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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)While they were living in that area, Yisra’el’s sonReuben slept with his father’s slave-wife Bilhah, and Yisra’el found out about it. ¶ Yisra’el now had twelve sons.
Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXἘγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα κατῴκησεν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐκείνῃ, ἐπορεύθη Ῥουβὴν, καὶ ἐκοιμήθη μετὰ Βαλλὰς, τῆς παλλακῆς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ· καὶ ἤκουσεν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ πονηρὸν ἐφάνη ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ. ¶ Ἦσαν δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ, δώδεκα. (Egeneto de haʸnika katōkaʸsen Israaʸl en taʸ gaʸ ekeinaʸ, eporeuthaʸ Ɽoubaʸn, kai ekoimaʸthaʸ meta Ballas, taʸs pallakaʸs tou patros autou Yakōb; kai aʸkousen Israaʸl, kai ponaʸron efanaʸ enantion autou. ¶ Aʸsan de hoi huioi Yakōb, dōdeka. )
BrTrAnd it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Ruben went and lay with Balla, the concubine of his father Jacob; and Israel heard, and the thing appeared grievous before him. ¶ And the sons of Jacob were twelve.
ULTAnd it happened while Israel was living in that land, then Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, the concubine of his father, and Israel heard. ¶ Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
USTWhile they were living in that area, Israel’s son Reuben committed adultery with his father’s servant-wife Bilhah, and Israel found out about it. ¶ With the birth of Benjamin, Jacob now had a total of twelve sons.
BSBWhile Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. § Jacob had twelve sons:
OEBWhile Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and lay with his father’s concubine Bilhah and Israel heard of it. ¶ Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
WEBBEWhile Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. ¶ Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
NETWhile Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it. ¶ Jacob had twelve sons:
LSVand it comes to pass in Israel’s dwelling in that land, that Reuben goes, and lies with his father’s concubine Bilhah; and Israel hears.
FBVDuring the time he was living there, Reuben went and slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel found out about it.[fn] ¶ These were the twelve sons of Jacob:
35:22The Septuagint adds, “and it was very distressing to him.”
T4TWhile they were living in that area, Jacob’s son Reuben had sex [EUP] with Bilhah, one of his father’s ◄concubines/female slaves whom he had taken as a secondary wife►. Someone told Jacob about it, and it made him very angry. ¶ ◄I will now give you/Here is► a list of Jacob’s twelve sons.
LEBAnd while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. And Israel heard about it. ¶ ¶ Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
BBENow while they were living in that country, Reuben had connection with Bilhah, his father's servant-woman: and Israel had news of it.
JPSAnd it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
ASVAnd it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard of it. ¶ Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
DRAAnd 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.
YLTand it cometh to pass in Israel's dwelling in that land, that Reuben goeth, and lieth with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heareth.
DrbyAnd it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. And the sons of Jacob were twelve.
RVAnd it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
WbstrAnd it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
KJB-1769And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
KJB-1611[fn]And it came to passe when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went & lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sonnes of Iacob wertwelue. (And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Yacob wertwelve.)
BshpsAnd as Israel dwelt in that land, Ruben went and lay with Bilha his fathers concubine: And it came to Israels eare. The sonnes of Iacob were twelue in number. (And as Israel dwelt in that land, Ruben went and lay with Bilha his fathers concubine: And it came to Israels eare. The sons of Yacob were twelve in number.)
GnvaNow, when Israel dwelt in that land, Reuben went, and lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine, and it came to Israels eare. And Iaakob had twelue sonnes. (Now, when Israel dwelt in that land, Reuben went, and lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine, and it came to Israels eare. And Yacob had twelve sons. )
CvdlAnd it chaunsed, that when Israel dwelt in that londe, Ruben wente and laye with Bilha his fathers concubyne, and that came to Israels eares. And Iacob had twolue sonnes. (And it chanced, that when Israel dwelt in that land, Ruben went and lay with Bilha his fathers concubine, and that came to Israels ears. And Yacob had twelve sons.)
WyclAnd while he dwellide in that cuntrei, Ruben yede, and slepte with Bala, the secundarie wijf of his fadir, which thing was not hid fro hym. Forsothe the sones of Jacob weren twelue; (And while he dwelled/dwelt in that country, Ruben went, and slept with Bala, the secondary wife of his father, which thing was not hid from him. Forsothe the sons of Yacob were twelve;)
LuthUnd es begab sich, da Israel im Lande wohnete, ging Ruben hin und schlief bei Bilha, seines Vaters Kebsweibe; und das kam vor Israel. Es hatte aber Jakob zwölf Söhne. (And it gifted sich, there Israel in_the land lived, went Ruben there and schlief at Bilha, his father Kebsweibe; and the came before/in_front_of Israel. It had but Yakob zwölf sons.)
ClVgCumque habitaret in illa regione, abiit Ruben, et dormivit cum Bala concubina patris sui: quod illum minime latuit. Erant autem filii Jacob duodecim.[fn] (And_when to_livet in that regione, he_is_gone Ruben, and dormivit when/with Bala concubina of_the_father sui: that him minime latuit. Erant however children Yacob duodecim. )
35.22Abiit Ruben, etc. ISID. Allegorice. Hoc crimen non scriberetur, nisi futura populi perversitas pronuntiaretur: quamvis in illo esset flagitium, in Scripturis est prophetia futurorum, quia per Ruben primogenitus populus Isræl figuratur: qui thorum concubinæ polluit, id est legem Veteris Testamenti prævaricando maculavit. Quod autem concubina Vetus Testamentum significaverit, Paulus ostendit dicens, Gal. 4: Abraham duos filios habuit, unum de ancilla, et alterum de libera, etc. Erant autem, etc. AUG. Quæritur quomodo hoc verum sit, etc., usque ad quam ut per synecdochen accipiatur.
35.22He_went_away Ruben, etc. ISID. Allegorice. This crimen not/no scriberetur, nisi futura of_the_people perversitas pronuntiaretur: quamvis in illo was flagitium, in Scripturis it_is prophetia futurorum, because through Ruben primogenitus populus Isræl figuratur: who thorum concubinæ polluit, id it_is the_law Veteris Testamenti prævaricando maculavit. That however concubina Vetus Testamentum significaverit, Paulus ostendit saying, Gal. 4: Abraham duos filios habuit, one about ancilla, and the_other about libera, etc. Erant however, etc. AUG. Quæritur how this verum let_it_be, etc., until to how as through synecdochen accipiatur.
35:22Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, thus defiling his father’s marriage bed. Perhaps Reuben, as the oldest son, was trying to replace his father as head of the clan by a pagan procedure (cp. 2 Sam 16:15-22), but by this action he lost his birthright (see Gen 49:3-4). • Jacob soon heard about it, but he again delayed his response (see 49:3-4; cp. 34:5).
Translate this idiom in a way that will not offend or embarrass people, especially when read aloud in public. See how you translated “lain with” in Gen 26:10.
וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
and=he/it_listened Yisrael
See how you translated heard in Gen 34:5, 7. Alternate translation: “but Israel found out about it.” or “and Israel was told by someone about it.”
וַיִּֽהְי֥וּ בְנֵֽי יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר
and=they_were sons_of Yaakob two ten
Alternate translation: “After the birth of Benjamin, Jacob now had a total of twelve sons.”
As with many of the stories of the Bible, the events of Jacob’s life are often misunderstood by readers as disjointed pericopes arranged primarily for theological and cultural purposes. Because of this, readers often fail to see that these stories follow a clear geographical progression of the patriarch throughout the land of Canaan. This realistic and coherent geographical framework behind the stories gives strong support to the belief that these stories are authentic, historical accounts of the experiences of Jacob and his ancestors. The overall framework for virtually all of Jacob’s stories is very simple: Jacob is born and raised in southern Canaan but comes into conflict with his twin brother Esau, so he flees to Paddan-aram in Mesopotamia (Genesis 25-28; see “Jacob Goes to Paddan-Aram” map). There he builds a large family and great wealth (Genesis 29-30) and eventually returns to southern Canaan, likely retracing the exact steps he followed when he fled (Genesis 31-35; see also “Jacob Returns to Canaan” map). During this time, Esau moves to the hill country of Seir, likely just south of southern Canaan (“Edom and the Land of Seir” map), and establishes his own family there, giving rise to the nation of Edom (Genesis 36). Though the primary intent of Jacob’s return was no doubt to resettle in Canaan, comments made during his reunion with Esau near Peniel may reveal that he also intended to travel even further to Seir to visit his brother there (Genesis 33:12-14). After crossing from Mahanaim to Peniel in Gilead, Jacob reunites with Esau and settles in Succoth for a time and builds a house for himself and booths for his cattle. He eventually crosses the Jordan River and enters Canaan, stopping first at the ancient city of Shechem. There Jacob’s daughter Dinah is defiled by the son of the region’s leader, and her brothers take revenge by killing all the men of the city. Thus, Jacob is forced to leave, but first he calls upon all his household to purify themselves. He collects their idols and rings and buries them beneath a tree in Shechem. Upon reaching Bethel, Jacob builds an altar and calls it El-bethel. The nurse of Jacob’s mother Rebekah also dies at Bethel and is buried under an oak below the town, leading them to call the place Allon-bacuth (“oak of weeping”). Jacob and his family leave for Bethlehem, but very soon after they start the journey Rachel gives birth to Benjamin and then dies. Jacob buries her along the way, apparently near a place called Zelzah (or perhaps Elzah; see 1 Samuel 10 and “Saul Search for His Donkeys” map). Jacob continues on and camps beyond the tower of Eder, perhaps near Bethlehem, since that seems to have been his original destination. Finally Jacob reaches Mamre and Hebron. Soon after this Isaac dies, and Esau and Jacob bury him. The story of Jacob’s journey ends at Genesis 35, and we are not explicitly told if Jacob traveled even further to Seir. Genesis 36, however, catalogs the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, perhaps indicating that Jacob did indeed fulfill the intentions he stated in Genesis 33:12-14.
Though the patriarch Isaac moved from place to place several times within southern Canaan, compared to his father Abraham and his son Jacob, Isaac appears to have been a bit of a homebody. In fact, unless Isaac resettled in places not recorded in Scripture, the farthest extent he ever traveled appears to have been only about 90 miles (113 km). Yet, as the child of God’s promise to Abraham to build a great nation from his descendants, Isaac’s relatively simple life served as a critical bridge from Abraham to the beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel, who were descended from Isaac’s son Jacob. It is likely that Isaac was born at Beersheba (see Genesis 21:1-24), and later Abraham offered him as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah (located at Jerusalem; see 2 Chronicles 3:1). Then Abraham, Isaac, and those with them returned to Beersheba (Genesis 22:1-19). When Isaac reached adulthood, his father sent a servant to bring back a bride for him from Aram-naharaim, far north of Canaan. When his bride, Rebekah, arrived, Isaac had just come from Beer-lahai-roi and settled in the Negev (Genesis 24:62). Later Isaac resettled with Rebekah in Beer-lahai-roi, and this may have been where their twins son Esau and Jacob were born. A famine forced Isaac to go to Gerar (Genesis 26:1-6) in “the land of the Philistines.” The distinct people group known as the Philistines in later books of the Bible did not arrive until the time of the Judges, so the term here must have referred to another people group living in this region, and this is supported by the fact that King Abimelech’s name is Semitic, not Aegean (the likely origin of the later Philistines). While Isaac was there, he repeated his father’s error (Genesis 20) by lying to the king that his wife was only his sister. Isaac also became increasingly prosperous at Gerar, so the Philistines told him to leave their region. Isaac moved away from the town of Gerar and settled further away in the valley of Gerar. There he dug a well, but the Philistines claimed it for themselves, so he called it Esek, meaning “argument.” So Isaac’s men dug another well and called it Sitnah (meaning “hostility”), but it led to more quarreling, so he dug yet another well and called it Rehoboth (meaning “open space”). The locations of these two later wells are not certain, but they may have been located near Ruheibeh as shown on this map. Then Isaac moved to Beersheba and built an altar. He also dug a well there, and King Abimelech of the Philistines came and exchanged oaths of peace with him. It was likely at Beersheba that Isaac blessed his sons Esau and Jacob, and both sons eventually left Canaan (see “Jacob Goes to Paddan-Aram” map). When Jacob later returned, he traveled to Mamre near Hebron and reunited with Isaac. Sometime after this Isaac died, and Jacob and Esau buried him there.
