Genesis 35

1 [Some time later] God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel, and live there. Build an altar to worship me, God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your older brother Esau.”

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 So Jacob said to his household and to all the others who were with him, “Get rid of the idols you brought from Mesopotamia. Also, bathe yourselves and put on clean clothes.

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 Then we will get ready and go up to Bethel. There I will make an altar to worship God. He is the one who helped me at the time when I was greatly distressed and afraid, and he has been with me wherever I have gone.”

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 So they gave to Jacob all the idols that they had brought, and all their earrings. Jacob buried them in the ground under the big oak tree that was near Shechem [town].

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 As they prepared to leave there, God caused the people who lived in the cities around them to be extremely afraid of Jacob’s family [PRS], so that they did not pursue and attack them.

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 Jacob and all those who were with him came to Luz, which is now called Bethel, in the Canaan region.

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

7 There he built an altar. He named the place El-Bethel, [which means ‘God of Bethel]’, because it was there that God revealed himself to Jacob when he was fleeing from his older brother Esau.

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 Deborah, who had taken care of Isaac’s wife Rebekah when Rebekah was a small girl, was now very old. She died and was buried under an oak tree south of Bethel. So they named that place Allon-Bacuth, [which means ‘oak of weeping’].

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

9 After Jacob and his family returned from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, while they were still at Bethel, God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him.

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

10 God said to him again, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. It will be Israel.” So Jacob was then called ‘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 Then God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Produce many children. Your descendants will become many nations, and some of your descendants will be kings.

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 The land that I promised to give to [your grandfather] Abraham and [your father] Isaac, I will give to you. I will also give it to your descendants.”

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

13 When God finished talking there with Jacob, he left him.

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

14 Jacob set up a large stone at the place where God had talked with him. He poured some wine and some [olive] oil on it to dedicate it to God.

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 Jacob named that place Bethel, [which means ‘house of God]’, because God had spoken to him there.

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

16 Jacob and his family left Bethel and traveled south toward Ephrath [town]. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to have severe childbirth pains.

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 When her pain was the most severe, the (midwife/woman who helped her to give birth) said to Rachel, “Do not be afraid, because now you have given birth to another son!”

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

18 But she was dying, and with her last breath she said, “Name him Benoni,” [which means ‘son of my sorrow]’, but his father named him Benjamin, [which means ‘son of my right hand]’.

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

19 After Rachel died, she was buried alongside the road to Ephrath, which is [now called] Bethlehem.

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

20 Jacob set up a large stone over her grave, and it is still there, showing where Rachel’s grave is.

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

21 Jacob, whose new name was Israel, continued traveling with his family, and he set up his tents on the south side of the watchtower at Eder [town].

Israel moved on and camped beyond the watch tower at Eder.

22 While they were living in that area, Jacob’s son Reuben had sex [EUP] with Bilhah, one of his father’s (concubines/female slaves whom he had taken as a secondary wife). Someone told Jacob about it, and it made him very angry. (I will now give you/Here is) a list of Jacob’s twelve sons.

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 were Reuben, who was Jacob’s oldest son, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulon.

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

24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s female slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

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

26 The sons of Leah’s female slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. All those sons of Jacob, except Benjamin, were born while he was living in Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia.

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 Jacob had returned back home to see his father Isaac at Mamre, which is also named Kiriath-Arba, and which is now named Hebron. Isaac’s father Abraham had also lived there.

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

28 Isaac lived until he was 180 years old.

Isaac lived to be 180

29 He was very old when he died, joining his ancestors who had died previously. His sons Esau and Jacob buried his body.

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.