Jacob’s Departure 1 UST So Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him and told him,“You must not marry a Canaanite woman. BSB BSB: So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded.
2 UST { Instead} you must go right away to{ the region of} Paddan Aram, to the home of your mother’ s father, Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban’ s daughters. BSB BSB: “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.
3 UST I pray that God,{ who is} all- powerful, will bless you and give you many children and increase{ the number of} your descendants, so that you become{ the ancestor of} a community of peoples. BSB BSB: May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.
4 UST I{ also} pray that he will bless you and your descendants the same way that he blessed Abraham, so that you will own this land where you have been living as a foreigner,{ the same land} which God gave to him.” BSB BSB: And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
5 UST Then Isaac sent Jacob{ on his way}, so Jacob started traveling to Laban{’ s house which was} in{ the region of} Paddan Aram.{ Laban was} the son of Bethuel the Aramean and{ also} the brother of Rebekah,{ who was} Jacob and Esau’ s mother. 28:6-9 BSB BSB: So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Esau Marries Mahalath 6 UST Now Esau had seen Isaac bless Jacob and send him to{ the region of} Paddan Aram to marry a woman from there. As Isaac was blessing him,{ Esau heard} him tell Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. BSB BSB: Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”
7 UST { Esau also saw that} Jacob obeyed their father and mother and started traveling to Paddan Aram. BSB BSB: and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
8 UST That is when Esau realized that his father Isaac did not approve of{ his sons marrying} Canaanite women. BSB BSB: And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
9 UST So in addition to the{ two} wives he already had, Esau went to{ the family of} Abraham’ s son Ishmael and married Ishmael’ s daughter Mahalath, whose brother was Nebaioth. 28:10-22 BSB BSB: Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
Jacob’s Ladder 10 UST { After} Jacob left from{ his family’ s home}{ in the city of} Beersheba, he started traveling to{ the city of} Haran. BSB BSB: Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.
11 UST { That evening} he reached a{ good} place{ to sleep}, so he stopped there{ for the night} because the sun had set. He chose{ one} of the stones that was there and used it as a pillow. Then he lay down and went to sleep. BSB BSB: On 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.
12 UST While he was dreaming, he saw a stairway. The bottom of the stairway was on the ground and its top reached up to heaven, and he saw God’ s angels going up and coming down on the stairway. BSB BSB: And 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.
13 UST And there standing at the top{ of the stairway} was Yahweh, and he said{ to Jacob},“I{ am} Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors Abraham and Isaac serve. I will give you and your descendants this land that you are lying on. BSB BSB: And there at the top the LORD was standing 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 now lie.
14 UST They will be{ as numerous} as the dust{ specks} on the ground, so that they live throughout this land in every direction. Because of you and your descendants, I will bless all the families in the world. BSB BSB: Your 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.
15 UST Remember that I{ will always be} with you. I will protect you wherever you go, and I will lead you back to this land. In fact, I will never leave you and I will do everything that I have promised you{ that I will do}.” BSB BSB: Look, 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.”
16 UST Suddenly Jacob woke up from his dream and exclaimed{ to himself},“Yahweh definitely lives in this place, but I did not know{ it}{ before now}!” BSB BSB: When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
17 UST He was afraid, so he{ also} exclaimed,“This is a terrifying place! This can only be God’ s house! It{ must be} the entrance to heaven!” BSB BSB: And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
The Stone of Bethel 18 UST Early the next morning Jacob got up, took the stone that he had used as a pillow and set it up{ on its end} to mark the place{ where God had appeared to him}. Then he poured{ some}{ olive} oil on top of the stone{ to dedicate the place to God}. BSB BSB: Early the next morning, Jacob 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,
19 UST He named that place Bethel,{ which means“house of God.”} Previously the name of that town had been Luz. BSB BSB: and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
20 UST Then Jacob made a vow{ to God} and said,“God, if{ you} will stay with me and protect me as I travel on this journey and if you provide me food to eat and clothes to wear, BSB BSB: Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God 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,
21 UST so that I return safely to my father’ s home, then Yahweh,{ you} will be the God whom I serve. BSB BSB: so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.
22 UST This stone that I have set up will be your house and mark the place{ that you appeared to me}, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything that you give to me.” BSB BSB: And 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.”