1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to #ch. 28:19 Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you #ch. 27:43when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob said to his #ch. 18:19; Josh. 24:15 household and to all who were with him, “Put away #[ch. 31:19; Josh. 24:23; 1 Sam. 7:3] the foreign gods that are among you and #Ex. 19:10purify yourselves and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God #ch. 32:7, 24 who answers me in the day of my distress and #ch. 28:20; 31:3has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under #Josh. 24:26; Judg. 9:6the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

5And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6And Jacob came to #ch. 28:19Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel,#35:7 El-bethel means God of Bethel because #ver. 1there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8And #ch. 24:59Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.#35:8 Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping

9God appeared#35:9 Or had appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; #[ch. 17:5, 15] no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but #ch. 32:28Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11And God said to him, #See ch. 17:1 “I am God Almighty:#35:11 Hebrew El Shaddai be #ch. 28:3; 48:4 fruitful and multiply. #ch. 17:5, 6, 16; 26:4A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.#35:11 Hebrew from your loins 12#ch. 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 26:3; 28:13The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13Then God #ch. 17:22went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14And Jacob #ch. 28:18; 31:45set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him #ch. 28:19Bethel.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance#35:16 Or about two hours’ distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for #ch. 30:24you have another son.” 18And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni;#35:18 Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow, or son of my strength #[Luke 1:59, 60]but his father called him Benjamin.#35:18 Benjamin means son of the right hand 19So #ch. 48:7 Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to #Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6, 16-18Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is #1 Sam. 10:2; [2 Sam. 18:18]the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and #ch. 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1; [2 Sam. 16:22; 20:3; 1 Cor. 5:1]lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23The sons of Leah: #For ver. 23-26, see ch. 46:8-27; Ex. 1:2-4Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27And Jacob came to his father Isaac at #ch. 13:18; 23:19 Mamre, or #ch. 23:2; Josh. 14:15; 15:13Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29And Isaac breathed his last, and he died #ch. 15:15; 25:8 and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And #ch. 25:9; 49:31his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

ESV brought to you by Crossway / Good News Publishers

Learn More

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.

Learn More

Choose your language

ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible

Genesis 35

Genesis 35