Genesis 31

31 ¹Jacob hear as Laban im sons dey talk say, “Jacob don take everything wey our papa get; na from wetin belong to our papa e take make all dis rich-rich.” ²And Jacob look Laban face, e no be di way e dey do am before.

³Den our Papa tell Jacob, “Go back to di land of your papa dem and your people; I go dey with you.”

⁴So Jacob send message call Rachel and Leah come di field, come where im animals dey. ⁵E tell dem, “I see say una papa face no be di way e dey do me before, but di God of my papa still dey with me. ⁶Una know say I don serve una papa with all my power. ⁷Una papa cheat me, e change my pay ten times, but our Papa no gree make e do me anyhow. ⁸If e say, ‘Di ones wey get spot na your pay,’ di whole animals go born ones wey get spot; if e say, ‘Di ones wey get line na your pay,’ di whole animals go born ones wey get line. ⁹So our Papa don collect una papa animals give me. ¹⁰For one dream, for di time wey di animals dey mate, I look up see say na di male goats wey get line, spot, and mark dey climb dem. ¹¹Di messenger of di Papa tell me for dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I answer, ‘I dey here.’ ¹²E say, ‘Look up see: all di male goats wey dey mate with di animals get line, mark, and spot—because I don see everything wey Laban dey do you. ¹³Na me be di Papa of Bethel, di place wey you pour oil for one pillar and swear promise to me. Now, get up, comot for dis land, and go back to di land of your people.’”

¹⁴Rachel and Leah answer, “We still get any share or inheritance for our papa house again? ¹⁵No be like stranger e dey count us? E don sell us, and e don finish chop our money sef. ¹⁶Everything wey our Papa collect from Laban na our own and our children own. So now, do all wetin our Papa tell you.”

¹⁷So Jacob get up, put im sons and im wives for di camel dem. ¹⁸E take all im animals and all di property wey e don gather, di animals wey e gather for Paddan-aram, so e go go meet Isaac im papa for di land of Canaan. ¹⁹Laban don go cut wool for im sheep, and Rachel tif di small gods wey dey her papa house. ²⁰And Jacob deceive Laban di Aramean man, because e no tell am say e dey run comot. ²¹E run with everything wey e get, e get up, cross di River Euphrates, and face di hill country of Gilead.

Laban Chase Am

²²For di third day, dem tell Laban say Jacob don run. ²³E take im people, chase am for seven days, and catch am for di hill country of Gilead.

²⁴But our Papa come meet Laban di Aramean man for dream for night, e say, “Take care, no talk anything to Jacob, whether good or bad.”

²⁵Laban catch Jacob, wey don pitch im tent for di hill; Laban and im people too pitch dem own for di hill of Gilead. ²⁶Laban tell Jacob, “Wetin be dis wey you do? You deceive me, and you carry my daughters go like prisoner wey dem catch for war. ²⁷Why you comot secret-secret and deceive me, wey you no even tell me? I for send you comot with joy, with song, tambourine, and lyre. ²⁸Why you no allow me kiss my sons and my daughters bye-bye? Now, na foolish thing you don do.

²⁹I get power to harm you, but di God of your papa tell me last night: ‘Watch yourself—no talk anything to Jacob, whether good or bad.’

³⁰Now, you don comot for true because your belle dey pull you well-well go your papa house—but why you tif my gods?”

³¹Jacob answer Laban, “I bin dey fear, because I think say you go collect your daughters from me by force. ³²Anybody wey you find with your gods no go live. Point out wetin be your own for front of our people, and take am.” Jacob no know say na Rachel tif dem.

³³Laban search Jacob tent, Leah tent, and di tent of di two servant women, but e no see anything, e comot for Leah own, and enter Rachel tent. ³⁴Rachel don take di small gods, put dem inside di camel saddle, and sidon on top dem. Laban search di whole tent but e no find anything. ³⁵She tell her papa, “Make you no vex, my oga—I no fit stand up for you; na my monthly period dey worry me.” E search but e never find di small gods.

³⁶Jacob vex and quarrel with Laban. Jacob answer Laban, “Wetin be my crime? Wetin be my sin, wey you come chase me so? ³⁷You don search all my property—wetin you find from your house own? Put am here for front of my people and your people; make dem judge between di two of us.

³⁸Na twenty years I don dey with you: your sheep and your female goats never lose belle, and I never chop ram from your animals. ³⁹Animal wey wild beast tear, I never bring am give you; na me carry di loss for my own head. You dey demand am from my hand, whether na day dem tif am or na night. ⁴⁰Na so I dey: for day, sun dey burn me, and cold dey catch me for night, and sleep run comot for my eye. ⁴¹Twenty years for your house—fourteen wey I serve for your two daughters, six for your animals—and you change my pay ten times. ⁴²If to say di God of my papa, di God of Abraham, and di Fear of Isaac no bin dey with me, for sure you for don send me comot with empty hand now. Our Papa see my suffering and di work of my hand, and e warn you last night.” ^a a v42 “Di Fear of Isaac” na di special name wey Jacob dey call our Papa — di God wey im papa Isaac dey honour with deep Covenant fear. To call di Papa dis way na to know am through di eye of a faithful pikin.

⁴³Laban answer Jacob, “Di daughters na my own, di children na my own, di animals na my own—everything wey you dey see na my own. But wetin I fit do today for my daughters, or for di children wey dem born? ⁴⁴Come, make me and you cut Covenant; make e be witness between me and you.”

⁴⁵So Jacob take one stone and set am up as pillar. ⁴⁶Jacob tell im people, “Gather stones.” Dem take stones, pile dem for one heap, and dem chop there for di heap side. ⁴⁷Laban call am Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob call am Galeed. ⁴⁸Laban say, “Dis heap na witness between me and you today.” Na why e name am Galeed, ⁴⁹and Mizpah too, because e say, “Make God dey watch between me and you when we no dey see each other. ⁵⁰If you treat my daughters bad or marry other wives join dem, even if nobody dey here with us, God na witness between me and you.” ⁵¹Laban tell Jacob, “Look dis heap and dis pillar wey I set between me and you. ⁵²Dis heap na witness, dis pillar na witness: I no go cross dis heap come your side, and you no go cross dis heap and dis pillar come my side, to do bad. ⁵³Make di God of Abraham and di God of Nahor, di God of dem papa, judge between us.” So Jacob swear by di Fear of im papa Isaac. ⁵⁴Jacob offer sacrifice for di mountain, e call im people come chop bread; dem chop bread and sleep for di mountain that night. ⁵⁵Laban wake up early for morning, kiss im grandchildren and im daughters, bless dem, comot, and go back home.