1So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “Don’t get married to a Canaanite woman. 2Go at once to Paddan Aram. Go to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Find a wife for yourself there. Take her from among the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban. 3May the Mighty God bless you. May he give you children. May he make your family larger until you become a community of nations. 4May he give you and your children after you the blessing he gave to Abraham. Then you can take over the land where you now live as an outsider. It’s the land God gave to Abraham.” 5Isaac sent Jacob on his way. Jacob went to Paddan Aram. He went to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean. Laban was Rebekah’s brother. And Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6Esau found out that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram. Isaac wanted him to get a wife from there. Esau heard that when Isaac blessed Jacob, he commanded him, “Don’t get married to a woman from Canaan.” 7Esau also learned that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8Then Esau realized how much his father Isaac disliked Canaanite women. 9So he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael. Esau added her to the wives he already had.
Jacob Has a Dream at Bethel
10Jacob left Beersheba and started out for Harran. 11He reached a certain place and stopped for the night. The sun had already set. He took one of the stones there and placed it under his head. Then he lay down to sleep. 12In a dream he saw a stairway standing on the earth. Its top reached to heaven. The angels of God were going up and coming down on it. 13The Lord stood beside the stairway. He said, “I am the Lord. I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your children after you the land you are lying on. 14They will be like the dust of the earth that can’t be counted. They will spread out to the west and to the east. They will spread out to the north and to the south. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you and your children after you. 15I am with you. I will watch over 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.”
16Jacob woke up from his sleep. Then he thought, “The Lord is surely in this place. And I didn’t even know it.” 17Jacob was afraid. He said, “How holy this place is! This must be the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”
18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head. He set it up as a sacred stone. And he poured olive oil on top of it. 19He named that place Bethel. But the city used to be called Luz.
20Then Jacob made a promise. He said, “May God be with me. May he watch over me on this journey I’m taking. May he give me food to eat and clothes to wear. 21May he do as he has promised so that I can return safely to my father’s home. Then you, Lord, will be my God. 22This stone I’ve set up as a sacred stone will be God’s house. And I’ll give you a tenth of everything you give me.”
1Kaya ipinatawag ni Isaac si Jacob. Pagdating niya, binasbasan niya ito at inutusan, “Huwag kang mag-aasawa ng taga-Canaan. 2Maghanda ka at pumunta sa Padan Aram,28:2 Padan Aram: Isang lugar sa Mesopotamia. doon sa lolo mong si Betuel na ama ng iyong ina. Doon ka pumili ng iyong mapapangasawa sa isa sa mga dalagang anak ni Laban na kapatid ng iyong ina. 3Nawaʼy pagpalain ka ng Makapangyarihang Dios at bigyan ka ng maraming anak para maging ama ka ng maraming grupo ng tao. 4Nawaʼy ibigay din sa iyo at sa mga lahi mo ang pagpapalang ibinigay niya kay Abraham, para maging iyo ang lupaing ito na iyong tinitirhan ngayon bilang isang dayuhan. Ang lupaing ito ay ibinigay nga ng Dios kay Abraham.” 5Agad na pinapunta ni Isaac si Jacob sa Padan Aram, sa lugar ni Laban na anak ni Betuel na Arameo. Si Laban ay kapatid ni Rebeka na ina nina Jacob at Esau.
Muling nag-asawa si Esau
6Nalaman ni Esau na binasbasan ni Isaac si Jacob at pinapunta sa Padan Aram para roon maghanap ng mapapangasawa. Nalaman din niya na binasbasan ni Isaac si Jacob, inutusan niya ito na huwag mag-asawa ng taga-Canaan. 7At nalaman din niyang sumunod si Jacob sa magulang nila at pumunta sa Padan Aram. 8Dito napansin ni Esau na ayaw ng kanyang ama ang mga babaeng taga-Canaan. 9Kaya pumunta siya sa tiyuhin niyang si Ishmael na anak ni Abraham kay Hagar at napangasawa si Mahalat na kapatid ni Nebayot at anak ni Ishmael, bukod pa sa dalawang naging asawa niya.
Nanaginip si Jacob sa Betel
10Umalis si Jacob sa Beersheba at lumakad papuntang Haran. 11Nang lumubog na ang araw, nakarating siya sa isang lugar at doon nanatili nang gabing iyon. Kumuha siya ng isang bato at ginawa niyang unan sa pagtulog niya. 12Ngayon, nanaginip siya na may isang hagdan na nakatayo sa lupa na abot hanggang langit. Nakita niya ang mga anghel ng Dios na umaakyat at bumababa sa hagdan. 13Nakita rin niya ang Panginoon na nakatayo sa itaas ng hagdan28:13 sa itaas ng hagdan: o, sa tabi niya. at sinabi sa kanya, “Ako ang Panginoon, ang Dios ni Abraham at ni Isaac. Ibibigay ko sa iyo at sa mga lahi mo ang lupaing ito na iyong hinihigaan. 14Ang mga lahi mo ay magiging kasindami ng alikabok sa lupa. Mangangalat sila sa ibaʼt ibang bahagi ng lupa. Sa pamamagitan mo at ng mga lahi mo, pagpapalain ko ang lahat ng tao sa mundo. 15Alalahanin mo palagi na kasama mo ako at iingatan kita kahit saan ka pumunta. Pababalikin kita sa lupaing ito at hindi kita pababayaan hanggang sa matupad ko ang aking ipinangako sa iyo.”
16Biglang nagising si Jacob at sinabi niya sa kanyang sarili, “Hindi ko alam na nandito pala ang Panginoon sa lugar na ito.” 17Kinabahan siya at sinabi, “Nakakamangha ang lugar na ito! Tirahan ito ng Dios at dito mismo ang pintuan papuntang langit.”
18Maagang bumangon si Jacob. Kinuha niya ang batong inunan niya noong gabi at itinayo bilang isang alaala. Pagkatapos, binuhusan niya ito ng langis para maging banal. 19Pinangalanan ni Jacob ang lugar na iyon na Betel.28:19 Betel: Ang ibig sabihin, tirahan ng Dios. Dati ay Luz ang pangalan ng lugar na iyon.
20Sumumpa agad si Jacob na nagsabi, “Panginoon, kung sasamahan po ninyo ako at bibigyan po ng pagkain at damit, 21at kung makakabalik po akong muli sa bahay ng aking ama na walang masamang nangyari sa akin, kikilalanin ko po kayong aking Dios. 22Ang bato pong ito na itinayo ko bilang isang alaala ay magpapatunay ng inyong presensya sa lugar28:22 magpapatunay … lugar: sa literal, magiging tirahan ng Dios. na ito. At ibibigay ko po sa inyo ang ikasampung bahagi ng lahat ng ibibigay nʼyo sa akin.”
