Scriptures

New Living Translation (NLT)

Genesis 35
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.
⁶ Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in 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.
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”).
⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God 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.
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!
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.”
¹³ Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
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.
¹⁵ And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.