Genesi 28
1 Allora Isacco chiamò Giacobbe, lo benedisse e gli diede quest’ordine: “Non prender moglie tra le figliuole di Canaan.
Then Isaac summoned Jacob, and gave him a blessing. He told him, “Do not marry a woman of the Canaan people-group.
2 Lèvati, vattene in Paddan-Aram, alla casa di Bethuel, padre di tua madre, e prenditi moglie di là, tra le figliuole di Labano, fratello di tua madre.
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 E l’Iddio onnipotente ti benedica, ti renda fecondo e ti moltiplichi, in guisa che tu diventi un’assemblea di popoli,
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 e ti dia la benedizione d’Abrahamo: a te, e alla tua progenie con te; affinché tu possegga il paese dove sei andato peregrinando, e che Dio donò ad Abrahamo”.
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 E Isacco fece partire Giacobbe, il quale se n’andò in Paddan-Aram da Labano, figliuolo di Bethuel, l’Arameo, fratello di Rebecca, madre di Giacobbe e di Esaù.
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 Or Esaù vide che Isacco avea benedetto Giacobbe e l’avea mandato in Paddan-Aram perché vi prendesse moglie; e che, benedicendolo, gli avea dato quest’ordine: “Non prender moglie tra le figliuole di Canaan”,
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 e che Giacobbe aveva ubbidito a suo padre e a sua madre, e se n’era andato in Paddan-Aram.
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother, and had gone to Paddan-Aram.
8 Ed Esaù s’accorse che le figliuole di Canaan dispiacevano ad Isacco suo padre;
Esau also realized that his father Isaac did not approve of women from the Canaan people-group.
9 e andò da Ismaele, e prese per moglie, oltre quelle che aveva già, Mahalath, figliuola d’Ismaele, figliuolo d’Abrahamo, sorella di Nebaioth.
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 Or Giacobbe partì da Beer-Sceba e se n’andò verso Charan.
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and started walking along the road to Haran.
11 Capitò in un certo luogo, e vi passò la notte, perché il sole era già tramontato. Prese una delle pietre del luogo, la pose come suo capezzale e si coricò quivi.
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 E sognò; ed ecco una scala appoggiata sulla terra, la cui cima toccava il cielo; ed ecco gli angeli di Dio, che salivano e scendevano per la scala.
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 E l’Eterno stava al disopra d’essa, e gli disse: “Io sono l’Eterno, l’Iddio d’Abrahamo tuo padre e l’Iddio d’Isacco; la terra sulla quale tu stai coricato, io la darò a te e alla tua progenie;
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 e la tua progenie sarà come la polvere della terra, e tu ti estenderai ad occidente e ad oriente, a settentrione e a mezzodì; e tutte le famiglie della terra saranno benedette in te e nella tua progenie.
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 Ed ecco, io son teco, e ti guarderò dovunque tu andrai, e ti ricondurrò in questo paese; poiché io non ti abbandonerò prima d’aver fatto quello che t’ho detto”.
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 E come Giacobbe si fu svegliato dal suo sonno, disse: “Certo, l’Eterno è in questo luogo ed io non lo sapevo!”
[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 Ed ebbe paura, e disse: “Com’è tremendo questo luogo! Questa non è altro che la casa di Dio, e questa è la porta del cielo!”
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 E Giacobbe si levò la mattina di buon’ora, prese la pietra che avea posta come suo capezzale, la eresse in monumento, e versò dell’olio sulla sommità d’essa.
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 E pose nome a quel luogo Bethel; ma, prima, il nome della città era Luz.
He named that place Bethel, [which means ‘house of God’.] Previously its name was Luz.
20 E Giacobbe fece un voto, dicendo: “Se Dio è meco, se mi guarda durante questo viaggio che fo, se mi dà pane da mangiare e vesti da coprirmi,
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 e se ritorno sano e salvo alla casa del padre mio, l’Eterno sarà il mio Dio;
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 e questa pietra che ho eretta in monumento, sarà la casa di Dio; e di tutto quello che tu darai a me, io, certamente, darò a te la decima”.
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.”
