Bible in Basic English
And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.
And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him for seven days and overtook him in the hill-country of Gilead.
Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead.
And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?
Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?
You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.
It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken my gods?
And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force.
As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them.
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.
Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them.
And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images.
Then Jacob was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion?
Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us.
These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food.
Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night.
This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed.
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back.
Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children?
Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.
Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.
And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.
And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.
And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,
And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.
If you are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us.
And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;
They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose.
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.
And Jacob made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that night on the mountain.
And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.
— Genesis 31:22-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad." Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead. Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn't tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp; and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly. It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad.' Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?" Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.' Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them. Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn't find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt about all the tent, but didn't find them. She said to her father, "Don't let my lord be angry that I can't rise up before you; for I'm having my period." He searched, but didn't find the teraphim. Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me? Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two. "These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven't eaten the rams of your flocks. That which was torn of animals, I didn't bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night." Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you." Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Galeed and Mizpah, for he said, "Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you." Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain. Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.”
Now Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house.
And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.
So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead.
And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.
And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him for seven days and overtook him in the hill-country of Gilead.
Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead.
And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?
Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?
You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.
It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken my gods?
And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force.
As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them.
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.
Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them.
And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images.
Then Jacob was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion?
Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us.
These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food.
Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night.
This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed.
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back.
Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children?
Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.
Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.
And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.
And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.
And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,
And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.
If you are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us.
And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;
They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose.
May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.
And Jacob made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that night on the mountain.
And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.