Genesis 35

1 And God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to thee when thou fled from the face of Esau thy brother.

Then God told Jacob, “Get ready to go to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”

2 Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments.

So Jacob told his family and everyone who was with him, “Get rid of the pagan idols you have with you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.

3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.

We have to get ready and go to Bethel so I can build an altar to God who answered me in my time of trouble. He has been with me wherever I went.”

4 And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the oak that was by Shechem.

They handed over to Jacob all the pagan idols they had, as well as their earrings, and he buried them under the oak tree at Shechem.

5 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.

As they left on their journey, the terror of God spread over all the surrounding towns, so nobody tried to retaliate against Jacob's sons.

6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Bethel), he and all the people that were with him.

Jacob and everyone with him arrived at Luz (also known as Bethel) in the country of Canaan.

7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-bethel, because God was revealed to him there, when he fled from the face of his brother.

He built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel, because that was where God had appeared to him when he was running away from his brother Esau.

8 And Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak. And the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.

Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak near Bethel. So it was named “the oak of weeping.”

9 And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him after his return from Paddan-aram.

10 And God said to 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.

God told him, “Jacob will not be your name any longer. Instead of Jacob your name will be Israel.” So God called him Israel.

11 And God said to 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.

Then God said, “I am God Almighty! Reproduce, increase, and you will become a nation—in fact a group of nations—and kings will be among your descendants.

12 And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to thee, and I will give the land to thy seed after thee.

I will give to you and to your descendants the land I also gave to Abraham and Isaac.”

13 And God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.

Then God left the place where he had been speaking to Jacob.

14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.

Afterwards Jacob set up a stone pillar where God had spoken with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and also olive oil.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

Jacob called the place Bethel, because he had spoken with God there.

16 And they journeyed from Bethel. And there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.

Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor and had great difficulty giving birth.

17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, Fear not, for now thou shall have another son.

When she was in the worst birth-pains, the midwife told her, “Don't give up—you have another son!”

18 And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin.

But she was dying, and with her last breath she named him Benoni. But his father named him Benjamin.

19 And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).

Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also known as Bethlehem).

20 And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave, the same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

Jacob set up a stone memorial over Rachel's grave, and it's still there to this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

Israel moved on and camped beyond the watch tower at 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.

During the time he was living there, Reuben went and slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel found out about it. These were the twelve sons of Jacob:

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali.

The sons of Rachel's personal maid Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.

26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

The sons of Leah's personal maid Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him while in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

Jacob returned home to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived.

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.

Isaac lived to be 180

29 And Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

when he breathed his last and died at an old age. He had lived a full life, and now he joined his forefathers in death. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.