1 Isaac called out for Jacob to come to him. And when they were together, Isaac prayed and asked God to be good to Jacob. Then Isaac said, “Jacob, you must not marry a woman from this country!
2 I want you to leave Canaan straight away, and go to where your mother's father, Bethuel lives in Harran. Your uncle Laban lives there too. Go and marry one of his daughters.”
3 Isaac prayed for Jacob, and said,
4 God Most Powerful, you promised this country to my father Abraham, but we still live like strangers here.
5 Then Isaac sent Jacob to his mother's relations who lived in Harran. That was where his grandfather Bethuel the Aramean, and his uncle Laban lived. Esau and Jacob's mother Rebekah was Laban's sister.
6 Esau found out that Isaac had said to Jacob, “I do not want you to marry a woman from this Canaanite country!” And Esau heard that Isaac had prayed for Jacob and sent him to Harran to find a wife from their relations.
9 So Esau went to his uncle Ishmael to get another wife. Ishmael had a daughter, named Ma-hal-ath and a son named Neb-you-cad-nezzaray-oth. Esau married Ma-hal-ath and so now he had 3 wives.
10 This is the story of Jacob's trip. He left his home in Beersheba and started to go to Harran.
11 Just as the sun was going down, Jacob set up his camp. He found a stone and used it as a pillow and went to sleep.
12 In the night he had a dream. He saw stairs going up from the ground all the way into heaven. And he saw God's angels going up and down the stairs.
13 In his dream, Jacob saw God standing near him. God said, “Jacob, I am the Lord. I am the God that your father Isaac and your grandfather Abraham worshipped and respected.
14 No-one can count the little bits of dirt on the ground and just like that, no-one will be able to count the families that will come from you. Your family will spread out all over the world and be a blessing to all people. That means that you will do good things for them and make them strong.
15 Jacob, I will be with you wherever you go. I will look after you and make sure nothing bad happens to you. One day I will bring you back to this country. I will keep my promise and I will always be with you.”
18 Early the next morning, Jacob picked up the stone that he had used for a pillow and put it up in a place where people would see it. Then he poured olive oil all over the stone to show that it was a special place for God.
19 He called that place Bethel. Bethel means God's house. But before that time, it was called Luz.
22 God Most Powerful, I have put this stone here as a sign that it is a special place.