Restored English Translation of Genesis: Chapter 31

Today I present my Restored English Translation (RET) of Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 31.  As usual, it contains the Hebrew names, with a glossary of them after the chapter.  At the end is a list of where the Aleph Tavs occur, as they are no longer included in the main text.

CHAPTER 31

1 And he heard the words of Lavan’s sons, saying, “Ya’akov has taken away all that was our father’s; and he has gotten all this glory from that which was our father’s.” 2 And Ya’akov saw the face of Lavan, and behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And YEHOVAH said to Ya’akov, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.” 4 And Ya’akov sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flocks. 5 And said to them, “I see your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the ELOHAY of my father has been with me. 6 And you know that I have served your father with all my power. 7 And your father has cheated me, and changed my wages 10 times; but ELOHIM did not let him hurt me. 8 If he said thus, ‘The speckled will be your wages’, then all the cattle bore speckled. And if he said thus, ‘The striped will be your wages’, then all the flocks bore striped. 9 And ELOHIM has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 And it was at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped on the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted. 11 And the messenger of The ELOHIM spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Ya’akov.’ And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are striped, speckled, and spotted.  For I have seen all that Lavan does to you. 13 I AM the EL of Beyt-El, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow to Me. Now rise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your kindred.'” 14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not counted strangers to him? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our silver. 16 For all the riches which ELOHIM has taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s. Now then, whatever ELOHIM has said to you, do.” 17 Then rose up Ya’akov and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 And he drove away all his livestock, and all his goods which he had acquired, the livestock of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-Aram, to go to his father Yitschak in the land of Kena’an. 19 And Lavan went to shear his sheep. And Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Ya’akov deceived the heart of Lavan the Arami, in that he did not tell him that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mountain Gilad. 22 And Lavan was told on the third day that Ya’akov had fled. 23 And he took his brothers with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mountain Gilad. 24 And ELOHIM came to Lavan the Arami in a dream of the night and said to him, “Take heed that you do not speak to Ya’akov from good to evil.” 25 Then Lavan overtook Ya’akov. Now Ya’akov had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Lavan had pitched with his brothers in the mount of Gilad. 26 And Lavan said to Ya’akov, “What have you done, that you have deceived my heart, and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27 Why did you flee away secretly and steal away from me, and did not tell me, that I might have sent you away with rejoicing, and with songs, with tambourine, and with harp? 28 And you have not let me kiss my grandsons and my daughters? You have now done foolishly in doing so. 29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt. But the ELOHAY of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘You take heed that you do not speak to Ya’akov from good to evil.’ 30 And now surely you have left because you longed after your father’s house.  So why have you stolen my gods?” 31 And Ya’akov answered and said to Lavan, “Because I was afraid. For I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters by force from me.’ 32 With whomever you find your gods, let him not live. Before our brothers you discern what is yours with me, and take it to you.” (For Ya’akov did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 33 And Lavan went into Ya’akov’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he did not find them. Then went he out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat on them. And Lavan felt around all the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my master that I cannot rise up before you; for the way of women is upon me.” And he searched, but did not find the household idols. 36 And Ya’akov was angry, and argued with Lavan. And Ya’akov answered and said to Lavan, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me? 37 For you have felt all my stuff. What have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, that they may judge between us both. 38 These 20 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. 39 I did not bring that which was torn of beasts to you; I bore the loss of it; of my hand did you require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 So I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 Thus have I been 20 years in your house. I served you 14 years for your two daughters, and 6 years for your flocks. And you have changed my wages 10 times. 42 Except the ELOHAY of my father, the ELOHAY of Avraham, and the fear of Yitschak, had been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty. ELOHIM has seen my affliction and the labour of my hands and rebuked you last night.” 43 And Lavan answered and said to Ya’akov, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my grandchildren, and these 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 born? 44 So now come, let us cut a covenant, me and you. And let it be for a witness between me and you.” 45 And Ya’akov took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his brothers, “Gather stones.” And they took stones, and made an heap. And they ate there on the heap. 47 And Lavan called it Yegar-Sahaduta; but Ya’akov called it Galed. 48 And Lavan said, “This heap is a witness between me and you this day.” So the name of it was called Galed, 49 and Mitspah, for he said, “YEHOVAH watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you will afflict my daughters, or if you will take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us. See, ELOHIM is witness between me and you.” 51 And Lavan said to Ya’akov, “Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast between me and you. 52 This heap is witness, and this pillar is witness, that I will not pass over this heap from me to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 The ELOHAY of Avraham, and the ELOHAY of Nachor, the ELOHAY of their father, judge between us.” And Ya’akov swore by the fear of his father Yitschak. 54 Then Ya’akov offered sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread. And they ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.

Glossary

Lavan – Laban

Ya’akov – Jacob

YEHOVAH – The Lord

ELOHAY – God

ELOHIM – God

EL – God

Beyt-El – Bethel

Yitschak – Isaac

Kena’an – Canaan

Arami – Aramean, Syrian

Gilad – Gilead

Avraham – Abraham

Yegar-Sahaduta – Jegar-Sahadutha, or Heap of Testimony

Galed – Galeed, or Heap of Testimony

Mitspah – Mizpah, or Watchtower

Nachor – Nahor

Where the Aleph Tavs occur

Verse 1: And he heard את the words of Lavan’s sons, saying, “Has taken away Ya’akov את all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s has he gotten את all this glory.”

Verse 2: And saw Ya’akov את the face of Lavan, and behold, it was not toward him as before.

Verse 5: And said to them, “See I את your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the ELOHAY of my father has been with me.

Verse 6: And you know that with all my power I have served את your father.

Verse 7: And your father has cheated me, and changed את my wages 10 times; but ELOHIM did not let him hurt me.

Verse 9: And has taken away ELOHIM את the livestock of your father and given them to me.

Verse 12: And He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are striped, speckled, and spotted. For I have seen את all that Lavan does to you.

Verse 15: Are we not counted of him strangers? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our את silver.

Verse 17: Then rose up Ya’akov and set את his sons and את his wives on camels.

Verse 18: And he drove away את all his cattle, and את all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-Aram, to go to his father Yitschak in the land of Kena’an.

Verse 19: And Lavan went to shear את his sheep. And had stolen Rachel את the images that were her father’s.

Verse 20: And deceived Ya’akov את the heart of Lavan the Arami, in that he did not tell him that he fled.

Verse 21: So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and passed over את the river, and set his face toward the mountain Gilad.

Verse 23: And he took את his brothers with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mountain Gilad.

Verse 25: Then overtook Lavan את Ya’akov. Now Ya’akov had pitched את his tent in the mountain; and Lavan had pitched את with his brothers in the mount of Gilad.

Verse 26: And Lavan said to Ya’akov, “What have you done, that you have deceived את my heart, and carried away את my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

Verse 30: And now surely you have left because you longed after your father’s house. So why have you stolen את my gods?”

Verse 31: And Ya’akov answered and said to Lavan, “Because I was afraid. For I said, ‘Perhaps you would take by force את your daughters from me.’

Verse 32: With whomever you find את your gods, let him not live. Before our brothers you discern what is yours with me, and take it to you.” (For Ya’akov did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)

Verse 34: Now Rachel had taken את the household idols and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat on them. And felt around Lavan את all the tent, but did not find them.

Verse 35: And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my master that I cannot rise up before you; for the way of women is upon me.” And he searched, but did not find את the household idols.

Verse 37: For you have felt את all my stuff. What have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, that they may judge between us both.

Verse 41: Thus have I been 20 years in your house. I served you 14 years for your two daughters, and 6 years for your flocks. And you have changed את my wages 10 times.

Verse 42: Except the ELOHAY of my father, the ELOHAY of Avraham, and the fear of Yitschak, had been with me, surely you had sent me away now empty. את my affliction and את the labour of my hands has seen ELOHIM and rebuked you last night.”

Verse 50: If you will afflict את my daughters, or if you will take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us. See, ELOHIM is witness between me and you.”

Verse 52: This heap is witness, and this pillar is witness, that I will not pass over me to you את heap this, and that you will not pass over to me את heap this and את pillar this, for harm.