Genesis 35:5-22

5As 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.

6Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan.

7Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.

8Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, 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”).

9Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,

10saying, “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.

11Then 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!

12And 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.”

13Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

14Jacob 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.

15And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

16Leaving 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.

17After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”

18Rachel 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”).

19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

20Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

21Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder.

22While 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: