Genesis 28
28
Jacob Is Sent Away
1So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, #28:1 Lit and said tosaying to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3May #28:3 Heb El ShaddaiGod Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude of peoples. 4May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your #28:4 Lit seeddescendants with you, so that you may possess the land where you live as a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” 5Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 8So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased #28:8 Lit in the eyes of hishis father Isaac; 9and Esau went to Ishmael, and #28:9 Lit took for his wifemarried, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Jacob’s Dream
10Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11And he #28:11 Lit lighted onhappened upon a #28:11 Lit the placeparticular place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and made it a support for his head, and lay down in that place. 12And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13Then behold, the Lord was standing #28:13 Or beside himabove it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your #28:13 Lit seeddescendants. 14Your #28:14 Lit seeddescendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will #28:14 Lit break throughspread out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your #28:14 Lit seeddescendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have #28:15 Lit spoken topromised you.” 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!” 17And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
18So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top. 19Then he named that place #28:19 I.e., the house of GodBethel; but #28:19 Lit at the firstpreviously the name of the city had been Luz. 20Jacob also made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I #28:20 Lit gotake, and give me #28:20 Lit breadfood to eat and garments to wear, 21and I return to my father’s house in #28:21 Lit peacesafety, then the Lord will be my God. 22And this stone, which I have set up as a memorial stone, will be God’s house, and of everything that You give me I will assuredly give a tenth to You.”
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Genesis 28
28
1Isaac called Jacob, greeted him, and said to him, “Don't marry a Canaanite woman. 2Go instead to Mesopotamia, to the home of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of the young women there, one of your uncle Laban's daughters. 3May Almighty God bless your marriage and give you many children, so that you will become the father of many nations! 4#Gen 17.4–8May he bless you and your descendants as he blessed Abraham, and may you take possession of this land, in which you have lived and which God gave to Abraham!” 5Isaac sent Jacob away to Mesopotamia, to Laban, who was the son of Bethuel the Aramean and the brother of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Esau Takes Another Wife
6Esau learnt that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Mesopotamia to find a wife. He also learnt that when Isaac blessed him, he commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7He found out that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Mesopotamia. 8Esau then understood that his father Isaac did not approve of Canaanite women. 9So he went to Ishmael son of Abraham and married his daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.
Jacob's Dream at Bethel
10Jacob left Beersheba and started towards Haran. 11At sunset he came to a holy place#28.11 a holy place; or a place. and camped there. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone. 12#Jn 1.51He dreamt that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with angels going up and coming down on it. 13#Gen 13.14–15And there was the LORD standing beside him.#28.13 beside him; or on it. “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and Isaac,” he said. “I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying. 14#Gen 12.3; 22.18They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations.#28.14 through you… nations; or all the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed you and your descendants. 15Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”
16Jacob woke up and said, “The LORD is here! He is in this place, and I didn't know it!” 17He was afraid and said, “What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven.”
18Jacob got up early next morning, took the stone that was under his head, and set it up as a memorial. Then he poured olive oil on it to dedicate it to God. 19He named the place Bethel.#28.19 Bethel: This name in Hebrew means “house of God”. (The town there was once known as Luz.) 20Then Jacob made a vow to the LORD: “If you will be with me and protect me on the journey I am making and give me food and clothing, 21and if I return safely to my father's home, then you will be my God. 22This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshipped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.