Skip to content

circa 1900–1700 BC

Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

Jacob wrestles with God and becomes Israel; Joseph is sold into slavery yet rises to save the world from famine.

840 verses · 1 book covered

Verses from This Period

  1. He built there an altar and called the place El-Beit-El [God of Beit-El], because it was there that God was revealed to him, at the time when he was fleeing from his brother.

  2. Then D'vorah, Rivkah's nurse, died. She was buried below Beit-El under the oak, which was given the name Alon-Bakhut [oak of weeping].

  3. After Ya'akov arrived from Paddan-Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

  4. God said to him, "Your name is Ya'akov, but you will be called Ya'akov no longer; your name will be Isra'el."Thus he named him Isra'el.

  5. God further said to him, "I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a group of nations, will come from you; kings will be descended from you.

  6. Moreover, the land which I gave to Avraham and Yitz'chak I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you."

  7. Then God went up from him there where he had spoken with him.

  8. Ya'akov set up a standing-stone in the place where he had spoken with him, a stone pillar. Then he poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.

  9. Ya'akov called the place where God spoke with him Beit-El.

  10. Then they traveled on from Beit-El, and while there was still some distance to go before arriving in Efrat, Rachel went into labor, and she had great difficulty with it.

  11. While she was undergoing this hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Don't worry, this is also a son for you."

  12. Genesis 35:18c. 1729 BC

    But she died in childbirth. As she was dying she named her son Ben-Oni [son of my grief], but his father called him Binyamin [son of the right hand, son of the south].

  13. Genesis 35:19c. 1729 BC

    So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Efrat (that is, Beit-Lechem).

  14. Genesis 35:20c. 1729 BC

    Ya'akov set up a standing-stone on her grave; it is the stand-ing-stone of Rachel's grave to this day.

  15. Genesis 35:21c. 1729 BC

    Isra'el continued his travels and pitched his tent on the other side of Migdal-'Eder.

  16. Genesis 35:22c. 1729 BC

    It was while Isra'el was living in that land that Re'uven went and slept with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Isra'el heard about it. Ya'akov had twelve sons.

  17. Genesis 35:23c. 1729 BC

    The sons of Le'ah were Re'uven Ya'akov's firstborn, Shim'on, Levi, Y'hudah, Yissakhar and Z'vulun.

  18. Genesis 35:24c. 1729 BC

    The sons of Rachel were Yosef and Binyamin.

  19. Genesis 35:25c. 1729 BC

    The sons of Bilhah Rachel's slave-girl were Dan and Naftali.

  20. Genesis 35:26c. 1729 BC

    And the sons of Zilpah Le'ah's slave-girl were Gad and Asher. These were Ya'akov's sons, born to him in Paddan-Aram.

  21. Genesis 35:27c. 1729 BC

    Ya'akov came home to his father Yitz'chak at Mamre, near Kiryat-Arba (also known as Hevron), where Avraham and Yitz'chak had lived as foreigners.

  22. Genesis 35:28c. 1729 BC

    Yitz'chak lived to be 180 years old.

  23. Genesis 35:29c. 1716 BC

    Then he breathed his last, died and was gathered to his people, an old man full of years; and his sons 'Esav and Ya'akov buried him.

  24. Genesis 36:1c. 1796 BC

    This is the genealogy of 'Esav (that is, Edom).

  25. Genesis 36:2c. 1796 BC

    'Esav chose Kena'ani women as his wives: 'Adah the daughter of Eilon the Hitti; Oholivamah the daughter of 'Anah the daughter of Tziv'on the Hivi;