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”.
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 for ever.
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.
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 just 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, travelled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.
22. During their time there, Jacob's eldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. And Jacob found out about it.