Jenesis 28
1 Aịzik kpọrọ Jekọb gọzie ya, nye ya iwu sị ya, “Alụla nwunye site nʼala Kenan.
Then Isaac summoned Jacob, and gave him a blessing. He told him, “Do not marry a woman of the Canaan people-group.
2 Kama bilie gaa Padan Aram nʼụlọ nna nne gị, Betuel, lụrụ nwunye site nʼụmụ ndị inyom Leban.
Instead, go right away to Paddan-Aram [in northwest Mesopotamia], to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Ask one of the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban to marry you.
3 Ka Chineke Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile, gọzie gị, mee ka ị mịa mkpụrụ, mụbaa, ghọọ ọtụtụ mba.
I will pray that God Almighty will bless you, and enable you to [get married and] have many descendants, in order that they will become many people-groups.
4 Ka Chineke nye gị na ụmụ ụmụ gị ngọzị ahụ o kwere nkwa inye Ebraham. Ka i nweta ala a, nke i bi nʼime ya ugbu a dịka ọbịa, bụ ala ahụ Chineke kwere Ebraham na nkwa inye ya.”
I also will pray that he will bless you and your descendants by enabling you to possess/seize the land in which you are now living as a foreigner, the land that God promised to give to [my father] Abraham and his descendants.”
5 Mgbe ahụ Aịzik zipụrụ Jekọb nʼije ya, ọ gara Padan Aram, nʼụlọ Leban nwa Betuel onye Aram, nwanne Ribeka onye bụ nne Jekọb na Ịsọ.
So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-Aram, to live with Rebekah’s brother Laban, the son of Bethuel, who belonged to the Aram people-group.
6 Ịsọ hụrụ ka Aịzik siri gọzie Jekọb, ziga ya Padan Aram ka ọ gaa lụọ nwunye nʼebe ahụ, nyekwa ya iwu mgbe ọ na-agọzi ya sị, “Alụla nwanyị na Kenan,”
Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and then sent him to Paddan-Aram. He also found out that when he blessed Isaac, he told him, “Do not marry a woman of the Canaan people-group,”
7 Jekọb rubekwara nna ya na nne ya isi gawa Padan Aram.
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother, and had gone to Paddan-Aram.
8 O dokwara Ịsọ anya na ndị inyom Kenan dị njọ nʼanya nna ya Aịzik.
Esau also realized that his father Isaac did not approve of women from the Canaan people-group.
9 Nʼihi ya, Ịsọ gakwuru Ishmel lụrụ Mahalat, ada Ishmel, nwa Ebraham, onye bụ nwanyị Nebaiot, tinyekwara ndị nwunye ọ lụrụ na mbụ.
Because of that, Esau went to see his uncle Ishmael, and married Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was the sister of Nabaioth and the granddaughter of Abraham.
10 Jekọb hapụrụ Bịasheba gawa Haran.
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and started walking along the road to Haran.
11 Mgbe chi na-eji, ọ kwụsịrị ebe ọ ga-anọ zuo ike abalị. Mgbe ọ chọrọ idina ala, o weere otu nʼime nkume ndị dị nʼebe ahụ hinye nʼisi ya, dinara ala ịrahụ ụra.
When he arrived at a certain place, he stopped there, because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones there and put it under his head to use as a pillow. Then he lay down and slept there.
12 Nʼabalị ahụ, ọ rọrọ nrọ, hụ mbube e ji arị elu. E mere ka o guzo site nʼụwa ruo nʼeluigwe. Ọ hụkwara ndị mmụọ ozi Chineke ka ha si na ya na-arịgo na-arịdakwa.
While he was sleeping, he had a dream, in which he [was surprised to] see a stairway. The bottom of the stairway was on the earth and the top was in the sky. Jacob also saw that God’s angels were going up and down the stairway.
13 Nʼelu ya, ọ hụrụ Onyenwe anyị ka o guzo, nụkwa ka ọ na-agwa ya okwu sị, “Mụ onwe m bụ Onyenwe anyị, Chineke nna gị Ebraham, na Chineke Aịzik. Aga m enye gị na ụmụ ụmụ gị ala ahụ nke i dina nʼelu ya.
And he [was surprised to] see Yahweh standing at the top of the stairway, saying “I am Yahweh God, whom your grandfather Abraham worshiped, and whom Isaac worships. I will give to you and to your descendants the land on which you are lying.
14 Ụmụ gị ga-adị ukwuu, dị ka aja dị nʼala. Ha ga-ejupụta ala a, site nʼọwụwa anyanwụ ruo nʼọdịda anyanwụ, sitekwa nʼugwu ruo na ndịda. A ga-esitekwa na gị na mkpụrụ gị, gọzie mba niile nke ụwa a.
Your descendants will be as numerous as the particles of dirt that are on the earth, and their territory will be very large. It will extend in all directions, to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south. And people of all people-groups on earth will receive blessings because of [what happens to] you and to your descendants.
15 Anọnyeere m gị. Aga m echebe gị ebe ọbụla ị na-aga. Aga m akpọghachite gị nʼala a. Agaghị m ahapụ gị tutu ruo mgbe m mezuoro gị ihe niile m kwere gị na nkwa.”
I will help you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you; I will continue to do for you all that I have promised to do.”
16 Jekọb tetara nʼụra sị, “Nʼezie Onyenwe anyị nọ nʼebe a. Ma amaghị m ya.”
[During the night], when Jacob woke up from sleeping, he thought, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and until now I was not aware of it!”
17 Ọ tụrụ egwu sị, “Lee ka ebe a si dị oke egwu, o nweghị ihe ebe a bụ karịa ụlọ Chineke, nʼezie ọ bụ ọnụ ụzọ ama eluigwe.”
He was afraid, and he said, “This place is very awesome! This is surely the place where God lives, and this is the entrance to heaven!”
18 Nʼisi ụtụtụ echi ya, Jekọb weere nkume ahụ o hinyere nʼisi ya guzo ya dịka ogidi, wụsa mmanụ nʼelu ya.
In the morning Jacob got up and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up on its end to show that the place was a holy place. He poured some olive oil on top of the stone [to dedicate it to God].
19 Ọ kpọrọ ebe ahụ Betel, ọ bụ ezie na Luz bụ aha obodo ahụ na mbụ.
He named that place Bethel, [which means ‘house of God’.] Previously its name was Luz.
20 Mgbe ahụ, Jekọb kwere nkwa sị, “Ọ bụrụ na Chineke ga-anọnyere m, chebe m nʼije m na-eje, ọ bụrụ na ọ ga-enye m ihe oriri m ga-eri na uwe m ga-eyi,
Jacob solemnly promised God, saying, “God, if you will help me and protect me while I am taking this journey, and if you give me enough food to eat and clothes to wear,
21 m lọghachi nʼụlọ nna m nʼudo, mgbe ahụ, Onyenwe anyị ga-abụ Chineke m.
in order that I can later return safely to my father’s house, then you, Yahweh, will be the God that I will worship.
22 Nkume a m doziri elu dịka ogidi ga-abụ ụlọ Chineke. Aga m eke ihe niile i nyere m ụzọ iri, nyeghachi gị otu ụzọ.”
This stone that I have set up will mark the place where people can worship you. And I will give back to you a tenth of everything that you give to me.”
