Genesis 31:16

But God took away some of our father’s animals and gave them to you, and you got rich. So now all those animals and good things, they belong to us and our kids.” Then Rachel and Leah said to Jacob, “Do whatever God told you to do.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

In Context

15He treats us like we are not part of his family. First, he got you to work for him so that you could marry us. It’s like he sold us to you. Then you worked really hard for our father, so that he got very rich. But our father still didn’t give us anything, even though we are his daughters. He cheated us, and he kept everything for himself.

17So Jacob and his family got ready to leave. Laban wasn’t there at that time. He was cutting the wool off his sheep out in the grass lands, a long way away. So Laban didn’t know that Jacob was getting ready to leave. And while Jacob was getting ready, Rachel went into Laban’s tent, and she stole some little statues that belonged to Laban. Sometimes, Laban and his family used to pray to those statues and ask them for help. They thought that those statues were gods that had power. Jacob went and got all his animals, and all the other things that he owned. You know, a long time before this, when Jacob came to Laban’s home, he didn’t own anything. But now he owned lots and lots of things. So Jacob took all those things that he owned, and he put them on camels. Then he helped his kids and his wives to get on camels, and he got his other animals to walk in front of him, and they all left quickly to go to Canaan country. That’s the country where Jacob’s father Isaac lived.

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Cross References

Genesis 30:35But that same day, Laban cheated Jacob. Laban went to the place where he kept his sheep and goats, and he took all the funny coloured ones away. He took the stripy goats and the spotty goats, any that had white bits on their wool, and he took all the black sheep. Then Laban gave those sheep and goats to his sons, to take them far away.

Genesis 32:14He picked 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep, 20 male sheep,

Matthew Henry on Genesis 31:2-17

Jacob's Departure. ( b. c. 1739.) 1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, I see your father's… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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