Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 60
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Genesis 35
as wives and let them marry ours. 22 But they
will consider staying here and becoming one
people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. 23 But if we do this,
all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms
and let them settle here among us.”
24
So all the men in the town council agreed
with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in
the town was circumcised. 25 But three days
later, when their wounds were still sore, two
of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were
Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and
entered the town without opposition. Then
they slaughtered every male there, 26 including
Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them
with their swords, then took Dinah from She
chem’s house and returned to their camp.
27
Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been
defiled there. 28 They seized all the flocks and
herds and donkeys—everything they could lay
their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. 29 They looted all their wealth
and plundered their houses. They also took
all their little children and wives and led them
away as captives.
30
Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi,
“You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink
among all the people of this land—among all
the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few
that they will join forces and crush us. I will
be ruined, and my entire household will be
wiped out!”
31
“But why should we let him treat our sister
like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.
JACOB’S RETURN TO BETHEL
35
Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and
move to Bethel and settle there. Build
an altar there to the God who appeared to you
when you fled from your brother, Esau.”
2
So Jacob told everyone in his household,
“Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now
going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to
the God who answered my prayers when I was
in distress. He has been with me wherever I
have gone.”
4
So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and
earrings, and he buried them under the great
tree near Shechem. 5 As they set out, a terror
from God spread over the people in all the
towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s
family.
6
Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan.
7
Jacob built an altar there and named the place
El-beth
el (which means “God of Beth
el”),
because God had appeared to him there when
he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
8
Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Debo
rah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree
in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree
has been called Allon-bacuth (which means
“oak of weeping”).
9
Now that Jacob had returned from Paddanaram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God
blessed him, 10 saying, “Your name is Jacob, but
you will not be called Jacob any longer. From
now on your name will be Israel.”* So God renamed him Israel.
11
Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings
will be among your descendants! 12 And I will
give you the land I once gave to Abraham and
Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from the
place where he had spoken to Jacob.
14
Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place
where God had spoken to him. Then he poured
wine over it as an offering to God and anointed
the pillar with olive oil. 15 And Jacob named the
place Bethel (which means “house of God”),
because God had spoken to him there.
THE DEATHS OF RACHEL AND ISAAC
Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on
toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor
while they were still some distance away. Her
labor pains were intense. 17 After a very hard
delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t
be afraid—you have another son!” 18 Rachel
was about to die, but with her last breath she
named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son
of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however,
called him Benjamin (which means “son of my
right hand”). 19 So Rachel died and was buried
on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
20
Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s
grave, and it can be seen there to this day.
21
Then Jacob* traveled on and camped
beyond Migdal-eder. 22 While he was living
there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah,
his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard
about it.
These are the names of the twelve sons of
Jacob:
16
The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s
oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,
and Zebulun.
24
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and
Benjamin.
25
The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were
Dan and Naphtali.
23
35:10 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel” and “deceiver.”
Israel means “God fights.” 35:21 Hebrew Israel; also in 35:22a. The
names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the
Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and
sometimes to the nation.
