New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

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.”

1Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau."

2So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.

2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments;

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.”

3and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."

4So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.

4So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

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.

5As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

6Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan.

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

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.

7He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.

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”).

8Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.

9Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,

9Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.

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.

10God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel.

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!

11God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.

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.”

12"The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you."

13Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

13Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.

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.

14Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.

15And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there. The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

15So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.

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.

16Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor.

17After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”

17When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, "Do not fear, for now you have another son."

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”).

18It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

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 stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

20Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

21Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder.

21Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

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:

22It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob--

23The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

23the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun;

24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

24the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin;

25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

25and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali;

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.

26and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

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.

27Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

28Isaac lived for 180 years.

28Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.

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.

29Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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