Isaac Sends Jacob Away
Study note
Isaac blesses Jacob again and sends him to Paddan Aram to marry one of Laban's daughters. Isaac specifically tells Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. Isaac invokes God Almighty (El Shaddai) and prays that God will give Jacob the blessing of Abraham — many descendants and possession of the Promised Land. Jacob leaves for Paddan Aram.
1 So Isaac called Jacob in, blessed him, and gave him a direct order: "Don't marry a Canaanite woman." And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 "Head straight to Paddan Aram, to the home of your grandfather Bethuel. Find yourself a wife there — one of the daughters of your uncle Laban." Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
3 "May God Most High bless you richly. May he give you many children. May he grow your family into a vast multitude of peoples." And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 "May God give you the same blessing he gave Abraham. Then you and your children will own this land. You live here now as an outsider. But God promised this land to Abraham." And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5 Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan Aram. Jacob would stay with Laban. Laban was the son of Bethuel the Aramean. Laban was the brother of Rebekah. Rebekah was the mother of both Jacob and Esau. And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Esau Marries Ishmael's Daughter
Study note
When Esau sees that Isaac has blessed Jacob and sent him away to find a wife, and that Isaac disapproves of Canaanite wives, Esau tries to please his father by marrying Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's other son. But this only adds another wife to the Canaanite wives he already has.
6 Esau found out that Isaac had blessed Jacob. Isaac had sent Jacob to Paddan Aram to find a wife. Isaac told Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7 He also heard that Jacob had obeyed his parents and left for Paddan Aram. And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram;
8 That's when it sank in for Esau how much his father disliked the Canaanite women. And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9 So Esau went to Ishmael's family. He married Mahalath. She was Ishmael's daughter and Nebaioth's sister. He added her to the wives he already had. Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Jacob's Dream at Bethel
Study note
Jacob leaves Beersheba and heads toward Haran. When the sun sets, he stops for the night and uses a stone as a pillow. He dreams of a stairway set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and angels of God going up and down on it. The Lord stands above it and speaks to Jacob, renewing the same promises made to Abraham and Isaac — the land, countless descendants, and a blessing for all nations. God adds a personal promise: he will be with Jacob wherever he goes and will bring him back to this land. Jacob wakes up in awe, saying, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' He sets up his stone pillow as a pillar, pours oil on it, and names the place Bethel, meaning 'house of God.' He vows that if God protects him and brings him back safely, the Lord will be his God.
10 Jacob left Beersheba and started the long journey to Haran. And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
11 When the sun went down, he stopped for the night at a certain place. He found a stone, used it as a pillow, and lay down to sleep. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 That night he had an incredible dream. He saw a stairway standing on the ground with its top stretching all the way up to heaven. Angels were going up and coming down on it. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 The Lord himself was standing at the top, and he said: "I am the Lord — the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. This ground you are sleeping on? I am giving it to you and your descendants." And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 "Your descendants will be as countless as the specks of dust covering the ground. They will spread out in every direction — west, east, north, and south. Through you and your descendants, every family on earth will receive blessing." And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 "And remember this: I am with you. I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will never abandon you — not until I have done everything I promised." And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16 Jacob woke up and thought, "The Lord is truly here in this place — and I had no idea!" And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 He was overwhelmed and said, "What an amazing place this is! This must be God's own house. This is the doorway to heaven." And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had slept on. He stood it up like a pillar and poured olive oil on top of it to mark it as special. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 He named that spot Bethel, which means 'house of God.' Before that, the town there was called Luz. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20 Then Jacob made a serious promise. "If God stays with me and watches over me on this trip. If he gives me food and clothes." And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 "and brings me safely home to my father's house — then the Lord will be my God." So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 "This stone pillar I set up will become a place of worship for God. And I promise to give back to God one-tenth of everything he gives me." And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.