31:22 到第三日，有人告訴拉班，雅各逃跑了。
31:23 拉班帶領他的眾弟兄去追趕，追了七日，在基列山就追上了。
31:24 夜間，上帝到亞蘭人拉班那裡，在夢中對他說：「你要小心，不可與雅各說好說歹。」
31:25 拉班追上雅各。雅各在山上支搭帳棚；拉班和他的眾弟兄也在基列山上支搭帳棚。
31:26 拉班對雅各說：「你做的是甚麼事呢？你背著我偷走了，又把我的女兒們帶了去，如同用刀劍擄去的一般。
31:27 你為甚麼暗暗地逃跑，偷著走，並不告訴我，叫我可以歡樂、唱歌、擊鼓、彈琴地送你回去？
31:28 又不容我與外孫和女兒親嘴？你所行的真是愚昧！
31:29 我手中原有能力害你，只是你父親的上帝昨夜對我說：『你要小心，不可與雅各說好說歹。』
31:30 現在你雖然想你父家，不得不去，為甚麼又偷了我的神像呢？」
31:31 雅各回答拉班說：「恐怕你把你的女兒從我奪去，所以我逃跑。
31:32 至於你的神像，你在誰那裡搜出來，就不容誰存活。當著我們的眾弟兄，你認一認，在我這裡有甚麼東西是你的，就拿去。」原來雅各不知道拉結偷了那些神像。
31:33 拉班進了雅各、利亞，並兩個使女的帳棚，都沒有搜出來，就從利亞的帳棚出來，進了拉結的帳棚。
31:34 拉結已經把神像藏在駱駝的馱簍裡，便坐在上頭。拉班摸遍了那帳棚，並沒有摸著。
31:35 拉結對她父親說：「現在我身上不便，不能在你面前起來，求我主不要生氣。」這樣，拉班搜尋神像，竟沒有搜出來。
31:36 雅各就發怒斥責拉班說：「我有甚麼過犯，有甚麼罪惡，你竟這樣火速地追我？
31:37 你摸遍了我一切的家具，你搜出甚麼來呢？可以放在你我弟兄面前，叫他們在你我中間辨別辨別。
31:38 我在你家這二十年，你的母綿羊、母山羊沒有掉過胎。你群中的公羊，我沒有吃過；
31:39 被野獸撕裂的，我沒有帶來給你，是我自己賠上。無論是白日，是黑夜，被偷去的，你都向我索要。
31:40 我白日受盡乾熱，黑夜受盡寒霜，不得合眼睡著，我常是這樣。
31:41 我這二十年在你家裡，為你的兩個女兒服事你十四年，為你的羊群服事你六年，你又十次改了我的工價。
31:42 若不是我父親以撒所敬畏的上帝，就是亞伯拉罕的上帝與我同在，你如今必定打發我空手而去。上帝看見我的苦情和我的勞碌，就在昨夜責備你。」
31:43 拉班回答雅各說：「這女兒是我的女兒，這些孩子是我的孩子，這些羊群也是我的羊群；凡在你眼前的都是我的。我的女兒並她們所生的孩子，我今日能向他們做甚麼呢？
31:44 來吧！你我二人可以立約，作你我中間的證據。」
31:45 雅各就拿一塊石頭立作柱子，
31:46 又對眾弟兄說：「你們堆聚石頭。」他們就拿石頭來堆成一堆，大家便在旁邊吃喝。
31:47 拉班稱那石堆為伊迦爾
‧撒哈杜他，雅各卻稱那石堆為迦累得（都是以石堆為證的意思）。
31:48 拉班說：「今日這石堆作你我中間的證據。」因此這地方名叫迦累得，
31:49 又叫米斯巴，意思說：「我們彼此離別以後，願耶和華在你我中間鑒察。
31:50 你若苦待我的女兒，又在我的女兒以外另娶妻，雖沒有人知道，卻有上帝在你我中間作見證。」
31:51 拉班又說：「你看我在你我中間所立的這石堆和柱子。
31:52 這石堆作證據，這柱子也作證據。我必不過這石堆去害你；你也不可過這石堆和柱子來害我。
31:53 但願亞伯拉罕的上帝和拿鶴的上帝，就是他們父親的上帝，在你我中間判斷。」雅各就指著他父親以撒所敬畏的上帝起誓，
31:54 又在山上獻祭，請眾弟兄來吃飯。他們吃了飯，便在山上住宿。
31:55 拉班清早起來，與他外孫和女兒親嘴，給他們祝福，回往自己的地方去了。
22 On the
third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking his relatives with him,
he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of
Gilead. 24 Then
God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful
not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban
overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban
said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off
my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why
didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music
of timbrels and harps? 28 You
didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have
done a foolish thing. 29 I
have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me,
‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone off because
you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would
take your daughters away from me by force.
32 But if you find anyone
who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our
relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me;
and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the
tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of
Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the
household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them.
Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot
stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not
find the household gods.
36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked
Laban. “How have I wronged you that you hunt me down? 37 Now
that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs
to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let
them judge between the two of us.
38 “I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats
have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not
bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded
payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation: The
heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my
eyes. 41 It
was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you
fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you
changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the
Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away
empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last
night he rebuked you.”
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are
my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I
do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now,
let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He
said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them
in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called
it Galeed.[b]
48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That
is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[c] because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.
50 If you mistreat my
daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is
with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar
I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and
this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to
harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm
me. 53 May
the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between
us.”
So Jacob took an oath in the name of the
Fear of his father Isaac. 54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country
and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night
there.
55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his
daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.
************
雅各偷跑被拉班發現，雖然彼此有爭執，最後在上帝面前立石為證，互相保證不會侵犯彼此！
「立石為證」讓我們想到，我們和上帝之間的「活石」或「磐石」，就是耶穌基督！上帝看見耶穌基督，就想到祂赦免我們一切的罪，因著耶穌基督！而我們看見耶穌基督，就想到我們是被上帝拯救的，我們是因這耶穌基督渴已與上帝同在！
有形的石頭，有一天會被風化或是地面凹陷，石頭就不見了！但是耶穌基督卻是永不改變，我們與上帝的關係是永不更改的！
