Jacob Makes an Altar in Bethel
1 God said to Jacob, “Get up. Go up to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to the Lord, who appeared to you when you fled from the presence of Esau your brother.”
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 garments. 3 Let us go up to Bethel. I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress and was with me on the way which I went.”
4 They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5 They traveled, and a terror from God was on the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 He built an altar there and called the place El Beth El, because there God was revealed to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under the oak tree, south of Bethel; so it was called Allon Bacuth (oak of weeping).
Jacob’s New Name: Israel
9 The Lord appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 10 The Lord said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but your name will be Israel.”
He named him Israel.
11 The Lord said to him, “I am the Lord Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will descend from you. 12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you, I will give the land.”
13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken with him.
14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him “Bethel.”
Birth of Benjamin and Death of Rachel
16 They traveled from Bethel. When it was still some distance to Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and her labor was difficult.
17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.” 18 As her soul was departing (for she was dying), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
19 Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave, and the Pillar of Rachel’s grave is there to this day.
Jacob’s Descendants
21 Israel traveled and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.
Now Jacob had twelve sons.
23 The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s servant) were Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah (Leah’s servant) were Gad and Asher.
These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
Death of Isaac
27 Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.
28 Isaac was 180 years old. 29 Isaac gave up his spirit and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.