(Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ¹  Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring.

Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. ¹ 

So Laban invited all the people ¹  of that place and prepared a feast.

(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ¹ 

(Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ¹ 

“Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” ¹ 

Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. ¹ 

(32:1) ¹  Early in the morning Laban kissed ²  his grandchildren ³  and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. ⁴ 

“Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ¹ 

Jacob also deceived ¹  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ² 

Now then, my son, do what I say. ¹  Run away immediately ²  to my brother Laban in Haran.

So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson ¹  of Nahor?” “We know him,” ²  they said.

(Now Laban had two daughters; ¹  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel.

“It is not our custom here,” ¹  Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage ²  before the firstborn.

When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ¹ 

While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, ¹  Rachel stole the household idols ²  that belonged to her father.

Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ¹  but Jacob called it Galeed. ² 

Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ¹  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks.

When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ¹  told Laban how he was related to him. ² 

Jacob became angry ¹  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ²  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ³