Genesis Chapters 34 - 36: Strange Justice and Jacob's Final Son Is Born

Jacob's daughter Dinah (the one he had with Leah in the baby war a few chapters ago), goes to visit the women of the town. Shecham, the prince of the town, sees her walking along, grabs her, and rapes her. But it's absolutely ok because he loves her and talks to her kindly. Shecham asks his father Hamor to get this woman for his wife.

Jacob hears about it, but since his sons are out with the sheep, he decides to wait until they come back. Hamor knocks on the door and explains that his son is smitten and wants to marry Dinah, so proposes that they join their families and lands and property.

Jacob and his sons talk a bit and say that this is ok, but only if all their men get circumcised.

"DONE!" says Shecham. "Pass me a knife." Everyone in town gets circumcised.

Three days later, while the whole town is still nursing their hurting boy parts, Dinah's brothers Simeon and Levi go to town and kill all the males, including Shecham and Hamor. They grab Dinah and leave town. The rest of Jacob's sons go in and plunder all the loot, livestock and take the women and children.

Now I understand that they raped your sister and that's not cool. But that seems like a really dirty trick. Jacob isn't happy about this either, since now they've probably pissed off people from the neighboring towns.

So God tells Jacob to go to Bethel (aka Luz) and build an altar. Jacob tells his entire family and crew to get rid of all the foreign gods that they're hauling around. "Seriously guys, God's been helping me all through this and now we've gone and made everyone mad, so show some respect please." He collects all the idols and everyone's earrings as well and hides them under a tree.

As they leave, God strikes fear into the hearts of the neighboring towns people, so no one attacks them and they make a clean getaway.

They get to Bethal and Jacob builds the altar at the place where God had revealed himself to him when he first fled from his brother. God appears to him again and blesses him and says, "By the way, since you didn't seem to hear me the first time I told you, your name isn't Jacob any more. It's Israel. Must be you forgot because I hurt your hip like that. Sorry."

He goes on, "You'll be the father of nations. Just like I told Abraham and Isaac, all this land will be yours and your children's." And God went back up to heaven and Jacob sets up a pillar as a marker of this spot.

On their way out of Bethel, Rachel goes into labor with the last son. She has a son and names him Ben-oni and then she dies. Jacob calls him Benjamin, since Ben-oni isn't the greatest name he's ever heard. They bury Rachel and set up another pillar as a marker.

As an aside, Jacob's son Reuben has a little fling with one of Jacob's concubines and his father hears about it.

Jacob now has 12 sons. Remember them. They're important.

In order:

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Dan

Naphtali

Gad

Asher

Issachar

Zebulon

Joseph

Benjamin

Want a mnemonic for the order?  

Repentant Sinners Love Jesus. Do Not Give Animals In Zoos Jelly Beans.

Jacob finally comes home and his father Isaac is STILL ALIVE! Wasn't he on his deathbed over 20 years ago when Jacob dressed up like Esau and stole his blessing? Anyhow, Isaac dies and Jacob and Esau bury him.

Next is a list of Esau's descendents. It goes on and on and no one's name jumps out at me as someone I should recognize so we'll skim it for now.

And God's told Jacob twice now that his name is Israel.  Why are we still calling him Jacob?