Genesis 35

Jacob returns to Bethel

1God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”#Gn 28.11-17.

2Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was travelling with him:

Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. 3Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.

4So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings,#35.4 earrings: These would have had symbols of foreign gods on them. and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

5While Jacob and his family were travelling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. 6Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. 7Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel”, because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. 8While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah#35.8 Deborah: See 24.59 and the note there. died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak”.

God blesses Jacob at Bethel

9-11After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:#Gn 32.28.#Gn 17.4-8.

I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel#35.9-11 Israel: See the note at 32.28. instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. 12I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family for ever.

13After God had gone, 14Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God,#Gn 28.18,19. 15and he named the place Bethel.#35.15 Bethel: See the note at 28.19.

Benjamin is born

16Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. 17She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” 18Rachel was at the point of death, and just before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.”#35.18 Benoni: In Hebrew “Benoni” means “Son of my Sorrow”. But Jacob called him Benjamin.#35.18 Benjamin: In Hebrew “Benjamin” can mean “Son at my Right Side” (the place of power).

19Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. 20Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. 21Jacob, also known as Israel, travelled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.

22During their time there, Jacob's eldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives.#35.22 other wives: See the note at 22.24. Bilhah had been Rachel's servant woman (see 29.28-30). And Jacob found out about it.#Gn 49.4.

Jacob's twelve sons

23-26Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria.#35.23-26 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10. His firstborn Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.

Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.

Isaac dies

27Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner.#Gn 13.18. 28-29Isaac died at the ripe old age of one hundred and eighty, then 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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