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
International Standard Version
Jacob Moves to Bethel
35 Later, God told Jacob, “Get up, move to Bethel, and live there. Build an altar to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”
2 Jacob announced to his household and to everyone with him, “Throw away the foreign gods that you’ve kept among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. 3 Then let’s get up and go to Bethel, where I’ll build an altar to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who was with me on the road, wherever I went.”
4 So they handed over to Jacob all their foreign gods on which they had been depending,[a] along with the rings that they were wearing on their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that grew near Shechem. 5 As they set out on their journey, because the people who lived in the[b] cities around them feared God, they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
6 Eventually, Jacob and everyone with him arrived at Luz (also called Beth-el) in the territory of Canaan. 7 He built an altar there to God and named the place El Beth-el, because God had revealed himself there when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried there, under the oak tree that was below Beth-el. That’s why the place was named Allon-bacuth.[c]
God Appears Again to Jacob
9 God appeared again to Jacob after he had arrived from Paddan-aram[d] and blessed him. 10 Then God told him,
“Your name is Jacob.
No longer are you to be called Jacob.
Instead, your name will be Israel.”
So God called his name Israel 11 and also told him,
“I am God Almighty.
You are to be fruitful
and multiply.
You will become a nation—
in fact, an assembly of nations!
Kings will come from you—
they’ll emerge from your own loins!
12 Now as for the land
that I gave to Abraham and Isaac,
I’m giving it to you
and to your descendants who come after you.
I’m giving the land to you!”
13 After this, God ascended from the place where he had been speaking to him. 14 Jacob erected a pillar of stone at that very place where God had spoken to him. He poured a drink offering over it, anointed it with oil, 15 and named the place where God had spoken to him Beth-el.
Rachel Dies in Childbirth
16 Later, they set out from Beth-el. While still a long way[e] from Ephrathah, Rachel started to have trouble giving birth. 17 While she was suffering due to her difficult labor, the midwife told her, “Don’t fear! You’re going to have another son.”
18 Just before she died,[f] Rachel called her son’s[g] name Ben-oni,[h] but his father Jacob[i] named him Benjamin.[j] 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem. 20 Jacob erected a pillar over her grave, and that pillar stands over Rachel’s grave to this day.
Jacob Settles Near Migdal Eder
21 Jacob continued his travels, and eventually pitched his tent facing Migdal Eder. 22 But while Israel lived in that land, Reuben went inside his father’s tent[k] and had sexual relations with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Now Jacob had twelve sons. 23 Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 Rachel’s servant Bilhah’s sons were Dan and Naphtali. 26 Leah’s servant Zilpah’s sons were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons who were born to him while he lived in Paddan-aram.[l]
The Death of Isaac
27 So Jacob reached his father Isaac at Mamre, in Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac had lived a total of 180 years 29 when he died and joined his ancestors at a ripe old age. Then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:4 Lit. gods that were in their hands
- Genesis 35:5 The Heb. lacks people who lived in the
- Genesis 35:8 The Heb. name Allon-bacuth means Weeping Oak
- Genesis 35:9 Paddan-aram was located in northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 35:16 Lit. a distance of land
- Genesis 35:18 Lit. As her soul was departing while she was dying
- Genesis 35:18 Lit. called his
- Genesis 35:18 The Heb. name Ben-oni means child of my pain
- Genesis 35:18 The Heb. lacks Jacob
- Genesis 35:18 The Heb. name Benjamin means child of my right hand
- Genesis 35:22 The Heb. lacks his father’s tent
- Genesis 35:26 Paddan-aram was located in northwest Mesopotamia
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