¹ Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

² Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

³ May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

⁴ and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

⁵ Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

⁶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,"

⁷ and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

⁸ Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father.

⁹ Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

¹⁰ Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

¹¹ He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

¹² He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

¹³ Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed.

¹⁴ Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

¹⁵ Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

¹⁶ Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it."

¹⁷ He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

¹⁸ Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

²⁰ 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 clothing to put on,

²¹ so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

²² then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."

¹ The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help."

² Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

³ As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground.

⁴ Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering,

⁵ but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.

⁶ Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?

⁷ If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."

⁸ Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

⁹ Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

¹⁰ Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.

¹¹ Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

¹² From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

¹³ Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

¹⁴ Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me."

¹⁵ Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.

¹⁶ Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech took two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

²¹ His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe.

²² Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

²⁴ If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times."

²⁵ Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."

²⁶ There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on Yahweh's name.