Year of the Bible
Genesis 28
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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 28:
Both sons of Isaac move forward in their lives. Esau tries to gain his father’s favor by marrying a distant relative, and Jacob is sent to Rebekah’s family to find a wife. Although Isaac is wealthy (26:12-13), Jacob departs alone and without provisions. He spends the night in the middle of nowhere with nothing upon which to rest his head but a rock. As he dreams, the Lord speaks to him, repeating what had been promised to his grandfather and father. Jacob takes a step toward a relationship with the Lord, God of Abraham and Isaac, when he makes a vow: if God supports him in his journey and returns him home, he will accept the Lord as his God.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 28:
1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddanaram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings which God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away; and he went to Paddanaram to Laban, the
son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
Esau Marries Ishmael’s Daughter
6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddanaram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he charged him, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddanaram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took to wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place, and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; 14 and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this 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 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will give the tenth to you.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Blessing!...This chapter opens with Isaac blessing Jacob. Lord, who in my life could use a prayer of blessing that you wish me to offer? Lord, please give me the courage to not only pray for someone in my life but place my hand on someone who needs your touch and a prayer of blessing over them this day.
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Isaac llamó a Jacob y, después de
bendecirle, le ordenó lo siguiente:
–No tomes esposa de las hijas de
Canaán. 2 Ponte en camino, ve a Padán–
Aram, a casa de Betuel, tu abuelo materno,
y búscate allí una esposa entre
las hijas de Labán, hermano de tu madre.
3 Que El–Saday te bendiga, te haga
crecer y multiplicarte, y te conviertas en
una multitud de pueblos; 4 que te conceda
la bendición de Abrahán, a ti y a tu
descendencia, para que poseas la tierra
en que resides que Dios otorgó a Abrahán.
5 E Isaac envió a Jacob, que fue a Padán–
Aram, junto a Labán, hijo de Betuel
el arameo, hermano de Rebeca, la
madre de Jacob y de Esaú.
6 Esaú se enteró de que Isaac había
bendecido a Jacob y le había enviado
a Padán–Aram a buscarse allí esposa,
y de que al bendecirle le había ordenado
lo siguiente: «No tomes esposa entre
las hijas de Canaán». 7 Se enteró también
de que Jacob había obedecido a su
padre y a su madre y había ido a Padán–
Aram. 8 Entonces se dio cuenta Esaú de
que las hijas de Canaán no le eran gratas
a su padre Isaac. 9 Se encaminó a Ismael
y tomó por esposa, además de las que
tenía, a Majalat, hermana de Nebayot e
hija de Ismael, hijo de Abrahán.
10 Jacob partió de Berseba y se dirigió
a Jarán. 11 Al llegar a un cierto lugar, se
dispuso a pasar allí la noche porque se
había puesto el sol; tomó una piedra de
aquel lugar y, colocándosela como cabecera,
se acostó allí mismo. 12 Entonces
tuvo un sueño: una escala apoyada sobre
la tierra tenía la cima tocando el cielo,
y los ángeles de Dios subían y bajaban
por ella. 13 El Señor estaba sobre ella
y le dijo:
–Yo soy el Señor, el Dios de tu padre
Abrahán, el Dios de Isaac; voy a darte
a ti y a tu descendencia la tierra sobre
la que estás acostado. 14 Tu descendencia
será como el polvo de la tierra, te
extenderás al este y al oeste, al norte y
al sur, y en ti y en tu descendencia serán
bendecidos todos los pueblos de la
tierra. 15 Yo estaré contigo y te guardaré
donde quiera que vayas, haciéndote
volver a esta tierra, pues no te abandonaré
hasta que haya cumplido lo que te
he dicho.
16 Cuando Jacob despertó del sueño,
exclamó:
–El Señor está realmente en este lugar
y yo no lo sabía.
17 Y lleno de temor añadió:
–¡Qué terrible es este lugar! Esto no
es sino la casa de Dios y la puerta del
cielo.
18 Se levantó Jacob muy de mañana
y, tomando la piedra que había colocado
de cabecera, la erigió como estela
y derramó aceite sobre ella. 19 Y llamó a
aquel lugar Betel (aunque al principio el
nombre de la ciudad era Luz).
20 Entonces Jacob hizo un voto diciendo:
–Si Dios está conmigo y me guarda
en este viaje que hago, si me proporciona
pan para comer y ropa para vestirme,
21 y vuelvo con bien a casa de mi padre,
el Señor será mi Dios. 22 Esta piedra que
he erigido como estela será una casa de
Dios, y de todo lo que me concedas te
ofreceré el diezmo.e
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