Genesis 35
35
1Then God told Jacob, “Get ready to go to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”#35:1. See 28:11 and on. 2So Jacob told his family and everyone who was with him, “Get rid of the pagan idols you have with you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3We have to get ready and go to Bethel so I can build an altar to God who answered me in my time of trouble. He has been with me wherever I went.”
4They handed over to Jacob all the pagan idols they had, as well as their earrings,#35:4. “Earrings”: some commentators believe that these earrings also had some religious associations. and he buried them under the oak tree at Shechem. 5As they left on their journey, the terror of God spread over all the surrounding towns, so nobody tried to retaliate against Jacob's sons.
6Jacob and everyone with him arrived at Luz (also known as Bethel) in the country of Canaan. 7He built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel,#35:7. “El-Bethel”: meaning “the God of Bethel.” Bethel in turn means “the house of God” (see 28:19). because that was where God had appeared to him when he was running away from his brother Esau.
8Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak near Bethel. So it was named “the oak of weeping.”
9God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him after his return from Paddan-aram. 10God told him, “Jacob will not be your name any longer. Instead of Jacob your name will be Israel.” So God called him Israel.
11Then God said, “I am God Almighty! Reproduce, increase, and you will become a nation—in fact a group of nations—and kings will be among your descendants. 12I will give to you and to your descendants the land I also gave to Abraham and Isaac.” 13Then God left the place where he had been speaking to Jacob. 14Afterwards Jacob set up a stone pillar where God had spoken with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and also olive oil. 15Jacob called the place Bethel, because he had spoken with God there.
16Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor and had great difficulty giving birth. 17When she was in the worst birth-pains, the midwife told her, “Don't give up—you have another son!” 18But she was dying, and with her last breath she named him Benoni.#35:18. “Benoni” means “son of my suffering.” But his father named him Benjamin.#35:18. “Benjamin” means “son of my right hand.” The right hand was considered more favorable. 19Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also known as Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a stone memorial over Rachel's grave, and it's still there to this day.
21Israel#35:21. “Israel”: referring of course to Jacob after his name change. moved on and camped beyond the watch tower at Eder. 22During the time he was living there, Reuben went and slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel found out about it.#35:22. The Septuagint adds, “and it was very distressing to him.”
These were the twelve sons of Jacob:
23The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Rachel's personal maid Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.
26The sons of Leah's personal maid Zilpah: Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him while in Paddan-aram.
27Jacob returned home to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28Isaac lived to be 180 29when he breathed his last and died at an old age. He had lived a full life, and now he joined his forefathers in death. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Genesis 35
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.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.