Jacob’s journey to Mesopotamia: his vision and vow.
28:1. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, saying:
Take not a wife of the stock of Chanaan:
28:2. But go, and take a journey to Mesopotamia of Syria, to the house
of Bathuel, thy mother’s father, and take thee a wife thence of the
daughters of Laban, thy uncle.
28:3. And God almighty bless thee, and make thee to increase and
multiply thee: that thou mayst be a multitude of people.
28:4. And give the blessings of Araham to thee, and to thy seed after
thee: that thou mayst possess the land of thy sojournment, which he
promised to thy grandfather.
28:5. And when Isaac had sent him away, he took his journey and went to
Mesopotamia of Syria, to Laban, the son of Bathuel, the Syrian, brother
to Rebecca, his mother.
28:6. And Esau seeing that his father had blessed Jacob, and had sent
him into Mesopotamia of Syria, to marry a wife thence; and that after
the blessing he had charged him, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife of
the daughters of Chanaan:
28:7. And that Jacob obeying his parents, was gone into Syria:
28:8. Experiencing also, that his father was not well pleased with the
daughters of Chanaan:
28:9. He went to Ismael, and took to wife, besides them he had before,
Maheleth, the daughter of Ismael, Abraham’s son, the sister of
Nabajoth.
28:10. But Jacob being departed from Bersabee, went on to Haran.
28:11. And when he was come to a certain place, and would rest in it
after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting under
his head, slept in the same place.
28:12. And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and
the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and
descending by it.
28:13. And the Lord leaning upon the ladder saying to him: I am the
Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: The land, wherein
thou sleepest, I will give to thee and to thy seed.
28:14. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth: thou shalt
spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to
the south: and IN THEE and thy seed, all the tribes of the earth SHALL
BE BLESSED.
28:15. And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will
bring thee back into this land: neither will I leave thee, till I shall
have accomplished all that I have said.
28:16. And when Jacob awaked out of sleep, he said: Indeed the Lord is
in this place, and I knew it not.
28:17. And trembling, he said: How terrible is this place? this is no
other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven.
28:18. And Jacob arising in the morning, took the stone which he had
laid under his head, and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon the
top of it.
28:19. And he called the name of the city Bethel, which before was
called Luza.
Bethel.... This name signifies the house of God.
28:20. And he made a vow, saying: If God shall be with me, and shall
keep me in the way, by which I walk, and shall give me bread to eat,
and raiment to put on,
28:21. And I shall return prosperously to my father’s house: the Lord
shall be my God:
28:22. And this stone, which I have set up for a title, shall be called
the house of God: and of all things that thou shalt give to me, I will
offer tithes to thee.