(א) מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃ (ב) בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃ (ג) נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃ (ד) גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃ (ה) תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י ׀ שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֥נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה׃ (ו) אַ֤ךְ ׀ ט֤וֹב וָחֶ֣סֶד יִ֭רְדְּפוּנִי כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑י וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְּבֵית־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃ {פ}
1. A Psalm of David: YHWH is my Shepherd, what more do I need? 2. In pleasant meadows of grass, God causes me to lie down. Upon tranquil waters, God leads me. 3. God brings my soul back to me. God leads me justly along the twisted paths for the sake of God's name.
4. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5. You set a table before when I have troubles, You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. 6. Only goodness and love shall pursue me all the days of my life, so that I can dwell in the house of YHWH for the length of days.
Translation: Josh Franklin
(א) מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃ (ב) בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃ (ג) נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃ (ד) גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃ (ה) תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י ׀ שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֥נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה׃ (ו) אַ֤ךְ ׀ ט֤וֹב וָחֶ֣סֶד יִ֭רְדְּפוּנִי כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑י וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְּבֵית־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃ {פ}
(1) A psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I lack nothing. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me to water in places of repose;-a (3) He renews my life;
He guides me in right paths
as befits His name. (4) Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness,-b
I fear no harm, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
(5) You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my drink is abundant. (6) Only goodness and steadfast love shall pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for many long years.
“The Lord is my shepherd, what more do I need?” The issue of whether I desire things beyond that is beside the point. To want, in Elizabethan English, means not to desire but to lack, to be without something, as in the phrase “to be found wanting” or the poetic line “for want of a nail, a shoe was lost.”
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 29). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 29). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall often want. I shall yearn, I shall long, I shall aspire. I shall continue to miss the people and the abilities that are taken from my life as loved ones die and skills diminish. I shall probe the empty spaces in my life like a tongue probing a missing tooth. But I will never feel deprived or diminished if I don’t get what I yearn for, because I know how blessed I am by what I have.
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 36). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 36). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
God has colored His world in predominantly calming colors, blue sky, green leaves, blue-green water, brown trees, colors that calm rather than excite. That may explain a phenomenon that has long puzzled me: Why are we so drawn to the mountains and the seashore when we go on vacation? Why can we sit by the side of a lake for an hour or more, just looking at the water, and feel relaxed? The answer, I think, is that God’s world, decorated in blue and green, calms us, gently bathing our eyes with quiet, low-intensity colors. We spend so much of our lives in a man-made environment, with its artificial lighting and artificial heating and cooling, bright neon signs and color television programs, that when we get a day off, a long weekend, a vacation, we instinctively feel the need to find our way to God’s world with its more restful palette.
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 39). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Kushner, Harold S.. The Lord Is My Shepherd (p. 39). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4. in the vale of death’s shadow. The intent of the translation here is not to avoid the virtually proverbial “in the shadow of the valley of death” but rather to cut through the proliferation of syllables in the King James Version, however eloquent, and better approximate the compactness of the Hebrew—begey tsalmawet. Though philologists assume that the Masoretic tsalmawet is actually a misleading vocalization of tsalmut—probably a poetic word for “darkness” with the ut ending simply a suffix of abstraction—the traditional vocalization reflects something like an orthographic pun or a folk etymology (tsel means “shadow,” mawet means “death”), so there is justification in retaining the death component.
Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
במעגלי צדק. בדרכי מישור שלא אפול ביד אויבי:
in paths of righteousness In straight paths, so that I should not fall into the hands of my enemies.
תִּינוֹק מַאי הִיא? פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְרָאִיתִי תִּינוֹק יוֹשֵׁב עַל פָּרָשַׁת דְּרָכִים. וְאָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּאֵיזֶה דֶּרֶךְ נֵלֵךְ לָעִיר? אָמַר לִי: זוֹ קְצָרָה וַאֲרוּכָּה, וְזוֹ אֲרוּכָּה וּקְצָרָה. וְהָלַכְתִּי בִּקְצָרָה וַאֲרוּכָּה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגַּעְתִּי לָעִיר מָצָאתִי שֶׁמַּקִּיפִין אוֹתָהּ גַּנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּיסִין. חָזַרְתִּי לַאֲחוֹרַי. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּנִי, הֲלֹא אָמַרְתָּ לִי קְצָרָה? אָמַר לִי: וְלֹא אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ אֲרוּכָּה? נְשַׁקְתִּיו עַל רֹאשׁוֹ, וְאָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: אַשְׁרֵיכֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁכּוּלְּכֶם חֲכָמִים גְּדוֹלִים אַתֶּם, מִגְּדוֹלְכֶם וְעַד קְטַנְּכֶם.
What is the incident with a young boy? One time I was walking along the path, and I saw a young boy sitting at the crossroads. And I said to him: On which path shall we walk in order to get to the city? He said to me: This path is short and long, and that path is long and short. I walked on the path that was short and long. When I approached the city I found that gardens and orchards surrounded it, and I did not know the trails leading through them to the city. I went back and met the young boy again and said to him: My son, didn’t you tell me that this way is short? He said to me: And didn’t I tell you that it is also long? I kissed him on his head and said to him: Happy are you, O Israel, for you are all exceedingly wise, from your old to your young.
The winding way/the מעגלים
(יז) וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹא־נָחָ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא כִּ֣י ׀ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ (יח) וַיַּסֵּ֨ב אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ אֶת־הָעָ֛ם דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר יַם־ס֑וּף וַחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים עָל֥וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(17) Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (18) So God led the people round about, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds.
Now the Israelites went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
Now the Israelites went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
נפשי ישובב יניח כמו הרועה הטוב שלא ייגע הצאן ולא ידחפן אלא ינהלן לאט כמו (ישעיהו מ יא): בזרעו יקבץ טלאים ובחיקו ישא עלות ינהל
God restores my soul: God causes me to rest like a good shepherd who doesn't touch his flock or even drive them; rather he guides them slowly as it says in Isaiah: "He gathers the lambs in His arms. And carries them in His bosom; Gently He drives the mother sheep."
בגיא צלמות. בארץ חושך ועל מדבר זיף אמר, כל צלמות לשון חושך פירשו דונש בן לברט:
in the valley of darkness Heb. צלמות, in a land of darkness. He alludes to the desert of Ziph (I Sam. 23:13 28). Every [mention of] צלמות is an expression of darkness. Dunash ben Labrat defined it [in this manner].
My cup overflows:
When your cup is overflowing, do you go get a rag to clean up the mess on your table, or do you go get a bigger cup to be able to receive more blessing? —Josh Franklin
When your cup is overflowing, do you go get a rag to clean up the mess on your table, or do you go get a bigger cup to be able to receive more blessing? —Josh Franklin
(א) וְאִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־הַ֠נְּבִיאִ֠ים צָעֲקָ֨ה אֶל־אֱלִישָׁ֜ע לֵאמֹ֗ר עַבְדְּךָ֤ אִישִׁי֙ מֵ֔ת וְאַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּ֣י עַבְדְּךָ֔ הָיָ֥ה יָרֵ֖א אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה וְהַ֨נֹּשֶׁ֔ה בָּ֗א לָקַ֜חַת אֶת־שְׁנֵ֧י יְלָדַ֛י ל֖וֹ לַעֲבָדִֽים׃ (ב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלֶ֤יהָ אֱלִישָׁע֙ מָ֣ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ הַגִּ֣ידִי לִ֔י מַה־יֶּשׁ־[לָ֖ךְ] (לכי) בַּבָּ֑יִת וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֣ין לְשִׁפְחָתְךָ֥ כֹל֙ בַּבַּ֔יִת כִּ֖י אִם־אָס֥וּךְ שָֽׁמֶן׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְכִ֨י שַׁאֲלִי־לָ֤ךְ כֵּלִים֙ מִן־הַח֔וּץ מֵאֵ֖ת כׇּל־[שְׁכֵנָ֑יִךְ] (שכנכי) כֵּלִ֥ים רֵקִ֖ים אַל־תַּמְעִֽיטִי׃ (ד) וּבָ֗את וְסָגַ֤רְתְּ הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ בַּעֲדֵ֣ךְ וּבְעַד־בָּנַ֔יִךְ וְיָצַ֕קְתְּ עַ֥ל כׇּל־הַכֵּלִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וְהַמָּלֵ֖א תַּסִּֽיעִי׃ (ה) וַתֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ מֵֽאִתּ֔וֹ וַתִּסְגֹּ֣ר הַדֶּ֔לֶת בַּעֲדָ֖הּ וּבְעַ֣ד בָּנֶ֑יהָ הֵ֛ם מַגִּישִׁ֥ים אֵלֶ֖יהָ וְהִ֥יא (מיצקת) [מוֹצָֽקֶת]׃ (ו) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ כִּמְלֹ֣את הַכֵּלִ֗ים וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶל־בְּנָהּ֙ הַגִּ֨ישָׁה אֵלַ֥י עוֹד֙ כֶּ֔לִי וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלֶ֔יהָ אֵ֥ין ע֖וֹד כֶּ֑לִי וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד הַשָּֽׁמֶן׃ (ז) וַתָּבֹ֗א וַתַּגֵּד֙ לְאִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְכִי֙ מִכְרִ֣י אֶת־הַשֶּׁ֔מֶן וְשַׁלְּמִ֖י אֶת־[נִשְׁיֵ֑ךְ] (נשיכי) וְאַ֣תְּ [וּבָנַ֔יִךְ] (בניכי) תִּֽחְיִ֖י בַּנּוֹתָֽר׃ {פ}
(1) A certain woman, the wife of one of the disciples of the prophets, cried out to Elisha: “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know how your servant revered the LORD. And now a creditor is coming to seize my two children as slaves.” (2) Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what have you in the house?” She replied, “Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house, except a jug of oil.” (3) “Go,” he said, “and borrow vessels outside, from all your neighbors, empty vessels, as many as you can. (4) Then go in and shut the door behind you and your children, and pour [oil] into all those vessels, removing each one as it is filled.” (5) She went away and shut the door behind her and her children. They kept bringing [vessels] to her and she kept pouring. (6) When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” He answered her, “There are no more vessels”; and the oil stopped. (7) She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your children can live on the rest.”
(יב) וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ וְה֣וּא אַדְמוֹנִ֔י עִם־יְפֵ֥ה עֵינַ֖יִם וְט֣וֹב רֹ֑אִי {פ}
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהֹוָ֛ה ק֥וּם מְשָׁחֵ֖הוּ כִּי־זֶ֥ה הֽוּא׃ (יג) וַיִּקַּ֨ח שְׁמוּאֵ֜ל אֶת־קֶ֣רֶן הַשֶּׁ֗מֶן וַיִּמְשַׁ֣ח אֹתוֹ֮ בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֶחָיו֒ וַתִּצְלַ֤ח רֽוּחַ־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד מֵהַיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא וָמָ֑עְלָה וַיָּ֣קׇם שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ הָרָמָֽתָה׃
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהֹוָ֛ה ק֥וּם מְשָׁחֵ֖הוּ כִּי־זֶ֥ה הֽוּא׃ (יג) וַיִּקַּ֨ח שְׁמוּאֵ֜ל אֶת־קֶ֣רֶן הַשֶּׁ֗מֶן וַיִּמְשַׁ֣ח אֹתוֹ֮ בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֶחָיו֒ וַתִּצְלַ֤ח רֽוּחַ־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד מֵהַיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא וָמָ֑עְלָה וַיָּ֣קׇם שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ הָרָמָֽתָה׃
(12) So they sent and brought him. He was ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed,-b and handsome. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” (13) Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD gripped David from that day on. Samuel then set out for Ramah.
You set a able before me in the presence of my enemies:
This is often interpreted as vincictive: I'm going ot have a good dinner, and you're not. Instead, I hold imaginary testimonial dinners for the people who did me wrong: because you did this nasty thing to me, you turned me away from a routine life to an extraordinary life. You didn't know you did it for my good, but you did it anyway. Today I honor you for having been a difficult teacher, and I let you go free. ––Rabbi Zalman Schacthter-Shalomi
This is often interpreted as vincictive: I'm going ot have a good dinner, and you're not. Instead, I hold imaginary testimonial dinners for the people who did me wrong: because you did this nasty thing to me, you turned me away from a routine life to an extraordinary life. You didn't know you did it for my good, but you did it anyway. Today I honor you for having been a difficult teacher, and I let you go free. ––Rabbi Zalman Schacthter-Shalomi
Goodness and love shall pursue me:
“There is a story of the rabbi who stops a prominent member of his congregation in the street and says to him, “Whenever I see you, you’re always in a hurry. You’re always rushing somewhere. Tell me, what are you running after all the time?” The man answers, “I’m running after success, I’m running after prosperity, I’m running to make a good living.” The rabbi responds, “That’s a good answer, if you assume that all of those rewards are out there ahead of you, trying to elude you, and you have to run hard to catch up to them. But what if the rewards are behind you, looking for you, but they can never find you because you’re running away from them? What if God has all sorts of wonderful gifts He wants to give you, but you’re never home when He comes looking for you so He can’t deliver them?””
— The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm by Harold S. Kushner
https://a.co/dLW8fYt
“There is a story of the rabbi who stops a prominent member of his congregation in the street and says to him, “Whenever I see you, you’re always in a hurry. You’re always rushing somewhere. Tell me, what are you running after all the time?” The man answers, “I’m running after success, I’m running after prosperity, I’m running to make a good living.” The rabbi responds, “That’s a good answer, if you assume that all of those rewards are out there ahead of you, trying to elude you, and you have to run hard to catch up to them. But what if the rewards are behind you, looking for you, but they can never find you because you’re running away from them? What if God has all sorts of wonderful gifts He wants to give you, but you’re never home when He comes looking for you so He can’t deliver them?””
— The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm by Harold S. Kushner
https://a.co/dLW8fYt
“We can read the Twenty-third Psalm as a drama in three acts. Act one is serene, pastoral. The psalmist feels safe and secure, and he thanks God, his faithful shepherd, for providing him with that security. Act two turns dark and stormy. The psalmist’s life is interrupted by trauma, tragedy, and bereavement. Instead of dwelling in green pastures by still waters, he finds himself alone in a dark valley. Then he learns that he is not really alone. He comes to see God not only as the source of the good things in his life, but as the source of comfort and consolation in hard times. He comes to understand that only because God was with him was he able to find his way out of the darkness. He learns, as all of us who have gone through hard times learn, that the sunshine we step into when we have found our way through the valley of the shadow is infinitely sweeter than the sunshine we had basked in during our carefree, cloudless days. In act three, he realizes that his understanding of God, his relationship to God, has matured as well. God is no longer just the one who follows him through his travails. God now offers him something more permanent, an invitation to dwell in His house.”
— The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm by Harold S. Kushner
https://a.co/cfkw7Tq
— The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm by Harold S. Kushner
https://a.co/cfkw7Tq
Where is the "House of God?"
As we walk along the winding paths through the green pastures and along the still waters, we come to realize that we need not a Temple to be in the house of God. We need only dwell amidst the beauties of creation to realize that God's house is all around us and accessible to anyone. -- Josh Franklin
As we walk along the winding paths through the green pastures and along the still waters, we come to realize that we need not a Temple to be in the house of God. We need only dwell amidst the beauties of creation to realize that God's house is all around us and accessible to anyone. -- Josh Franklin
(טו) וְהִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י עִמָּ֗ךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּ֙יךָ֙ בְּכֹ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־תֵּלֵ֔ךְ וַהֲשִׁ֣בֹתִ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את כִּ֚י לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱזָבְךָ֔ עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־עָשִׂ֔יתִי אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי לָֽךְ׃ (טז) וַיִּיקַ֣ץ יַעֲקֹב֮ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ֒ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָכֵן֙ יֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א יָדָֽעְתִּי׃ (יז) וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (יח) וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם יַעֲקֹ֜ב בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַיִּקַּ֤ח אֶת־הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֹתָ֖הּ מַצֵּבָ֑ה וַיִּצֹ֥ק שֶׁ֖מֶן עַל־רֹאשָֽׁהּ׃ (יט) וַיִּקְרָ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃
(15) Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (16) Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is present in this place, and I did not know it!” (17) Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.” (18) Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. (19) He named that site Bethel; but previously the name of the city had been Luz.