#89 Strained Genesis 31

And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob: "what have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? and you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'be careful that you speak neither good nor bad.' And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?" Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, "because I was afraid, for I said, 'perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.' With whomever you find your gods, do not let them live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, "let it not displease my lord that i cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me."And he searched but did not find the household idols. Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "what is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beats I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night." Genesis 31: 22-42 NKJV

I'm not sure whether Laban actually believes that his daughters could not have left this way, or if he is doing this for dramatic flare. God has told Laban to speak neither good nor bad, which Laban interprets in his address to Jacob as power to harm. He is not to use this, but there is still the matter of the idols and Laban's ego. He has wronged Jacob more than once but is making this solely about himself, his idols and not being able to give a proper send off. Jacob allows him to search the camp for his idols, not realizing that his number one wife has stolen them. It is a bold statement he makes to his uncle in that whoever Laban finds the idol with should die. Men are quick to swear, and the implications here are huge. Jacob is fortunate that Laban does not find the idols, but it is by way of  deception from his own daughter. She tells her father she is in her menstrual period.

After the search for the idols turns up nothing, Jacob goes on a rant. He has pent up much frustration over Laban's shady business practices, and states to Laban that except for God's intervention, Laban would have taken everything and left Jacob empty handed when he left. He left hastily, not only because it was time to go home, but for fear of a dishonest dealer. It is a sad and unfortunate relationship.