Jacob Returns to Bethel
1 God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”
2 Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:
Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. 3 Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.
4 So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings, and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.
5 While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. 6 Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. 7 Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. 8 While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”
God Blesses Jacob at Bethel
9-11 After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:
I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. 12 I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.
13 After God had gone, 14 Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, 15 and he named the place Bethel.
Benjamin Is Born
16 Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. 17 She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” 18 Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.” But Jacob called him Benjamin.
19 Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. 21 Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.
22 During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. And Jacob found out about it.
Jacob's Twelve Sons
23-26 Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria. His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.
Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.
Isaac Dies
27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. 28-29 Isaac died at the ripe old age of 180, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Jakob ta i kuBetel
1 Opo nee Kalunga okwa lombwela Jakob ta ti: “Lilongekida, inda kuBetel u kale oko. Dikila ko Kalunga oaltari, Kalunga ou e liholola kwoove eshi wa ya onhapo mumwanyoko Esau.” 2 Jakob okwa lombwela eumbo laye naaveshe ava va li pamwe naye ndele ta ti: “Ekeleishi oihongwakalunga yokoilongo, ei mu kwete mokati keni, lifeteni nye mu djale oikutu imwe. 3 Tu lilongekideni okuya kuBetel. Ame ohandi ka tungila ko Kalunga oaltari, Kalunga ou a nyamukula nge mefiku loudjuu wange nokwa kala pwaame mondjila ei nda enda.” 4 Opo nee va yandja kuJakob oikalunga yavo yokoilongo ve i kwete, neelinga domomatwi avo, ndele Jakob e i paka medu momwandi u li muSekem. 5 Ndele vo eshi va fikama, Kalunga okwa tumina oilando ye va dingilila ehaluko, opo venya vaha shikule ovana vaJakob. 6 Osho ngaha Jakob a fika kuLus shomuKaanan nokutya, Betel, ye mwene novanhu aveshe ava va li puye. 7 Ndele oko a tunga oaltari nokwa ifana onhele oyo El Betel, osheshi oko Kalunga e mu lihololelele eshi ye a ile onhapo yamumwaina Esau. 8 Ndele Debora, omuyakuli waRebeka, okwa fya, ndele ye okwa pakwa momwandi popepi naBetel. Ndele omuti ou ve u luka: “Omwandi wokulilila eefya.”
Kalunga te lihololele Jakob e mu nangeke noupuna
9 Opo nee Kalunga okwe lihololela vali Jakob, ye eshi a alukila kuPaddan-Aram, ndele okwe mu nangeka noupuna. 10 Ndele Kalunga okwe mu lombwela ta ti: “Edina loye oJakob, ndele ito ifanwa vali Jakob, ndelenee Israel.” Ndele ye okwe mu luka Israel. 11 Kalunga okwe mu lombwela vali ta ti: “Aame Kalunga Omunaenghono adishe. Kala u na oludalo u hapupale. Oshiwana, heeno, oiwana tai ka dja mwoove neehamba tadi ka dja momatundji oye. 12 Nedu olo nde li pele Abraham naIsak, ohandi ke li ku pa, noludalo loye tali ku shikula Ame ohandi ke li li pa.” 13 Opo nee Kalunga okwa ya pombada nokwe mu fiya po monhele tuu ei Ye a popya naye. 14 Ndele Jakob okwa dikila monhele oyo Ye a popya naye edimbulukifomanya, nokombada yalo okwa tila ko oikunwayambo nokwa tila ko omaadi. 15 Ndele Jakob okwa luka onhele oyo apa Kalunga a popya naye Betel.
Efyo laRakel
16 Opo nee va tembuka muBetel, ndele eshi va li kokule kanini kuEfrat, Rakel okwa hangika kefeto ledimo. Nefeto laye ola li lidjuu unene. 17 Ndele fimbo oudjuu wefeto wa li unene, omudalifi okwe mu lombwela ta ti: “Ino tila, paife ou na vali okaana okamati.” 18 Ndelenee omwenyo waye eshi tau mu fiye po, osheshi ye okwa li e na okufya, ye okwe ka luka Ben-oni. Ndelenee xe okwe ka luka Benjamin. 19 Osho hano Rakel okwa fya. Ndele ye okwa pakwa pondjila yokuya kuEfrat, nokutya Betlehem. 20 Ndele Jakob okwa dikila ko edimbulukifomanya kombila yaye. Fiyo onena eli edimbulukifomanya lokombila yaRakel opo li li. 21 Ndele Israel okwa fikama a ehene komesho nokwa onga onhanda yaye langhele kwinya kombada yaMigdal-Eder.
Ovana vaJakob
22 Hano Israel fimbo a kala opo, Ruben okwa ya ko a ka nangale naBilha, omwalikadi waxe wopomunghulo, naIsrael okwe shi uda. Ovana ovamati vaJakob ova li omulongo navavali.
23 Ovana vaLea ovava: Ruben (oshiveli shaJakob), Simeon, Levi, Juda, Isaskar naSebulon. 24 Ovana vaRakel: Josef naBenjamin. 25 VaBilha, omupika waRakel, ovava: Dan naNaftali. 26 VaSilpa, omupika waLea, ovava: Gad naAsser. Ava hano ovo ovana vaJakob, va dalelwa muPaddan-Aram.
Efyo laIsak
27 Ndele Jakob okwa fika kuxe Isak muMamre puKiriat-Arba, nokutya Hebron, oko Abraham a kala omunailongo nosho yo Isak. 28 Nomafiku aIsak a li e fike pomido efele nomilongo hetatu. 29 Ndele Isak okwa fuda mo omhepo yaye nokwa fya, ndele okwa ongelwa kovanepata vaye, a kulupa nokwa kuta omwenyo. Novana vaye ovamati, Esau naJakob ove mu paka.
