Jacob’s Ladder

With Esau threatening to kill him, Jacob leaves home. Isaac blesses him and sends him to Paddan-aram, to Laban, his mother’s brother, to find a wife there. Setting out from Beersheba toward Haran, Jacob stops at sunset and sleeps in the open, with a stone for a pillow. In a dream, he sees a ladder set up on the earth, its top reaching to heaven; the angels of God are going up and down on it. Above it stands the LORD, who renews the promise made to Abraham: the land, descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth, and a blessing for all the families of the earth. He adds: “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” Jacob wakes up, overcome with awe: “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” He sets up his stone as a pillar, pours oil on top of it, and names the place Bethel. Then he makes a vow and promises a tenth of all he receives.