and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert.

He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.”

Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

And he journeyed from place to place from the Negev as far as Bethel. He returned to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord.

He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz.

Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.

(Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named Oak of Weeping.)

They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, Rachel went into labor – and her labor was hard.

So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the sacred stone and made a vow to me. Now leave this land immediately and return to your native land.’”

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

Let us go up at once to Bethel. Then I will make an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress and has been with me wherever I went.”