28
1 Isaac
called Jacob,
blessed him, and
commanded him, “You
shall not take
a wife of the
daughters of
Canaan.
2 Arise,
go to Paddan
Aram, to the
house of Bethuel
your mother’s father. Take
a wife from there
from the daughters
of Laban,
your mother’s brother.
3 May God
Almighty bless you,
and make you
fruitful, and
multiply you, that
you may be
a company of
peoples,
4 and
give you the
blessing of Abraham,
to you and
to your offspring
with you, that
you may inherit
the land where
you travel, which God
gave to Abraham.”
5 Isaac
sent Jacob away.
He went to
Paddan Aram to
Laban, son of
Bethuel the Syrian,
the brother of
Rebekah, Jacob’s
and Esau’s mother.
6 Now
Esau saw that
Isaac had blessed
Jacob and sent
him away to
Paddan Aram, to
take him a wife
from there, and
that as he
blessed him he
gave him a
command, saying, “You
shall not take
a wife of the
daughters of
Canaan;”
7 and
that Jacob obeyed
his father and
his mother, and
was gone to
Paddan Aram.
8 Esau
saw that the
daughters of
Canaan didn’t please
Isaac, his father.
9 So
Esau went to
Ishmael, and took,
in addition to
the wives that he
had, Mahalath the
daughter of
Ishmael, Abraham’s
son, the sister of
Nebaioth, to be
his wife.
10 Jacob
went out
from Beersheba, and
went toward Haran.
11 He
came to a certain
place, and stayed
there all night,
because the sun
had set. He
took one of
the stones of the
place, and put
it under his head,
and lay down
in that place
to sleep.
12 He
dreamed and saw
a stairway set
upon the earth,
and its top
reached to heaven.
Behold, the angels
of God were
ascending and
descending on it.
13 Behold,
the LORD stood
above it, and said,
“I am the
LORD, the God
of Abraham your father,
and the God
of Isaac. I
will give the land
you lie on
to you and
to your offspring.
14 Your
offspring will be
as the dust
of the earth,
and you will
spread abroad to
the west, and
to the east,
and to the
north, and to
the south. In
you and in
your offspring,
all the families
of the earth
will be blessed.
15 Behold,
I am with you,
and will keep
you, wherever you
go, and will
bring you again
into this land.
For I will
not leave you
until I have
done that which
I have spoken
of to you.”
16 Jacob
awakened out of
his sleep, and
he said, “Surely
the LORD is
in this place,
and I didn’t know
it.”
17 He
was afraid,
and said, “How
awesome this place
is! This is none
other than God’s
house, and this
is the gate
of heaven.”
18 Jacob
rose up early
in the morning,
and took the stone
that he had
put under his
head, and set
it up for
a pillar, and
poured oil on
its top.
19 He
called the name
of that place
Bethel, but the
name of the
city was Luz
at the first.
20 Jacob
vowed a vow,
saying, “If God
will be with
me, and will
keep me in
this way that
I go, and
will give me
bread to eat,
and clothing to
put on,
21 so
that I come
again to
my father’s house
in peace, and
the LORD will
be my God,
22 then
this stone, which
I have set
up for a
pillar, will be
God’s house. Of
all that you
will give me
I will surely
give a tenth
to you.”