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.
1 Un Dievs sacīja uz Jēkabu: "Celies, ej uz Bēteli un paliec tur un taisi tur altāri Dievam, kas tev parādījās, kad tu bēgi no sava brāļa Ēsava." 2 Tad Jēkabs sacīja saviem mājiniekiem un visiem tiem, kas bija pie viņa: "Atmetiet svešos dievus, kādi vēl jūsu vidū, šķīstaities un mainiet savas drēbes. 3 Tad celsimies un noiesim uz Bēteli, un es tur uzcelšu altāri tam Dievam, kas mani paklausīja manās posta dienās un kas bija ar mani ceļā, ko esmu nostaigājis." 4 Un viņi nodeva Jēkabam visus svešos dievus, kādi bija viņu rokās, un arī tos auskarus, kas bija viņu ausīs, un Jēkabs tos apraka zem ozola pie Sihemas. 5 Un viņi devās ceļā, bet Dievs uzsūtīja bailību pār pilsētām, kas bija viņu apkārtnē, un tie nedzinās Jēkabam un viņa dēliem pakaļ. 6 Un Jēkabs nonāca Lūzā, kas atrodas Kānaāna zemē, tas ir, Bētelē; viņš līdz ar visu, kas tam bija. 7 Un viņš uzcēla tur altāri un nosauca to vietu: Ēl-Bētele, jo tur Dievs viņam bija atklājies, kad viņš bēga no sava brāļa. 8 Bet Rebekas aukle Debora nomira un tika apglabāta pie Bēteles zem ozola, un šo vietu nosauca: Raudu ozols. 9 Un Dievs parādījās Jēkabam vēlreiz, kad tas nāca no Mezopotāmijas, un Viņš to svētīja. 10 Un Dievs sacīja viņam: "Tavs vārds ir Jēkabs, bet turpmāk tavs vārds nebūs Jēkabs, bet Israēls būs tavs vārds." Un Viņš to nosauca par Israēlu. 11 Un Dievs viņu pamācīja: "Es esmu visuspēcīgais Dievs; augļojies un vairojies. Tauta, jā, pat tautu kopa lai ceļas no tevis, un ķēniņi nāks no taviem gurniem. 12 Un to zemi, ko Es biju devis Ābrahāmam un Īzākam, tev Es to došu, un taviem pēcnācējiem pēc tevis Es došu šo zemi." 13 Un Dievs cēlās projām no viņa tai vietā, kur Viņš ar to bija runājis. 14 Bet Jēkabs uzcēla piemiņas akmeni vietā, kur viņš bija ar Viņu runājis, akmens stabu, un lēja pār to slakāmo upuri, un viņš lēja pār to arī eļļu. 15 Un Jēkabs nosauca vietu, kurā Dievs ar viņu bija runājis, par Bēteli. 16 Un viņi devās ceļā no Bēteles; un, kad vēl bija atlicis kāds zemes pārgājiens līdz Efratai, Rahēlei bija jādzemdē, bet viņai bija grūti dzemdēt. 17 Un, tā kā viņai bija grūti dzemdēt, tad vecmāte viņai sacīja: "Nebīsties, arī šoreiz tev būs dēls." 18 Un notika, viņas dvēselei šķiroties, jo tai bija jāmirst, tā nosauca viņu par Benoni , bet Jēkabs to nosauca par Benjamīnu . 19 Un Rahēle nomira un tika apglabāta pie ceļa uz Efratu, tas ir, uz Bētlemi. 20 Un Jēkabs uzcēla piemiņas akmeni pie viņas kapa vietas, tas ir Rahēles kapa akmens līdz šai dienai. 21 Un Israēls devās ceļā un uzcēla savu telti viņpus Migdalederas. 22 Un, kamēr Israēls vēl dzīvoja tanī zemē, Rūbens nāca un gulēja pie sava tēva blakussievas Bilhas, un Israēls to dabūja zināt. Un Jēkabam bija divpadsmit dēli. 23 Leas dēli ir: Rūbens, Jēkaba pirmdzimtais, Simeons, Levijs, Jūda, Isašars un Zebulons. 24 Rahēles dēli ir: Jāzeps un Benjamīns. 25 Un Rahēles kalpones Bilhas dēli ir: Dans un Naftalis. 26 Un Leas kalpones Zilfas dēli ir: Gads un Ašers. Tie ir Jēkaba dēli, kas viņam tika dzemdēti Mezopotāmijā. 27 Un Jēkabs nāca pie sava tēva Īzāka uz Mamri, Kirijat-Arbas tuvumā. Tā ir Hebrona, kur Ābrahāms un Īzāks bija dzīvojuši kā svešinieki. 28 Bet Īzākam bija simts astoņdesmit gadi. 29 Un Īzāks kļuva vājš un nomira, un tika piepulcināts saviem ļaudīm, vecs un savu mūžu nodzīvojis, un Jēkabs un Ēsavs, viņa dēli, to apglabāja.
