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Genesis · Brenton's English Septuagint

Genesis 31 Brenton's English Septuagint

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About Brenton
  • Individual translator
  • OT: Septuagint (Greek)
  • Septuagint Old Testament (no New Testament)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1844
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (2)

1 And Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and of our father's property has he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before. 3 And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family, and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Lea and Rachel to the plain where the flocks were. 5 And he said to them, I see the face of your father, that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father was with me. 6 And ye too know that with all my might I have served your father. 7 But your father deceived me, and changed my wages for the ten lambs, yet God gave him not [power] to hurt me. 8 If he should say thus, The speckled shall be thy reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be thy reward, then would all the cattle bear white. 9 So God has taken away all the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I beheld with mine eyes in sleep, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots. 11 And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob; and I said, What is it? 12 And he said, Look up with thine eyes, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does to thee. 13 I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God, where thou anointedst a pillar to me, and vowedst to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee. 14 And Rachel and Lea answered and said to him, Have we yet a part or inheritance in the house of our father? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? for he has sold us, and quite devoured our money. 16 All the wealth and the glory which God has taken from our father, it shall be our's and our children's; now then do whatsoever God has said to thee. 17 And Jacob arose and took his wives and his children up on the camels; 18 and he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole her father's images. 20 And Jacob hid [the matter from] Laban the Syrian, so as not to tell him that he ran away. 21 And he departed himself and all that belonged to him, and passed over the river, and went into the mountain Galaad. 22 But it was told Laban the Syrian on the third day, that Jacob was fled. 23 And having taken his brethren with him, he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on Mount Galaad. 24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in sleep by night, and said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not at any time to Jacob evil things. 25 And Laban overtook Jacob; and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban stationed his brothers in the mount Galaad. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done? wherefore didst thou run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27 Whereas if thou hadst told me, I would have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp. 28 And I was not counted worthy to embrace my children and my daughters; now then thou hast wrought foolishly. 29 And now my hand has power to hurt thee; but the God of thy father spoke to me yesterday, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not evil words to Jacob. 30 Now then go on thy way, for thou hast earnestly desired to depart to the house of thy father; wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest at any time thou shouldest take away thy daughters from me, and all my possessions. 32 And Jacob said, With whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, he shall not live in the presence of our brethren; take notice of what I have of thy property, and take it; and he observed nothing with him, but Jacob knew not that his wife Rachel had stolen them. 33 And Laban went in and searched in the house of Lea, and found [them] not; and he went out of the house of Lea, and searched in the house of Jacob, and in the house of the two maid-servants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel. 34 And Rachel took the idols, and cast them among the camels' packs, and sat upon them. 35 And she said to her father, Be not indignant, Sir; I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me according to the manner of women. Laban searched in all the house, and found not the images. 36 And Jacob was angry, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my injustice, and what my sin, that thou hast pursued after me, 37 and that thou hast searched all the furniture of my house? what hast thou found of all the furniture of thine house? set it here between thy relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two. 38 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy sheep, and thy she-goats have not failed in bearing; I devoured not the rams of thy cattle. 39 That which was taken of beasts I brought not to thee; I made good of myself the thefts of the day, and the thefts of the night. 40 I was parched with heat by day, and [chilled] with frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years among thy sheep, and thou didst falsely rate my wages for ten lambs. 42 Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now thou wouldest have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday. 43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which thou seest are mine, and [the property] of my daughters; what shall I do to them to-day, or their children which they bore? 44 Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and thou, and it shall be for a witness between me and thee; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and thee to-day. 47 And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap. 48 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and thee; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses. 49 And the vision of which he said—Let God look to it between me and thee, because we are about to depart from each other,— 50 If thou shalt humble my daughters, if thou shouldest take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God [is] witness between me and thee. 50a And Laban said to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness. 52 For if I should not cross over unto thee, neither shouldest thou cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar. 53 The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in the mountain.

There is no verse 51 in this translation; the verses after it keep their usual numbers.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Jacob

    Father of the tribes

    He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49

  • Rachel

    Matriarch, mother of Joseph

    Jacob's beloved wife, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who died in childbirth.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 29-35

Cross references (51)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Ecclesiastes 4:4; Psalm 17:14; Proverbs 27:4; Proverbs 14:30; 1 Peter 1:24
  2. 2 Daniel 3:19; 1 Samuel 18:9–11; Genesis 4:5; Genesis 30:27; 1 Samuel 19:7
  3. 3 Genesis 28:15; Hebrews 13:5; Genesis 32:9; Genesis 31:13; Psalm 50:15
  4. 5 Genesis 31:2–3; Genesis 31:53; Genesis 48:15; Genesis 31:42; Genesis 32:9
  5. 6 Genesis 30:29; Ephesians 6:5–8; Colossians 3:22–25; Genesis 31:38–42; Titus 2:9–10
  6. 7 Zechariah 8:23; Genesis 31:29; Genesis 31:41; Nehemiah 4:12; Numbers 14:22
  7. 8 Genesis 30:32
  8. 9 Genesis 31:1; Genesis 31:16; Proverbs 13:22; Matthew 20:15; Esther 8:1–2
  9. 10 Deuteronomy 13:1; Genesis 20:6; Numbers 12:6; 1 Kings 3:5; Genesis 31:24
  10. 11 Isaiah 58:9; Genesis 31:13; Genesis 48:15–16; Genesis 18:17; 1 Samuel 3:16
  11. 12 Exodus 3:7; Genesis 31:42; Deuteronomy 24:15; Ecclesiastes 5:8; Ephesians 6:9
  12. 13 Genesis 31:3; Genesis 32:9; Genesis 28:12–22; Genesis 35:7
  13. 14 Ruth 4:11; Genesis 2:24; Genesis 29:29; Genesis 29:24
  14. 15 Genesis 29:15–20; Genesis 29:27–30; Nehemiah 5:8; Genesis 30:26; Exodus 21:7–11
  15. 16 Genesis 31:9; Genesis 30:35–31:1; Psalm 45:10
  16. 17 Genesis 24:61; 1 Samuel 30:17; Genesis 24:10
  17. 18 Genesis 27:41; Genesis 28:21; Genesis 27:1–2; Genesis 35:27–29
  18. 19 1 Samuel 19:13; Hosea 3:4; Genesis 31:30; Ezekiel 21:21; Genesis 35:2
  19. 21 2 Kings 12:17; Joshua 24:2–3; Genesis 37:25; Genesis 15:18; Luke 9:51–53
  20. 22 Exodus 14:5–31; Genesis 30:36; Job 5:12–13
  21. 23 Genesis 13:8; Exodus 2:11; Exodus 2:13; Genesis 24:27
  22. 24 Genesis 24:50; Genesis 20:3; Genesis 31:29; Numbers 24:13; Genesis 31:42
  23. 25 Genesis 33:18; Hebrews 11:9; Genesis 12:8
  24. 26 1 Samuel 30:2; Genesis 4:10; Genesis 31:36; 1 Samuel 17:29; Genesis 2:24
  25. 27 Exodus 15:20; Genesis 31:3–5; Proverbs 26:23–26; Job 21:11–14; Genesis 31:20–21
  26. 28 Genesis 31:55; 1 Kings 19:20; Ruth 1:14; Acts 20:37; Genesis 31:24
  27. 29 Genesis 31:42; Genesis 31:53; Joshua 24:2–3; Genesis 31:24; Genesis 28:13
  28. 30 Jeremiah 10:11; Genesis 31:19; Judges 18:24; 1 Samuel 5:2–6; 2 Samuel 5:21
  29. 31 Proverbs 29:25; Genesis 31:26–27; Genesis 20:11
  30. 32 Genesis 31:19; Genesis 31:23; 1 Samuel 12:3–5; Genesis 44:9–12; Genesis 31:30
  31. 33 Genesis 24:28; Genesis 24:67
  32. 34 Genesis 31:19; Genesis 31:17
  33. 35 Leviticus 19:32; Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1; 1 Kings 2:19; Genesis 18:11–12
  34. 36 Ephesians 4:26; Genesis 30:2; 2 Kings 5:11; Mark 3:5; Numbers 16:15
  35. 37 1 Peter 2:12; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Corinthians 6:4–5; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; Joshua 7:23
  36. 38 Deuteronomy 28:4; Ezekiel 34:2–4; Exodus 23:26; Genesis 30:27; Genesis 30:30
  37. 39 Exodus 22:10–13; Leviticus 22:8; Luke 2:8; Exodus 22:31; John 10:12–13
  38. 40 Psalm 78:70–71; Luke 2:8; Exodus 2:19–22; John 21:15–17; Hebrews 13:7
  39. 41 Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:38; 2 Corinthians 11:26; Genesis 30:33–40; 1 Corinthians 15:10
  40. 42 Psalm 31:7; Isaiah 8:13; Genesis 31:53; Genesis 31:29; Genesis 31:24
  41. 44 Joshua 24:25–27; 1 Samuel 20:14–17; Genesis 15:18; Joshua 22:27; Deuteronomy 31:19
  42. 45 Genesis 28:18–22
  43. 46 Ecclesiastes 3:5; Genesis 31:37; Genesis 31:32; Joshua 4:5–9; Joshua 7:26
  44. 47 Hebrews 12:1
  45. 48 Joshua 24:27; Joshua 13:8–9; Genesis 31:23; Deuteronomy 3:16; Deuteronomy 2:36
  46. 49 Judges 11:29; Judges 10:17; 1 Samuel 7:5–6; Judges 11:11; 1 Kings 15:22
  47. 50 Jeremiah 42:5; Jeremiah 29:23; Micah 1:2; Judges 11:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:5
  48. 52 Genesis 31:48; Genesis 31:44–45
  49. 53 Genesis 31:42; Genesis 16:5; Exodus 3:6; Joshua 24:2; Genesis 11:24–29
  50. 54 Exodus 18:12; Genesis 26:30; 2 Samuel 3:20–21; Genesis 21:8; Genesis 37:25
  51. 50a Jeremiah 42:5; Jeremiah 29:23; Micah 1:2; Judges 11:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:5

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 31:41 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book V, Chapters XXVII–XXVIII)

    For not only did not the nations in this life serve this Jacob; but even after he had received the blessing, he himself going forth [from his home], served his uncle Laban the Syrian for twenty years; and not only was he not made lord of his brother, but he did himself bow down before his brother Esau, upon his …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 31:44 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm LXXXIII)

    In fact, "a testament" is a name given in the Scriptures not only to that which is of no avail till the death of the testators, but every covenant and decree they used to call a testament. For Laban and Jacob made a testament, which was certainly to have force between the living; and such cases without number are read …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)

  3. Quotes verse 31:47 Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit (Chapters XI–XIII)

    Moreover, Joshua, the son of Nun, even set up a stone as witness of his words (already a heap somewhere had been called a witness by Jacob), for he says, "Behold this stone shall be a witness unto you this day to the end of days, when ye lie to the Lord our God," perhaps believing that by God's power …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)