Genesis 35
International Children’s Bible
Jacob in Bethel
35 God said to Jacob, “Go to the city of Bethel and live there. Make an altar to the God who appeared to you there. This was when you were running away from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods you have. Make yourselves clean, and change your clothes. 3 We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to God. He has helped me during my time of trouble. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had. And they gave him the earrings they were wearing. He hid them under the great tree near the town of Shechem. 5 Then Jacob and his sons left there. But God caused the people in the nearby cities to be afraid. So they did not follow the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob and all the people who were with him went to Luz. It is now called Bethel. It is in the land of Canaan. 7 There Jacob built an altar. He named the place Bethel, after God, because God had appeared to him there. That was when he was running from his brother.
8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak tree at Bethel. They named that place Oak of Crying.
Jacob’s New Name
9 When Jacob came back from Northwest Mesopotamia, God appeared to him again. And God blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob any longer. Your new name will be Israel.” So he called him Israel. 11 God said to him, “I am God All-Powerful. Have many children and grow in number as a nation. You will be the ancestor of many nations and kings. 12 I gave Abraham and Isaac land. I will give that same land to you and your descendants.” 13 Then God left him. 14 Jacob set up a stone on edge in that place where God had talked to him. And he poured a drink offering and olive oil on it to make it special for God. 15 And Jacob named the place Bethel.
Rachel Dies Giving Birth
16 Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby. 17 But she was having much trouble with this birth. When Rachel’s nurse saw this, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son.” 18 Rachel gave birth to the son, but she died. As she lay dying, she named the boy Son of My Suffering. But Jacob called him Benjamin.[a]
19 Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath, a district of Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set up a rock on her grave to honor her. That rock is still there today. 21 Then Israel, also called Jacob, continued his journey. He camped just south of Migdal Eder.
22 While Israel was in that land Reuben had physical relations with Israel’s slave woman Bilhah. And Israel heard about it.
The Family of Israel
Jacob had 12 sons. 23 He had 6 sons by his wife Leah. Reuben was his first son. Then Leah had Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 He had 2 sons by his wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 He had 2 sons by Rachel’s slave girl Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.
26 And he had 2 sons by Leah’s slave girl Zilpah: Gad and Asher.
These are Jacob’s sons who were born in Northwest Mesopotamia.
27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre near Hebron. This is where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last breath and died when he was very old. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- 35:18 Benjamin This name means “right-hand son” or “favorite son.”
Bereshis 35
Orthodox Jewish Bible
35 And Elohim said unto Ya’akov, Arise, go up to Beit-El, and settle there; and make there a Mizbe’ach unto El (G-d) that appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esav achicha.
2 Then Ya’akov said unto his Bais, and to all that were with him, Put away the elohei hanekhar that are among you, and be tahor, and change your simlah (garments);
3 And let us arise, and go up to Beit-El; and I will build there a Mizbe’ach unto El (G-d) Who answered me in my yom tzoros, and was with me in the derech in which I went.
4 And they gave unto Ya’akov kol elohei hanekhar which were in their yad, and all their nezamim which were in their oznayim; and Ya’akov buried them under the elah (terebinth) which was at Shechem.
5 And they journeyed; and the chittat Elohim (terror of G-d) was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue after the Bnei Ya’akov.
6 So Ya’akov came to Luz, which is in Eretz Kena’an, that is, Beit-El, he and kol haAm that were with him.
7 And he built there a Mizbe’ach, and called the makom (place) El Beit-El; because there HaElohim appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of achiv.
8 But Devorah meineket Rivkah died, and she was buried under an alon (oak) below Beit-El; and shmo was called Alon Bachut.
9 And Elohim appeared unto Ya’akov again, when he returned from Padan Aram, and made a brocha upon him.
10 And Elohim said unto him, Shimcha is Ya’akov; shimcha shall not be called any more Ya’akov, but Yisroel shall be shemecha; and He called shmo Yisroel.
11 And Elohim said unto him, I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply; a Goy (nation) and a Kehal Goyim shall be from thee, and Melechim shall come out of thy loins;
12 And HaAretz which I gave Avraham and Yitzchak, to thee I will give it, and to thy zera after thee will I give HaAretz.
13 And Elohim went up from him in the makom where He talked with him.
14 And Ya’akov set up a matzevah (pillar, monument) in the makom where He talked with him, even a matzevat even (pillar of stone); and he poured a nesech (drink offering) thereon, and he poured shemen (oil) thereon.
15 And Ya’akov called the shem of the makom where Elohim spoke with him, Beit- El.
16 And they journeyed from Beit-El; and there was still a space of ha’aretz to get to Ephratah; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.
17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the meyaledet (midwife) said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this ben also.
18 And it came to pass, as her nefesh was in departing, (for she died) that she called shmo Ben-Oni (Son of Affliction); but aviv called him Binyamin.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried on the derech to Ephratah, which is Beit- Lechem.
20 And Ya’akov set up a matzevah upon her kever; that is matzevet kevurat Rachel to this day.
21 And Yisroel journeyed, and pitched his ohel beyond Migdal-Eder.
22 And it came to pass, when Yisroel dwelt in that land, that Reuven went and lay with Bilhah pilegesh aviv and Yisroel heard it. Now the Bnei Ya’akov were Sheneym Asar (Twelve);
23 The Bnei Leah: Reuven bechor Ya’akov, and Shimon, and Levi, and Yehudah, and Yissakhar, and Zevulun;
24 The Bnei Rachel: Yosef, and Binyamin;
25 And the Bnei Bilhah shifchat Rachel: Dan, and Naphtali;
26 And the Bnei Zilpah shifchat Leah: Gad, and Asher; these are the Bnei Ya’akov, which were born to him in Padan Aram.
27 And Ya’akov came unto Yitzchak Aviv unto Mamre, unto Kiriat HaArba, which is Chevron, where Avraham and Yitzchak sojourned.
28 And the days of Yitzchak were me’at shanah u’shemonim shanah.
29 And Yitzchak expired, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being zaken (old) and full of yamim; and his banim Esav and Ya’akov buried him.
Genesis 35
King James Version
35 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; 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.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
8 But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.
9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, 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 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 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 talked with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.
15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.
16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, 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, which were born to him in Padanaram.
27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
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