Jacob Returns to Bethel and His Parents

1 And on the new moon of the month Jacob spoke to all the people of his house, saying: 'Purify yourselves and change your clothes, and let us set out and go up to Bethel, where I made a vow to Him on the day when I fled from Esau my brother, because he has been with me and brought me into this land in peace, and put away the foreign gods that are among you.' 2 And they gave up the foreign gods and that which was in their ears and which was on their necks and the idols which Rachel stole from Laban her father she gave entirely to Jacob. And he burned and broke them to pieces and destroyed them, and hid them under an oak which is in the land of Shechem. 3 And he went up on the new moon of the seventh month to Bethel. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and he set up a pillar there, and he sent word to his father Isaac to come to him to his sacrifice, and to his mother Rebekah. 4 And Isaac said: 'Let my son Jacob come, and let me see him before I die.' 5 And Jacob went to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebekah, to the house of his father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah, and he came to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebekah. 6 And Rebekah came out from the tower to the front of it to kiss Jacob and embrace him; for her spirit had revived when she heard: 'Look, Jacob your son has come'; and she kissed him. 7 And she saw his two sons, and she recognized them, and said to him: 'Are these your sons, my son?' and she embraced them and kissed them, and blessed them, saying: 'In you the descendants of Abraham shall become renowned, and you shall prove a blessing on the earth.'

Isaac Blesses Levi and Judah

8 And Jacob went in to Isaac his father, to the room where he lay, and his two sons were with him, and he took the hand of his father, and bending down he kissed him, and Isaac clung to his son Jacob's neck and wept on it. 9 And the darkness left the eyes of Isaac, and he saw the two sons of Jacob, Levi, and Judah, and he said: 'Are these your sons, my son? for they are like you.' 10 And he said to him that they were truly his sons: 'And you have truly seen that they are truly my sons'. 11 And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and embraced them both together. 12 And the spirit of prophecy came down into his mouth, and he took Levi by his right hand and Judah by his left.⁠a 13 And he turned to Levi first, and began to bless him first, and said to him: May the God of all, the very Lord of all the ages, bless you and your children throughout all the ages. 14 And may the Lord give to you and to your descendants greatness and great glory, and cause you and your descendants, from among all flesh, to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary as the angels of the presence and as the holy ones.⁠b (Even) as they, the descendants of your sons shall be for glory and greatness and holiness, and may He make them great to all the ages. 15 And they shall be judges and princes, and chiefs of all the descendants of the sons of Jacob; They shall speak the word of the Lord in righteousness, And they shall judge all His judgments in righteousness. And they shall declare My ways to Jacob And My paths to Israel.⁠c The blessing of the Lord shall be given in their mouths⁠d To bless all the descendants of the beloved. 16 Your mother has called your name Levi, And justly she has called your name; You shall be joined to the Lord And be the companion of all the sons of Jacob; Let His table be yours, And may you and your sons eat of it; And may your table be full to all generations, And your food not fail to all the ages. 17 And let all who hate you fall down before you, And let all your adversaries be rooted out and perish; And blessed be he that blesses you, And cursed be every nation that curses you.' 18 And to Judah he said: 'May the Lord give you strength and power To trample all that hate you; You shall be a prince, you and one of your sons, over the sons of Jacob;⁠e May your name and the name of your sons spread throughout every land and region. Then the nations shall fear you, And all the nations shall tremble [And all the peoples shall tremble]. 19 In you shall be the help of Jacob, And in you be found the salvation of Israel. 20 And when you sit on the throne of honor of your righteousness There shall be great peace for all the descendants of the sons of the beloved; Blessed be he that blesses you, And all that hate you and afflict you and curse you Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and be cursed.' 21 And turning he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced greatly; for he had seen the sons of Jacob his son in person. 22 And he went out from between his feet and fell down and bowed down to him, and he blessed them and rested there with Isaac his father that night, and they ate and drank with joy. 23 And he made the two sons of Jacob sleep, the one on his right hand and the other on his left, and it was counted to him for righteousness. 24 And Jacob told his father everything during the night, how the Lord had shown him great mercy, and how he had prospered (him in) all his ways, and protected him from all evil. 25 And Isaac blessed the God of his father Abraham, who had not withdrawn his mercy and his righteousness from the sons of his servant Isaac. 26 And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac the vow which he had vowed to the Lord, and the vision which he had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice to be made before the Lord as he had vowed, and that he had come to set him on a donkey. 27 And Isaac said to Jacob his son: 'I am not able to go with you; for I am old and not able to endure the journey: go, my son, in peace; for I am one hundred and sixty-five years today; I am no longer able to journey; set your mother (on a donkey) and let her go with you. 28 And I know, my son, that you have come on my account, and may this day be blessed on which you have seen me alive, and I also have seen you, my son. 29 May you prosper and fulfill the vow which you have vowed; and do not put off your vow; for you shall be called to account concerning the vow; now therefore hurry to fulfill it, and may He be pleased who has made all things, to whom you have vowed the vow.' 30 And he said to Rebekah: 'Go with Jacob your son'; and Rebekah went with Jacob her son, and Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel. 31 And Jacob remembered the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons, Levi and Judah, and he rejoiced and blessed the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. 32 And he said: 'Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and my sons also, before the God of all'; and thus it is ordained concerning the two; and they record it as an eternal testimony to them on the heavenly tablets how Isaac blessed them.