1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to honor me. That’s where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”

2So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone with him. He said, “Get rid of the statues of false gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure by washing and changing your clothes. 3Come, let’s go up to Bethel. There I’ll build an altar to honor God. He answered me when I was in trouble. He’s been with me everywhere I’ve gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the statues of false gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried those things under the oak tree at Shechem. 5Then Jacob and everyone with him started out. The terror of God fell on the towns all around them. So no one chased them.

6Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz. Luz is also called Bethel. It’s in the land of Canaan. 7Jacob built an altar at Luz. He named the place El Bethel. There God made himself known to Jacob when he was running away from his brother.

8Rebekah’s attendant Deborah died. They buried her body under the oak tree outside Bethel. So it was called Allon Bakuth.

9After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. And God blessed him. 10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

11God said to him, “I am the Mighty God. Have children so that there will be many of you. You will become the father of a nation and a community of nations. Your later family will include kings. 12I am giving you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give it to your children after you.” 13Then God left him at the place where he had talked with him.

14Jacob set up a sacred stone at the place where God had talked with him. He poured out a drink offering on it. He also poured olive oil on it. 15Jacob named the place Bethel. That’s where God had talked with him.

Rachel and Isaac Die

16They moved on from Bethel. Ephrath wasn’t very far away when Rachel began to have a baby. She was having a very hard time of it. 17The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to Rachel, “Don’t be afraid. You have another son.” 18But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.

19So Rachel died. She was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem. 20Jacob set up a stone marker over her tomb. To this day, the stone marks the place where Rachel was buried.

21Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben’s father. And Israel heard about it.

Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.

23Leah was the mother of

Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son.

Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

24The sons of Rachel were

Joseph and Benjamin.

25The sons of Rachel’s female servant Bilhah were

Dan and Naphtali.

26The sons of Leah’s female servant Zilpah were

Gad and Asher.

These were Jacob’s sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.

27Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Mamre is near Kiriath Arba, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The place is also called Hebron. 28Isaac lived 180 years. 29Then he took his last breath and died. He was very old when he joined the members of his family who had already died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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Genesis 35

Jacob Moves to Bethel

1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled #35.1: Lit from the face offrom your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Remove the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3and let’s arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me on the day of my distress and has been with me #35.3: Lit in the way whichwherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which #35.4: Lit were in their handthey had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the #35.4: Or terebinthoak which was near Shechem.

5As they journeyed, there was #35.5: Or a terror of Goda great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7Then he built an altar there, and called the place #35.7: I.e., the God of BethelEl-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled #35.7: Lit from the face offrom his brother. 8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and it was named #35.8: I.e., oak of weepingAllon-bacuth.

Jacob Is Named Israel

9Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10God said to him,

“Your name is Jacob;

# 35.10: Lit Your name You shall no longer be called Jacob,

But Israel shall be your name.”

So He called #35.10: Lit his namehim Israel. 11God also said to him,

“I am #35.11: Heb El ShaddaiGod Almighty;

Be fruitful and multiply;

A nation and a multitude of nations shall #35.11: Or come into beingcome from you,

And kings shall #35.11: Or come into beingcome from #35.11: Lit your loinsyou.

12“And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac,

I will give to you,

And I will give the land to your #35.12: Lit seeddescendants after you.”

13Then God went up from him at the place where He had spoken with him. 14So Jacob set up 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. 15And Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, #35.15: I.e., house of GodBethel.

16Then they journeyed on from Bethel; but when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe difficulties in her labor. 17And when she was suffering severe difficulties in her labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son!” 18And it came about, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him #35.18: I.e., the son of my sorrowBen-oni; but his father called him #35.18: I.e., the son of the right handBenjamin. 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20And Jacob set up a memorial stone over her grave; that is the memorial stone of Rachel’s grave to this day. 21Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the #35.21: Heb Migdal-edertower of #35.21: Or flockEder.

The Sons of Israel

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

Now there were twelve sons of Jacob— 23the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female slave, were Dan and Naphtali; 26and 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.

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

28Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, an old man #35.29: Lit and satisfied with daysof ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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Genesis 35

Genesis 35