Jacob’s Departure

1So Isaac (he laughs) called for Jacob (he grasps the heel) and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite (lowland) women,” he commanded. 2“Go at once to Paddan-aram (northwest Mesopotamia),a to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel (dweller in God), and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban (white), your mother’s brother. 3May God Almighty {El-Shaddai}b bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. 4And may He give the blessing of Abraham (father of many) to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God {Elohim} gave to Abraham.”

5So Isaac (he laughs) sent Jacob (he grasps the heel) to Paddan-aram (exalted), to Laban (white) son of Bethuel (dweller in God) the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah (ensnarer), who was the mother of Jacob and Esau (hairy).

Esau Marries Mahalath

6Now Esau (hairy) learned that Isaac (he laughs) had blessed Jacob (he grasps the heel) and sent him to Paddan-aram (northwest Mesopotamia) to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite (lowland) woman,” 7and that Jacob (he grasps the heel) had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram (exalted).

8And (hairy) seeing that his father Isaac (he laughs) disapproved of the Canaanite (lowland) women, 9Esau (hairy) went to Ishmael (God hears) and married Mahalath (weak), the sister of Nebaioth (heights) and daughter of Abraham’s (father of many) son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Ladder

10Meanwhile Jacob (he grasps the heel) left (well of seven) Beersheba and set out for Haran (mountaineer). 11On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

12And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. 13And there at the top (there beside him)c the LORD {YHWH} was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God {Elohe} of your father Abraham (father of many) and the God of Isaac (he laughs). I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

16When Jacob (he grasps the heel) woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD {YHWH} is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” 17And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God {Elohim}; this is the gate of heaven!”

The Stone of Bethel

18Early the next morning, Jacob (he grasps the heel) took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, 19and he called that place Bethel (house of God),d though previously the city had been named Luz (almond tree).

20Then Jacob (he grasps the heel) made a vow, saying, “If God {Elohim} will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, 21so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD {YHWH} will be my God {Elohim}. 22And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”