Study Desk

Jacob Returns to Bethel

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)

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)

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)"

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⁾

Then they set out, and the terror of God^(o) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.^(p)

Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz^(q) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^(r)

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)

Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse,^(w) died and was buried under the oak^(x) outside Bethel.^(y) So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[b]

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[c](z) God appeared to him again and blessed him.^(aa)

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.

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)

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)

Then God went up from him^(ai) at the place where he had talked with him.

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)

Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.^[g](am)

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.

And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife^(aq) said to her, "Don't despair, for you have another son."^(ar)

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)

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

Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day^(aw) that pillar marks Rachel's tomb.^(ax)

Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.^(ay)

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:

The sons of Leah:^(bb) Reuben the firstborn^(bc) of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah,^(bd) Issachar and Zebulun.^(be)

The sons of Rachel: Joseph^(bf) and Benjamin.^(bg)

The sons of Rachel's servant Bilhah:^(bh) Dan and Naphtali.^(bi)

The sons of Leah's servant Zilpah:^(bj) Gad^(bk) and Asher.^(bl) These were the sons of Jacob,^(bm) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.^(bn)

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)

Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.^(bt)

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^(a)(b)

This is the account^(c) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).^(d)

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:^(e) Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,^(f) and Oholibamah^(g) daughter of Anah^(h) and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite⁽ⁱ⁾—

also Basemath^(j) daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.^(k)

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,^(l)

and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.^(m) These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan,⁽ⁿ⁾ and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.^(o)

Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.^(p)

So Esau^(q) (that is, Edom)^(r) settled in the hill country of Seir.^(s)

This is the account^(t) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites^(u) in the hill country of Seir.

These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath.^(v)

The sons of Eliphaz:^(w) Teman,^(x) Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.^(y)

Esau's son Eliphaz also had a concubine^(z) named Timna, who bore him Amalek.^(aa) These were grandsons of Esau's wife Adah.^(ab)

The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.^(ac)

The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah^(ad) daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam and Korah.^(ae)

These were the chiefs^(af) among Esau's descendants: The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman,^(ag) Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,^(ah)

Korah,^[a] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz^(ai) in Edom;^(aj) they were grandsons of Adah.^(ak)

The sons of Esau's son Reuel:^(al) Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.^(am)

The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah:^(an) Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah.^(ao) These were the chiefs descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

These were the sons of Esau^(ap) (that is, Edom),^(aq) and these were their chiefs.^(ar)

These were the sons of Seir the Horite,^(as) who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,^(at)

Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.^(au)

The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam.^[b] Timna was Lotan's sister.

The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

The sons of Zibeon:^(av) Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs^[c](aw) in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys^(ax) of his father Zibeon.

The children of Anah:^(ay) Dishon and Oholibamah^(az) daughter of Anah.

The sons of Dishon^[d]: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.

The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.

The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,^(ba)

Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs,^(bb) according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.

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

Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.

When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah^(be) succeeded him as king.

When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites^(bf) succeeded him as king.

When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian^(bg) in the country of Moab,^(bh) succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.

When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.

When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth^(bi) on the river succeeded him as king.

When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.

When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad^[e] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

These were the chiefs^(bj) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.^(bk)

Joseph's Dreams

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,^(a) the land of Canaan.^(b)

This is the account^(c) of Jacob's family line. Joseph,^(d) a young man of seventeen,^(e) was tending the flocks^(f) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah^(g) and the sons of Zilpah,^(h) his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report⁽ⁱ⁾ about them.

Now Israel^(j) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,^(k) because he had been born to him in his old age;^(l) and he made an ornate^[a] robe^(m) for him.⁽ⁿ⁾

When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him^(o) and could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph had a dream,^(p) and when he told it to his brothers,^(q) they hated him all the more.^(r)

He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:

We were binding sheaves^(s) 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."^(t)

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

Then he had another dream,^(w) and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars^(x) were bowing down to me."^(y)

When he told his father as well as his brothers,^(z) his father rebuked^(aa) 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?"^(ab)

His brothers were jealous of him,^(ac) but his father kept the matter in mind.^(ad)

Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,^(ae)

and Israel^(af) said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.^(ag) Come, I am going to send you to them." "Very well," he replied.

So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers^(ah) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.^(ai) When Joseph arrived at Shechem,

a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"

"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, ‘Let's go to Dothan.^(aj)'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.

But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.^(ak)

"Here comes that dreamer!^(al)" they said to each other.

"Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(am) and say that a ferocious animal^(an) devoured him.^(ao) Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."^(ap)

When Reuben^(aq) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said.^(ar)

"Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(as) 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.^(at)

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(au) he was wearing—

and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(av) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(aw) coming from Gilead.^(ax) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(ay) and myrrh,^(az) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(ba)

Judah^(bb) said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^(bc)

Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(bd) our own flesh and blood.^(be)" His brothers agreed.

So when the Midianite^(bf) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(bg) and sold^(bh) him for twenty shekels^[b] of silver^(bi) to the Ishmaelites,^(bj) who took him to Egypt.^(bk)

When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^(bl)

He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"^(bm)

Then they got Joseph's robe,^(bn) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^(bo)

They took the ornate robe^(bp) back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."

He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal^(bq) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."^(br)

Then Jacob tore his clothes,^(bs) put on sackcloth^(bt) and mourned for his son many days.^(bu)

All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,^(bv) but he refused to be comforted.^(bw) "No," he said, "I will continue to mourn until I join my son^(bx) in the grave.^(by)" So his father wept for him.

Meanwhile, the Midianites^[c](bz) sold Joseph^(ca) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.^(cb)