him, and pursued after him seven
days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

31:24. And he saw in a dream God, saying to him: Take heed thou speak
not any thing harshly against Jacob.

31:25. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he, with
his brethren, had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount
of Galaad.

31:26. And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away,
without my knowledge, my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

31:27. Why wouldst thou run away privately, and not acquaint me, that I
might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with
timbrels, and with harps?

31:28. Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters; thou
hast done foolishly; and now indeed,

31:29. It is in my power to return thee evil; but the God of your father
said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against
Jacob.

31:30. Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a
longing after thy father's house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

31:31. Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear
lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

31:32. But, whereas, thou chargest me with theft: with whomsoever thou
shalt find thy gods, let him be slain before our brethren. Search, and
if thou find any of thy things with me, take them away. Now when he said
this, he knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.

31:33. So Laban went into the tent of Jacob, and of Lia, and of both the
handmaids, and found them not. And when he was entered into Rachel's
tent,

31:34. She, in haste, hid the idols under the camel's furniture, and sat
upon them: and when he had searched all the tent, and found nothing,

31:35. She said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before
thee, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of
women. So his careful search was in vain.

31:36. And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault
of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,

31:37. And searched all my household stuff? What hast thou found of all
the substance of thy house? lay it here before my brethren, and thy
brethren, and let them judge between me and thee.

31:38. Have I, therefore, been with thee twenty years? thy ewes and
goats were not barren, the rams of thy flocks I did not eat:

31:39. Neither did I shew thee that which the beast had torn;