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Jacob’s Fifth Encounter with God

35 Then Elohim said to Jacob, “Go to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there. I am the El who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

So Jacob said to his family and those who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods which you have, wash yourselves until you are ritually clean,[a] and change your clothes. Then let’s go to Bethel. I will make an altar there to El, who answered me when I was troubled and who has been with me wherever I’ve gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had in their possession as well as the earrings that they had on. Jacob buried these things under the oak tree near Shechem.

As they moved on, Elohim made the people of the cities that were all around them terrified so that no one pursued them. Jacob and all the people who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. He built an altar there and called that place El Bethel [God of the House of God]. That’s where Elohim had revealed himself to Jacob when he was fleeing from his brother. Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried under the oak tree outside Bethel. So Jacob called it the Tree of Crying.

Jacob’s Sixth Encounter with God—His Name Changed to Israel

Then Elohim appeared once more to Jacob after he came back from Paddan Aram, and he blessed him. 10 Elohim said to him, “Your name is Jacob. You will no longer be called Jacob, but your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

11 Elohim also said to him, “I am El Shadday. Be fertile, and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from you. 12 I will give you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give this land to your descendants.” 13 Then Elohim went up from him at the place where he had spoken with him. 14 So Jacob set up a memorial, a stone marker, to mark the place where Elohim had spoken with him. He poured a wine offering and olive oil on it. 15 Jacob named the place where Elohim had spoken with him Bethel [House of God].

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Sons(A)

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor and was having severe labor pains. 17 During one of her pains, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid! You’re having another son!” 18 Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Benoni [Son of My Sorrow], but his father named him Benjamin [Son of My Right Hand].

19 Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Then Jacob set up a stone as a marker for her grave. The same marker is at Rachel’s grave today.

21 Israel moved on again and put up his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went to bed with his father’s concubine[b] Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had 12 sons.

23 The sons of Leah were

Jacob’s firstborn Reuben, then Simeon,

Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel 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 were Jacob’s sons, who were born in Paddan Aram.

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac to Mamre’s city, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron). Abraham and Isaac had lived there for a while. 28 Isaac was 180 years old 29 when he took his last breath and died. He joined his ancestors in death at a very old age. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:2 “Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to God.
  2. Genesis 35:22 A concubine is considered a wife except she has fewer rights under the law.

35 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the [a]oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Beth-el), he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place [b]El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. And Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak: and the name of it was called [c]Allon-bacuth.

And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am [d]God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he spake with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spake with him, a pillar of stone: and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.

16 And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some distance to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; for now thou shalt have another son. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name [e]Ben-oni: but his father called him [f]Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem). 20 And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that 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, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days: and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:4 Or, terebinth
  2. Genesis 35:7 That is, The God of Beth-el.
  3. Genesis 35:8 That is, The oak of weeping.
  4. Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El Shaddai.
  5. Genesis 35:18 That is, The son of my sorrow.
  6. Genesis 35:18 That is, The son of the right hand.