Rachel

3Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz, in the land of Canaan. He blessed me there.

And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

Note"God Almighty" means God is stronger than anyone. Luz was a town in Canaan. Later people called it Bethel.

4He said to me, 'I will give you many children. Your family will grow into a great crowd of people. I will give this land to your family after you, to keep forever.'

And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

NoteThe land is Canaan, where Jacob's family lived before they moved to Egypt.

5Now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are mine. They were born to you in Egypt before I came to you here. They will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

NoteIn this family, each son got a share of the land. Jacob is saying these two grandsons count as his own sons. So they get a share too, like Joseph's older brothers Reuben and Simeon.

6Any children born to you after them will be yours. When land is handed out, they will be listed under their brothers' names.

And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

NoteLater the family's land was divided up. Each of Jacob's sons had a piece named after him.

7As for me, I was coming back from Padan when Rachel died beside me. It happened in the land of Canaan, on the road, not far from Ephrath. I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem."

And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

NoteRachel was Jacob's wife and Joseph's mother. She died long ago, when Joseph was still a boy. Ephrath is the town later called Bethlehem.

11All the people at the gate and the leaders said, "We saw it. May the LORD make this woman like Rachel and Leah. Those two mothers built up the families of Israel. May you do well in Ephratah and be known in Bethlehem.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

NoteThe word LORD in capital letters is God's own name in this book. Rachel and Leah were two sisters long before this. Their children grew into the families of Israel. Ephratah was another name for the area around Bethlehem.

12Long ago Tamar had a son named Pharez, and Judah was his father. May your family grow strong like that family. May the LORD give you children by this young woman."

And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

NoteJudah was one of the sons of Israel long ago. Tamar was in his family, and their son was named Pharez. Pharez's family grew very large and strong.

15The LORD says this: "A voice is heard in the town of Ramah. There is crying and deep, bitter sadness. Rachel is crying for her children. She will not let anyone comfort her, because her children are gone."

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

NoteRamah was a town near Jerusalem. Prisoners were gathered there before being marched far away. Rachel was a mother of Israel's families long ago. Here she is pictured crying for children taken away.

16The LORD says this: "Stop crying. Dry your eyes. Your hard work will be paid back, says the LORD. Your children will come home from the land of the enemy."

Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

17"There is hope for your future, says the LORD. Your children will come back to their own land."

And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

16Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him. He was very angry. He sent out an order. All the boys in Bethlehem and the towns nearby were killed. Only boys two years old and younger were killed. He picked that age from what the wise men had told him.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

NoteThe King James says "coasts." Here that word means the land around the town. It has nothing to do with the sea. "Wroth" is an old word for very angry.

17So the words of Jeremiah the prophet came true. He had said:

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet. He lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

18"A voice was heard in the town of Ramah. There was crying and loud, sad weeping. Rachel was weeping for her children. She would not let anyone comfort her, because they were gone."

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

NoteRamah was a town north of Jerusalem. Rachel was a mother of Israel's families long, long ago. Many of her family lived near Ramah. The words show her crying for children who were gone.