God said to Jacob, "Go to the town of Bethel. That is where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau. Live there and make an altar to honor me as El, the God who appeared to you."
We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to the God who has always helped me during times of trouble. He has been with me wherever I have gone."
So the people gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. He buried everything under an oak tree near the town called Shechem.
Then Jacob and his sons left that place. The people in the surrounding cities wanted to follow and kill them, but God filled them with such great fear that they did not go after them.
Jacob built an altar there. He named the place "El Bethel." Jacob chose this name because that is the place where God first appeared to him when he was running from his brother.
and said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but I will change that name. You will no longer be called Jacob. Your new name will be Israel. " So God named him Israel.
God said to him, "I am God All- Powerful, and I give you this blessing: Have many children and grow into a great nation. Other nations and other kings will come out of you.
Jacob set up a memorial stone there. He made the rock holy by pouring wine and oil on it. This was a special place because God spoke to Jacob there, and Jacob named the place Bethel.
She was having a lot of trouble with this birth. She was in great pain. When her nurse saw this, she said, "Don't be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son."
Israel stayed there for a short time. While he was there, Reuben slept with Israel's slave woman Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons.