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Genesis 17:10-14
Good News Translation
Genesis 17:10-14
Good News Translation
10 (A)You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you. 11-12 From now on you must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old, including slaves born in your homes and slaves bought from foreigners. This will show that there is a covenant between you and me. 13 Each one must be circumcised, and this will be a physical sign to show that my covenant with you is everlasting. 14 Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me.”
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Genesis 17:10-14
New International Version
Genesis 17:10-14
New International Version
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.(A) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(B) and it will be the sign of the covenant(C) between me and you. 12 For the generations to come(D) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,(E) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.(F) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.(G) 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised(H) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;(I) he has broken my covenant.(J)”
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
8 (A)Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
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Acts 7:8
New International Version
Acts 7:8
New International Version
8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.(A) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.(B) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,(C) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.(D)
Genesis 21:2-4
Good News Translation
Genesis 21:2-4
Good News Translation
2 (A)and she became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham when he was old. The boy was born at the time God had said he would be born. 3 Abraham named him Isaac, 4 (B)and when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded.
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Genesis 21:2-4
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Genesis 21:2-4
New International Version
2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son(A) to Abraham in his old age,(B) at the very time God had promised him.(C) 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac[a](D) to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,(E) as God commanded him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:3 Isaac means he laughs.
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
8 (A)Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
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Acts 7:8
New International Version
Acts 7:8
New International Version
8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.(A) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.(B) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,(C) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.(D)
Genesis 25:26
Good News Translation
Genesis 25:26
Good News Translation
26 The second one was born holding on tightly to the heel of Esau, so he was named Jacob.[a] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
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- Genesis 25:26 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “heel.”
Genesis 25:26
New International Version
Genesis 25:26
New International Version
26 After this, his brother came out,(A) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;(B) so he was named Jacob.[a](C) Isaac was sixty years old(D) when Rebekah gave birth to them.
Footnotes
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
Acts 7:8
Good News Translation
8 (A)Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
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Acts 7:8
New International Version
Acts 7:8
New International Version
8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.(A) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.(B) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,(C) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.(D)
Genesis 29:31-35:18
Good News Translation
Genesis 29:31-35:18
Good News Translation
The Children Born to Jacob
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “The Lord has seen my trouble, and now my husband will love me”; so she named him Reuben.[a] 33 She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “The Lord has given me this son also, because he heard that I was not loved”; so she named him Simeon.[b] 34 Once again she became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She said, “Now my husband will be bound more tightly to me, because I have borne him three sons”; so she named him Levi.[c] 35 Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord”; so she named him Judah.[d] Then she stopped having children.
30 But Rachel had not borne Jacob any children, and so she became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “I can't take the place of God. He is the one who keeps you from having children.”
3 She said, “Here is my slave Bilhah; sleep with her, so that she can have a child for me. In this way I can become a mother through her.” 4 So she gave Bilhah to her husband, and he had intercourse with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor. He has heard my prayer and has given me a son”; so she named him Dan.[e] 7 Bilhah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “I have fought a hard fight with my sister, but I have won”; so she named him Naphtali.[f]
9 When Leah realized that she had stopped having children, she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob as his wife. 10 Then Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “I have been lucky”; so she named him Gad.[g] 12 Zilpah bore Jacob another son, 13 and Leah said, “How happy I am! Now women will call me happy”; so she named him Asher.[h]
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the fields and found mandrakes,[i] which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.”
15 Leah answered, “Isn't it enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you are even trying to take away my son's mandrakes.”
Rachel said, “If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”
16 When Jacob came in from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You are going to sleep with me tonight, because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes.” So he had intercourse with her that night.
17 God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave to my husband”; so she named her son Issachar.[j] 19 Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 She said, “God has given me a fine gift. Now my husband will accept me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun.[k] 21 Later she bore a daughter, whom she named Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he answered her prayer and made it possible for her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has taken away my disgrace by giving me a son. 24 May the Lord give me another son”; so she named him Joseph.[l]
Jacob's Bargain with Laban
25 After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go, so that I can return home. 26 Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you.”
27 Laban said to him, “Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob answered, “You know how I have worked for you and how your flocks have prospered under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went.[m] Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests.”
31 “What shall I pay you?” Laban asked.
Jacob answered, “I don't want any wages. I will continue to take care of your flocks if you agree to this suggestion: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and take every black lamb[n] and every spotted or speckled young goat. That is all the wages I want. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I have been honest. When you come to check up on my wages, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn't black, you will know that it has been stolen.”
34 Laban answered, “Agreed. We will do as you suggest.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them, 36 and then went away from Jacob with this flock as far as he could travel in three days. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 Jacob got green branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them. 38 He placed these branches in front of the flocks at their drinking troughs. He put them there, because the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 So when the goats bred in front of the branches, they produced young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob kept the sheep separate from the goats and made them face in the direction of the streaked and black animals of Laban's flock. In this way he built up his own flock and kept it apart from Laban's.
41 When the healthy animals were mating, Jacob put the branches in front of them at the drinking troughs, so that they would breed among the branches. 42 But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones. 43 In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.
Jacob Flees from Laban
31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father. He got all his wealth from what our father owned.” 2 He also saw that Laban was no longer as friendly as he had been earlier. 3 Then the Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father is not as friendly toward me as he used to be; but my father's God has been with me. 6 You both know that I have worked for your father with all my strength. 7 Yet he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not let him harm me. 8 Whenever Laban said, ‘The speckled goats shall be your wages,’ all the flocks produced speckled young. When he said, ‘The striped goats shall be your wages,’ all the flocks produced striped young. 9 God has taken flocks away from your father and given them to me.
10 “During the breeding season I had a dream, and I saw that the male goats that were mating were striped, spotted, and speckled. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in the dream and said, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Yes,’ I answered. 12 ‘Look,’ he continued, ‘all the male goats that are mating are striped, spotted, and speckled. I am making this happen because I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 (A)I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you dedicated a stone as a memorial by pouring olive oil on it and where you made a vow to me. Now get ready and go back to the land where you were born.’”
14 Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, “There is nothing left for us to inherit from our father. 15 He treats us like foreigners. He sold us, and now he has spent all the money he was paid for us. 16 All this wealth which God has taken from our father belongs to us and to our children. Do whatever God has told you.”
17-18 So Jacob got ready to go back to his father in the land of Canaan. He put his children and his wives on the camels, and drove all his flocks ahead of him, with everything that he had gotten in Mesopotamia. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and during his absence Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father. 20 Jacob deceived Laban by not letting him know that he was leaving. 21 He took everything he owned and left in a hurry. He crossed the Euphrates River and started for the hill country of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 Three days later Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 He took his men with him and pursued Jacob for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 In a dream that night God came to Laban and said to him, “Be careful not to threaten Jacob in any way.” 25 Jacob had set up his camp on a mountain, and Laban set up his camp with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, “Why did you deceive me and carry off my daughters like women captured in war? 27 Why did you deceive me and slip away without telling me? If you had told me, I would have sent you on your way with rejoicing and singing to the music of tambourines and harps. 28 You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. That was a foolish thing to do! 29 I have the power to do you harm, but last night the God of your father warned me not to threaten you in any way. 30 I know that you left because you were so anxious to get back home, but why did you steal my household gods?”
31 Jacob answered, “I was afraid, because I thought that you might take your daughters away from me. 32 But if you find that anyone here has your gods, he will be put to death. Here, with our men as witnesses, look for anything that belongs to you and take what is yours.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's gods.
33 Laban went and searched Jacob's tent; then he went into Leah's tent, and the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find his gods. Then he went into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but did not find them. 35 Rachel said to her father, “Do not be angry with me, sir, but I am not able to stand up in your presence; I am having my monthly period.” Laban searched but did not find his household gods.
36 Then Jacob lost his temper. “What crime have I committed?” he asked angrily. “What law have I broken that gives you the right to hunt me down? 37 Now that you have searched through all my belongings, what household article have you found that belongs to you? Put it out here where your men and mine can see it, and let them decide which one of us is right. 38 I have been with you now for twenty years; your sheep and your goats have not failed to reproduce, and I have not eaten any rams from your flocks. 39 Whenever a sheep was killed by wild animals, I always bore the loss myself. I didn't take it to you to show that it was not my fault. You demanded that I make good anything that was stolen during the day or during the night. 40 Many times I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was not able to sleep. 41 It was like that for the whole twenty years I was with you. For fourteen years I worked to win your two daughters—and six years for your flocks. And even then, you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac, had not been with me, you would have already sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my trouble and the work I have done, and last night he gave his judgment.”
The Agreement between Jacob and Laban
43 Laban answered Jacob, “These young women are my daughters; their children belong to me, and these flocks are mine. In fact, everything you see here belongs to me. But since I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children, 44 I am ready to make an agreement with you. Let us make a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement.”
45 So Jacob got a stone and set it up as a memorial. 46 He told his men to gather some rocks and pile them up. Then they ate a meal beside the pile of rocks. 47 Laban named it Jegar Sahadutha,[o] while Jacob named it Galeed.[p] 48 Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will be a reminder for both of us.” That is why that place was named Galeed. 49 Laban also said, “May the Lord keep an eye on us while we are separated from each other.” So the place was also named Mizpah.[q] 50 Laban went on, “If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other women, even though I don't know about it, remember that God is watching us. 51 Here are the rocks that I have piled up between us, and here is the memorial stone. 52 Both this pile and this memorial stone are reminders. I will never go beyond this pile to attack you, and you must never go beyond it or beyond this memorial stone to attack me. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor[r] will judge between us.” Then, in the name of the God whom his father Isaac worshiped, Jacob solemnly vowed to keep this promise. 54 He killed an animal, which he offered as a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his men to the meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. 55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters good-bye, and left to go back home.
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
32 As Jacob went on his way, some angels met him. 2 When he saw them, he said, “This is God's camp”; so he named the place Mahanaim.[s]
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them to say: “I, Jacob, your obedient servant, report to my master Esau that I have been staying with Laban and that I have delayed my return until now. 5 I own cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and slaves. I am sending you word, sir, in the hope of gaining your favor.”
6 When the messengers came back to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you. He has four hundred men with him.” 7 Jacob was frightened and worried. He divided into two groups the people who were with him, and also his sheep, goats, cattle, and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks the first group, the other may be able to escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “God of my grandfather Abraham and God of my father Isaac, hear me! You told me, Lord, to go back to my land and to my relatives, and you would make everything go well for me. 10 I am not worth all the kindness and faithfulness that you have shown me, your servant. I crossed the Jordan with nothing but a walking stick, and now I have come back with these two groups. 11 Save me, I pray, from my brother Esau. I am afraid—afraid that he is coming to attack us and destroy us all, even the women and children. 12 (B)Remember that you promised to make everything go well for me and to give me more descendants than anyone could count, as many as the grains of sand along the seashore.”
13-15 After spending the night there, Jacob chose from his livestock as a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 males. 16 He divided them into herds and put one of his servants in charge of each herd. He said to them, “Go ahead of me, and leave a space between each herd and the one behind it.” 17 He ordered the first servant, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these animals in front of you?’ 18 you must answer, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. He sends them as a present to his master Esau. Jacob himself is right behind us.’” 19 He gave the same order to the second, the third, and to all the others who were in charge of the herds: “This is what you must say to Esau when you meet him. 20 You must say, ‘Yes, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob was thinking, “I will win him over with the gifts, and when I meet him, perhaps he will forgive me.” 21 He sent the gifts on ahead of him and spent that night in camp.
Jacob Wrestles at Peniel
22 That same night Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven children, and crossed the Jabbok River. 23 (C)After he had sent them across, he also sent across all that he owned, 24 (D)but he stayed behind, alone.
Then a man came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he was not winning the struggle, he hit Jacob on the hip, and it was thrown out of joint. 26 The man said, “Let me go; daylight is coming.”
“I won't, unless you bless me,” Jacob answered.
27 “What is your name?” the man asked.
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 (E)The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel.”[t]
29 (F)Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”
But he answered, “Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob.
30 Jacob said, “I have seen God face-to-face, and I am still alive”; so he named the place Peniel.[u] 31 The sun rose as Jacob was leaving Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Even today the descendants of Israel do not eat the muscle which is on the hip joint, because it was on this muscle that Jacob was hit.
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Jacob saw Esau coming with his four hundred men, so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two concubines. 2 He put the concubines and their children first, then Leah and her children, and finally Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3 Jacob went ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. They were both crying. 5 When Esau looked around and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?”
“These, sir, are the children whom God has been good enough to give me,” Jacob answered. 6 Then the concubines came up with their children and bowed down; 7 then Leah and her children came, and last of all Joseph and Rachel came and bowed down.
8 Esau asked, “What about that other group I met? What did that mean?”
Jacob answered, “It was to gain your favor.”
9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have.”
10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have gained your favor, accept my gift. To see your face is for me like seeing the face of God, now that you have been so friendly to me. 11 Please accept this gift which I have brought for you; God has been kind to me and given me everything I need.” Jacob kept on urging him until he accepted.
12 Esau said, “Let's get ready and leave. I will go ahead of you.”
13 Jacob answered, “You know that the children are weak, and I must think of the sheep and livestock with their young. If they are driven hard for even one day, the whole herd will die. 14 Please go on ahead of me, and I will follow slowly, going as fast as I can with the livestock and the children until I catch up with you in Edom.”
15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
But Jacob answered, “There is no need for that for I only want to gain your favor.”[v] 16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Edom. 17 But Jacob went to Sukkoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Sukkoth.[w]
18 On his return from Mesopotamia Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan and set up his camp in a field near the city. 19 (G)He bought that part of the field from the descendants of Hamor father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 He put up an altar there and named it for El, the God of Israel.
The Rape of Dinah
34 One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 But he found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her and tried to win her affection.[x] 4 He told his father, “I want you to get Dinah for me as my wife.”
5 Jacob learned that his daughter had been disgraced, but because his sons were out in the fields with his livestock, he did nothing until they came back. 6 Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob, 7 just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. When they heard about it, they were shocked and furious that Shechem had done such a thing and had insulted the people of Israel by raping Jacob's daughter. 8 Hamor said to him, “My son Shechem has fallen in love with your daughter; please let him marry her. 9 Let us make an agreement that there will be intermarriage between our people and yours. 10 Then you may stay here in our country with us; you may live anywhere you wish, trade freely, and own property.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, “Do me this favor, and I will give you whatever you want. 12 Tell me what presents you want, and set the payment for the bride as high as you wish; I will give you whatever you ask, if you will only let me marry her.”
13 Because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah, Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor in a deceitful way. 14 They said to him, “We cannot let our sister marry a man who is not circumcised; that would be a disgrace for us. 15 We can agree only on the condition that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will agree to intermarriage. We will settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not accept our terms and be circumcised, we will take her and leave.”
18 These terms seemed fair to Hamor and his son Shechem, 19 and the young man lost no time in doing what was suggested, because he was in love with Jacob's daughter. He was the most important member of his family.
20 Hamor and his son Shechem went to the meeting place at the city gate and spoke to the people of the town: 21 “These men are friendly; let them live in the land with us and travel freely. The land is large enough for them also. Let us marry their daughters and give them ours in marriage. 22 But these men will agree to live among us and be one people with us only on the condition that we circumcise all our males, as they are circumcised. 23 Won't all their livestock and everything else they own be ours? So let us agree that they can live among us.” 24 All the citizens of the city agreed with what Hamor and Shechem proposed, and all the males were circumcised.
25 Three days later, when the men were still sore from their circumcision, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, took their swords, went into the city without arousing suspicion, and killed all the men, 26 including Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 After the slaughter Jacob's other sons looted the town to take revenge for their sister's disgrace. 28 They took the flocks, the cattle, the donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 29 They took everything of value, captured all the women and children, and carried off everything in the houses.
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have gotten me into trouble; now the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and everybody else in the land will hate me. I do not have many men; if they all band together against me and attack me, our whole family will be destroyed.”
31 But they answered, “We cannot let our sister be treated like a common whore.”
God Blesses Jacob at Bethel
35 (H)God said to Jacob, “Go to Bethel at once, and live there. Build an altar there to me, the God who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that you have; purify yourselves and put on clean clothes. 3 We are going to leave here and go to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who helped me in the time of my trouble and who has been with me everywhere I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and also the earrings that they were wearing. He buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem.
5 When Jacob and his sons started to leave, great fear fell on the people of the nearby towns, and they did not pursue them. 6 Jacob came with all his people to Luz, which is now known as Bethel, in the land of Canaan. 7 He built an altar there and named the place for the God of Bethel, because God had revealed himself to him there when he was running away from his brother. 8 Rebecca's nurse Deborah died and was buried beneath the oak south of Bethel. So it was named “Oak of Weeping.”
9 When Jacob returned from Mesopotamia, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 (I)God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but from now on it will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. 11 (J)And God said to him, “I am Almighty God. Have many children. Nations will be descended from you, and you will be the ancestor of kings. 12 I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, and I will also give it to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God left him. 14 (K)There, where God had spoken to him, Jacob set up a memorial stone and consecrated it by pouring wine and olive oil on it. 15 He named the place Bethel.
The Death of Rachel
16 Jacob and his family left Bethel, and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, the time came for Rachel to have her baby, and she was having difficult labor. 17 When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, “Don't be afraid, Rachel; it's another boy.” 18 But she was dying, and as she breathed her last, she named her son Benoni,[y] but his father named him Benjamin.[z]
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:32 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “see, a son” and “has seen my trouble.”
- Genesis 29:33 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “hear.”
- Genesis 29:34 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “bound.”
- Genesis 29:35 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “praise.”
- Genesis 30:6 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “judge in favor.”
- Genesis 30:8 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “fight.”
- Genesis 30:11 This name in Hebrew means “luck.”
- Genesis 30:13 This name in Hebrew means “happy.”
- Genesis 30:14 Plants which were believed to produce fertility and were used as love charms.
- Genesis 30:18 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “a man is hired” and “there is reward.”
- Genesis 30:20 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “accept” and “gift.”
- Genesis 30:24 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “may he give another” and “he has taken away.”
- Genesis 30:30 wherever I went; or because of me.
- Genesis 30:32 One ancient translation every black lamb; Hebrew every spotted and speckled lamb, and every black lamb.
- Genesis 31:47 This name in Aramaic means “a pile to remind us.”
- Genesis 31:47 This name in Hebrew means “a pile to remind us.”
- Genesis 31:49 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “place from which to watch.”
- Genesis 31:53 Abraham was Jacob's grandfather and Nahor was Laban's grandfather.
- Genesis 32:2 This name in Hebrew means “two camps.”
- Genesis 32:28 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “he struggles with God” or “God struggles.”
- Genesis 32:30 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “the face of God.”
- Genesis 33:15 for I only want to gain your favor; or if it's all right with you.
- Genesis 33:17 This name in Hebrew means “shelters.”
- Genesis 34:3 tried to win her affection; or comforted her.
- Genesis 35:18 This name in Hebrew means “son of my sorrow.”
- Genesis 35:18 This name in Hebrew means “son who will be fortunate.”
Genesis 29:31-35:18
New International Version
Genesis 29:31-35:18
New International Version
Jacob’s Children
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(A) he enabled her to conceive,(B) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(C) She named him Reuben,[a](D) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(E) Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(F) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[b](G)
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(H) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[c](I)
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[d](J) Then she stopped having children.(K)
30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(L) she became jealous of her sister.(M) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(N) who has kept you from having children?”(O)
3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(P) my servant.(Q) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(R)
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(S) Jacob slept with her,(T) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(U) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(V) Because of this she named him Dan.[e](W)
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(X) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(Y) So she named him Naphtali.[f](Z)
9 When Leah(AA) saw that she had stopped having children,(AB) she took her servant Zilpah(AC) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(AD) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(AE) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[g] So she named him Gad.[h](AF)
12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(AG) happy.”(AH) So she named him Asher.[i](AI)
14 During wheat harvest,(AJ) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(AK) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(AL) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”
“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(AM)
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(AN) So he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah,(AO) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(AP) So she named him Issachar.[j](AQ)
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(AR) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[k](AS)
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(AT)
22 Then God remembered Rachel;(AU) he listened to her(AV) and enabled her to conceive.(AW) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(AX) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(AY) 24 She named him Joseph,[l](AZ) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(BA)
Jacob’s Flocks Increase
25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(BB) so I can go back to my own homeland.(BC) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(BD) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(BE) please stay. I have learned by divination(BF) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(BG) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(BH) and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(BI) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(BJ) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(BK) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(BL)”
31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.
“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(BM) They will be my wages.(BN) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(BO) will be considered stolen.(BP)”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(BQ) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(BR) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(BS) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(BT) and plane trees(BU) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(BV) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(BW) in all the watering troughs,(BX) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(BY) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(BZ) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(CA) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(CB) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(CC) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(CD) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(CE) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(CF)
Jacob Flees From Laban
31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons(CG) were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”(CH) 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.(CI)
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back(CJ) to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”(CK)
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s(CL) attitude toward me is not what it was before,(CM) but the God of my father has been with me.(CN) 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,(CO) 7 yet your father has cheated(CP) me by changing my wages(CQ) ten times.(CR) However, God has not allowed him to harm me.(CS) 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’(CT) then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock(CU) and has given them to me.(CV)
10 “In breeding season I once had a dream(CW) in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God(CX) said to me in the dream,(CY) ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’(CZ) 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted,(DA) for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.(DB) 13 I am the God of Bethel,(DC) where you anointed a pillar(DD) and where you made a vow(DE) to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.(DF)’”
14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share(DG) in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners?(DH) Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.(DI) 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children.(DJ) So do whatever God has told you.”
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives(DK) on camels,(DL) 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated(DM) in Paddan Aram,[m](DN) to go to his father Isaac(DO) in the land of Canaan.(DP)
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,(DQ) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.(DR) 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived(DS) Laban the Aramean(DT) by not telling him he was running away.(DU) 21 So he fled(DV) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,(DW) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.(DX)
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 On the third day(DY) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.(DZ) 23 Taking his relatives(EA) with him(EB), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.(EC) 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean(ED) in a dream at night and said to him,(EE) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(EF)
25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead(EG) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?(EH) You’ve deceived me,(EI) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.(EJ) 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,(EK) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels(EL) and harps?(EM) 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.(EN) You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you;(EO) but last night the God of your father(EP) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’(EQ) 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.(ER) But why did you steal(ES) my gods?(ET)”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.(EU) 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.(EV) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.(EW)
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent(EX) and into the tent of the two female servants,(EY) but he found nothing.(EZ) After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods(FA) and put them inside her camel’s saddle(FB) and was sitting on them. Laban searched(FC) through everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;(FD) I’m having my period.(FE)” So he searched but could not find the household gods.(FF)
36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged(FG) you that you hunt me down?(FH) 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?(FI) Put it here in front of your relatives(FJ) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.(FK)
38 “I have been with you for twenty years now.(FL) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,(FM) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen(FN) by day or night.(FO) 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.(FP) 41 It was like this for the twenty years(FQ) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters(FR) and six years for your flocks,(FS) and you changed my wages(FT) ten times.(FU) 42 If the God of my father,(FV) the God of Abraham(FW) and the Fear of Isaac,(FX) had not been with me,(FY) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,(FZ) and last night he rebuked you.(GA)”
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.(GB) All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant,(GC) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”(GD)
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.(GE) 46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,(GF) and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[n](GG)
48 Laban said, “This heap(GH) is a witness between you and me today.”(GI) That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[o](GJ) because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat(GK) my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness(GL) between you and me.”(GM)
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(GN) and here is this pillar(GO) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(GP) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(GQ) and pillar to my side to harm me.(GR) 53 May the God of Abraham(GS) and the God of Nahor,(GT) the God of their father, judge between us.”(GU)
So Jacob took an oath(GV) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.(GW) 54 He offered a sacrifice(GX) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.(GY) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.
55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters(GZ) and blessed(HA) them. Then he left and returned home.[p](HB)
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
32 [q]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God(HC) met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!”(HD) So he named that place Mahanaim.[r](HE)
3 Jacob sent messengers(HF) ahead of him to his brother Esau(HG) in the land of Seir,(HH) the country of Edom.(HI) 4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(HJ) Esau: ‘Your servant(HK) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(HL) and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(HM) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(HN) that I may find favor in your eyes.(HO)’”
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”(HP)
7 In great fear(HQ) and distress(HR) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[s](HS) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[t] the group[u] that is left may escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(HT) God of my father Isaac,(HU) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(HV) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(HW) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(HX) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(HY) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(HZ) he will come and attack me,(IA) and also the mothers with their children.(IB) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(IC) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(ID)’”
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(IE) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(IF) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(IG) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”(IH)
17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant(II) Jacob. They are a gift(IJ) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant(IK) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(IL) I am sending on ahead;(IM) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(IN) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(IO) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons(IP) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(IQ) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(IR) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(IS) and a man(IT) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(IU) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(IV)
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,”(IW) he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name(IX) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[v](IY) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(IZ)
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”(JA)
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”(JB) Then he blessed(JC) him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[w] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,(JD) and yet my life was spared.”
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[x](JE) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,(JF) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;(JG) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.(JH) 2 He put the female servants and their children(JI) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph(JJ) in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground(JK) seven times(JL) as he approached his brother.
4 But Esau(JM) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.(JN) And they wept.(JO) 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.
Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.(JP)”
6 Then the female servants and their children(JQ) approached and bowed down.(JR) 7 Next, Leah and her children(JS) came and bowed down.(JT) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,(JU) and they too bowed down.
8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”(JV)
“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”(JW) he said.
9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty,(JX) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,(JY) accept this gift(JZ) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,(KA) now that you have received me favorably.(KB) 11 Please accept the present(KC) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me(KD) and I have all I need.”(KE) And because Jacob insisted,(KF) Esau accepted it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”
13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord(KG) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.(KH) If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds(KI) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.(KJ)”
15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”(KK)
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.(KL) 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,(KM) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[y]
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,[z](KN) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem(KO) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,[aa] he bought from the sons of Hamor,(KP) the father of Shechem,(KQ) the plot of ground(KR) where he pitched his tent.(KS) 20 There he set up an altar(KT) and called it El Elohe Israel.[ab]
Dinah and the Shechemites
34 Now Dinah,(KU) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem(KV) son of Hamor(KW) the Hivite,(KX) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.(KY) 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah(KZ) daughter of Jacob;(LA) he loved(LB) the young woman and spoke tenderly(LC) to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”(LD)
5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,(LE) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.(LF) 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked(LG) and furious,(LH) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[ac] Israel(LI) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.(LJ)
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.(LK) 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.(LL) 10 You can settle among us;(LM) the land is open to you.(LN) Live in it, trade[ad] in it,(LO) and acquire property in it.(LP)”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,(LQ) and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride(LR) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,(LS) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully(LT) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.(LU) That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition(LV) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.(LW) 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.(LX) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.(LY) 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored(LZ) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.(MA) 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city(MB) to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;(MC) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.(MD) 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,(ME) as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?(MF) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.(MG)”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate(MH) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,(MI) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon(MJ) and Levi,(MK) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords(ML) and attacked the unsuspecting city,(MM) killing every male.(MN) 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword(MO) and took Dinah(MP) from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city(MQ) where[ae] their sister had been defiled.(MR) 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys(MS) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.(MT) 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,(MU) taking as plunder(MV) everything in the houses.(MW)
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble(MX) on me by making me obnoxious(MY) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.(MZ) We are few in number,(NA) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?(NB)”
Jacob Returns to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel(NC) and settle there, and build an altar(ND) there to God,(NE) who appeared to you(NF) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”(NG)
2 So Jacob said to his household(NH) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods(NI) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.(NJ) 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,(NK) who answered me in the day of my distress(NL) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.(NM)” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,(NN) and Jacob buried them under the oak(NO) at Shechem.(NP) 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God(NQ) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.(NR)
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz(NS) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.(NT) 7 There he built an altar,(NU) and he called the place El Bethel,[af](NV) because it was there that God revealed himself to him(NW) when he was fleeing from his brother.(NX)
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,(NY) died and was buried under the oak(NZ) outside Bethel.(OA) So it was named Allon Bakuth.[ag]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[ah](OB) God appeared to him again and blessed him.(OC) 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[ai] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[aj]”(OD) So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[ak];(OE) be fruitful and increase in number.(OF) A nation(OG) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.(OH) 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.(OI)”(OJ) 13 Then God went up from him(OK) at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar(OL) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering(OM) on it; he also poured oil on it.(ON) 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[al](OO)
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac(OP)
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,(OQ) Rachel(OR) began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife(OS) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”(OT) 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[am](OU) But his father named him Benjamin.[an](OV)
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
- Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
- Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
- Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
- Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
- Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
- Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
- Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
- Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
- Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
- Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
- Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.
- Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchtower.
- Genesis 31:55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1.
- Genesis 32:1 In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33.
- Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps.
- Genesis 32:7 Or camps
- Genesis 32:8 Or camp
- Genesis 32:8 Or camp
- Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
- Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.
- Genesis 32:31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel
- Genesis 33:17 Sukkoth means shelters.
- Genesis 33:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 33:19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.
- Genesis 33:20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.
- Genesis 34:7 Or against
- Genesis 34:10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21
- Genesis 34:27 Or because
- Genesis 35:7 El Bethel means God of Bethel.
- Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
- Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
- Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
- Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
- Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.
- Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
- Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.