: The daughters are mine and the children, and thy flockes, and al things that thou seest are mine: what can I do to my daughters, and nephews?

44   Come therfore, let vs enter in league: that it may be for a testimonie betwen me and thee.

45   Iacob therfore tooke a stone, and erected it for a title:

46   and he said to his brethren: Bring hither stones. Who gethering them together made a heape, and they did eate vpon it:

47   Which

Iacob. Laban called The witnesse heape: and Iacob called The hillock of testimonie, either of them according to the proprietie of his language.

48   And Laban said: This heape shal be a witnes betwen me and thee this day, and therfore the name therof was called Galaad, that is, The witnes heape.

49   Our Lord behold and iudge betwen vs when we shal be departed one from the other,

50   if thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou bring in other wiues ouer them: none is witnes of our talke but God, who is present and beholdeth.

51   And he said againe to Iacob: Behold this heape, and the stone which I haue erected betwen me and thee,

52   shal be a witnes: this heape, I say, and the stone be they for a testimonie, if either I shal passe beyond it going towards thee, or thou shalt passe beyond it, thinking harme to me.

53   The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor iudge betwen vs, the God of their father. Iacob therfore sware by the feare of his father Isaac:

54   and after he had offred victimes in the mountaine, he called his brethren to eate bread. Who when they had eaten, lodged there:

55   but Laban arising in the night, kissed his sonnes, and daughters, and blessed them: and returned vnto his place.

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