Genesis 28

Jacob's Departure and the Promise of God

Jacob's Departure and the Promise of God

1And Isaac called Jacob , and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan . 2Arise , 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 . 3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful , and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people ; 4And 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 . 5And 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 .

Jacob's Dream at Bethel

6When 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 ; 7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother , and was gone to Padan-aram ; 8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father ; 9Then 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 . 10And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba , and went toward Haran . 11And 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 . 12And 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.

Jacob's Response and Vow

13And, 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 ; 14And 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 . 15And, 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. 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep , and he said , Surely the LORD is in this place ; and I knew it not. 17And 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 . 18And 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 . 19And he called the name of that place Beth-el : but the name of that city was called Luz at the first . 20And 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 , 21So that I come again to my father’s house in peace ; then shall the LORD be my God : 22And 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.