Genesis 28

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 So Isaac summoned Jacob and blessed him; and he gave him this order: 'You are not to marry any ofthe Canaanite women.	1 Isaac therefore called Jacob, greeted him with a blessing, and charged him: "You shall not marry a Canaanite woman!
2 Go off to Paddan-Aram, the home of Bethuel your mother's father, and there choose a wife foryourself from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.	2 Go now to Paddan-aram, to the home of your mother's father Bethuel, and there choose a wife for yourself from among the daughters of your uncle Laban.
3 May El Shaddai bless you; may he make you fruitful and make you multiply so that you become agroup of nations.	3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fertile, multiply you that you may become an assembly of peoples.
4 May he grant you the blessing of Abraham, you and your descendants after you, so that one day youmay own the country where you are now living as a stranger -- which God gave to Abraham.'	4 May he extend to you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham, so that you may gain possession of the land where you are staying, which he assigned to Abraham."
5 Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and Jacob went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel theAramaean and brother of Rebekah the mother of Jacob and Esau.	5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way; he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-Aram to choose a wife there,and that in blessing him he had given him this order: 'You are not to choose a wife from the Canaanite women,'	6 Esau noted that Isaac had blessed Jacob when he sent him to Paddan-aram to get himself a wife there, charging him, as he gave him his blessing, not to marry a Canaanite woman,
7 and that, in obedience to his father and mother, Jacob had gone to Paddan-Aram,	7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
8 Esau then realised how much his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women.	8 Esau realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac,
9 So Esau went to Ishmael and chose for a wife, in addition to the wives he had, Mahalath daughter ofAbraham's son Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.	9 so he went to Ishmael, and in addition to the wives he had, married Mahalath, the daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.	10 Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran.
11 When he had reached a certain place, he stopped there for the night, since the sun had set. Takingone of the stones of that place, he made it his pil ow and lay down where he was.	11 When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set, he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep at that spot.
12 He had a dream: there was a ladder, planted on the ground with its top reaching to heaven; andGod's angels were going up and down on it.	12 Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were going up and down on it.
13 And there was Yahweh, standing beside him and saying, 'I, Yahweh, am the God of Abraham yourfather, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you are lying I shall give to you and your descendants.	13 And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying: "I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Your descendants wil be as plentiful as the dust on the ground; you wil spread out to west and east,to north and south, and al clans on earth wil bless themselves by you and your descendants.	14 These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.
15 Be sure, I am with you; I shal keep you safe wherever you go, and bring you back to this country, forI shal never desert you until I have done what I have promised you.'	15 Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you."
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Truly, Yahweh is in this place and I did not know!'	16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, "Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!"
17 He was afraid and said, 'How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than the abode of God,and this is the gate of heaven!'	17 In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!"
18 Early next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used for his pillow, and set it up as a pil ar, pouringoil over the top of it.	18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it.
19 He named the place Bethel, but before that the town had been cal ed Luz.	19 He called that site Bethel, whereas the former name of the town had been Luz.
20 Jacob then made this vow, 'If God remains with me and keeps me safe on this journey I am making,if he gives me food to eat and clothes to wear,	20 Jacob then made this vow: "If God remains with me, to protect me on this journey I am making and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear,
21 and if I come home safe to my father's home, then Yahweh shal be my God.	21 and I come back safe to my father's house, the LORD shall be my God.
22 This stone I have set up as a pil ar is to be a house of God, and I shal faithful y pay you a tenth partof everything you give me.'	22 This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God's abode. Of everything you give me, I will faithfully return a tenth part to you."