30. You’ve rushed off now because you missed your father’s household so much, but why did you steal my gods?"
31. Jacob responded to Laban, "I was afraid and convinced myself that you would take your daughters away from me.
32. Whomever you find with your divine images won’t live. Identify whatever I have that is yours, in front of your brothers, and take it." Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them.
33. Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and her two servants’ tent and didn’t find them.So he left Leah’s tent and went into Rachel’s.
34. Now Rachel had taken the divine images and put them into the camel’s saddlebag and sat on them. Laban felt around in the whole tent but couldn’t find them.
35. Rachel said to her father, "Sir, don’t be angry with me because I can’t get up for you; I’m having my period." He searched but couldn’t find the divine images.
36. Jacob was angry and complained to Laban, "What have I done wrong and what’s my crime that you’ve tracked me down like this?
37. You’ve now felt through all of my baggage, and what have you found from your household’s belongings? Put it in front of our relatives, and let them decide between us.
38. For these twenty years I’ve been with you, your female sheep and goats haven’t miscarried, and I haven’t eaten your flock’s rams.
39. When animals were killed, I didn’t bring them to you but took the loss myself. You demanded compensation from me for any animals poached during the day or night.
40. The dry heat consumed me during the day, and the frost at night; I couldn’t sleep.
41. I’ve now spent twenty years in your household. I worked for fourteen years for your two daughters and for six years for your flock, and you changed my pay ten times.
42. If the God of my father—the God of Abraham and the awesome one of Isaac—hadn’t been with me, you’d have no doubt sent me away without anything. God saw my harsh treatment and my hard work and reprimanded you yesterday."
43. Laban responded and told Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and about their sons?
44. Come, let’s make a treaty, you and me, and let something be our witness."