Genesis 35

God said to Jacob, “Rise, go up to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” Jacob said to his household and all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. Let us rise and go up to Bethel. I will make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me on the way I have traveled.” They gave Jacob all the foreign gods in their possession and the rings in their ears. Jacob buried them under the terebinth near Shechem. As they journeyed, the terror of God fell upon the surrounding cities, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan. He built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried below Bethel under the oak. It was named Allon-bacuth. God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name.” So he named him Israel. God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your loins. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” God went up from him at the place where he had spoken with him. Jacob set up a pillar at the place where God had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. They journeyed from Bethel. While there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and her labor was difficult. When her labor was difficult, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” As her soul was departing, for she was dying, she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin. Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. Jacob set up a pillar over her grave. That is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal-eder. While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Now Jacob’s sons were twelve: The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female servant, were Gad and Asher. These are Jacob’s sons who were born to him in Paddan-aram. Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, at Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived as foreigners. The days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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