| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then God said to Jacob, "Go up at once to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." | 1Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” |
| 2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. | 2So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. |
| 3Let us go up at once to Bethel. Then I will make an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress and has been with me wherever I went." | 3We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” |
| 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem | 4So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. |
| 5and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. | 5As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family. |
| 6Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. | 6Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. |
| 7He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. | 7Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau. |
| 8(Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named Oak of Weeping.) | 8Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”). |
| 9God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. | 9Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, |
| 10God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name." So God named him Israel. | 10saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel. |
| 11Then God said to him, "I am the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation--even a company of nations--will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! | 11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! |
| 12The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants I will also give this land." | 12And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” |
| 13Then God went up from the place where he spoke with him. | 13Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. |
| 14So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. | 14Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. |
| 15Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel. | 15And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there. The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac |
| 16They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, Rachel went into labor--and her labor was hard. | 16Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. |
| 17When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you are having another son." | 17After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” |
| 18With her dying breath, she named him Ben-Oni. But his father called him Benjamin instead. | 18Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). |
| 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). | 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). |
| 20Jacob set up a marker over her grave; it is the Marker of Rachel's Grave to this day. | 20Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day. |
| 21Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. | 21Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. |
| 22While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: | 22While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob: |
| 23The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. | 23The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. |
| 24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. | 24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. |
| 25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant, were Dan and Naphtali. | 25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali. |
| 26The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram. | 26The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher. These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram. |
| 27So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. | 27So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. |
| 28Isaac lived to be 180 years old. | 28Isaac lived for 180 years. |
| 29Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. He died an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. | 29Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him. |
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