In the meanwhile, too, God had said to Jacob, Bestir thyself, go up to Bethel, and make thy dwelling there; there build an altar to the God who revealed himself to thee when thou wast in flight from thy brother Esau.

Interea locutus est Deus ad Jacob: Surge, et ascende Bethel, et habita ibi, facque altare Deo qui apparuit tibi quando fugiebas Esau fratrem tuum.

In the mean time God said to Jacob: Arise, and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau thy brother.

Whereupon Jacob summoned all his household; Cast away, he told them, whatever images of alien gods you have among you, purify yourselves, and put on fresh garments.

Jacob vero convocata omni domo sua, ait: Abjicite deos alienos qui in medio vestri sunt, et mundamini, ac mutate vestimenta vestra.

And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed and change your garments.

We must leave this, and go up to Bethel; there we must build an altar to the God who listened to me in time of trouble, and escorted me on my journey.

Surgite, et ascendamus in Bethel, ut faciamus ibi altare Deo: qui exaudivit me in die tribulationis meæ, et socius fuit itineris mei.

Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to God: who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompained me in my journey.

So they gave him all the images of alien gods that were in their possession, the rings, too, which they wore on their ears, and he buried them under the mastic-tree, close to the town of Sichem.

Dederunt ergo ei omnes deos alienos quos habebant, et inaures quæ erant in auribus eorum: at ille infodit ea subter terebinthum, quæ est post urbem Sichem.

So they gave him all the strange gods they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine tree, that is behind the city of Sichem.

Thus they set out on their journey, and God inspired terror into the hearts of all who dwelt around them, so that they durst not pursue them as they went.

Cumque profecti essent, terror Dei invasit omnes per circuitum civitates, et non sunt ausi persequi recedentes.

And when they were departed, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.

Jacob, then, with all his clan, made their way to Luza, which is now called Bethel,

Venit igitur Jacob Luzam, quæ est in terra Chanaan, cognomento Bethel: ipse et omnis populus cum eo.

And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, surnamed Bethel: he and all the people that were with him.

and built an altar there. It was he who called the place Bethel, the house of God, because it was there God appeared to him when he was in flight from his brother.

Ædificavitque ibi altare, et appellavit nomen loci illius, Domus Dei: ibi enim apparuit ei Deus cum fugeret fratrem suum.

And he built there an altar, and called the name of that place, The house of God: for there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.

It was at this time that Debora, Rebecca’s nurse, died; she was buried under an oak, by the spur of the hills where Bethel is, and the place came to be called, The Oak of Mourning.

Eodem tempore mortua est Debora nutrix Rebeccæ, et sepulta est ad radices Bethel subter quercum: vocatumque est nomen loci illius, Quercus fletus.

At the same time Debora the nurse of Rebecca died, and was buried at the foot of Bethel under an oak: and the name of that place was called, The oak of weeping.

Once again God revealed himself to Jacob, after his return from Mesopotamia of the Syrians, blessing him,

Apparuit autem iterum Deus Jacob postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ, benedixitque ei

And God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he blessed him,

and assuring him, Thou shalt not be called Jacob any longer; Israel is to be thy name.

dicens: Non vocaberis ultra Jacob, sed Israël erit nomen tuum. Et appellavit eum Israël,

Saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called him Israel.

So, calling to him by this name of Israel, he said to him, I am God all-powerful, and I bid thee increase and multiply; peoples shall descend from thee, whole families of nations, and kings shall be born of thy stock;

dixitque ei: Ego Deus omnipotens: cresce, et multiplicare: gentes et populi nationum ex te erunt, reges de lumbis tuis egredientur,

And said to him: I am God Almighty, increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.

and that land, which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee and to thy posterity after thee.

terramque quam dedi Abraham et Isaac, dabo tibi et semini tuo post te.

And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Then God went away out of his sight;

Et recessit ab eo.

And he departed from him.

and he built a monument of stone at the place where God had spoken to him, offering libations there and pouring oil upon it.

Ille vero erexit titulum lapideum in loco quo locutus fuerat ei Deus: libans super eum libamina, et effundens oleum:

But he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him: pouring drink offerings upon it, and pouring oil thereon:

Bethel was the name he gave to the place,

vocansque nomen loci illius Bethel.

And calling the name of that place Bethel.

and when he left it, in the spring, he journeyed into the country that lies towards Ephrata. Here Rachel was in travail,

Egressus autem inde, venit verno tempore ad terram quæ ducit Ephratam: in qua cum parturiret Rachel,

And going forth from thence, he came in the springtime to the land which leadeth to Ephrata: wherein when Rachel was in travail,

and the difficult labour she had was endangering her life; but the midwife said to her, Do not be afraid; this time, too, thou wilt give birth to a son.

ob difficultatem partus periclitari cœpit. Dixitque ei obstetrix: Noli timere, quia et hunc habebis filium.

By reason of her hard labour she began to be in danger, and the midwife said to her: Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also.

But her life was ebbing away in her pangs; she saw that she was close to death, and called her son Benoni, the child of my distress. His father’s name for him was Benjamin, the child of his right hand.

Egrediente autem anima præ dolore, et imminente jam morte, vocavit nomen filii sui Benomi, id est, Filius doloris mei: pater vero appellavit eum Benjamin, id est, Filius dextræ.

And when her soul was departing for pain, and death was now at hand, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, The son of my pain: but his father called him Benjamin, that is, The son of the right hand.

So Rachel died, and was buried on the way that leads to Ephrata (the same as Bethlehem).

Mortua est ergo Rachel, et sepulta est in via quæ ducit Ephratam, hæc est Bethlehem.

So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata, this is Bethlehem.

Over her tomb, Jacob raised a monument; it is called, to this day, the Pillar of Rachel’s Tomb.

Erexitque Jacob titulum super sepulchrum ejus: hic est titulus monumenti Rachel, usque in præsentem diem.

And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulchre: this is the pillar of Rachel’s monument, to this day.

And he went on from there, and pitched his tent on the further side of the Sheep-tower.

Egressus inde, fixit tabernaculum trans Turrem gregis.

Departing thence, he pitched his tent beyond the Flock tower.

It was while he was living there that Ruben betook himself to his own father’s concubine, the one who was called Bala, and slept with her; nor did he contrive to keep Jacob in ignorance of it. Jacob had twelve sons altogether:

Cumque habitaret in illa regione, abiit Ruben, et dormivit cum Bala concubina patris sui: quod illum minime latuit. Erant autem filii Jacob duodecim.

And when he dwelt in that country, Ruben went, and slept with Bala, the concubine of his father: which he was not ignorant of. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

by Lia, this first-born son, Ruben, as well as Simeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, and Zabulon;

Filii Liæ: primogenitus Ruben, et Simeon, et Levi, et Judas, et Issachar, et Zabulon.

The sons of Lia: Ruben the firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Juda, and Issachar, and Zabulon.

by Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin;

Filii Rachel: Joseph et Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

by Bala, Rachel’s serving-woman, Dan and Nephthali;

Filii Balæ ancillæ Rachelis: Dan et Nephthali.

The sons of Bala, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Nephtali.

by Zelpha, Lia’s serving-woman, Gad and Aser. These were Jacob’s sons, and Mesopotamia of the Syrians was their birth-place.

Filii Zelphæ ancillæ Liæ: Gad et Aser: hi sunt filii Jacob, qui nati sunt ei in Mesopotamia Syriæ.

The sons of Zelpha, Lia’s handmaid: Gad and Aser: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.

He went, too, to visit his father Isaac at Mambre, the city of Arbee, also called Hebron; here, as strangers, Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.

Venit etiam ad Isaac patrem suum in Mambre, civitatem Arbee, hæc est Hebron, in qua peregrinatus est Abraham et Isaac.

And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron: wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

And now Isaac finished his life, of a hundred and eighty years;

Et completi sunt dies Isaac centum octoginta annorum.

And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.

he died at last, worn out with age, his tale of years complete. He too became a part of his people; and his two sons, Esau and Jacob, gave him burial.

Consumptusque ætate mortuus est: et appositus est populo suo senex et plenus dierum: et sepelierunt eum Esau et Jacob filii sui.

And being spent with age he died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.