Isaac's Instructions to Jacob
1 Isaac called in Jacob, then gave him a blessing, and said:
Don't marry any of those Canaanite women. 2 Go at once to your mother's father Bethuel in northern Syria and choose a wife from one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3 I pray that God All-Powerful will bless you with many descendants and let you become a great nation. 4 May he bless you with the land he promised Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
5 Isaac then sent Jacob to stay with Rebekah's brother Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.
Esau Marries the Daughter of Ishmael
6 Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria 7 and that he had obeyed his father and mother. 8 Esau already had several wives, but he now realized how much his father hated the Canaanite women. 9 So he married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth and the granddaughter of Abraham.
Jacob's Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left the town of Beersheba and started out for Haran. 11 At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock. 12 In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.
13 The Lord was standing beside the ladder and said:
I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping. 14 Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people. 15 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you—I will do all I have promised.
16 Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, “The Lord is in this place, and I didn't even know it.” 17 Then Jacob became frightened and said, “What a frightening place! It must be the house of God and the gateway to heaven.”
18 When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up as a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God, 19 and he named the place Bethel. Before that it had been named Luz.
20 Jacob solemnly promised God, “If you go with me and watch over me as I travel, and if you give me food and clothes 21 and bring me safely home again, you will be my God. 22 This rock will be your house, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me.”
1 Īzaks pasauca Jēkabu, svētīja viņu un pavēlēja: “Neņem sev sievu no Kanaāna meitām! 2 Dodies uz Padān-Arāmu, uz savas mātes tēva Betuēla namu, un ņem sev sievu no turienes, no sava mātesbrāļa Lābana meitām. 3 Visvarenais Dievs tevi svētīs, darīs tevi auglīgu, vairos tevi un darīs par tautu pulku! 4 Viņš tev dos Ābrahāma svētību, tev un taviem pēcnācējiem pēc tevis, lai tu iemanto to zemi, kur tu mīti, kuru Dievs deva Ābrahāmam!” 5 Un Īzaks atlaida Jēkabu, un viņš devās uz Padān-Arāmu pie aramieša Lābana, Betuēla dēla, Jēkaba un Ēsava mātes Rebekas brāļa.
Ēsavs ņem sievu no Ismaēla meitām
6 Ēsavs redzēja, ka Īzaks ir svētījis Jēkabu un sūtījis viņu uz Padān-Arāmu, lai viņš no turienes ņem sev sievu, un ka, viņu svētīdams, ir pavēlējis: “Neņem sev sievu no Kanaāna meitām!” – 7 un Jēkabs ir paklausījis savam tēvam un mātei un devies uz Padān-Arāmu. 8 Ēsavs redzēja, ka viņa tēvam Īzakam netīk Kanaāna meitas. 9 Tad Ēsavs gāja pie Ismaēla un ņēma sev vēl klāt pie citām sievām Mahalatu, Ābrahāma dēla Ismaēla meitu, Nebājota māsu.
Jēkaba sapnis
10 Jēkabs izgāja no Bēršebas un devās uz Hārānu. 11 Viņš tuvojās kādai vietai un palika tur pa nakti, jo norietēja saule. Viņš ņēma akmeni no tās vietas, lika sev pagalvī un nolikās gulēt tai vietā. 12 Viņš sapņoja, un, re, zemē noliktas kāpnes un to gals sniedzas debesīs, un, re, Dieva eņģeļi kāpj pa tām augšup lejup. 13 Un, re, Kungs nostājies augšā un saka: “Es esmu Kungs, tava tēva Ābrahāma Dievs un Īzaka Dievs! To zemi, kur tu guli, es došu tev un taviem pēcnācējiem! 14 Un tavu pēcnācēju būs tik, cik putekļu uz zemes, un tu izpletīsies uz rietumiem un austrumiem, uz ziemeļiem un dienvidiem, un visas zemes dzimtas tiks svētītas tevī un tavos pēcnācējos! 15 Un, redzi, es būšu ar tevi, es sargāšu tevi visur, kur tu iesi, un es atvedīšu tevi atpakaļ uz šo zemi, jo es tevi nepametīšu, līdz nebūšu izdarījis to, ko tev apsolīju!”
16 Tad Jēkabs pamodās no miega un teica: “Tiešām Kungs ir šajā vietā, bet es nezināju!” 17 Un viņš bijās un teica: “Cik baisa šī vieta! Kas cits, ja ne Dieva nams? Un šie ir debesu vārti!” 18 Un Jēkabs cēlās agri no rīta, ņēma akmeni, kas viņam bija pagalvī, uzslēja to par piemiņas stabu un izlēja uz tā eļļu. 19 To vietu viņš nosauca vārdā Bētele , bet iepriekš tās vietas vārds bija Lūza. 20 Un Jēkabs zvērēja, sacīdams: “Ja Kungs Dievs būs ar mani un sargās mani šajā ceļā, ko eju, un dos man maizi, ko ēst, un drānas, ko vilkt, 21 un es sveikā atgriezīšos sava tēva namā, tad Kungs būs man par Dievu! 22 Un šis akmens, ko es uzslēju par piemiņas stabu, būs Dieva nams! No visa, ko tu man dosi, desmito daļu es atdošu tev!”
