35 1 Jacob at God’s commandment goeth up to Bethel built an altar. 2 He reformeth his household. 5 God maketh the enemies of Jacob afraid. 8 Deborah dieth. 12 The land of Canaan is promised him. 18 Rachel dieth in labor. 22 Reuben lieth with his father’s concubine.
1 Then [a]God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee, (A)when thou fleddest from Esau thy brother.
2 Then said Jacob unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and [b]cleanse yourselves, and change your garments:
3 For we will rise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there unto God, which heard me in the day of my tribulation, and was with me in the way which I went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods, which were in their hands, and all their [c]earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under an oak, which was by Shechem.
5 Then they went on their journey, and the [d]fear of God was upon the cities that were round about them: so that they did not follow after the sons of Jacob.
6 ¶ So came Jacob to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan: (the same is Bethel) he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and (B)had called the place, The God of Bethel, because that God appeared unto him there, when he fled from his brother.
8 But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and he called the name of it [e]Allon Bachuth.
9 Again God appeared unto Jacob, after he came to Padan Aram, and blessed him.
10 Moreover God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall be no more called Jacob, but (C)Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I am God [f]all-sufficient: grow, and multiply: a nation and a multitude of nations shall spring of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.
12 Also I will give the land, which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, unto thee: and unto thy seed after thee will I give that land.
13 So God [g]ascended from him in the place where he had talked with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, a pillar of stone, and poured drink offerings thereon: also he poured oil thereon.
15 And Jacob called the name of that place where God spake with him, Bethel.
16 ¶ Then they departed from Bethel, and when there was [h]about half a day’s journey of ground to come to Ephrath, Rachel travailed, and in travailing she was in peril.
17 And when she was in the pains of her labor, the midwife said unto her, Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also.
18 Then as she was about to yield up the ghost (for she died) she called his name Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin.
19 Thus (D)died Rachel and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
20 And Jacob set a [i]pillar upon her grave: This is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
21 ¶ Then Israel went forward, and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.
22 Now when Israel dwelt in that land, Reuben went and [j]lay (E)with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and it came to Israel’s ear. And Jacob had twelve sons.
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben Jacob’s eldest son, 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 maid: Dan and Naphtali:
26 And the sons of Zilpah Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, which were born him in Padan Aram.
27 ¶ Then Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre a city of Kirjath Arbah: that is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac were strangers.
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and was (F)gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 35:1 God is ever at hand to succor his in their troubles.
- Genesis 35:2 That by this outward act they should show their inward repentance.
- Genesis 35:4 For therein was some sign of superstition, as in tablets and Agnus deis.
- Genesis 35:5 Thus, notwithstanding the inconvenience that came before, God delivered Jacob.
- Genesis 35:8 Or, oak of lamentations.
- Genesis 35:11 Or, almighty.
- Genesis 35:13 As God is said to descend when he showeth some sign of his presence: so he is said to ascend when vision is ended.
- Genesis 35:16 The Hebrew word signifieth as much ground as one may go from baite to baite, which is taken for half a day’s journey.
- Genesis 35:20 The ancient fathers used this ceremony to testify their hope of the resurrection to come, which was not generally revealed.
- Genesis 35:22 This teacheth that the fathers were not chosen for their merits, but by God’s only mercies, whose election by their faults was not changed.