Genesis 35-36

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; ³ then let us arise and go up to Bethel, that I may make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

⁵ And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were round about them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶ And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, ⁷ and there he built an altar, and called the place El-bethel,^[a] because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. ⁸ And Deb′orah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel; so the name of it was called Al′lon-bacuth.^[b]

⁹ God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. ¹⁰ And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So his name was called Israel. ¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty:^[c] be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall spring from you. ¹² The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” ¹³ Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. ¹⁴ And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it. ¹⁵ So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.

The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel

¹⁶ Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. ¹⁷ And when she was in her hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Fear not; for now you will have another son.” ¹⁸ And as her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-o′ni;^[d] but his father called his name Benjamin.^{[e] 19} So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), ²⁰ and Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. ²¹ Israel journeyed on, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

²² While Israel dwelt in that land Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. ²³ The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Is′sachar, and Zeb′ulun. ²⁴ The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naph′tali. ²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: 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 his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kir′iath-ar′ba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. ²⁸ Now the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. ²⁹ And Isaac breathed his last; and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Esau’s Descendants

36 These are the descendants of Esau (that is, Edom). ² Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholiba′mah the daughter of Anah the son^[f] of Zib′eon the Hivite, ³ and Bas′emath, Ish′mael’s daughter, the sister of Neba′ioth. ⁴ And Adah bore to Esau, El′iphaz; Bas′emath bore Reu′el; ⁵ and Oholiba′mah bore Je′ush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his cattle, all his beasts, and all his property which he had acquired in the land of Canaan; and he went into a land away from his brother Jacob. ⁷ For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land of their sojournings could not support them because of their cattle. ⁸ So Esau dwelt in the hill country of Se′ir; Esau is Edom.

⁹ These are the descendants of Esau the father of the E′domites in the hill country of Se′ir. ¹⁰ These are the names of Esau’s sons: El′iphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reu′el the son of Bas′emath the wife of Esau. ¹¹ The sons of El′iphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹² (Timna was a concubine of El′iphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Am′alek to El′iphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. ¹³ These are the sons of Reu′el: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Bas′emath, Esau’s wife. ¹⁴ These are the sons of Oholiba′mah the daughter of Anah the son^[g] of Zib′eon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Je′ush, Jalam, and Korah.

Clans and Kings of Edom

¹⁵ These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of El′iphaz the first-born of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Am′alek; these are the chiefs of El′iphaz in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah. ¹⁷ These are the sons of Reu′el, Esau’s son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reu′el in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Bas′emath, Esau’s wife. ¹⁸ These are the sons of Oholiba′mah, Esau’s wife: the chiefs Je′ush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholiba′mah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. ¹⁹ These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

²⁰ These are the sons of Se′ir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zib′eon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Se′ir in the land of Edom. ²² The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. ²³ These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Man′ahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ²⁴ These are the sons of Zib′eon: A′iah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the asses of Zib′eon his father. ²⁵ These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholiba′mah the daughter of Anah. ²⁶ These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ²⁷ These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Za′avan, and Akan. ²⁸ These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. ²⁹ These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zib′eon, Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their clans in the land of Se′ir.

³¹ These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites. ³² Bela the son of Be′or reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Din′habah. ³³ Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. ³⁴ Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Te′manites reigned in his stead. ³⁵ Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Mid′ian in the country of Moab, reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Avith. ³⁶ Hadad died, and Samlah of Masre′kah reigned in his stead. ³⁷ Samlah died, and Shaul of Reho′both on the Euphra′tes reigned in his stead. ³⁸ Shaul died, and Ba′al-ha′nan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. ³⁹ Ba′al-ha′nan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Pau; his wife’s name was Mehet′abel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Me′zahab.

⁴⁰ These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholiba′mah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Mag′diel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.