Genesis 35

1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and stay there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.”

[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.”

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

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.

3 Then let us depart and go up to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

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.”

4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that was near Shechem.

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].

5 As they traveled, God made panic to fall on the cities that were around them, so those people did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

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.

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

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

7 He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him, when he was fleeing from his brother.

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.

8 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died. She was buried down from Bethel under the oak tree, so it was called Allon Bakuth.

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’].

9 When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

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

10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob. Your name will be Israel.” So God called his name Israel.

God said to him again, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. It will be Israel.” So Jacob was then called ‘Israel’.

11 God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.

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.

12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you. To your descendants after you I also give the land.”

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.”

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

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

14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken to him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering over it and poured oil on it.

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.

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

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

16 They journeyed on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. She had hard labor.

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.

17 While she was in hardest labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son.”

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!”

18 As she was dying, with her dying breath she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin.

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]’.

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

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

20 Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave. It is the marker of Rachel's grave to this day.

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

21 Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond the watchtower of the flock.

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].

22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben slept with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now Jacob had twelve sons.

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.

23 His sons by Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

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

24 His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

25 His sons by Bilhah, Rachel's female servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

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

26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's female servant, were Gad and Asher. All these were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

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.

27 Jacob came to Isaac, his father, in Mamre in Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived.

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.

28 Isaac lived for one hundred eighty years.

Isaac lived until he was 180 years old.

29 Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his ancestors, an old man full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

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