10 Meanwhile, Ya’akov (Jacob) had left Be’er-Sheva (Beersheba) and was en route to Haran. 11 One night after he’d stopped when the sun had gone down, he laid down in that place and used one of the stones there to put under his head for a pillow. 12 While he was sleeping, he had a dream, and wow, a stairway was set up on the earth and its top reached to the heavens, and look, God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it.[ref] 13 And look, Yahweh was standing above it and he said, “I am Yahweh, the god of Avraham your grandfather and the god of Yitshak (Isaac). I will give the land that you are lying on to you and to your descendants[ref] 14 and they will be as numerous as dust particles, and you’ll all spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. Then all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.[ref] 15 So listen, I’m with you and I’ll watch over you everywhere you go. I’ll bring you back to this land because I won’t leave you until I’ve done what I told you.”

16 Then Ya’akov woke up and said to himself, “Yahweh is certainly here in this place, but I didn’t realise it.” 17 So he was afraid and said to himself, “This place is spine-chilling—it’s nothing other than God’s house, and it’s heaven’s gateway.”

18 Then in the morning Ya’akov got up early, and he took the stone that he’d put under his head and stood it up longways as a pillar, and he poured oil over the top of it. 19 He named that place ‘Beyt-El’ (Bethel) (which means ‘God’s house’), even though that town had been named Luz before then. 20 Then Ya’akov made a promise to God, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this road that I’m walking on, and give me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and if I’m able to return safely to my father’s home, then I’ll make Yahweh my god, 22 and this stone that I’ve stood up as a pillar will be God’s house, and I’ll give you a tenth of everything that you give to me.”