Genesis 35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

1 God told Jacob, ‘Listen, get up and go to Bethel. Settle there and build an altar to Me, the God who showed up when you ran from your brother Esau.’

2 Jacob told his crew and everyone with him, ‘You all need to get rid of all those foreign gods you have been holding on to. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.’

3 ‘We are rolling out to Bethel to build an altar to God, who had my back when I was in trouble and kept me safe all this time.’

4 They handed over all the idols and earrings they had, and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

5 As they traveled, God put fear on all the towns around them, so no one messed with Jacob and his crew.

Jacob Builds an Altar

6 Jacob and his people rolled into Bethel, in the land of Canaan.

7 He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because that is where God appeared to him when he was running from Esau.

8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, passed away and was buried under an oak tree near Bethel. Jacob named the spot Allon Bakuth (Oak of Weeping).

God Reaffirms His Promise

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

10 God said, ‘Your name is Jacob, but from now on, you are Israel.’

11 ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A whole nation, and kings, will come from you.’

12 ‘The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac is now yours. I will give it to your descendants too.’

13 Then God left him at that spot.

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar where God spoke to him, poured a drink offering on it, and anointed it with oil.

15 He named the place Bethel, where God spoke to him.

The Death of Rachel

16 Jacob and his crew left Bethel and were on their way to Ephrath (Bethlehem). But Rachel started having a rough time in labor.

17 The midwife told her, ‘Do not trip, you are having another son!’

18 As Rachel was dying, she named her son Ben-Oni (Son of My Sorrow), but Jacob changed it to Benjamin (Son of My Right Hand).

19 Rachel passed away and was buried on the road to Ephrath.

20 Jacob set up a stone pillar over her grave, and it is still there today.

Jacob’s Family

21 Israel moved on and set up camp beyond Migdal Eder.

22 While they were living there, Reuben slept with Bilhah, his dad’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

The Sons of Jacob

23 Jacob’s sons were: Leah’s kids, Reuben (the firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun;

24 Rachel’s kids, Joseph and Benjamin;

25 Bilhah’s kids (Rachel’s servant), Dan and Naphtali;

26 Zilpah’s kids (Leah’s servant), Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons born in Paddan Aram.

The Death of Isaac

27 Jacob came home to his dad, Isaac, in Mamre near Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived as foreigners.

28 Isaac lived 180 years.

29 He passed away and was buried by his sons, Esau and Jacob.