When Jacob was in Luz (Luz is the name of the place) he dreamt a dream.
And in he dream he saw a ramp whose top (head) was in the heavens, and angels were ascending and descending.
He called the place Beth El. He said,
How awesome is this place! This is nothing other than the house of God and this is the gateway of the heavens.
Jacob went from Beth El to Aram, there he dwelled with Laban.
Laban had two daughters: Leah and Rachel.
Leah (was) the older daughter, and Rachel the younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel and he did not love Leah.
But Leah bore many sons, and Rachel bore only Joseph and Benjamin.
And when she had borne Benjamin, she died.
Leah had a tent. Rachel also had a tent.
Bilhah is a hand-maid, (or a slave-girl).
She is Rachel's hand-maid. (Or she is Rachel's slave-girl)
Zilpah is also a hand-maid. (or a slave-girl.)
Bilhah and Zilpah also had tents.
Jacob lay with Rachel, (because he loved Rachel.)
He lay with Leah.
And he also lay with the hand-maids of Rachel and Leah, with Bilhah and Zilpah.
All the women bore sons to Jacob.
Jacob had twelve sons.
VOCABULARY
כַּאֲשֶׁר
when, as
ל-
indicates "having"
חָלַם
he dreamed
אָהַב
he loved
חֲלוֹם
a dream
יָלְדָה
she gave birth
סֻלָם
a ramp
רַב, רַבִּים
much, many
רׂאשׁ
head, top
רַק
only
שָׁמַיִם
sky, heavens
מֵת
he died
מַלְאָךְ
angel
אׂהֶל
a tent
יוֹרֵד
descending
גַם
also
מַ נוֹרָא
how awesome!
אָמָה
hand-maid
אֵין זֶה כִּ אִם
it is surely
שִׁפְחָה
slave-girl
אֱלׂהִים
God
שָׁכַב
he lay
אֲרָם
Aram
כִּי
because
לָבָן
Laban
שְׁנֵים-עָשָׂר
twelve
הֶעָרָה
The lamed of possession
One use of the ל is to indicate that something is owned by or belongs to a person.
For example, לְיַעֲקׂב אִשָה
"Jacob has a wife" or, in the perfect (past tense) Jacob had a wife לְיַעֲקׂב הָיְתָה אִשָׁה
הֶעָרָה
The lamed of possession
One use of the ל is to indicate that something is owned by or belongs to a person.
For example, לְיַעֲקׂב אִשָה
"Jacob has a wife"
or, in the perfect (past tense)
Jacob had a wife
לְיַעֲקׂב הָיְתָה אִשָׁה