你起身往巴旦‧亞蘭去,到你外祖彼土利家裏,在你母舅拉班的女兒中娶一女為妻。 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, 28:2 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7 to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
願全能的 神賜福給你,使你生養眾多,成為多族, 3 May God Almighty 28:3 Hebrew ((El-Shaddai)) bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.
將應許亞伯拉罕的福賜給你和你的後裔,使你承受你所寄居的地為業,就是 神賜給亞伯拉罕的地。」 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.」
以撒打發雅各走了,他就往巴旦‧亞蘭去,到亞蘭人彼土利的兒子拉班那裏。拉班是雅各、以掃的母舅。 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
以掃見以撒已經給雅各祝福,而且打發他往巴旦‧亞蘭去,在那裏娶妻,並見祝福的時候囑咐他說:「不要娶迦南的女子為妻」, 6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, 「Do not marry a Canaanite woman,」
便往以實瑪利那裏去,在他二妻之外又娶了瑪哈拉為妻。他是亞伯拉罕兒子以實瑪利的女兒,尼拜約的妹子。 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
到了一個地方,因為太陽落了,就在那裏住宿,便拾起那地方的一塊石頭枕在頭下,在那裏躺臥睡了, 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
夢見一個梯子立在地上,梯子的頭頂著天,有 神的使者在梯子上,上去下來。 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway 28:12 Or ((ladder)) resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
耶和華站在梯子以上〔或譯:站在他旁邊〕,說:「我是耶和華─你祖亞伯拉罕的 神,也是以撒的 神;我要將你現在所躺臥之地賜給你和你的後裔。 13 There above it 28:13 Or ((There beside him)) stood the LORD, and he said: 「I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
你的後裔必像地上的塵沙那樣多,必向東西南北開展;地上萬族必因你和你的後裔得福。 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
我也與你同在。你無論往哪裏去,我必保佑你,領你歸回這地,總不離棄你,直到我成全了向你所應許的。」 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.」
就懼怕,說:「這地方何等可畏!這不是別的,乃是 神的殿,也是天的門。」 17 He was afraid and said, 「How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.」
雅各清早起來,把所枕的石頭立作柱子,澆油在上面。 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.
雅各許願說:「 神若與我同在,在我所行的路上保佑我,又給我食物吃,衣服穿, 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 「If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear
使我平平安安地回到我父親的家,我就必以耶和華為我的 神。 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD 28:20,21 Or ((Since God . . . father's house, the LORD)) will be my God
我所立為柱子的石頭也必作 神的殿;凡你所賜給我的,我必將十分之一獻給你。」 22 ((then)) and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.」 (28:21,22 Or ((house, and the LORD will be my God,))
March 25 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."(Heb. 11:6.) THE faith for desperate days. The Bible is full of such days. Its record is made up of them, its songs are inspired by them, its prophecy is concerned with them, and its revelation has come through them. The desperate days are the stepping-stones in the path of light. They seem to have been God's opportunity and man's school of wisdom. There is a story of an Old Testament love feast in Psalm 107, and in every story of deliverance the point of desperation gave God His chance. The "wit's end" of desperation was the beginning of God's power. Recall the promise of seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sands of the sea, to a couple as good as dead. Read again the story of the Red Sea and its deliverance, and of Jordan with its ark standing mid-stream. Study once more the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, when they were sore pressed and knew not what to do. Go over the history of Nehemiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Habakkuk. Stand with awe in the darkness of Gethsemane, and linger by the grave in Joseph's garden through those terrible days. Call the witnesses of the early Church, and ask the apostles the story of their desperate days. Desperation is better than despair. Faith did not make our desperate days. its work is to sustain and solve them. The only alternative to a desperate faith is despair, and faith holds on and prevails. There is no more heroic example of desperate faith than that of the three Hebrew Children. The situation was desperate, but they answered bravely, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." I like that," but if not!" I have only space to mention Gethsemane. Ponder deeply its" Nevertheless." "If it is possible....nevertheless!" Deep darkness had settled upon the soul of our Lord. Trust meant anguish unto blood and darkness to the descent of hell─Nevertheless! Nevertheless! Now get your hymn book and sing your favorite hymn of desperate faith. ─Rev. S. Chadwick. "When obstacles and trials seem Like prison walls to be, I do the little I can do And leave the rest to Thee. "And when there seems no chance, no change, From grief can set me free, Hope finds its strength in helplessness, And calmly waits for Thee."