26. Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You cheated me and took my daughters as if you had captured them in a war.
27. Why did you run away secretly and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away with joy and singing and with the music of tambourines and harps.
28. You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. You were very foolish to do this!
29. I have the power to harm you, but last night the God of your father spoke to me and warned me not to say anything to you, good or bad.
30. I know you want to go back to your home, but why did you steal my idols?”
31. Jacob answered Laban, “I left without telling you, because I was afraid you would take your daughters away from me.
32. If you find anyone here who has taken your idols, that person will be killed! Your relatives will be my witnesses. You may look for anything that belongs to you and take anything that is yours.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols.)
33. So Laban looked in Jacob’s tent, in Leah’s tent, and in the tent where the two slave women stayed, but he did not find his idols. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent.
34. Rachel had hidden the idols inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Although Laban looked through the whole tent, he did not find them.
35. Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you because I am having my monthly period.” So Laban looked through the camp, but he did not find his idols.