Genesis 35

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to *Gen. 28:19; 31:13Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, *Gen. 28:13who appeared to you *Gen. 27:43when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."

2 And Jacob said to his *Gen. 18:19; Josh. 24:15household and to all who were with him, "Put away *Gen. 31:19, 30, 34; Josh. 24:2, 14, 23the foreign gods that are among you, *Ex. 19:10, 14; Lev. 13:6purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, *Gen. 32:7, 24; Ps. 107:6who answered me in the day of my distress *Gen. 28:15, 20; 31:3, 42and has been with me in the way which I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the *Hos. 2:13earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under *Josh. 24:26; Judg. 9:6the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

5 And they journeyed, and *Ex. 15:16; 23:27; (Deut. 2:25; 11:25); Josh. 2:9; 1 Sam. 14:15the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to *Gen. 28:19, 22; 48:3Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 And he *Gen. 33:20; 35:3; Eccl. 5:4built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because *Gen. 28:13there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

8 Now *Gen. 24:59Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.

9 Then *Josh. 5:13; Dan. 10:5God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and *Gen. 32:29; Hos. 12:4blessed him. 10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; *Gen. 17:5your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, *Gen. 32:28but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: *Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 48:3, 4; Ex. 6:3"I am God Almighty. *Gen. 9:1, 7Be fruitful and multiply; *Gen. 17:5, 6, 16; 28:3; 48:4a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The *Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 26:3, 4; 28:13; 48:4; Ex. 32:13land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." 13 Then God *Gen. 17:22; 18:33went up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob *Gen. 28:18, 19; 31:45set 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. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, *Gen. 28:19Bethel.

Death of Rachel

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored inchildbirth, and she had hard labor. 17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; *Gen. 30:24; 1 Sam. 4:20you will have this son also." 18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So *Gen. 48:7Rachel died and was buried on the way to *Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave *1 Sam. 10:2to this day.

21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond *Mic. 4:8the tower of Eder. 22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and *Gen. 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard aboutit.

Jacob’s Twelve Sons

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah were*Gen. 29:31–35; 30:18–20; 46:8; Ex. 1:1–4Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and 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

27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at *Gen. 13:18; 18:1; 23:19Mamre, or *Josh. 14:15Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and *Gen. 15:15; 25:8; 49:33was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And *Gen. 25:9; 49:31his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.