A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Genesis 35
Genesis 35 is the thirty-fifth chapter of the book of Genesis and a chapter of returnings and deaths. The 29-verse chapter follows Jacob back to Bethel, records the death of his nurse and his wife, confirms his renaming as Israel, and ends with Isaac's burial.
The chapter opens with God telling Jacob to go up to Bethel and build an altar to the God who appeared to him when he fled from Esau. Jacob tells his household, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments." They give him their gods and their earrings, and he buries them under the oak near Shechem. A terror from God falls over the surrounding cities so that no one pursues them.
Jacob and his household reach Luz, which is Bethel. He builds an altar there and calls the place El-bethel. Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, dies and is buried under an oak below Bethel; the place is named Allon-bacuth, the oak of weeping.
God appears to Jacob again and blesses him. He says, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name shall be Israel." He identifies himself as God Almighty, tells Jacob to be fruitful and multiply, and promises that nations and kings will come from him, and that the land given to Abraham and Isaac will be given to him and his descendants. Jacob sets up a pillar where God spoke with him, pours a drink offering on it, anoints it with oil, and calls the place Bethel.
They set out again. While they are still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel goes into labor and the labor is difficult. The midwife tells her not to fear, for she is having another son. As she dies, Rachel names him Ben-oni; his father calls him Benjamin. Rachel is buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. Jacob sets up a pillar over her grave.
The chapter then notes a brief, dark event: Reuben goes in and sleeps with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel hears about it.
The chapter lists Jacob's twelve sons by mother: Leah's six (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun); Rachel's two (Joseph and Benjamin); Bilhah's two (Dan and Naphtali); Zilpah's two (Gad and Asher).
The chapter closes with Jacob returning to his father Isaac at Mamre near Hebron. Isaac lives 180 years and dies, old and full of years. His sons Esau and Jacob bury him.
Verse 1. Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
Verse 2. So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.
Verse 3. Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Verse 4. So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.
Verse 5. As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
Verse 6. So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
Verse 7. There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
Verse 8. Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.
Verse 9. After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
Verse 10. And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.
Verse 11. And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.
Verse 12. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”
Verse 13. Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.
Verse 14. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.
Verse 15. Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
Verse 16. Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.
Verse 17. During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”
Verse 18. And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
Verse 19. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Verse 20. Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.
Verse 21. Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.
Verse 22. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
Verse 23. The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Verse 24. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
Verse 25. The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
Verse 26. And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
Verse 27. Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
Verse 28. And Isaac lived 180 years.
Verse 29. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
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