In Genesis 35, God instructs Jacob to go to Bethel and build an altar to Him. Jacob orders his household to put away their foreign gods and purify themselves. They journey to Bethel, and God protects them from their enemies along the way. Jacob builds an altar and calls the place El-Bethel, reaffirming his covenant with God.
God appears to Jacob again, renaming him Israel and blessing him to be fruitful and multiply. God promises that nations and kings will come from him. Afterward, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin but tragically dies during childbirth. Jacob buries her near Bethlehem.
Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, sleeps with Bilhah, his father's concubine, leading to tension in the family. The twelve sons of Jacob are listed, including Benjamin, and the chapter concludes with the mention of Jacob's family settling in the land of Canaan.