¹⁹ Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's ^(A)household gods. ²⁰ And Jacob tricked^[a] Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. ²¹ He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the ^(B)Euphrates,^[b] and ^(C)set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

²² When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, ²³ he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God came to Laban the Aramean ^(D)in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, ^(E)either good or bad.”

²⁵ And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have ^(F)tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly ^(G)and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre?