35
Jacob went back to Bethel
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Leave this place, and go to that special place called Bethel. Remember, a long time ago, you ran away from your brother Esau, and you went to that place, and I came to you there. Now I want you to go and live in that place, and I want you to pile up stones there, to make a special table. Then I want you to burn animals on that special table, to show respect to me, because I am God.”
2-3 So Jacob talked to his family, and to all the other people that were in his camp. He said, “We are going to leave this place and go to the place called Bethel. I’m going to make a special table there, so that I can burn animals to show respect to God. You know, God is the one that helped me every time I got trouble, and he stayed with me wherever I went.”
Jacob kept on talking to his mob. He said, “Some of you mob have little statues with you, that came from other countries. Some people think that those statues are gods that have power. You mob have to get rid of those statues. Then you all have to wash your bodies and put on clean clothes, because we are going to a special place to show respect to God.”
4 So Jacob’s family, and everybody else in Jacob’s camp, they went and got all their little statues, and they gave them to Jacob. They also took out the rings that were in their ears, and they gave those rings to Jacob too. And Jacob buried those statues and those rings under a big tree in the place called Shekem.
5 Then Jacob and his mob left Shekem, and they started to go towards Bethel. Jacob thought that the people in the towns nearby might attack them. But God looked after Jacob’s mob. God made the people in those towns really frightened, so none of them attacked Jacob’s mob.
6 Later on, Jacob and his mob got to the place called Bethel, in Canaan country. That place used to be called Luz.
7 Then Jacob piled up stones to make a table with a flat top, so that he could burn animals to show respect to God. And Jacob gave that place a new name. He called it El Bethel. That name means God is in Bethel. A long time before this, when Jacob ran away from his brother Esau, God came and talked to Jacob in that place. That’s the reason why Jacob gave it that name.
8 At that time, there was a woman called Deborah in Jacob’s camp. She used to look after Jacob’s mother Rebekah, at the time when Rebekah was a little girl. Now Deborah was very old, and she died. So Jacob’s mob buried Deborah’s body under a big tree, near Bethel. And they called it Allon Bakuth. That name means big tree where they cried.
God talked to Jacob again
9 This is the story about how God talked to Jacob after he got back from Paddan Aram country.
God came to Jacob, and he promised to be good to him. 10 God said, “Before this, your name was Jacob, but your name will not be Jacob any more. I’m giving you another name. That name is Israel.”*
In that way, God gave Jacob the name Israel.
11 And God said to Jacob, “I am God. I have power over everything. Your mob will have lots of kids, so that your family will get really big. Later on, your family will be so big that they will become a nation, and that nation will split up into lots of nations, and some of your people will be the big bosses of those nations.”
12 Then God said, “A long time ago, I made promises to your grand-father Abraham and your father Isaac. I promised to give all this country to the people that will be born into their family. Well, now I’m making that same promise to you. I will give all this country to you and to the people that will be born into your family later on.”*
13 God said all those things to Jacob, and then God left that place.
14 Jacob knew that God talked to him there, and he wanted to show that it was a special place. So he got a stone, and he stood it up. He poured out some wine on top of that stone, and he poured some olive oil on it too. 15 And Jacob gave a name to that place where God talked to him. He called that place Bethel. That name means God’s house.
Jacob’s wife Rachel died
16-17 Jacob and his family left Bethel, and they started going towards the town called Efrath. At that time, Jacob’s wife Rachel had a baby growing inside her. And while they were still a long way from Efrath, the time came for Rachel to have her baby. A woman came to help Rachel have her baby, but Rachel had a lot of pain, and she had trouble having that baby.
Then Rachel had her baby, but that pain was really bad. That woman said to her, “Don’t be frightened. You have another son.”
18 But Rachel was dying. She said, “I want to name my son Ben-Oni.” That name means the son that I had when I was sad. Then Rachel died.
But Jacob gave that baby a different name. He named him Benjamin. That name means the son that is like my strong right hand.
19 That’s how Rachel died. Then Jacob’s mob buried her near the road that goes to the town called Efrath. Another name for Efrath is Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob stood up a big stone at that place, so that people will know that Rachel was buried there. That stone is still there today.
Jacob’s son Reuben did a bad thing
21 Then Jacob’s mob left that place. They went past a place called Migdal-Eder, and then they set up their camp.
22 While they were living there, Jacob’s son Reuben went to the woman called Bilhah. Bilhah worked for Jacob’s family, and she was like another wife for Jacob. And Reuben slept with Bilhah, like a man sleeps with his wife. Then somebody told Jacob that Reuben did that bad thing.*
The names of Jacob’s sons
These are the names of Jacob’s 12 sons.
23 Jacob’s wife Leah had 6 sons,
– Reuben. He was Jacob’s oldest son.
– Simeon
– Levi
– Judah
– Issachar
– Zebulun
24 Jacob’s wife Rachel had 2 sons,
– Joseph
– Benjamin
25 Rachel’s working woman Bilhah, she had 2 sons,
– Dan
– Naphtali
26 Leah’s working woman Zilpah, she had 2 sons,
– Gad
– Asher
All those men were Jacob’s sons. Jacob’s sons were born at the time when Jacob lived in Paddan Aram country. Jacob’s other name was Israel.
Jacob’s father Isaac died
27 Jacob went back home, to the place where his father Isaac lived. That place was called Mamreh, and it was near the town called Kiriath Arba. Another name for that town is Hebron. A long time before this, Jacob’s grand-father Abraham lived in Mamreh too.*
28 Isaac lived until he was 180 years old. 29 Isaac had a good long life, and then he breathed for the last time, and he died. Then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
* 35:10 Genesis 32:28 * 35:12 Genesis 12:7; 26:3 * 35:22 Genesis 49:4 * 35:27 Genesis 13:18