Jacob's Dream

10 Jacob left (A)Beersheba and went toward (B)Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he (C)dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder[a] set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, (D)the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, (E)the Lord stood above it[b] and said, (F)“I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. (G)The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like (H)the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and (I)your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, (J)I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and (K)will bring you back to this land. For I will (L)not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is (M)in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And 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.”

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up (N)for a pillar (O)and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place (P)Bethel,[c] but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob (Q)made 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 clothing to wear, 21 (R)so that I come again to my father's house in peace, (S)then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, (T)shall be God's house. And (U)of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 28:12 Or a flight of steps
  2. Genesis 28:13 Or beside him
  3. Genesis 28:19 Bethel means the house of God

Jacob’s dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and set out for Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there. When the sun had set, he took one of the stones at that place and put it near his head. Then he lay down there. 12 He dreamed and saw a raised staircase, its foundation on earth and its top touching the sky, and God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it. 13 Suddenly the Lord was standing on it[a] and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. 15 I am with you now, 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 everything that I have promised you.”

16 When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. 17 He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven. 18 After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He named that sacred place Bethel,[b] though Luz was the city’s original name. 20 Jacob made a solemn promise: “If God is with me and protects me on this trip I’m taking, and gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God. 22 This stone that I’ve set up as a sacred pillar will be God’s house, and of everything you give me I will give a tenth back to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 28:13 Or beside it or beside him
  2. Genesis 28:19 Or God’s house