Esau Marries Mahalath

6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. 8 Also Esau saw kthat the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. 9 So Esau went to Ishmael and ltook mMahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, nthe sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Jacob’s Vow at Bethel

10 Now Jacob owent out from Beersheba and went toward pHaran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he qdreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there rthe angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 sAnd behold, the Lord stood above it and said: t“I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; uthe land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your vdescendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad wto the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and xin your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, yI am with you and will zkeep 3you wherever you go, and will abring you back to this land; for bI will not leave you cuntil I have done what I have spoken to you.”

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in dthis place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, eset it up as a pillar, fand poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of gthat place 4Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. 20 hThen Jacob made a vow, saying, “If iGod will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me jbread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that kI come back to my father’s house in peace, lthen the Lord shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar mshall be God’s house, nand of all that You give me I will surely give a 5tenth to You.”

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 So Jacob went on his journey aand came to the land of the people of the East. 2 And he looked, and saw a bwell in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. 3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.

4 And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?”

And they said, “We are from cHaran.”

5 Then he said to them, “Do you know dLaban the son of Nahor?”

And they said, “We know him.”

6 So he said to them, e“Is he well?”

And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel fis coming with the sheep.”

7 Then he said, “Look, it is still 1high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”

8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”

9 Now while he was still speaking with them, gRachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and hrolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 Then Jacob ikissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was jher father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. kSo she ran and told her father.

13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that lhe ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, m“Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.