Iacob toke roddes of grene popular/ hasell/ & of chestnottrees/ & pilled whyte strakes in thẽ & made the white apere in the staues: And he put the staues which he had pilled/ euẽ before ye shepe/ in the gutters & watrynge troughes/ whẽ the shepe came to drynke: yt they shulde cõceaue whẽ they came to drynke. And the shepe cõceaued before the staues & brought forth straked/ spotted & partie. Thẽ Iacob parted the lãbes/ & turned the faces of the shepe toward spotted thinges/ & toward allmaner of blacke thinges thorow out the flockes of Labã. And he made him flockes of his owne by thẽ selfe/ which he put not vnto the flockes of Labã. And allwaye in the first buckinge tyme of the shepe/ Iacob put the staues before the shepe in the gutters/ yt they myghte conceaue before the staues/ But in the latter buckynge tyme/ he put them not there: so the last brode was Labãs and the first Iacobs. And the man became excedynge ryche & had many shepe/ maydeseruauntes/ menseruauntes/ camels & asses.
¶ The .xxxi. Chapter.
ANd Iacob herde the wordes of Labãs sonnes how they sayde: Iacob hath takẽ awaye all that was oure fathers/ and of oure fathers goodes/ hath he gotẽ all this honoure. And Iacob behelde the countenaũce of Laban/ that it was not toward him as it was in tymes past.
And the LORde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne in to the lãde of thy fathers & to thy kynred/ & I wilbe with ye. Thã Iacob sent & called Rahel & Lea to the felde vnto his shepe/ & sayde vnto thẽ: I se youre fathers countenaũce yt it is not toward me as in tymes past. Morouer ye God of my father hath bene with me. And ye knowe how that I haue serued youre father with all my myghte. And youre father hath disceaued me & chaunged my wages .x. tymes: But God suffred him not to hurte me. When he sayde the spotted shalbe thy wages/ thã all the shepe bare spotted. Yf he sayde the straked shalbe thi rewarde/ thã bare all the shepe straked: thus hath God takẽ awaye youre fathers catell & geuẽ thẽ me. For in buckynge tyme/ I lifted vp myne eyes and sawe in a dreame: and beholde/ the rammes that bucked the shepe were straked/ spotted and partie. And the angell of God spake vnto me in a dreame saynge: Iacob. And I answered: here am I. And he sayde: lyfte vp thyne eyes ãd see/ how all the rãmes that leape vpon the shepe are straked/ spotted and partie: for I haue sene all that Laban doth vnto ye. I am ye god of Bethell where thou anoynteddest the stone ãd where thou vowdest a vowe vnto me. Now aryse and gett the out of this countre/ ãd returne vnto the lãde/ where thou wast borne. Than answered Rahel & Lea & sayde vnto him: we haue no parte nor enheritaunce in oure fathers house he cownteth us euẽ as straungers/ for he hath solde vs/ and hath euen eaten vp the price of vs. Moreouer all the riches which God hath takẽ from oure father/ that is oures and oure childerns. Now therfore what soeuer God hath sayde vnto the/ that doo. Thã Iacob rose vp & sett his sõnes and wiues vp vpon camels/ and caried away all his catell & all his substãce which he had gottẽ in Mesopotamia/ for to goo to Isaac his father vnto the lãde of Canaan. Labã was gone to shere his shepe/ & Rahel had stollẽ hir fathers ymages. And Iacob went awaye vnknowynge to Laban the Siriẽ/ & tolde him not yt he fled. So fled he & all yt he had/ & made him self redy/ & passed ouer the ryuers/ and sett his face streyght towarde the mounte Gilead.
Apõ the thirde day after/ was it tolde Labã yt Iacob was fled. Thã he toke his brethrẽ with him and folowed after him .vij. dayes iourney and ouer toke him at the mounte Gilead. And God came to Labã the Siriã in a dreame by nighte/ and sayde vnto him: take hede to thi selfe/ that thou speake not to Iacob oughte save good. And Labã ouer toke Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his tẽte in yt mounte. And Laban with his brethern pitched their tẽte also apon the mounte Gilead. Than sayde Labã to Iacob: why hast thou this done vnknowynge to me/ and hast caried awaye my doughters as though they had bene takẽ captyue with swerde? Wherfore wentest thou awaye secretly vnknowne to me & didest not tell me/ yt I myghte haue broughte ye on the waye with myrth/ syngynge/ tymrells and harppes/ and hast not suffred me to kysse my childern & my doughters. Thou wast a fole to do it/ for I am able to do you evell. But the God of youre father spake vnto me yesterdaye saynge take hede tha thou speake not to Iacob oughte saue goode. And now though thou wẽtest thi waye because thou lõgest after thi fathers house/ yet wherfore hast thou stollen my goddes?
Iacob answerd & sayde to Labã: because I was afrayed/ & thought that thou woldest haue takẽ awaye thy doughters fro me. But with whome soeuer thou fyndest thy goddes/ let him dye here before oure brethrẽ. Seke that thine is by me/ & take it to the: for Iacob wist not that Rahel had stollẽ thẽ. Thã wẽt Labã in to Iacobs tẽte/ & in to Leas tẽte/ & in to .ij. maydens tentes: but fownde thẽ not. Thã wẽt he out of Leas tẽte/ & entred in to Rahels tẽte. And Rahel toke the ymages/ & put them in the camels strawe & sate doune apõ thẽ. And Labã serched all the tẽte: but fownde thẽ not. Thã sayde she to hir father: my lorde/ be not angrye yt I cã not ryse vp before the/ for the disease of wemẽ is come apon me. So searched he/ but foũde thẽ not.
Iacob was wrooth & chode with Labã: Iacob also answered and sayde to him: what haue I trespaced or what haue I offended/ that thou foloweddest after me? Thou hast searched all my stuffe/ and what hast thou founde of all thy housholde stuffe? put it here before thi brethern & myne/ & let thẽ iudge betwyxte vs both. This xx. yere yt I haue bene wyth the/ thy shepe and thy gootes haue not bene baren/ and the rammes of thi flocke haue I not eatẽ. What soeuer was torne of beastes I broughte it not vnto ye/ but made it good my silf: of my hãde dydest thou requyre it/ whether it was stollen by daye or nyghte Moreouer by daye the hete consumed me/ and the colde by nyghte/ and my slepe departed fro myne eyes.
Thus haue I bene .xx. yere in thi house/ and serued the .xiiij. yeres for thy .ij. doughters/ and vi. yere for thi shepe/ and thou hast changed my rewarde .x. tymes. And excepte the God of my father/ the God of Abrahã and the God whome Isaac feareth/ had bene with me: surely thou haddest sent me awaye now all emptie. But God behelde my tribulation/ and the laboure of my handes: and rebuked the yester daye.
Laban answered ãd sayde vnto Iacob: the doughters are my doughters/ and the childern ar my childern/ and the shepe are my shepe/ ãd all that thou seist is myne. And what can I do this daye vnto these my doughters/ or vnto their childern which they haue borne? Now therfore come on/ let us make a bonde/ I and thou together/ and let it be a wytnesse betwene the & me. Than toke Iacob a stone and sett it vp an ende/ ãd sayde vnto his brethern/ gather stoones And they toke stoones ãd made an heape/ and they ate there/ vpõ the heape. And Labã called it Iegar Sahadutha/ but Iacob called it Gylead.