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Genesis 35
1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
2Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.
3Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.”
4They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn’t pursue the sons of Jacob.
6So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
7He built an there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
8Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
9God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.
11God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and will come out of your body.
12The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.”
13God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.
14Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink on it, and poured on it.
15Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him “Bethel”.
16They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.
17When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”
18As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
19Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem).
20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s servant): Dan and Naphtali.
26The sons of Zilpah (Leah’s servant): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.
28The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.
29Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
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Questions this passage answers
What is sin?
Scripture defines sin as lawlessness, as falling short of God's glory, and as failing to do the good we know we should do. It is not only a list of bad actions but a condition of the heart that produces them, and it is first against God rather than only against people. Scripture also says all have sinned, that its wage is death, and that God is faithful to forgive those who confess.
What does the Bible say about work?
Scripture presents work as something given before sin entered the world, made harder by the curse, and redeemed in Christ so that ordinary labour is done for the Lord rather than for people. It commands diligence, honest dealing, rest, and provision for one's household, and it refuses to make a person's worth depend on their job.
How do I forgive someone who hurt me?
Biblical forgiveness is the decision to release a debt you have every right to collect, made because God released yours. It is not pretending the wrong was small, and it does not always mean reconciliation or renewed trust. It usually begins as an act of obedience and becomes a feeling later, often much later.
How do I trust God when life is difficult?
Biblical trust is not a feeling you generate. It is leaning your weight on what God has revealed about himself, especially when your circumstances suggest otherwise. Scripture builds trust the same way every time: by remembering what God has already done, telling him the truth about what you feel now, and obeying the next small thing while the outcome is still hidden.