should live by the sword, that he should serve his brother, but that
the time would come when he would break away from his brother's rule.

Esau hated his brother after this and made threats that he would kill
him after their father died. His mother heard of these threats and was
afraid he would carry them out, so she proposed that Jacob should go to
her brother Laban and stay with him until Esau's anger had cooled.
Isaac agreed to this and told him also to choose a wife among Laban's
daughters.

Before Jacob's departure Isaac blessed him, once more telling him that
he and his descendants should have the land which God had promised to
Abraham and his family. So the mother and her favorite son parted.
Their deceit had given Jacob the blessing that should have been Esau's,
but Rebekah was never to see Jacob again.

Jacob started on his journey to his uncle's house, and when night came
lay down to sleep, making a pillow of stones for his head. In his
sleep a wonderful dream or vision came to him. He saw a ladder with
its foot resting on the earth and its top reaching to heaven. Upon
this ladder angels went up and down, while at the top stood God
Himself, who promised Jacob that He would be with him wherever he went,
and that he and his children should have the land in which he was at
that time.

[Illustration: Upon this ladder angels went up and down.]

When Jacob awoke he made a pillar of the stone upon which his head had
rested, poured oil upon it, and called the name of the place Bethel.
Then he made a vow that if God would go with him and provide for him he