36. Then Jacob became very angry. He said, “What wrong have I done? What law have I broken to cause you to chase me?
37. You have looked through everything I own. But you have found nothing that belongs to you. If you have found anything, show it to everyone. Put it in front of your relatives and my relatives. Then let them decide which one of us is right.
38. I have worked for you now for 20 years. During all that time none of the lambs and kids died during birth. And I have not eaten any of the male sheep from your flocks.
39. Any time a sheep was killed by wild animals, I did not bring it to you. I made up for the loss myself. You made me pay for any animal that was stolen during the day or night.
40. In the daytime the sun took away my strength. At night I was cold and could not sleep.
41. I worked like a slave for you for 20 years. For the first 14 years I worked to get your two daughters. The last 6 years I worked to earn your animals. And during that time you changed my pay ten times.
42. But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. If God had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble I had and the hard work I did. And last night God corrected you.”
43. Laban said to Jacob, “These girls are my daughters. Their children belong to me, and these animals are mine. Everything you see here belongs to me. But I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children.
44. Let us make an agreement. Let us set up a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement.”
45. So Jacob took a large rock and set it up on its end.
46. He told his relatives to gather rocks. So they took the rocks and piled them up. Then they ate beside the pile of rocks.
47. Laban named that place in his language A Pile to Remind Us. And Jacob gave the place the same name in Hebrew.
48. Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will remind us of the agreement between us.” That is why the place was called A Pile to Remind Us.
49. It was also called Mizpah. This was because Laban said, “Let the Lord watch over us while we are separated from each other.
50. Remember that God is our witness. This is true even if no one else is around us. He will know if you harm my daughters or marry other women.
51. Here is the pile of rocks that I have put between us. And here is the rock I set up on end.
52. This pile of rocks and this rock set on end will remind us of our agreement. I will never go past this pile to hurt you. And you must never come to my side of them to hurt me.
53. The God of Abraham is the God of Nahor and the God of their ancestors. Let God punish either of us if we break this agreement.”So Jacob made a promise in the name of God. This was the God of his father Isaac.
54. Then Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice on the mountain. And he invited his relatives to share in the meal. After they finished eating, they spent the night on the mountain.