¹ La parole de l'Eternel me fut encore [adressée], en disant :

² Fils d'homme : tu demeures au milieu d'une maison rebelle, [au milieu de gens] qui ont des yeux pour voir, et ne voient point; et qui ont des oreilles pour ouïr, et n'entendent point; parce qu'ils [sont] une maison rebelle.

³ Toi donc, fils d'homme, fais-toi l'équipage d'un homme qui déloge, et déloge de jour, eux le voyant; déloge, dis-je, de ton lieu pour aller en un autre, eux le voyant; peut-être qu'ils y prendront garde; quoiqu'ils soient une maison rebelle.

⁴ Tu mettras donc dehors pendant le jour ton équipage, tel qu'est l'équipage d'un homme qui déloge, eux le voyant; et sur le soir tu sortiras, eux le voyant, comme quand on sort pour déloger.

⁵ Perce-toi la paroi, eux le voyant, et tire par-là dehors [ton équipage].

⁶ Tu [le] porteras sur l'épaule, eux le voyant, et tu [le] tireras dehors sur la brune; tu couvriras aussi ton visage, afin que tu ne voies point la terre; car je t'ai mis pour être un signe à la maison d'Israël.

⁷ Je fis donc comme il m'avait été commandé : je portai dehors durant le jour mon équipage tel qu'est l'équipage d'un homme qui déloge, et sur le soir je me perçai la paroi avec la main, je le tirai dehors sur la brune, [et] le portai sur l'épaule, eux le voyant.

⁸ Et au matin la parole de l'Eternel me fut [adressée], en disant :

⁹ Fils d'homme, la maison d'Israël, maison rebelle, ne t'a-t-elle pas dit : qu'est-ce que tu fais?

¹⁰ Dis-leur : ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel : Cet ordre dont je suis chargé s'adresse au Prince qui est dans Jérusalem, et à toute la maison d'Israël qui est parmi eux.

¹¹ Dis : Je vous suis pour un signe; comme j'ai fait, ainsi il leur sera fait; ils délogeront pour s'en aller en captivité.

¹² Et le Prince qui est parmi eux, portera sur la brune [son équipage] sur l'épaule, et sortira; on lui percera la paroi pour le tirer par-là dehors; il couvrira son visage, afin qu'il ne voie point de ses yeux la terre.

¹³ J'étendrai mon rets sur lui, et il sera pris dans mes filets; et je le ferai entrer dans Babylone au pays des Caldéens, mais il ne la verra point, et il y mourra.

¹⁴ Et je disperserai à tout vent tout ce qui est autour de lui, son secours, et toutes ses troupes; et je tirerai l'épée après eux.

¹⁵ Et ils sauront que je suis l'Eternel, quand je les aurai répandus parmi les nations, et que je les aurai dispersés par les pays.

¹⁶ Et je laisserai de reste d'entre eux quelque peu de gens, [préservés] de l'épée, de la famine, et de la mortalité, afin qu'ils racontent toutes leurs abominations, parmi les nations vers lesquelles ils seront parvenus; et ils sauront que je suis l'Eternel.

¹⁷ Puis la parole de l'Eternel me fut [adressée], en disant :

¹⁸ Fils d'homme, mange ton pain dans l'agitation, et bois ton eau en tremblant et avec inquiétude.

¹⁹ Puis tu diras au peuple du pays : ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel touchant les habitants de Jérusalem, à la terre d'Israël : ils mangeront leur pain avec chagrin, et ils boiront leur eau avec frayeur, parce que son pays sera désolé, étant privé de son abondance, à cause de la violence de tous ceux qui y habitent.

²⁰ Et les villes peuplées seront désertes, et le pays ne sera que désolation; et vous saurez que je suis l'Eternel.

²¹ La parole de l'Eternel me fut encore [adressée], en disant :

²² Fils d'homme, quel est ce proverbe dont vous usez touchant la terre d'Israël, en disant : les jours seront prolongés, et toute vision périra?

²³ C'est pourquoi dis-leur : ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel, je ferai cesser ce proverbe, et on ne s'en servira plus pour proverbe en Israël; et dis-leur : les jours, et la parole de toute vision sont proches.

²⁴ Car il n'y aura plus désormais aucune vision de vanité, ni aucune divination de flatteur, au milieu de la maison d'Israël.

²⁵ Car moi l'Eternel, je parlerai, et la parole que j'aurai prononcée sera mise en exécution, elle ne sera plus différée; mais, ô maison rebelle! je prononcerai en vos jours la parole, et je l'exécuterai, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

²⁶ La parole de l'Eternel me fut encore [adressée], en disant :

²⁷ Fils d'homme, voici, ceux de la maison d'Israël disent : la vision que celui-ci voit n'arrivera pas de longtemps, et il prophétise pour des temps qui sont encore éloignés.

²⁸ C'est pourquoi dis-leur : ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel : aucune de mes paroles ne sera plus différée, mais la parole que j'aurai prononcée sera exécutée [incessamment], dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

¹ He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's, has he gotten all this wealth."

² Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

³ Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

⁴ Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,

⁵ and said to them, "I see the expression on your father's face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

⁶ You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.

⁷ Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me.

⁸ If he said this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked.

⁹ Thus God has taken away your father's livestock, and given them to me.

¹⁰ It happened during mating season that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.'

¹² He said, 'Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

¹⁵ Aren't we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our money.

¹⁶ For all the riches which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."

¹⁷ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,

¹⁸ and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

¹⁹ Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.

²⁰ Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn't tell him that he was running away.

²¹ So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

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

²³ He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

²⁴ God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad."

²⁵ Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.

²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?

²⁷ Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn't tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;

²⁸ and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.

²⁹ It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad.'

³⁰ Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?"

³¹ Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.'

³² Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn't find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt about all the tent, but didn't find them.

³⁵ She said to her father, "Don't let my lord be angry that I can't rise up before you; for I'm having my period." He searched, but didn't find the teraphim.

³⁶ Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?

³⁷ Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.

³⁸ "These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven't eaten the rams of your flocks.

³⁹ That which was torn of animals, I didn't bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

⁴⁰ This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.

⁴¹ These 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 have changed my wages ten times.

⁴² Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."

⁴³ Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the 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 borne?

⁴⁴ Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you."

⁴⁵ Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

⁴⁶ Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.

⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

⁴⁸ Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Galeed

⁴⁹ and Mizpah, for he said, "Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.

⁵⁰ If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you."

⁵¹ Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.

⁵² May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

⁵³ The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.

⁵⁴ Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.

⁵⁵ Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.