Genesis 28
1 Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Don't marry a Canaanite woman,” he ordered him.
Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women.
2 “Leave right away and go to Paddan-aram, to the home of Bethuel, your mother's father. Find yourself a wife there—a daughter of Laban, your mother's brother.
Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take a wife from there, one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
3 God Almighty bless you and may your descendants be so numerous that you become the ancestor of many nations.
May God Almighty bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude of peoples.
4 May he grant you and your descendants the same blessing he gave to Abraham, so that you may take over the land where you now live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your descendants after you, that you may inherit the land where you have been living, which God gave to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way. He traveled to Paddan-aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean. Laban was the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
So Isaac sent Jacob away. Jacob went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
6 Esau found out that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife there, and that when he blessed him he ordered him, “Don't marry a Canaanite woman.”
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take a wife from there. He also saw that Isaac had blessed him and given him a command, saying, “You must not take a wife from the women of Canaan.”
7 He also discovered that Jacob had done what his father and mother told him and had left for Paddan-aram.
Esau also saw that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother, and had gone to Paddan Aram.
8 This made Esau realize how much his father disliked Canaanite women.
Esau saw that the women of Canaan did not please Isaac his father.
9 So he went to Ishmael's family and married an additional wife—Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth.
So he went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
10 In the meantime Jacob had set off from Beersheba on his way to Haran.
Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 He arrived after sunset at a particular place and stopped there for the night. He picked up a stone, put it under his head, lay down and went to sleep.
He came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones in that place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 He dreamed he saw a stairway that started on earth, and the top reached all the way into heaven. He saw God's angels going up and down on it.
He dreamed and saw a stairway set up on the earth. Its top reached to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 Then he saw the Lord standing over him, who said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I'm giving you and your descendants the land you're lying on.
Behold, Yahweh stood above it and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants.
14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and will spread out west and east, and north and south. Everyone on earth will be blessed by your descendants.
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread far out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and through your descendants will all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 Listen! I am with you and will take care of you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this country. I won't leave you because I'm going to do what I've promised you.”
Behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. I will bring you into this land again; for I will not leave you. I will do all that I have promised to you.”
16 When Jacob woke up he said to himself, “The Lord is right here, in this place, and I didn't realize it!”
Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.”
17 He became frightened and said, “This is a scary place! It must be the house of God and the entrance to heaven.”
He was afraid and said, “How terrifying is this place! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”
18 When Jacob got up in the morning he took the stone he'd put under his head and set it upright as a stone pillar and poured some olive oil on it.
Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head. He set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 He named the place “Bethel,” (previously it was called Luz).
He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city originally was Luz.
20 Jacob also made a solemn promise, saying, “God, if you will be with me, and take care of me on my journey, and give me food to eat and clothes to wear
Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will protect me on this road on which I am walking, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to wear,
21 so I can return safely to my father's home, then you Lord will be my God.
so that I return safely to my father's house, then Yahweh will be my God.
22 This stone pillar that I've set up will be the house of God, and I will give you one tenth of all you give me.”
Then this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be a sacred stone. From everything that you give me, I will surely give a tenth back to you.”
