Chapter 35 Bethel

[1] And God said unto Jacob, 

Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

[2] Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, 

Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

[3] And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

[4] And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

[5] And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

[6] So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

[7] And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

[8] But Deborah (Rebekah's nurse) died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth.

[9] And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.

[10] And God said unto him, 

Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

[11] And God said unto him, 

I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

[12] And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

[13] And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

[14] And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

[15] And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

[16] And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

[17] And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, 

Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

[18] And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.

[19] And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

[20] And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

[21] And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

[22] And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:1

[23] The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:

[24] The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

[25] And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

[26] And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.

[27] And Jacob came unto Isaac (his father) unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

[28] And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

[29] And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Chapter 36

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[1] Read: Book of Jasher for the whole story.