Genesis 35-37

New King James Version

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to ^(A)Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, ^(B)who appeared to you ^(C)when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

²And Jacob said to his ^(D)household and to all who were with him, “Put away ^(E)the foreign gods that are among you, ^(F)purify yourselves, and change your garments. ³Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, ^(G)who answered me in the day of my distress ^(H)and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” ⁴So they gave Jacob all the foreign ^[a]gods which were in their hands, and the ^(I)earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under ^(J)the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

⁵And they journeyed, and ^(K)the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶So Jacob came to ^(L)Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. ⁷And he ^(M)built an altar there and called the place ^[b]El Bethel, because ^(N)there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

⁸Now ^(O)Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called ^[c]Allon Bachuth.

⁹Then ^(P)God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and ^(Q)blessed him. ¹⁰And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; ^(R)your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, ^(S)but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. ¹¹Also God said to him: ^(T)“I am God Almighty. ^(U)Be fruitful and multiply; ^(V)a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. ¹²The ^(W)land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” ¹³Then God ^(X)went^[d] up from him in the place where He talked with him. ¹⁴So Jacob ^(Y)set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. ¹⁵And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, ^(Z)Bethel.

Death of Rachel

¹⁶Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. ¹⁷Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; ^(AA)you will have this son also.” ¹⁸And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name ^[e]Ben-Oni; but his father called him ^[f]Benjamin. ¹⁹So ^(AB)Rachel died and was buried on the way to ^(AC)Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave ^(AD)to this day.

²¹Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond ^(AE)the tower of Eder. ²²And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and ^(AF)lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.

Jacob’s Twelve Sons

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: ²³the sons of Leah were ^(AG)Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; ²⁴the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; ²⁵the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; ²⁶and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.

Death of Isaac

²⁷Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at ^(AH)Mamre, or ^(AI)Kirjath Arba^[g] (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. ²⁸Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. ²⁹So Isaac breathed his last and died, and ^(AJ)was ^[h]gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And ^(AK)his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

The Family of Esau^(AL)

36 Now this is the genealogy of Esau, ^(AM)who is Edom. ²^(AN)Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the ^(AO)Hittite; ^(AP)Aholibamah^[i] the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³and ^(AQ)Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. ⁴Now ^(AR)Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. ⁵And ^[j]Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

⁶Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. ⁷^(AS)For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and ^(AT)the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. ⁸So Esau dwelt in ^(AU)Mount Seir. ^(AV)Esau is Edom.

⁹And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. ¹⁰These were the names of Esau’s sons: ^(AW)Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. ¹¹And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, ^[k]Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

¹²Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore ^(AX)Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.

¹³These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

¹⁴These were the sons of ^[l]Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

The Chiefs of Edom

¹⁵These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, ¹⁶^[m]Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah.

¹⁷These were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

¹⁸And these were the sons of ^[n]Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah. ¹⁹These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs.

The Sons of Seir

²⁰^(AY)These were the sons of Seir ^(AZ)the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

²²And the sons of Lotan were Hori and ^[o]Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna.

²³These were the sons of Shobal: ^[p]Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, ^[q]Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the ^[r]water in the wilderness as he pastured ^(BA)the donkeys of his father Zibeon. ²⁵These were the children of Anah: Dishon and ^[s]Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

²⁶These were the sons of ^[t]Dishon: ^[u]Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ²⁷These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and ^[v]Akan. ²⁸These were the sons of Dishan: ^(BB)Uz and Aran.

²⁹These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah, ³⁰Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

The Kings of Edom

³¹^(BC)Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel: ³²Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ³³And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. ³⁴When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. ³⁵And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. ³⁶When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ³⁷And when Samlah died, Saul of ^(BD)Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. ³⁸When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. ³⁹And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, ^[w]Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was ^[x]Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

The Chiefs of Esau

⁴⁰And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief ^[y]Alvah, Chief Jetheth, ⁴¹Chief ^[z]Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁴²Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁴³Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of ^[aa]the Edomites.

Joseph Dreams of Greatness

37 Now Jacob dwelt in the land ^(BE)where his father was a ^[ab]stranger, in the land of Canaan. ²This is the history of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought ^(BF)a bad report of them to his father.

³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was ^(BG)the son of his old age. Also he ^(BH)made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they ^(BI)hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

⁵Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. ⁶So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷^(BJ)There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

⁸And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁹Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, ^(BK)the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

¹⁰So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and ^(BL)your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” ¹¹And ^(BM)his brothers envied him, but his father ^(BN)kept the matter in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹²Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in ^(BO)Shechem. ¹³And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”

So he said to him, “Here I am.”

¹⁴Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of ^(BP)Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

¹⁶So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. ^(BQ)Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

¹⁷And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in ^(BR)Dothan.

¹⁸Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, ^(BS)they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹Then they said to one another, “Look, this ^[ac]dreamer is coming! ²⁰^(BT)Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

²¹But ^(BU)Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” ²²And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.

²³So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they ^(BV)stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. ²⁴Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵^(BW)And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of ^(BX)Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, ^(BY)balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. ²⁶So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and ^(BZ)conceal his blood? ²⁷Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and ^(CA)let not our hand be upon him, for he is ^(CB)our brother and ^(CC)our flesh.” And his brothers listened. ²⁸Then ^(CD)Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, ^(CE)and sold him to the Ishmaelites for ^(CF)twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

²⁹Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he ^(CG)tore his clothes. ³⁰And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad ^(CH)is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

³¹So they took ^(CI)Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. ³²Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

³³And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A ^(CJ)wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” ³⁴Then Jacob ^(CK)tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and ^(CL)mourned for his son many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters ^(CM)arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For ^(CN)I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.