Jacob Returns to Bethel
1 God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”
2 Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:
Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. 3 Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.
4 So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings, and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.
5 While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. 6 Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. 7 Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. 8 While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”
God Blesses Jacob at Bethel
9-11 After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:
I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. 12 I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.
13 After God had gone, 14 Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, 15 and he named the place Bethel.
Benjamin Is Born
16 Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. 17 She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” 18 Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.” But Jacob called him Benjamin.
19 Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. 21 Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.
22 During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. And Jacob found out about it.
Jacob's Twelve Sons
23-26 Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria. His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.
Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.
Isaac Dies
27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. 28-29 Isaac died at the ripe old age of 180, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Jēkabs atgriežas Bētelē
1 Dievs teica Jēkabam: “Celies, ej uz Bēteli un apmeties tur, un uzcel tur altāri Dievam, kas tev parādījās, kad tu muki no sava brāļa Ēsava!” 2 Un Jēkabs teica savam namam un visiem, kas bija ar viņu: “Aizvāciet svešos dievus, kas jums ir, šķīstieties un nomainiet savas drānas! 3 Celsimies un iesim uz Bēteli, un es uzcelšu tur altāri Dievam, kas man atbildēja nelaimes dienā un bija ar mani ceļā, ko es gāju!” 4 Un viņi atdeva Jēkabam visus svešos dievus, kas tiem bija, un gredzenus, kas tiem ausīs, un Jēkabs tos paslēpa zem ozola pie Šehemas. 5 Viņiem promejot, pār apkārtnes pilsētām nāca Dieva šausmas, un to iemītnieki nedzinās pakaļ Jēkaba dēliem. 6 Un Jēkabs nonāca Lūzā, kas Kanaāna zemē, – tā ir Bētele, viņš un visi tie ļaudis, kas bija ar viņu. 7 Un viņš uzcēla tur altāri un nosauca to vietu par Ēl-Bēteli , jo tur viņam bija atklājies Dievs, kad viņš bēga no sava brāļa. 8 Rebekas zīdītāja Debora nomira un tika apbedīta lejpus Bēteles zem ozola. To nosauca par Raudu ozolu.
9 Un Dievs atkal parādījās Jēkabam, kad viņš nāca no Padān-Arāmas, un viņš svētīja viņu. 10 Dievs viņam teica: “Tavs vārds ir Jēkabs! Tevi vairs nesauks vārdā Jēkabs, bet gan – Israēls būs tavs vārds!” Un viņš nosauca to vārdā Israēls. 11 Un Dievs viņam teica: “Es esmu visvarenais Dievs! Augļojies un vairojies – tauta un tautu pulks taps no tevis, un no taviem gurniem nāks ķēniņi! 12 Un to zemi, ko es devu Ābrahāmam un Īzakam, es došu tev, un taviem pēcnācējiem pēc tevis es došu šo zemi!” 13 Un Dievs pacēlās no viņa augšup tajā vietā, kur viņš ar to bija runājis. 14 Un Jēkabs uzslēja piemiņas stabu tajā vietā, kur viņš bija runājis ar Jēkabu, akmens stabu, un izlēja pār to lejamo upuri un apslacīja to ar eļļu. 15 Un to vietu, kur Dievs ar viņu bija runājis, Jēkabs nosauca vārdā Bētele.
Benjāmina dzimšana un Rāhēles nāve
16 Viņi aizgāja no Bēteles, un, kad bija palicis vēl kāds gabals ceļa līdz Efrātai, Rāhēle dzemdēja un dzemdējot mocījās. 17 Kad nu viņa dzemdībās mocījās, tad vecmāte viņai teica: “Nebaidies, jo arī šis tev ir dēls!” 18 Un, kad viņu atstāja dvēsele, jo viņa mira, viņa nosauca to vārdā Ben-Onī , bet viņa tēvs to nosauca par Benjāminu . 19 Un Rāhēle nomira un tika apglabāta ceļā uz Efrātu, tas ir, Betlēmi. 20 Un Jēkabs uz viņas kapa uzslēja piemiņas stabu, tas ir Rāhēles kapa piemiņas stabs līdz šai dienai. 21 Un Israēls klejoja un pleta savas teltis viņpus Migdal-Ēderas.
22 Kad Israēls mita tajā zemē, tad Rūbens gāja un gulēja ar Bilhu, sava tēva blakussievu, un Israēls to uzzināja. 23 Jēkabam bija divpadsmit dēli. Leas dēli – Jēkaba pirmdzimtais Rūbens un Šimons, un Levī, un Jūda, un Jisašhars, un Zebulūns. 24 Rāhēles dēli – Jāzeps un Benjāmins. 25 Un Bilhas, Rāhēles kalpones, dēli – Dāns un Naftālī. 26 Un Zilpas, Leas kalpones, dēli – Gāds un Ašērs, šie ir Jēkaba dēli, kas viņam tika dzemdēti Padān-Arāmā.
Īzaka nāve
27 Un Jēkabs atnāca pie sava tēva Īzaka uz Mamri, Kirjat-Arbu, tā ir Hebrona, kur bija mituši Ābrahāms un Īzaks. 28 Īzaka dienas bija simts astoņdesmit gadi. 29 Un sataisījās Īzaks un nomira, un tika piepulcināts saviem ļaudīm – vecs un sāts dienu, un viņu apglabāja Ēsavs un Jēkabs, viņa dēli.
