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The Story of Redemption
The Return to Canaan
In the absence of Laban, Jacob took his family and all that he had,
and left Laban. After he had pursued his journey three days, Laban
learned that he had left him, and he was very angry. And he pursued
after him, determined to bring him back by force. But the Lord had
pity upon Jacob, and as Laban was about to overtake him, gave him
a dream not to speak good or bad to Jacob. That is, he should not
force him to return, or urge him by flattering inducements.
When Laban met Jacob he inquired why he had stolen away
unawares and carried away his daughters as captives taken with
the sword. Laban told him, “It is in the power of my hand to do
you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight,
saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or
bad.” Jacob then rehearsed to Laban the ungenerous course he had
pursued toward him, that he had only studied his own advantage. He
appealed to Laban as to the uprightness of his conduct while with
him, and said, “That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto
thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether
stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought
consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from
mine eyes.”
Jacob said, “Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served
thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle:
and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my
father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with
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me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine
affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.”
Laban then assured Jacob that he had an interest for his daughters
and their children, that he could not harm them. He proposed to
make a covenant between them. And Laban said, “Now therefore
come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a
witness between me and thee. And Jacob took a stone, and set it up
for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and
they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the
heap.”
And Laban said, “The Lord watch between me and thee, when
we are absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters,