New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 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.”
1
God spoke to Jacob: "Go back to Bethel. Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life 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.
2
Jacob told his family and all those who lived with him, "Throw out all the alien gods which you have, take a good bath and put on clean clothes,
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.”
3
we're going to Bethel. I'm going to build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in trouble and has stuck with me everywhere I've gone since."
4 So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.
4
They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in 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.
5
Then they set out. A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan.
6
Jacob and his company arrived at Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan.
7 Jacob 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.
7
He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that's where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother.
8 Soon 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”).
8
And that's when Rebekah's nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried just below Bethel under the oak tree. It was named Allon-Bacuth (Weeping-Oak).
9 Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
9
God revealed himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back from Paddan Aram and 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.
10
"Your name is Jacob (Heel); but that's your name no longer. From now on your name is Israel (God-Wrestler)."
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!
11
God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation - a whole company of nations! - will come from you. Kings will come from your loins;
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.”
12
the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.
13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
13
And then God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken with him.
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.
14
Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had spoken with him. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.
15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.
15
Jacob dedicated the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (God's-House).
16 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.
16
They left Bethel. They were still quite a ways from Ephrath when Rachel went into labor - hard, hard labor.
17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”
17
When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid - you have another boy."
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”).
18
With her last breath, for she was now dying, she named him Ben-oni (Son-of-My-Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son-of-Good-Fortune).
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
19
Rachel died and was buried on the road 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.
20
Jacob set up a pillar to mark her grave. It is still there today, "Rachel's Grave Stone."
21 Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder.
21
Israel kept on his way and set up camp at 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:
22
While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went and slept with his father's concubine, Bilhah. And Israel heard of what he did. There were twelve sons of Jacob.
23 The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
23
The sons by Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
24
The sons by Rachel: Joseph Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
25
The sons by Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher. These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.
26
The sons by Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad Asher. These were Jacob's sons, born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners.
27
Finally, Jacob made it back home to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, present-day Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived.
28 Isaac lived for 180 years.
28
Isaac was now 180 years old.
29 Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.
29
Isaac breathed his last and died - an old man full of years. He was buried with his family by his sons Esau and Jacob.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.