Genesis 35-37

New International Version

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel^(A) and settle there, and build an altar^(B) there to God,^(C) who appeared to you^(D) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”^(E)

² So Jacob said to his household^(F) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods^(G) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.^{(H) 3} Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,^(I) who answered me in the day of my distress^(J) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.^(K)” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,^(L) and Jacob buried them under the oak^(M) at Shechem.^{(N) 5} Then they set out, and the terror of God^(O) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.^(P)

⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz^(Q) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^{(R) 7} There he built an altar,^(S) and he called the place El Bethel,^[a](T) because it was there that God revealed himself to him^(U) when he was fleeing from his brother.^(V)

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,^(W) died and was buried under the oak^(X) outside Bethel.^(Y) So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[b]

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[c](Z) God appeared to him again and blessed him.^{(AA) 10} God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,^[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.^[e]”^(AB) So he named him Israel.

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty^[f];^(AC) be fruitful and increase in number.^(AD) A nation^(AE) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.^{(AF) 12} The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.^(AG)”^{(AH) 13} Then God went up from him^(AI) at the place where he had talked with him.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar^(AJ) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering^(AK) on it; he also poured oil on it.^{(AL) 15} Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.^[g](AM)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac^(AN)

¹⁶ Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,^(AO) Rachel^(AP) began to give birth and had great difficulty. ¹⁷ And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife^(AQ) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”^{(AR) 18} As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.^[h](AS) But his father named him Benjamin.^[i](AT)

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath^(AU) (that is, Bethlehem^(AV)). ²⁰ Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day^(AW) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.^(AX)

²¹ Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.^{(AY) 22} While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine^(AZ) Bilhah,^(BA) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

These were the sons of Jacob,^(BM) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.^(BN)

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac^(BO) in Mamre,^(BP) near Kiriath Arba^(BQ) (that is, Hebron),^(BR) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.^{(BS) 28} Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.^{(BT) 29} Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,^(BU) old and full of years.^(BV) And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.^(BW)

Esau’s Descendants^(BX)(BY)

36 This is the account^(BZ) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).^(CA)

⁹ This is the account^(CQ) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites^(CR) in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁵ These were the chiefs^(DC) among Esau’s descendants:

¹⁹ These were the sons of Esau^(DM) (that is, Edom),^(DN) and these were their chiefs.^(DO)

²⁰ These were the sons of Seir the Horite,^(DP) who were living in the region:

The Rulers of Edom^(DZ)

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king^(EA) reigned:

⁴⁰ These were the chiefs^(EG) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:

This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.^(EH)

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,^(EI) the land of Canaan.^(EJ)

² This is the account^(EK) of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph,^(EL) a young man of seventeen,^(EM) was tending the flocks^(EN) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah^(EO) and the sons of Zilpah,^(EP) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report^(EQ) about them.

³ Now Israel^(ER) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,^(ES) because he had been born to him in his old age;^(ET) and he made an ornate^[o] robe^(EU) for him.^{(EV) 4} When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him^(EW) and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream,^(EX) and when he told it to his brothers,^(EY) they hated him all the more.^{(EZ) 6} He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves^(FA) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”^(FB)

⁸ His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”^(FC) And they hated him all the more^(FD) because of his dream and what he had said.

⁹ Then he had another dream,^(FE) and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars^(FF) were bowing down to me.”^(FG)

¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers,^(FH) his father rebuked^(FI) him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”^{(FJ) 11} His brothers were jealous of him,^(FK) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(FL)

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹² Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,^{(FM) 13} and Israel^(FN) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.^(FO) Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers^(FP) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.^(FQ)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, ¹⁵ a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.^(FR)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(FS)

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!^(FT)” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(FU) and say that a ferocious animal^(FV) devoured him.^(FW) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”^(FX)

²¹ When Reuben^(FY) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(FZ) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(GA) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.^(GB)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(GC) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(GD) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(GE) coming from Gilead.^(GF) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(GG) and myrrh,^(GH) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(GI)

²⁶ Judah^(GJ) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(GK) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(GL) our own flesh and blood.^(GM)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(GN) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(GO) and sold^(GP) him for twenty shekels^[p] of silver^(GQ) to the Ishmaelites,^(GR) who took him to Egypt.^(GS)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(GT) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”^(GU)

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s robe,^(GV) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(GW) 32} They took the ornate robe^(GX) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

³³ He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal^(GY) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^(GZ)

³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes,^(HA) put on sackcloth^(HB) and mourned for his son many days.^{(HC) 35} All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,^(HD) but he refused to be comforted.^(HE) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son^(HF) in the grave.^(HG)” So his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites^[q](HH) sold Joseph^(HI) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(HJ)