Yakobo Abwerera ku Beteli
1Tsono Mulungu anati kwa Yakobo, “Nyamuka uchoke kuno kupita ku Beteli. Kumeneko ukamange guwa lansembe la Mulungu amene anadza kwa iwe pamene umathawa Esau, mʼbale wako.”
2Choncho Yakobo anawuza a pa banja pake ndi onse amene anali naye kuti, “Chotsani milungu yachilendo imene muli nayo, ndipo mudziyeretse nokha ndi kusintha zovala zanu. 3Tiyeni tinyamuke kuchoka kuno kupita ku Beteli. Kumeneko ndikamumangira guwa lansembe Mulungu amene anandithandiza pa nthawi za masautso anga, komanso amene wakhala nane mʼmayendedwe anga onse.” 4Choncho anamupatsa Yakobo milungu yachilendo yonse imene anali nayo pamodzi ndi ndolo. Iye anazikwirira pansi pa mtengo wa thundu ku Sekemu. 5Pamenepo ananyamuka, ndipo mtima woopa Mulungu unagwera anthu onse a mʼmizinda yozungulira, kotero kuti palibe aliyense amene anatsatira banja la Yakobo.
6Yakobo ndi anthu onse anali naye aja anafika ku Luzi (ku Beteli) mu dziko la Kanaani. 7Kumeneko anamanga guwa lansembe nalitcha Eli Beteli, chifukwa kunali kumeneko kumene Mulungu anadziwulula yekha kwa Yakobo pamene ankathawa mʼbale wake.
8Debora mlezi wa Rakele anamwalira komweko nayikidwa mʼmanda pansi pa mtengo wa thundu cha kumunsi kwa Beteli. Choncho panatchedwa Aloni-Bakuti (mtengo wamaliro).
9Yakobo atabwera kuchokera ku Padanaramu, Mulungu anabweranso kwa iye namudalitsa. 10Mulungu anati kwa iye, “Dzina lako ndiwe Yakobo, koma sudzatchedwanso Yakobo; koma udzatchedwa Israeli.” Choncho anamutcha iye Israeli.
11Ndipo Mulungu anati kwa iye, “Ine ndine Mulungu Wamphamvuzonse; berekanani ndi kuchulukana. Mtundu wa anthu, inde, mitundu yambiri ya anthu idzatuluka mwa iwe, ndipo ena mwa zidzukulu zako adzakhala mafumu. 12Dziko limene ndinapereka kwa Abrahamu ndi Isake ndiliperekanso kwa iwe. Lidzakhala lako ndi la zidzukulu zako.” 13Kenaka Mulungu anamusiya Yakobo.
14Yakobo anayika mwala wachikumbutso pa malo pamene Mulungu anayankhula naye paja. Iye anathirapo nsembe yachakumwa ndi yamafuta. 15Yakobo anawatcha malo amene Mulungu anayankhula naye aja kuti Beteli.
Imfa ya Isake ndi Rakele
16Kenaka anachoka ku Beteli. Koma ali pafupi kufika ku Efurata nthawi yakuti Rakele aone mwana inakwana. Iye anavutika pobereka. 17Akanali chivutikire choncho, mzamba anamulimbikitsa nati, “Usaope pakuti ubala mwana wina wamwamuna.” 18Tsono pamene Rakele ankapuma wefuwefu (popeza ankamwalira) iye anatcha mwana uja kuti Beni-Oni. Koma abambo ake anamutcha kuti Benjamini.
19Choncho Rakele anamwalira ndipo anayikidwa pa njira yopita ku Efurata (Kumeneko ndiye ku Betelehemu). 20Pa manda ake, Yakobo anayimika mwala wachikumbutso wa pa manda ndipo ulipobe mpaka lero.
21Israeli (Yakobo) anasunthanso nakamanga tenti yake kupitirira nsanja ya Ederi. 22Israeli akanali mʼderali, Rubeni anapita nakagonana ndi Biliha, mdzakazi wa abambo ake. Yakobo uja anazimva zimenezi.
Yakobo anali ndi ana aamuna khumi ndi awiri:
23Ana a Leya ndi awa:
Rubeni anali mwana woyamba wa Yakobo,
Simeoni, Levi, Yuda, Isakara, ndi Zebuloni.
24Ana a Rakele ndi awa:
Yosefe ndi Benjamini.
25Ana a Biliha, wantchito wa Rakele ndi awa:
Dani ndi Nafutali.
26Ana a Zilipa wantchito wa Leya ndi awa:
Gadi ndi Aseri.
Awa ndiwo ana a Yakobo amene anabadwira ku Padanaramu.
27Yakobo anafika ku mudzi kwa abambo ake Isake ku Mamre, (kumene kunkatchedwa ku Kiriyati-Ariba kapenanso Hebroni) kumene Abrahamu ndi Isake anakhalako kale. 28Isake anakhala ndi moyo zaka 180. 29Anamwalira ali wokalamba kwambiri ndipo anakakhala ndi anthu a mtundu wake. Ndipo ana ake Esau ndi Yakobo anamuyika mʼmanda.
Jacob Returns to Bethel
1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to honor me. That’s where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”
2So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone with him. He said, “Get rid of the statues of false gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure by washing and changing your clothes. 3Come, let’s go up to Bethel. There I’ll build an altar to honor God. He answered me when I was in trouble. He’s been with me everywhere I’ve gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the statues of false gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried those things under the oak tree at Shechem. 5Then Jacob and everyone with him started out. The terror of God fell on the towns all around them. So no one chased them.
6Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz. Luz is also called Bethel. It’s in the land of Canaan. 7Jacob built an altar at Luz. He named the place El Bethel. There God made himself known to Jacob when he was running away from his brother.
8Rebekah’s attendant Deborah died. They buried her body under the oak tree outside Bethel. So it was called Allon Bakuth.
9After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. And God blessed him. 10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.
11God said to him, “I am the Mighty God. Have children so that there will be many of you. You will become the father of a nation and a community of nations. Your later family will include kings. 12I am giving you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give it to your children after you.” 13Then God left him at the place where he had talked with him.
14Jacob set up a sacred stone at the place where God had talked with him. He poured out a drink offering on it. He also poured olive oil on it. 15Jacob named the place Bethel. That’s where God had talked with him.
Rachel and Isaac Die
16They moved on from Bethel. Ephrath wasn’t very far away when Rachel began to have a baby. She was having a very hard time of it. 17The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to Rachel, “Don’t be afraid. You have another son.” 18But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.
19So Rachel died. She was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem. 20Jacob set up a stone marker over her tomb. To this day, the stone marks the place where Rachel was buried.
21Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben’s father. And Israel heard about it.
Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.
23Leah was the mother of
Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son.
Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24The sons of Rachel were
Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Rachel’s female servant Bilhah were
Dan and Naphtali.
26The sons of Leah’s female servant Zilpah were
Gad and Asher.
These were Jacob’s sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.
27Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Mamre is near Kiriath Arba, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The place is also called Hebron. 28Isaac lived 180 years. 29Then he took his last breath and died. He was very old when he joined the members of his family who had already died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
