Rachel Dies Giving Birth

¹⁶ ·Jacob and his group [^LThey] ·left [departed from] Bethel. ·Before they came to [or While still some distance from] Ephrath [^Cnear Bethlehem four miles south of Jerusalem; 35:19], Rachel began giving birth to her baby [^Land had hard labor], ¹⁷ but she was having ·much trouble [hard labor]. When ·Rachel’s nurse [^Lthe midwife] 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 herself died. As she lay dying, she named the boy ·Son of My Suffering [Ben-oni], but Jacob called him Benjamin [^C“son of my right hand/the south”].

¹⁹ Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath, ·a district of [or which is] Bethlehem, ²⁰ and Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. It is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. ²¹ Then Israel [^CJacob’s new name] continued his journey and ·camped [^Lpitched his tent] just south of ·Migdal Eder [or the tower of Eder; ^CEder means “the flock”; perhaps located near Jerusalem; Mic. 4:8].