Today is the 17th day of January. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather and keep each other warm in these winter months. I know some of you are having summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

It's always a good time for a campfire and here we are around it, gathering to take the next step forward.

And our next step forward leads us back into the book of Genesis, First Book of the Bible, a book that is introducing us to the people and the family that is the story of the rest of the Bible.

In large parts, the children of Israel. And we now know why they are called the children of Israel because Jacob, who we have met, who we are traveling alongside with right now, his name has been changed to Israel which makes his children.

Israel's children, the children of Israel. And yesterday Jacob and Esa the two brothers, twin brothers, were reunited and it was favorable and there was no war and nobody died.

And so they have been reunited. Esa has returned to his land. Jacob is taking his time and we pick up this story with Jacob. From there, today, Genesis, chapters 35 and 36.

God said to Jacob, get up, go to battle and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esa.

So Jacob said to his family in all who are with him, get rid of the four in gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.

We must get up and go to battle. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.

Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shekham.

When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them and they did not pursue Jacob's sons. So Jacob and all who were with him came to love, that is, Beto, in the land of Canaan.

Jacob built an altar there and called the place El Beto because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

Debra, the one who had nursed and raised Rebecca, died and was buried under the oak south of Beto. So Jacob named it Alon Bakoot.

God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Patan Aram and he blessed him. God said to him, your name is Jacob.

He will no longer be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel. So he named him Israel.

God also said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation indeed and assembly of nations will come from you and kings will descend from you.

I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac and I will give the land to your future descendants.

Then God withdrew from him at the place where he had spoken to him.

Jacob set up a marker at the place where he had spoken to him, a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.

Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Beto. They set out from Beto. When they were some distance from Ephraath, Rachel began to give birth and her labor was difficult.

During her difficult labor, the midwife said, don't be afraid for you have another son.

With her last breath for she was dying, she named him Men Only, but his father called him Men-Jemen.

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