"Bedtime Bible Stories"

From the Book of Genesis
Chapter 28, Verses 10-20

Traveling to the city of Haran on foot, Jacob soon became very tired. When the sun went down he decided to make camp and try to get some sleep.

He stretched out under a beautiful, starry sky, and rested his head on a rock. Soon he was fast asleep. As Jacob slept he had an amazing dream. In the dream he saw a giant ladder lower from heaven all the way down to the surface of the earth. Angels were climbing up and down the ladder.

All of a sudden, Jacob looked to the top of the ladder and saw the Lord God Jehovah himself. God spoke to Jacob. He said, "I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, your father. The ground you are sleeping on is yours. I will give it to you and all of your descendants."

In his dream, Jacob heard God tell him that he would have so many descendants that they would cover the land from south to north and from east to west.

"And," God said in Jacob's dream, "I will be with you and protect you until all I have promised has come true."

When Jacob woke up he was terrified. He thought he had accidentally discovered God's secret home. But then he realized that God never does anything by accident. Jacob knew God would keep his promise.

To honor God, Jacob set the rock he had slept on up on its end and made a monument. He poured expensive olive oil over the rock and named the place Bethel, which means "House of God."

From that day on, Jacob promised that the God of his father and the God of Abraham would be his God too. He would worship and be faithful to the Lord God Jehovah.