Genesis 27:30-29:12

New International Version

³⁰ After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. ³¹ He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”^(A)

³² His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”^(B)

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.^(C)”

³³ Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me?^(D) I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!^(E)”

³⁴ When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry^(F) and said to his father, “Bless^(G) me—me too, my father!”

³⁵ But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully^(H) and took your blessing.”^(I)

³⁶ Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob^[a]?^(J) This is the second time he has taken advantage of^(K) me: He took my birthright,^(L) and now he’s taken my blessing!”^(M) Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

³⁷ Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.^(N) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

³⁸ Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.^(O)

³⁹ His father Isaac answered him,^(P)

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge^(V) against Jacob^(W) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning^(X) for my father are near; then I will kill^(Y) my brother Jacob.”^(Z)

⁴² When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau^(AA) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.^{(AB) 43} Now then, my son, do what I say:^(AC) Flee at once to my brother Laban^(AD) in Harran.^{(AE) 44} Stay with him for a while^(AF) until your brother’s fury subsides. ⁴⁵ When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,^(AG) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.^(AH) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite^(AI) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,^(AJ) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”^(AK)

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(AL) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^{(AM) 2} Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[b](AN) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.^(AO) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(AP) 3} May God Almighty^[c](AQ) bless^(AR) you and make you fruitful^(AS) and increase your numbers^(AT) until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(AU) so that you may take possession of the land^(AV) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(AW) the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(AX) and he went to Paddan Aram,^(AY) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(AZ) the brother of Rebekah,^(BA) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ 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,”^{(BB) 7} and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(BC) were to his father Isaac;^{(BD) 9} so he went to Ishmael^(BE) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(BF) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(BG)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba^(BH) and set out for Harran.^{(BI) 11} When he reached a certain place,^(BJ) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(BK) and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream^(BL) 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.^{(BM) 13} There above it^[d] stood the Lord,^(BN) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(BO) I will give you and your descendants the land^(BP) on which you are lying.^{(BQ) 14} Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(BR) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(BS) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{[e](BT) 15} I am with you^(BU) and will watch over you^(BV) wherever you go,^(BW) and I will bring you back to this land.^(BX) I will not leave you^(BY) until I have done what I have promised you.^(BZ)”^(CA)

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep,^(CB) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!^(CC) This is none other than the house of God;^(CD) this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head^(CE) and set it up as a pillar^(CF) and poured oil on top of it.^{(CG) 19} He called that place Bethel,^[f](CH) though the city used to be called Luz.^(CI)

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow,^(CJ) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me^(CK) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear^{(CL) 21} so that I return safely^(CM) to my father’s household,^(CN) then the Lord^[g] will be my God^{(CO) 22} and^[h] this stone that I have set up as a pillar^(CP) will be God’s house,^(CQ) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.^(CR)”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.^{(CS) 2} There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.^(CT) The stone^(CU) over the mouth of the well was large. ³ When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone^(CV) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.^(CW) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”^(CX)

“We’re from Harran,^(CY)” they replied.

⁵ He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”^(CZ)

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶ Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel^(DA) with the sheep.^(DB)”

⁷ “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

⁸ “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone^(DC) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water^(DD) the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,^(DE) for she was a shepherd. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel^(DF) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone^(DG) away from the mouth of the well and watered^(DH) his uncle’s sheep.^{(DI) 11} Then Jacob kissed^(DJ) Rachel and began to weep aloud.^{(DK) 12} He had told Rachel that he was a relative^(DL) of her father and a son of Rebekah.^(DM) So she ran and told her father.^(DN)