Jacob Ladder

One young man lie down alone for one rocky hillside, im head dey on top stone. No tent. No family. No road back. E close im eyes. And di sky open.

Jacob dey run. E don deceive im papa Isaac and take di blessing wey suppose be for im brother Esau, and Esau don swear say e go kill am. So Jacob leave Beersheba, for di far south, e dey go north to Haran, hundreds of miles away, where im mama brother Laban dey live. E no carry plenty load. Whatever else e carry, e carry di weight of wetin e don do. One evening di sun go down while e still dey for open country. No town, no place to sleep. So e take one of di stones wey dey there, put am under im head, and lie down to sleep.

And Jacob dream. E see one stairway wey dem set for di earth, and im top reach heaven. And di angels of God dey go up and dey come down on top am. Up and down, between heaven and dis lonely piece of ground. And there, for im top, di Lord imself stand.

Na me be di Lord, di God of your grandpapa Abraham and di God of Isaac. Di land wey you lie down on top, I go give am to you and to your descendants. Dem go be like di dust of di earth, dem go spread go west and east, north and south. Through you and your descendants all di families of di earth go dey blessed. Look, I dey with you. I go watch over you anywhere wey you go, and I go bring you back to dis land. I no go leave you until I don do wetin I promise you.

Think about who God dey talk to. No be hero. Na person wey dey run. Na wayo man. Young man wey just lie to im blind papa and use God name do am. And God no start with lecture. E start with promise. Di same promise wey e give Abraham, and Isaac. Now e don be Jacob own. And then, di words wey lonely traveller need pass. I dey with you. I no go leave you.

Jacob wake up with shock. True true di Lord dey dis place, and I no know. And fear catch am. Dis place dey make person tremble! Dis one na di house of God and nothing else. Dis na di gate of heaven. Early for morning, e take di stone wey e sleep on top, and e stand am up like pillar. E pour oil for im top, to mark am as holy. E name di place Bethel, wey mean house of God. Before before, dem dey call di town wey dey near there Luz.

Then Jacob make vow. And listen how e talk am. If God go dey with me, and watch over me for dis journey, and give me bread to chop and cloth to wear, so dat I go come back to my papa house for peace, then di Lord go be my God. Dis stone go be God house. And from everything wey you give me, I go give you back one tenth. If. Jacob still dey bargain. Im faith new and e small. But e don start. And God, wey just promise everything, no be like say e mind to start from there.

Di word wey dem dey usually translate as ladder show only here for di whole Hebrew Bible, so scholars no too sure how e take look. Many think say stairway or ramp fit am better, and some compare am to di big temple towers wey get steps for old Mesopotamia, wey dem dey call ziggurats, wey people believe say dia stairways connect earth and heaven. Centuries after, Jesus pick up dis dream. For di gospel of John e tell Nathanael say, you go see heaven open, and di angels of God dey go up and dey come down on top di Son of Man.

Di dream wey Jacob dream for Bethel dey for Genesis chapter twenty-eight, verse ten to twenty-two. Jacob sleep as e dey feel alone, and e wake up know say God don dey there all di time. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where God fit dey with you, for one place wey you no ever expect to find am?