Genesis 35
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
35 In the meantime God said to Jacob: Arise, and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau thy brother.
2 And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed and change your garments.
3 Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to God: who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompanied me in my journey.
4 So they gave him all the strange gods they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine tree, that is behind the city of Sichem.
5 And when they were departed, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.
6 And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, surnamed Bethel: he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the name of that place, The house of God: for there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.
8 At the same time Debora the nurse of Rebecca died, and was buried at the foot of Bethel under an oak: and the name of that place was called, The oak of weeping.
9 And God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he blessed him,
10 Saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called him Israel.
11 And said to him: I am God Almighty, increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.
12 And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee.
13 And he departed from him.
14 But he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him: pouring drink offerings upon it, and pouring oil thereon:
15 And calling the name of that place Bethel.
16 And going forth from thence, he came in the springtime to the land which leadeth to Ephrata: wherein when Rachel was in travail,
17 By reason of her hard labour she began to be in danger, and the midwife said to her: Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also.
18 And when her soul was departing for pain, and death was now at hand, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, The son of my pain: but his father called him Benjamin, that is, The son of the right hand.
19 So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata, this is Bethlehem.
20 And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulchre: this is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to this day.
21 Departing thence, he pitched his tent beyond the Flock tower.
22 And when he dwelt in that country, Ruben went, and slept with Bala, the concubine of his father: which he was not ignorant of. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23 The sons of Lia: Ruben the firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Juda, and Issachar, and Zabulon.
24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bala, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Nephtali.
26 The sons of Zelpha, Lia's handmaid: Gad and Aser: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.
27 And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron: wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.
29 And being spent with age he died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 35
English Standard Version
God Blesses and Renames Jacob
35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to (A)Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you (B)when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his (C)household and to all who were with him, “Put away (D)the foreign gods that are among you and (E)purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God (F)who answers me in the day of my distress and (G)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. Jacob hid them under (H)the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to (I)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 (J)there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And (K)Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.[b]
9 God appeared[c] to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; (L)no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but (M)Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, (N)“I am God Almighty:[d] be (O)fruitful and multiply. (P)A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.[e] 12 (Q)The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God (R)went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob (S)set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. 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 (T)Bethel.
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance[f] from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for (U)you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni;[g] (V)but his father called him Benjamin.[h] 19 So (W)Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to (X)Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is (Y)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 lived in that land, Reuben went and (Z)lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: (AA)Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at (AB)Mamre, or (AC)Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died (AD)and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And (AE)his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:7 El-bethel means God of Bethel
- Genesis 35:8 Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping
- Genesis 35:9 Or had appeared
- Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El Shaddai
- Genesis 35:11 Hebrew from your loins
- Genesis 35:16 Or about two hours' distance
- Genesis 35:18 Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow, or son of my strength
- Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of the right hand
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
