Genesis 35
Lexham English Bible
Jacob Goes Back to Bethel
35 And God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother.” 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands, and the ornamental rings that were in their ears. And Jacob buried them under the oak which was near Shechem. 5 Then they set out on their journey, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, so that they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz which was in the land of Canaan (that is Bethel), he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had appeared to him when he fled before his brother. 8 And Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died. And she was buried below Bethel, under the oak. And its name was called Allon-Bacuth.[a] 9 And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-Aram, and he blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” Then his name was called Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am El-Shaddai.[b] Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins. 12 And as for the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give it to you. And to your descendants after you I will give the land. 13 And God went up from him at the place where he spoke with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar at the place where God had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured out a drink offering upon it, and poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
The Death of Rachel
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when they were still some distance[c] from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. And she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was the most difficult[d] the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid for you have another son.”[e] 18 And it happened that when her life was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-Oni.[f] But his father called him Benjamin.[g] 19 And Rachel died and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob erected a pillar at her burial site. That is the pillar of the burial site of Rachel unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.[h] 22 And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. And Israel heard about it.
The Twelve Sons of Jacob
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: The firstborn of Jacob was Reuben. Then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, the female servant of Rachel: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, the female servant of Leah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.
The Death of Isaac
27 And Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, or Kiriath-Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac dwelled as aliens. 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 And Isaac passed away and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:8 “The Oak of Weeping”
- Genesis 35:11 Possibly “God Almighty,” but more likely “God of the Wilderness”
- Genesis 35:16 Literally “there was still the stretch of land”
- Genesis 35:17 Literally “at her distress at giving birth”
- Genesis 35:17 Literally “for this one also to you is a son”
- Genesis 35:18 “Son of my sorrow”
- Genesis 35:18 “Son of the right hand”
- Genesis 35:21 Or “Migdal-Eder”
Genesis 35
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Return to Bethel
35 God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there.(A) Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”(B)
2 So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you.(C) Purify yourselves and change your clothes.(D) 3 We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress.(E) He has been with me everywhere I have gone.”(F)
4 Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. 5 When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.(G) 6 So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel(H)) in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and called the place God of Bethel[a] because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Deborah, the one who had nursed and raised Rebekah,[b](I) died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Oak of Weeping.[c]
9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him:
Your name is Jacob;
you will no longer be named Jacob,
but your name will be Israel.(J)
So He named him Israel. 11 God also said to him:
I am God Almighty.(K)
Be fruitful and multiply.(L)
A nation, indeed an assembly of nations,
will come from you,(M)
and kings will descend from you.[d](N)
12 I will give to you the land
that I gave to Abraham and Isaac.(O)
And I will give the land
to your future descendants.
13 Then God withdrew[e](P) from him at the place where He had spoken to him.
14 Jacob set up a marker at the place where He had spoken to him—a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.(Q) 15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
Rachel’s Death
16 They set out from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17 During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another son.”(R) 18 With her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni,[f] but his father called him Benjamin.[g] 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem(S)). 20 Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel’s grave to this day.
Israel’s Sons
21 Israel set out again and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.[h] 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.(T)
Jacob had 12 sons:(U)
23 Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn),
Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 Rachel’s sons were
Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhah
were Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpah
were Gad and Asher.
These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
Isaac’s Death
27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre(V) in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron(W)), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people,(X) old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:7 Or El-bethel
- Genesis 35:8 Lit Deborah, Rebekah’s wet nurse; Gn 24:59
- Genesis 35:8 Or Allon-bacuth
- Genesis 35:11 Lit will come from your loins
- Genesis 35:13 Lit went up
- Genesis 35:18 = Son of My Sorrow
- Genesis 35:18 = Son of the Right Hand
- Genesis 35:21 Or beyond Migdal-eder
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