Gen. 28:13). This is the translation that coheres with what the Lord says to Jacob: “I am with you” (28:15). Jacob does not have to make the arduous ascent up the staircase to meet with God at the top. Nor does God’s communication with Jacob have to be mediated by the angels who are passing up and down the staircase. They are the divine messengers (“angel” means “messenger”) who are sent from heaven to do God’s will on earth. They symbolize communication between heaven and earth. But in Jacob’s dream