Study Desk

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite^(ca) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,^(cb) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."^(cc)

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(a) him. Then he commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^(b)

Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[a](c) to the house of your mother's father Bethuel.^(d) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.^(e)

May God Almighty^[b](f) bless^(g) you and make you fruitful^(h) and increase your numbers⁽ⁱ⁾ until you become a community of peoples.

May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(j) so that you may take possession of the land^(k) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(l) the land God gave to Abraham."

Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(m) and he went to Paddan Aram,⁽ⁿ⁾ to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(o) the brother of Rebekah,^(p) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman,"^(q)

and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.

Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(r) were to his father Isaac;^(s)

so he went to Ishmael^(t) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(u) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(v)

Jacob's Dream at Bethel

Jacob left Beersheba^(w) and set out for Harran.^(x)

When he reached a certain place,^(y) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(z) and lay down to sleep.

He had a dream^(aa) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^(ab)

There above it^[c] stood the Lord ,^(ac) and he said: "I am the Lord , the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(ad) I will give you and your descendants the land^(ae) on which you are lying.^(af)

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(ag) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(ah) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^[d](ai)

I am with you^(aj) and will watch over you^(ak) wherever you go,^(al) and I will bring you back to this land.^(am) I will not leave you^(an) until I have done what I have promised you.^(ao)"^(ap)

When Jacob awoke from his sleep,^(aq) he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it."

He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place!^(ar) This is none other than the house of God;^(as) this is the gate of heaven."

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head^(at) and set it up as a pillar^(au) and poured oil on top of it.^(av)

He called that place Bethel,^[e](aw) though the city used to be called Luz.^(ax)

Then Jacob made a vow,^(ay) saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me^(az) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear^(ba)

so that I return safely^(bb) to my father's household,^(bc) then the Lord ^[f] will be my God^(bd)

and^[g] this stone that I have set up as a pillar^(be) will be God's house,^(bf) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.^(bg)"