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Genesis 35-36
Easy-to-Read Version
Genesis 35-36
Easy-to-Read Version
Jacob in Bethel
35 God said to Jacob, “Go to the town of Bethel.[a] That is where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau. Live there and make an altar to honor me as El,[b] the God who appeared to you.”
2 So Jacob told his family and all the other people with him, “Destroy all these foreign gods that you have. Make yourselves pure. Put on clean clothes. 3 We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to the God who has always helped me during times of trouble. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 So the people gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. He buried everything under an oak tree near the town called Shechem.
5 Then Jacob and his sons left that place. The people in the surrounding cities wanted to follow and kill them, but God filled them with such great fear that they did not go after them. 6 So Jacob and his people went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. It is in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there. He named the place “El Bethel.”[c] Jacob chose this name because that is the place where God first appeared to him when he was running from his brother.
8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died there. They buried her under the oak tree at Bethel. They named that place Allon Bacuth.[d]
Jacob’s New Name
9 When Jacob came back from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. God blessed Jacob 10 and said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but I will change that name. You will no longer be called Jacob. Your new name will be Israel.[e]” So God named him Israel.
11 God said to him, “I am God All-Powerful,[f] and I give you this blessing: Have many children and grow into a great nation. Other nations and other kings will come out of you. 12 I gave Abraham and Isaac some special land. Now I give the land to you and to all your people who will live after you.” 13 Then God left that place. 14-15 Jacob set up a memorial stone there. He made the rock holy by pouring wine and oil on it. This was a special place because God spoke to Jacob there, and Jacob named the place Bethel.
Rachel Dies Giving Birth
16 Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby. 17 She was having a lot of trouble with this birth. She was in great pain. When her nurse saw this, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son.”
18 Rachel died while giving birth to the son. Before dying, she named the boy Benoni.[g] But Jacob called him Benjamin.[h]
19 Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob put a special rock on Rachel’s grave to honor her. That special rock is still there today. 21 Then Israel continued his journey. He camped just south of Eder tower.[i]
22 Israel stayed there for a short time. While he was there, Reuben slept with Israel’s slave woman Bilhah. Israel heard about this, and he was very angry.[j]
The Family of Israel (Jacob)
These are the names of Jacob’s twelve sons:
23 His firstborn son was Reuben, whose mother was Leah. Jacob’s other sons by Leah were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 His sons by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, were Dan and Naphtali.
26 His sons by Zilpah, Leah’s maid, were Gad and Asher.
These were Jacob’s sons who were born in Paddan Aram.
27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba (Hebron). This is where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 Then Isaac became weak and died and went to be with his people. He had lived a long and full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Esau’s Family
36 This is the history of the family of Esau (Edom). 2 Esau married women from the land of Canaan. His wives were Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite, and 3 Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. 4 Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Basemath had a son named Reuel. 5 Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons who were born in the land of Canaan.
6-8 Jacob and Esau’s families became too big for the land in Canaan to support them all, so Esau moved away from his brother Jacob. He took his wives, sons, daughters, all his slaves, cattle and other animals, and everything else that he had gotten in Canaan and moved to the hill country of Seir.[k] (Esau is also named Edom.)
9 Esau is the father of the people of Edom. These are the names of Esau’s family living in the hill country of Seir:
10 Esau and Adah’s son was Eliphaz. Esau and Basemath’s son was Reuel.
11 Eliphaz had five sons: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Eliphaz also had a slave woman named Timna. Timna and Eliphaz had a son named Amalek.
13 Reuel had four sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
These were Esau’s grandsons from his wife Basemath.
14 Esau’s third wife was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. (Anah was the son of Zibeon.) Esau and Oholibamah’s children were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the family groups that came from Esau:
Esau’s first son was Eliphaz. From Eliphaz came Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek.
All these family groups came from Esau’s wife Adah.
17 Esau’s son Reuel was the father of these families: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
All these families came from Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These three men were the leaders of their families.
19 They were all sons of Esau and leaders of the family groups of Edom.[l]
20 Seir, a Horite man, lived in Edom before Esau. These are the sons of Seir:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These sons were all Horite family leaders from Seir in Edom.
22 Lotan was the father of Hori and Heman.[m] (Timna was Lotan’s sister.)
23 Shobal was the father of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 Zibeon had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the springs in the desert while he was caring for his father’s donkeys.
25 Anah was the father of Dishon and Oholibamah.
26 Dishon had four sons. They were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
27 Ezer had three sons. They were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 Dishan had two sons. They were Uz and Aran.
29 These are the names of the leaders of the Horite families: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the families that lived in the country of Seir.
31 At that time there were kings in Edom. Edom had kings a long time before Israel did.
32 Bela son of Beor was a king who ruled in Edom. He ruled over the city of Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab became king. Jobab was the son of Zerah from Bozrah.
34 When Jobab died, Husham ruled. Husham was from the land of the Temanites.
35 When Husham died, Hadad ruled that area. Hadad was the son of Bedad. (He was the man who defeated Midian in the country of Moab.) Hadad was from the city of Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah ruled that country. Samlah was from Masrekah.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul ruled that area. Shaul was from Rehoboth by the River.
38 When Shaul died, Baal Hanan ruled that country. Baal Hanan was the son of Acbor.
39 When Baal Hanan died, Hadad[n] ruled that country. Hadad was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred. (Mezahab was Matred’s father.)
40-43 Esau was the father of these Edomite families:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. Each of these families lived in an area that was called by the same name as their family.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:1 Bethel A town in Israel. This name means “God’s house.”
- Genesis 35:1 El A Hebrew name for God.
- Genesis 35:7 El Bethel A name that means “the God of Bethel.”
- Genesis 35:8 Allon Bacuth This name means “the oak tree of sadness.”
- Genesis 35:10 Israel This name might mean “he fights for God,” “he fights with God,” or “God fights.”
- Genesis 35:11 God All-Powerful Literally, “El Shaddai.”
- Genesis 35:18 Benoni This name means “son of my suffering.”
- Genesis 35:18 Benjamin This name means “right-hand” or “favorite son.”
- Genesis 35:21 Eder tower Or “Migdal Eder.”
- Genesis 35:22 and he was very angry These words are from the ancient Greek translation. They are not in the standard Hebrew text. See Gen. 49:4.
- Genesis 36:6 Seir A mountain range in Edom.
- Genesis 36:19 Esau … Edom Two names for the man Esau and the country Edom.
- Genesis 36:22 Heman Or “Homam.”
- Genesis 36:39 Hadad Or “Hadar.”
Genesis 35-36
New International Version
Genesis 35-36
New International Version
Jacob Returns to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel(A) and settle there, and build an altar(B) there to God,(C) who appeared to you(D) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”(E)
2 So Jacob said to his household(F) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods(G) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.(H) 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,(I) who answered me in the day of my distress(J) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.(K)” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,(L) and Jacob buried them under the oak(M) at Shechem.(N) 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God(O) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.(P)
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz(Q) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.(R) 7 There he built an altar,(S) and he called the place El Bethel,[a](T) because it was there that God revealed himself to him(U) when he was fleeing from his brother.(V)
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,(W) died and was buried under the oak(X) outside Bethel.(Y) So it was named Allon Bakuth.[b]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[c](Z) God appeared to him again and blessed him.(AA) 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[e]”(AB) So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[f];(AC) be fruitful and increase in number.(AD) A nation(AE) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.(AF) 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.(AG)”(AH) 13 Then God went up from him(AI) at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar(AJ) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering(AK) on it; he also poured oil on it.(AL) 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[g](AM)
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac(AN)
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,(AO) Rachel(AP) began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife(AQ) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”(AR) 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[h](AS) But his father named him Benjamin.[i](AT)
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath(AU) (that is, Bethlehem(AV)). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day(AW) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.(AX)
21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.(AY) 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine(AZ) Bilhah,(BA) and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah:(BB)
Reuben the firstborn(BC) of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah,(BD) Issachar and Zebulun.(BE)
24 The sons of Rachel:
25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:(BH)
Dan and Naphtali.(BI)
26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:(BJ)
These were the sons of Jacob,(BM) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.(BN)
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac(BO) in Mamre,(BP) near Kiriath Arba(BQ) (that is, Hebron),(BR) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.(BS) 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.(BT) 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,(BU) old and full of years.(BV) And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.(BW)
Esau’s Descendants(BX)(BY)
36 This is the account(BZ) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).(CA)
2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:(CB) Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,(CC) and Oholibamah(CD) daughter of Anah(CE) and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite(CF)— 3 also Basemath(CG) daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.(CH)
4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,(CI) 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(CJ) These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan,(CK) and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.(CL) 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.(CM) 8 So Esau(CN) (that is, Edom)(CO) settled in the hill country of Seir.(CP)
9 This is the account(CQ) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites(CR) in the hill country of Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.(CS)
11 The sons of Eliphaz:(CT)
Teman,(CU) Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.(CV)
12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine(CW) named Timna, who bore him Amalek.(CX) These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.(CY)
13 The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.(CZ)
14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah(DA) daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(DB)
15 These were the chiefs(DC) among Esau’s descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:
Chiefs Teman,(DD) Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,(DE) 16 Korah,[j] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz(DF) in Edom;(DG) they were grandsons of Adah.(DH)
17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:(DI)
Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.(DJ)
18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:(DK)
Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(DL) These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau(DM) (that is, Edom),(DN) and these were their chiefs.(DO)
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite,(DP) who were living in the region:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,(DQ) 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.(DR)
22 The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam.[k] Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23 The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
24 The sons of Zibeon:(DS)
Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs[l](DT) in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys(DU) of his father Zibeon.
25 The children of Anah:(DV)
Dishon and Oholibamah(DW) daughter of Anah.
26 The sons of Dishon[m]:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
27 The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
28 The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
29 These were the Horite chiefs:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,(DX) 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs,(DY) according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.
The Rulers of Edom(DZ)
31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king(EA) reigned:
32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah(EB) succeeded him as king.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites(EC) succeeded him as king.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian(ED) in the country of Moab,(EE) succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth(EF) on the river succeeded him as king.
38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad[n] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40 These were the chiefs(EG) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.(EH)
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:7 El Bethel means God of Bethel.
- Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
- Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
- Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
- Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
- Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.
- Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
- Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.
- Genesis 36:16 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (also verse 11 and 1 Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah.
- Genesis 36:22 Hebrew Hemam, a variant of Homam (see 1 Chron. 1:39)
- Genesis 36:24 Vulgate; Syriac discovered water; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 36:26 Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon
- Genesis 36:39 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 1:50); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar
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