Bible in Basic English
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 31:29-1964, Bible in Basic English
“I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night,‘Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” “I left secretly because I was afraid!” Jacob replied to Laban.“I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force. Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! In the presence of our relatives identify whatever is yours and take it.”(Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. Rachel said to her father,“Don’t be angry, my lord. I cannot stand up in your presence because I am having my period.” So he searched thoroughly, but did not find the idols. Jacob became angry and argued with Laban.“What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban.“What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? Set it here before my relatives and yours, and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether it was taken by day or at night. I was consumed by scorching heat during the day and by piercing cold at night, and I went without sleep. This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for you– fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father– the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears– had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.” Laban replied to Jacob,“These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today or the children to whom they have given birth? So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, you and I, and it will be proof that we have made peace.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. Then he said to his relatives,“Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. They ate there by the pile of stones. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said,“This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement today.” That is why it was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah because he said,“May the LORD watch between us when we are out of sight of one another. If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions.” “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain. (32:1) Early in the morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.”
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.