Genesis 31

Genesis 31 read aloud, in a fresh direct translation from the Hebrew — plain modern English, nothing added. Translator's notes: • Genesis 31:13 — הָאֵל בֵּית־אֵל (ha-El Beit-El): chose "the El of Bethel". Alternatives: "the God of Bethel". Why: El is kept by the standing rule; the place-name Bethel is itself "house of El," so the compound names the El who appeared at that place. • Genesis 31:19 — הַתְּרָפִים (ha-terafim): chose "the household gods". Alternatives: "the teraphim (left as a borrowed word)", "the household idols". Why: the Hebrew names a class of household objects tied to the family; "household gods" says in English what the word does in Hebrew without importing later polemic. • Genesis 31:42 — פַחַד יִצְחָק (pachad Yitzchak): chose "the Fear of Isaac". Alternatives: "the Awesome One of Isaac", "the Dread of Isaac". Why: the noun is ordinary "dread/fear" used here as a title; the Hebrew does not say who feels the fear, and the rendering keeps that open. • Genesis 31:47 — יְגַר שָׂהֲדוּתָא (Yegar Sahaduta): chose "Yegar Sahaduta" (kept as a name). Alternatives: translating it as "Heap of Witness" in the text. Why: the verse itself sets Laban's Aramaic name beside Jacob's Hebrew Gal-ed, which means the same; keeping both names preserves the language contrast the verse is about.