Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 [a]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God(A) met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!”(B) So he named that place Mahanaim.[b](C)

Jacob sent messengers(D) ahead of him to his brother Esau(E) in the land of Seir,(F) the country of Edom.(G) He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(H) Esau: ‘Your servant(I) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(J) and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(K) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(L) that I may find favor in your eyes.(M)’”

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.”(N)

In great fear(O) and distress(P) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[c](Q) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[d] the group[e] that is left may escape.”

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(R) God of my father Isaac,(S) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(T) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(U) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(V) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(W) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(X) he will come and attack me,(Y) and also the mothers with their children.(Z) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(AA) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(AB)’”

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(AC) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(AD) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(AE) 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.”(AF)

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(AG) Jacob. They are a gift(AH) 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(AI) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(AJ) I am sending on ahead;(AK) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(AL) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(AM) 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(AN) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(AO) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(AP) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(AQ) and a man(AR) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(AS) 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.”(AT)

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,”(AU) he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name(AV) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f](AW) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(AX)

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”(AY)

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”(AZ) Then he blessed(BA) him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,(BB) and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[h](BC) 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,(BD) 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;(BE) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.(BF) He put the female servants and their children(BG) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph(BH) in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground(BI) seven times(BJ) as he approached his brother.

But Esau(BK) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.(BL) And they wept.(BM) 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.(BN)

Then the female servants and their children(BO) approached and bowed down.(BP) Next, Leah and her children(BQ) came and bowed down.(BR) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,(BS) and they too bowed down.

Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”(BT)

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”(BU) he said.

But Esau said, “I already have plenty,(BV) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,(BW) accept this gift(BX) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,(BY) now that you have received me favorably.(BZ) 11 Please accept the present(CA) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me(CB) and I have all I need.”(CC) And because Jacob insisted,(CD) 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(CE) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.(CF) 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(CG) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.(CH)

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.”(CI)

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.(CJ) 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,(CK) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[i]

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,[j](CL) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem(CM) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,[k] he bought from the sons of Hamor,(CN) the father of Shechem,(CO) the plot of ground(CP) where he pitched his tent.(CQ) 20 There he set up an altar(CR) and called it El Elohe Israel.[l]

Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,(CS) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem(CT) son of Hamor(CU) the Hivite,(CV) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.(CW) His heart was drawn to Dinah(CX) daughter of Jacob;(CY) he loved(CZ) the young woman and spoke tenderly(DA) to her. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”(DB)

When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,(DC) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.(DD) Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked(DE) and furious,(DF) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[m] Israel(DG) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.(DH)

But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.(DI) Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.(DJ) 10 You can settle among us;(DK) the land is open to you.(DL) Live in it, trade[n] in it,(DM) and acquire property in it.(DN)

11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,(DO) and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride(DP) 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,(DQ) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully(DR) 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.(DS) That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition(DT) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.(DU) 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.(DV) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.(DW) 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(DX) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.(DY) 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city(DZ) 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;(EA) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.(EB) 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,(EC) as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?(ED) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.(EE)

24 All the men who went out of the city gate(EF) 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,(EG) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon(EH) and Levi,(EI) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords(EJ) and attacked the unsuspecting city,(EK) killing every male.(EL) 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword(EM) and took Dinah(EN) from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city(EO) where[o] their sister had been defiled.(EP) 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys(EQ) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.(ER) 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,(ES) taking as plunder(ET) everything in the houses.(EU)

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble(EV) on me by making me obnoxious(EW) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.(EX) We are few in number,(EY) 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?(EZ)

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel(FA) and settle there, and build an altar(FB) there to God,(FC) who appeared to you(FD) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”(FE)

So Jacob said to his household(FF) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods(FG) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.(FH) Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,(FI) who answered me in the day of my distress(FJ) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.(FK) So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,(FL) and Jacob buried them under the oak(FM) at Shechem.(FN) Then they set out, and the terror of God(FO) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.(FP)

Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz(FQ) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.(FR) There he built an altar,(FS) and he called the place El Bethel,[p](FT) because it was there that God revealed himself to him(FU) when he was fleeing from his brother.(FV)

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,(FW) died and was buried under the oak(FX) outside Bethel.(FY) So it was named Allon Bakuth.[q]

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[r](FZ) God appeared to him again and blessed him.(GA) 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[s] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[t](GB) So he named him Israel.

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[u];(GC) be fruitful and increase in number.(GD) A nation(GE) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.(GF) 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.(GG)(GH) 13 Then God went up from him(GI) at the place where he had talked with him.

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar(GJ) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering(GK) on it; he also poured oil on it.(GL) 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[v](GM)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac(GN)

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,(GO) Rachel(GP) began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife(GQ) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”(GR) 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[w](GS) But his father named him Benjamin.[x](GT)

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath(GU) (that is, Bethlehem(GV)). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day(GW) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.(GX)

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.(GY) 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine(GZ) Bilhah,(HA) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:(HB)

Reuben the firstborn(HC) of Jacob,

Simeon, Levi, Judah,(HD) Issachar and Zebulun.(HE)

24 The sons of Rachel:

Joseph(HF) and Benjamin.(HG)

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:(HH)

Dan and Naphtali.(HI)

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:(HJ)

Gad(HK) and Asher.(HL)

These were the sons of Jacob,(HM) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.(HN)

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac(HO) in Mamre,(HP) near Kiriath Arba(HQ) (that is, Hebron),(HR) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.(HS)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 32:1 In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33.
  2. Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps.
  3. Genesis 32:7 Or camps
  4. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  5. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  6. Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  7. Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.
  8. Genesis 32:31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel
  9. Genesis 33:17 Sukkoth means shelters.
  10. Genesis 33:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  11. Genesis 33:19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.
  12. Genesis 33:20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.
  13. Genesis 34:7 Or against
  14. Genesis 34:10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21
  15. Genesis 34:27 Or because
  16. Genesis 35:7 El Bethel means God of Bethel.
  17. Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
  18. Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
  19. Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
  20. Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  21. Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  22. Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.
  23. Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
  24. Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.

32 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.

21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.

10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.

12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.

19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

20 And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.

34 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.

And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter: which thing ought not to be done.

And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:

14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:

15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of their's be our's? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,

29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

35 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

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

And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, 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 handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.