Vayetzei 5779

(14) Then Rachel and Leah answered him, saying, “Have we still a share in the inheritance of our father’s house?

(15) Surely, he regards us as outsiders, now that he has sold us and has used up our purchase price.

(16) Truly, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, do just as God has told you.”

(17) Thereupon Jacob put his children and wives on camels;

(18) and he drove off all his livestock and all the wealth that he had amassed, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

(19) Meanwhile Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

(9) Then an evil spirit of the LORD came upon Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing [the lyre].

(10) Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he drove the spear into the wall. David fled and got away. That night

(11) Saul sent messengers to David’s home to keep watch on him and to kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal told him, “Unless you run for your life tonight, you will be killed tomorrow.”

(12) Michal let David down from the window and he escaped and fled.

(13) Michal then took the household idol, laid it on the bed, and covered it with a cloth; and at its head she put a net of goat’s hair.

(14) Saul sent messengers to seize David; but she said, “He is sick.”

(15) Saul, however, sent back the messengers to see David for themselves. “Bring him up to me in the bed,” he ordered, “that he may be put to death.”

(16) When the messengers came, they found the household idol in the bed, with the net of goat’s hair at its head.

(17) Saul said to Michal, “Why did you play that trick on me and let my enemy get away safely?” “Because,” Michal answered Saul, “he said to me: ‘Help me get away or I’ll kill you.’”

(30) Very well, you had to leave because you were longing for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

(31) Jacob answered Laban, saying, “I was afraid because I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.

(32) But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not remain alive! In the presence of our kinsmen, point out what I have of yours and take it.” Jacob, of course, did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

(33) So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent and the tents of the two maidservants; but he did not find them. Leaving Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent.

(34) Rachel, meanwhile, had taken the idols and placed them in the camel cushion and sat on them; and Laban rummaged through the tent without finding them.

(35) For she said to her father, “Let not my lord take it amiss that I cannot rise before you, for the period of women is upon me.” Thus he searched, but could not find the household idols.

(8) Here we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the mouths of our bags. How then could we have stolen any silver or gold from your master’s house!

(9) Whichever of your servants it is found with shall die; the rest of us, moreover, shall become slaves to my lord.”

(10) He replied, “Although what you are proposing is right, only the one with whom it is found shall be my slave; but the rest of you shall go free.”

11) So each one hastened to lower his bag to the ground, and each one opened his bag.

(12) He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the goblet turned up in Benjamin’s bag.

(13) At this they rent their clothes. Each reloaded his pack animal, and they returned to the city.