Jacob Moves to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to (A)Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to (B)God, who appeared to you (C)when you fled [a]from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his (D)household and to all who were with him, “Remove (E)the foreign gods which are among you, and (F)purify yourselves and change your garments; and let’s arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make (G)an altar there to God, (H)who answered me on the day of my distress and (I)has been with me [b]wherever I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which [c]they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the [d]oak which was near Shechem.

As they journeyed, there was [e](J)a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to (K)Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. Then (L)he built an altar there, and called the place [f]El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled [g]from his brother. Now (M)Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and it was named [h]Allon-bacuth.

Jacob Is Named Israel

Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He (N)blessed him. 10 (O)God said to him,

“Your name is Jacob;
[i]You shall no longer be called Jacob,
But Israel shall be your name.”

So He called [j]him Israel. 11 God also said to him,

“I am [k](P)God Almighty;
(Q)Be fruitful and multiply;
A nation and a (R)multitude of nations shall [l]come from you,
And (S)kings shall [m]come from [n]you.
12 And (T)the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac,
I will give to you,
And I will give the land to your [o]descendants after you.”

13 Then (U)God went up from him at the place where He had spoken with him. 14 So Jacob set up (V)a memorial stone in the place where He had spoken with him, a memorial of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, [p](W)Bethel.

16 Then they journeyed on from Bethel; but when there was still some distance to go to (X)Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe difficulties in her labor. 17 And when she was suffering severe difficulties in her labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for (Y)you have another son!” 18 And it came about, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him [q]Ben-oni; but his father called him [r]Benjamin. 19 So (Z)Rachel died and was buried on the way to (AA)Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set up a memorial stone over her grave; that is the (AB)memorial stone of Rachel’s grave to this day. 21 Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the [s](AC)tower of [t]Eder.

The Sons of Israel

22 And it came about, while Israel was living in that land, that (AD)Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Now there were twelve sons of Jacob— 23 (AE)the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 (AF)the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and (AG)the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female slave, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and (AH)the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female slave, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at (AI)Mamre of (AJ)Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had resided.

28 Now the days of Isaac were (AK)180 years. 29 Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was (AL)gathered to his people, an (AM)old man [u]of ripe age; and (AN)his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:1 Lit from the face of
  2. Genesis 35:3 Lit in the way which
  3. Genesis 35:4 Lit were in their hand
  4. Genesis 35:4 Or terebinth
  5. Genesis 35:5 Or a terror of God
  6. Genesis 35:7 I.e., the God of Bethel
  7. Genesis 35:7 Lit from the face of
  8. Genesis 35:8 I.e., oak of weeping
  9. Genesis 35:10 Lit Your name
  10. Genesis 35:10 Lit his name
  11. Genesis 35:11 Heb El Shaddai
  12. Genesis 35:11 Or come into being
  13. Genesis 35:11 Or come into being
  14. Genesis 35:11 Lit your loins
  15. Genesis 35:12 Lit seed
  16. Genesis 35:15 I.e., house of God
  17. Genesis 35:18 I.e., the son of my sorrow
  18. Genesis 35:18 I.e., the son of the right hand
  19. Genesis 35:21 Heb Migdal-eder
  20. Genesis 35:21 Or flock
  21. Genesis 35:29 Lit and satisfied with days

35 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:

24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

35 “Move on to Bethel now, and settle there,” God said to Jacob, “and build an altar to worship me—the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

So Jacob instructed all those in his household to destroy the idols they had brought with them, and to wash themselves and to put on fresh clothing. “For we are going to Bethel,” he told them, “and I will build an altar there to the God who answered my prayers in the day of my distress, and was with me on my journey.”

So they gave Jacob all their idols and their earrings, and he buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem. Then they started on again. And the terror of God was upon all the cities they journeyed through, so that they were not attacked. Finally they arrived at Luz (also called Bethel), in Canaan. And Jacob erected an altar there and named it “the altar to the God who met me here at Bethel”[a] because it was there at Bethel that God appeared to him when he was fleeing from Esau.

Soon after this[b] Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died and was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. And ever after it was called “The Oak of Weeping.”

Upon Jacob’s arrival at Bethel, en route from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him once again and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “You shall no longer be called Jacob (‘Grabber’), but Israel (‘One who prevails with God’). 11 I am God Almighty,” the Lord said to him, “and I will cause you to be fertile and to multiply and to become a great nation, yes, many nations; many kings shall be among your descendants. 12 And I will pass on to you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and to your descendants.”

13-14 Afterwards Jacob built a stone pillar at the place where God had appeared to him; and he poured wine over it as an offering to God and then anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15 Jacob named the spot Bethel (“House of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

16 Leaving Bethel, he and his household traveled on toward Ephrath (Bethlehem). But Rachel’s pains of childbirth began while they were still a long way away. 17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Wonderful—another boy!” 18 And with Rachel’s last breath (for she died) she named him “Ben-oni” (“Son of my sorrow”); but his father called him “Benjamin” (“Son of my right hand”).

19 So Rachel died, and was buried near the road to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set up a monument of stones upon her grave, and it is there to this day.

21 Then Israel journeyed on and camped beyond the Tower of Eder. 22 It was while he was there that Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and someone told Israel about it.

Here are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s oldest child, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin.

25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant girl: Dan, Naphtali.

26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant girl: Gad, Asher.

All these were born to him at Paddan-aram.

27 So Jacob came at last to Isaac his father at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham too had lived. 28-29 Isaac died soon afterwards, at the ripe old age of 180. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:7 the God who met me here at Bethel, literally, “the God of Bethel.”
  2. Genesis 35:8 Soon after this, implied.