« | Genesis 28 | » |
1 And Isaac, having called for Jacob, blessed him, and charged him, saying, You shall not take a wife of the daughters of the Canaanites.
2 Rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel the father of your mother, and take to yourself a wife of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
3 And may my God bless you, and increase you, and multiply you, and you shall become an assembly of nations.
4 And may He give you the blessing of my father Abraham, even to you and to your seed after you, to inherit the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went into Mesopotamia, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebecca the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 And Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Mesopotamia of Syria as he blessed him, to take to himself a wife from there, and [that] he charged him, saying, You shall not take a wife of the daughters of the Canaanites;
7 and [that] Jacob listened to his father and his mother, and went to Mesopotamia of Syria.
8 And Esau, also having seen that the daughters of Canaan were evil before his father Isaac,
9 went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, the sister of Nebajoth, for a wife, in addition to his [other] wives.
10 And Jacob went forth from the Well of the Oath, and departed into Haran.
11 So he came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place,
12 and dreamed. And behold, a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it.
13 And the Lord stood upon it, and said, I am the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac; fear not, the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed.
14 And your seed shall be as the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and to the east; and in you and in your seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.
15 And behold, I am with you, to preserve you continually wherever you shall go; and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not desert you, until I have done all that I have said to you.
16 And Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and said, The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 And Jacob rose up in the morning, and took the stone he [had] laid there by his head, and he set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place, the House of God; and the name of the city before was Luz.
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If the Lord God will be with me, and guard me throughout on this journey, on which I am going, and give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,
21 and bring me back in safety to the house of my father, then shall the Lord be my God.
22 And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be to me a house of God; and of everything You shall give me, I will tithe a tenth to You.
The Apostles’ Bible Complete (ABC)
The Apostles’ Bible Complete (ABC) is a modern translation of the Bible that strives to offer a clear and faithful rendering of the scriptures in contemporary language. This translation is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, providing an easy-to-read yet accurate version of the biblical text. The ABC translation aims to bridge the gap between the ancient languages in which the Bible was originally written and the modern vernacular, making it an ideal choice for both personal study and public reading.
One of the notable features of the Apostles’ Bible Complete is its dedication to maintaining the integrity of the original manuscripts. The translators of the ABC worked meticulously with the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts to ensure that their translation accurately reflects the original meaning and intent of the scriptures. By employing a balance of formal equivalence (word-for-word) and dynamic equivalence (thought-for-thought) translation techniques, the ABC aims to preserve the nuances and richness of the original languages while ensuring readability and clarity for modern readers.
The ABC also incorporates extensive cross-references and study aids to enhance the reader’s understanding of the biblical text. These tools include footnotes that provide historical and cultural context, as well as explanations of difficult or ambiguous passages. This approach helps readers to grasp the deeper meanings of the scriptures and to see how different parts of the Bible interconnect. The inclusion of these study aids makes the ABC particularly useful for those who are new to the Bible, as well as for more experienced readers who are looking to deepen their understanding of the text.
Despite its strengths, the Apostles’ Bible Complete has faced some criticisms. Some readers feel that the translation could benefit from further refinement in certain passages, as the balance between formal and dynamic equivalence can sometimes lead to inconsistencies in style and tone. Others have noted that while the study aids are helpful, they can occasionally overwhelm the main text, making it difficult to focus on the scripture itself. Nonetheless, the ABC remains a valuable and respected translation, appreciated for its commitment to accuracy, clarity, and accessibility, and for its ability to bring the ancient words of the Bible to life for contemporary readers.