Genesis 28
International Children’s Bible
Jacob Searches for a Wife
28 Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. Then Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, in Northwest Mesopotamia. Laban, your mother’s brother, lives there. Marry one of his daughters. 3 May God All-Powerful bless you and give you many children. May you become the father of many peoples. 4 May the Lord give you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham. Then you may own the land where you are now living as a stranger. This is the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Northwest Mesopotamia. Jacob went to Laban, the brother of Rebekah. Bethuel, the Aramean, was the father of Laban and Rebekah. And Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Northwest Mesopotamia. Jacob went to find a wife there. Esau also learned that Isaac had commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7 And Esau learned that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother. He had gone to Northwest Mesopotamia. 8 So Esau saw that his father Isaac did not want his sons to marry Canaanite women. 9 Now Esau already had wives. But he went to Ishmael son of Abraham. And he married Mahalath, Ishmael’s daughter. Mahalath was the sister of Nebaioth.
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 He came to a place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He found a stone there and laid his head on it to go to sleep. 12 Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder resting on the earth and reaching up into heaven. And he saw angels of God going up and coming down the ladder. 13 And then Jacob saw the Lord standing above the ladder. The Lord said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your grandfather. And I am the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are now sleeping. 14 Your descendants will be as many as the dust of the earth. They will spread west and east, north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 I am with you, and I will protect you everywhere you go. And I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep. He said, “Surely the Lord is in this place. But I did not know it.” 17 Jacob was afraid. He said, “This place frightens me! It is surely the house of God and the gate of heaven.”
18 Jacob rose early in the morning. He took the stone he had slept on and set it up on its end. Then he poured olive oil on the top of it. 19 At first, the name of that city was Luz. But Jacob named it Bethel.[a]
20 Then Jacob made a promise. He said, “I want God to be with me and protect me on this journey. I want God to give me food to eat and clothes to wear. 21 Then I will be able to return in peace to my father’s house. If the Lord does these things, he will be my God. 22 This stone which I have set up on its end will be the house of God. And I will give God one-tenth of all he gives me.”
Footnotes
- 28:19 Bethel This name means “house of God.”
Bereshis 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
28 And Yitzchak called for Ya’akov, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take an isha of the Banot Kena’an.
2 Arise, go to Paddanah- Aram, to the bais Betuel avi immecha; and take thee an isha from there of the banot Lavan achi immecha.
3 And El Shaddai bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a kahal amim;
4 And give thee the birkat Avraham, to thee, and to thy zera with thee; that thou mayest inherit the eretz wherein thou art a ger, which Elohim gave unto Avraham.
5 And Yitzchak sent away Ya’akov; and he went to Padanah-Aram unto Lavan ben Betuel the Aramean, achi Rivkah, em Ya’akov and Esav.
6 When Esav saw that Yitzchak had blessed Ya’akov, and sent him away to Padanah-Aram, to take an isha for him from there; and that when he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take an isha of the Banot Kena’an;
7 And that Ya’akov obeyed his av and his em, and went to Padanah-Aram;
8 And Esav seeing that the Banot Kena’an pleased not Yitzchak his av;
9 Then went Esav unto Yishmael, and took unto the nashim which he had Machalat bat Yishmael ben Avraham, the achot of Nevayot, to be his wife.
[VAYETZE]
10 And Ya’akov went out from Beer-Sheva, and went toward Charan.
11 And he reached a certain place, and tarried there, because the shemesh was set; and he took of the avanim of that place, and put them for his pillow, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he had a chalom, and hinei a sullam (ladder, stairway) set up on the ground, and the top of it reached to Shomayim: and hinei the malachim of Elohim ascending and descending on it.
13 And, hinei, Hashem stood above it, and said, I am Hashem Elohei Avraham thy av, and Elohei Yitzchak; ha’aretz whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy zera;
14 And thy zera shall be as the dust of ha’aretz, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy zera shall kol hamishpochot haadamah be blessed.
15 And, hinei, I am with thee, and will be shomer over thee in all places where thou goest, and will bring thee back into haadamah hazot; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have promised thee.
16 And Ya’akov awoke out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Hashem is in this place! And I had no da’as of it.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How nora (awesome) is this place! This is none other than the Beis Elohim, and this is the Sha’ar HaShomayim.
18 And Ya’akov rose up early in the boker, and took haeven (the stone) that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a matzevah (pillar), and poured shemen upon the top of it.
19 And he called the shem of that place Beit-El; but the shem of that ir was called Luz at the first.
20 And Ya’akov vowed a neder (vow), saying, If Elohim will be with me, and will be shomer over me in this derech (way, journey) that I go, and will give me lechem to eat, and beged (clothes) to put on,
21 So that I return to bais avi in shalom; then shall Hashem be for me Elohim (my G-d).
22 And this even (stone), which I have set for a matzevah (pillar), shall be Beis Elohim: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the aser (tenth) unto Thee.
Genesis 28
King James Version
28 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan;
7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
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