Genesis 35:1–15

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to aBethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, bwho appeared to you cwhen you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

2 And Jacob said to his dhousehold and to all who were with him, “Put away ethe foreign gods that are among you, fpurify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, gwho answered me in the day of my distress hand has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign 1gods which were in their hands, and the iearrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under jthe terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

5 And they journeyed, and kthe terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to lLuz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 And he mbuilt an altar there and called the place 2El Bethel, because nthere God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

8 Now oDeborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called 3Allon Bachuth.

9 Then pGod appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and qblessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; ryour name shall not be called Jacob anymore, sbut Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: t“I am God Almighty. uBe fruitful and multiply; va nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The wland which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” 13 Then God xwent 4up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob yset up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, zBethel.