1. 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.”
2. So Jacob told his family and all the other people with him, “Destroy all these foreign gods that you have. Make yourselves pure. Put on clean clothes.
3. 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.”
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. So Jacob and his people went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. It is in the land of Canaan.
7. 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.
8. Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died there. They buried her under the oak tree at Bethel. They named that place Allon Bacuth.
9. When Jacob came back from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. God blessed Jacob
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. I gave Abraham and Isaac some special land. Now I give the land to you and to all your people who will live after you.”
13. Then God left that place.