1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to #Gen. 28:19; 31:13Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, #Gen. 28:13who appeared to you #Gen. 27:43when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

2And Jacob said to his #Gen. 18:19; Josh. 24:15household and to all who were with him, “Put away #Gen. 31:19, 30, 34; Josh. 24:2, 14, 23the foreign gods that are among you, #Ex. 19:10, 14; Lev. 13:6purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, #Gen. 32:7, 24; Ps. 107:6who answered me in the day of my distress #Gen. 28:15, 20; 31:3, 42and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the #Hos. 2:13earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under #Josh. 24:26; Judg. 9:6the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

5And they journeyed, and #Ex. 15:16; 23:27; (Deut. 2:25; 11:25); Josh. 2:9; 1 Sam. 14:15the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6So Jacob came to #Gen. 28:19, 22; 48:3Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7And he #Gen. 33:20; 35:3; Eccl. 5:4built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because #Gen. 28:13there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

8Now #Gen. 24:59Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.

9Then #Josh. 5:13; Dan. 10:5God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and #Gen. 32:29; Hos. 12:4blessed him. 10And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; #Gen. 17:5your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, #Gen. 32:28but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. 11Also God said to him: #Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 48:3, 4; Ex. 6:3“I am God Almighty. #Gen. 9:1, 7Be fruitful and multiply; #Gen. 17:5, 6, 16; 28:3; 48:4a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12The #Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 26:3, 4; 28:13; 48:4; Ex. 32:13land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” 13Then God #Gen. 17:22; 18:33went up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14So Jacob #Gen. 28:18, 19; 31:45set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. 15And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, #Gen. 28:19Bethel.

Death of Rachel

16Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. 17Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; #Gen. 30:24; 1 Sam. 4:20you will have this son also.” 18And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19So #Gen. 48:7Rachel died and was buried on the way to #Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave #1 Sam. 10:2to this day.

21Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond #Mic. 4:8the tower of Eder. 22And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and #Gen. 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.

Jacob’s Twelve Sons

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23the sons of Leah were #Gen. 29:31–35; 30:18–20; 46:8; Ex. 1:1–4Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.

Death of Isaac

27Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at #Gen. 13:18; 18:1; 23:19Mamre, or #Josh. 14:15Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29So Isaac breathed his last and died, and #Gen. 15:15; 25:8; 49:33was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And #Gen. 25:9; 49:31his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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Genesis 35

1And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto the ·God#GodHebrew: El that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2And Jacob said to his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and cleanse yourselves, and change your garments; 3and we will arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar to the ·God#GodHebrew: El that answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way that I went. 4And they gave to Jacob all the strange gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is by Shechem. 5And they journeyed; and the terror of God#GodHebrew: Elohim was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God#GodHebrew: Elohim had appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. 8And Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died; and she was buried beneath Bethel, under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. 9And God#GodHebrew: Elohim appeared to Jacob again after he had come from Padan-Aram, and blessed him. 10And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not henceforth be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name Israel. 11And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to him, I am the Almighty ·God#GodHebrew: El be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee; and kings shall come out of thy loins. 12And the land that I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13And God#GodHebrew: Elohim went up from him in the place where he had talked with him. 14And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had talked with him, a pillar of stone, and poured on it a drink-offering, and poured oil on it. 15And Jacob called the name of the place where God#GodHebrew: Elohim had talked with him, Beth-el.

16And they journeyed from Bethel. And there was yet a certain distance to come to Ephrath, when Rachel travailed in childbirth; and it went hard with her in her childbearing. 17And it came to pass when it went hard with her in her childbearing, that the midwife said to her, Fear not; for this also is a son for thee. 18And it came to pass as her soul was departing — for she died — that she called his name Benoni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20And Jacob erected a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

21And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent on the other side of Migdal-Eder. 22And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. And the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23The sons of Leah: Reuben — Jacob's firstborn — and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun. 24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant: Dan and Naphtali. 26And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob that were born to him in Padan-Aram. 27And Jacob came to Isaac his father to Mamre — to Kirjath-Arba, which is Hebron; where Abraham had sojourned, and Isaac. 28And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. 29And Isaac expired and died, and was gathered to his peoples, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 35

Genesis 35