Laban Searches the Camp

22On the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23And he took his kinsmen with him, and pursued him for a journey of seven days, and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

24But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

25And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his kinsmen in the hill country of Gilead.

26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have stolen my heart and driven my daughters away like captives of the sword?”

27Why did you hide yourself to flee and steal away from me, and not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with tambourine and lyre?

28And you did not let me kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have acted foolishly.

29It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak to Jacob either good or bad.’

30And now, you have indeed gone away, because you longed greatly for your father's house. Why did you steal my gods?

31Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you take your daughters from me by force.’”

32Whoever is found with your gods shall not live. In the presence of our brothers, identify what of yours is with me, and take it for yourself.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. Then he came out of Leah’s tent and went into Rachel’s tent.

34Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle cushion, and sat on them. Laban felt through the whole tent, but did not find them.

35And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry in my sight that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched, but did not find the household idols.

36Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban. Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have pursued me?”

37Since you have searched through all my goods, what have you found of all the goods of your house? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them judge between the two of us.

38These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.

39I did not bring to you an animal torn by beasts; I myself bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40By day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

41These 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 changed my wages ten times.

42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and he judged last night.