GENESIS 28........THE BELOVED AND I

Genesis 28

1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed

Him, and charged him, and made request,

"You shall not take a wife from these

Daughters of Canaan. 2 "Get up, please,

And go to Padan Aram, to

The house of Bethuel, mother's father,

And take yourself a wife there, rather,

Among the daughters of the brother

Laban, the brother of your mother.

3 "May El, El God Almighty bless

You, also make your fruitfulness

As great and multiply you, that

You may become a caveat

Of peoples coming in great number.

4 And may He give you without slumber

The blessing of Abraham, to

You and your descendants with you,

That you may claim the heritage

Of the land where in your nonage

You are a stranger, and which He,

Ælohim gave Abraham free."

5 So Isaac sent Jacob away

To Padan Aram and to stay

With Laban the son of Bethuel

The Syrian, brother ne'er-do-well

Of Jacob's and of Esau's mother,

Laban who was Rebekah's brother.

6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed

Jacob and sent him off in quest

Of a wife from Padan Aram,

Blessed with blessings of Abraham,

And told him "Do not take a wife

From Canaan's daughters in your life,"

7 And that Jacob obeyed his father

And mother too, gone to the bother

Of going to Padan Aram.

8 Esau saw that the daughters of

Canaan had not his father's love.

9 So Esau went to Ishmael and

Took Mahalath his daughter's hand,

Ishmael's, Abraham's son, the sister

Of Nebajoth, (Jacob had missed her)

To be his wife along with those

That he Esau already chose.



One wonders at such racist policy

That father tells son that his family

Is only source of rightful mate to find.

One wonders that Esau thought they would mind

His due attempt to find a better wife,

And make his parents happier in life

By multiplying his polygamy.

Daughter of Ishmael's fine as I can see,

But is not it a matter greater if

The Canaanite wife in faith's gained a whiff

That You, Beloved, are One and Sovereign here?

A Canaanite that bows to You in fear

And love must be a better wife than one

Of Laban's daughters or I'm simpleton.



10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba,

Toward Haran from his zareba.

11Then he came to a certain place

And stayed there all night, the scape-grace,

Because the sun had set. And he

Took one of the stones there to be

A pillow at his head, and lay

Down in that place to sleep and stay.

12 Then he dreamed, and indeed, a ladder

Was set up on the earth, not sadder

That its top reached to heaven in height,

And there Ælohim's angels might

Ascend and descend on it right.

13 Indeed, YHWH stood above it, said

"I'm YHWH God of Abraham, dread

Of your grandfather and the God

Of Isaac, the land where you plod

Or as it may be lie, I'll give

To you and to your seed to live.

14 "Also your descendants shall be

As dust on earth, you shall spread out

To west and east, and without doubt,

To north and south, and in you and

In your seed every family band

On earth shall be blessed. 15 "Indeed, I

Am with you and will keep you by

The way you go, and bring you back

To this land, nor will let you lack

Until I have done what I've spoken.

Remember now when you've awoken."



What You spoke in a waking trance with awe

To Abraham, and what You said for law

To Isaac, Jacob has to hear in sleep.

The ancient story makes the new heart leap

To know the golden age when beasts could talk

And You came down to men to speak and walk.

Beloved, You spoke to one aloud and then

Spoke to another in a dream. Now men

Hear and see nothing of Your steps and speech.

The world is silent except for what each

Man makes in noise and babbling. Are You far

That I hear nothing but the tinkling star

And dripping of the shining acid rain?

Or are You so close that words are in vain?



16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep

And said "Surely YHWH's here to keep

This place, and I did not know it."

17 And he was awed and said "How fit

And awesome is this place! This is

Ælohim's house, and this gate's His

To heaven!" 18 Then Jacob rose early

And in the morning took the pearly

Stone where he had laid down his head,

Set as a pillar, oiled and said

19 The place's name should be Bethel

Or house of God, that villanelle

Had been called Luz before the vow

20 That Jacob made, "If Ælohim

Will be with me, as in that dream,

And keep me in this way that I

Am going, and will satisfy

With bread to eat and clothes to wear,

And look after by safe welfare,

2 "So that I come back here in peace,

And to my father's house, I'll cease

Not ever to make YHWH my God.

22 "And this stone I've set on this sod

A pillar shall be God's house too,

Of all You give, I'll give to You

A portion or a tenth endue."



Though I see nothing stretched from heaven to earth,

Not ladders iron rung nor weighed in worth

With jewels and gold, not angels on the stairs,

Though I am not bowed down with awe nor airs,

But simply sleep and wake from day to day

Without a promise that I'm here to stay

Until my children multiply like sands,

I do not lay conditions on my promise

To be a little more than doubting Thomas.

I do not say if You do this or that

Then only I shall render You the fat.

My heritage is not bound up in bands.

I freely give myself and what I earn

In love to You. Let me and pasture burn.