Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.  Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.  For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.

 
 
 

Going to Jesus

Bible Translation

 Select a book to read:

 Complete Translation
 PJV Translation pdf

 Chapter:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Genesis

Genesis 1

¶1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2. And the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water.

3. And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light.

4. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

5. And God called the light “day”, and he called the darkness “night”. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.

¶6. And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, so that it divides the water from the water!”

7. And God made the expanse, and it separated the water that was under the expanse from the water that was above the expanse. And so it was.

8. And God called the expanse “heaven”. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the second day.

¶9. And God said, “Let the water under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear.” And so it was.

10. And God called the dry land “earth”, and he called the gathered water “seas”. And God saw that it was good.

11. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the seed-bearing plant, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, after its kind, on the earth.” And so it was.

12. And the earth produced vegetation, the seed-bearing plant after its kind, the tree producing fruit whose seed is in it, after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.

¶14. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of heaven, to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs, seasons, days, and years.

15. And let them be for lights in the expanse of heaven to shine on the earth.” And so it was.

16. And God made two great lights, the greater light for the realm of day, and the lesser light and the stars for the realm of night.

17. And God placed them in the expanse of heaven to shine on the earth,

18.to rule by day and by night and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day.

¶20. And God said, “Let the water teem with a multitude of living creatures, and let flying creatures fly over the land upon the face of the expanse of heaven.”

21. And God created huge sea-creatures, and the soul of every living thing that moves and swarms in the water after their kind, and every winged flying creature after their kind. And God saw that it was good.

22. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the water in the seas, and let flying creatures multiply on the earth.”

23. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.

¶24. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living soul, after its kind – livestock, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after its kind.” And so it was.

25. And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the livestock after its kind, and what creeps on the ground after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

¶26. And God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them rule over the creature that swims in the sea, and the creature that flies in the sky, and the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every living thing that moves about on the land.

27. And so, God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him. He created them male and female.

28. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the creature that swims in the sea, and the creature that flies in the sky, and every creature that creeps about on the land.”

29. And God said, “Behold, I have given to you every seed-bearing plant that is on the face of the whole earth, and every tree whose fruit bears the seed of a tree, for your food.

30.And to every creature on land, to every creature that flies in the sky, and to everything that creeps on the ground, in which is a living soul, I have given every green plant for food.” And so it was.

31. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. So, there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2

Back to Top

¶1. And heaven and earth were completed, and all their host.

2. And on the seventh day, God finished His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He did.

3. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because in it, He rested from His work that God did in creation.

¶4. These are the origins of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day Jehovah[1] God made earth and heaven.

5. And no plant of the field was yet on the earth, and no herbage of the field had yet sprouted, because Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the ground.

6. But a mist went up from the earth, and it watered all of the ground.

7. And Jehovah God formed the man from dirt of the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul.

8. And Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, eastward, and there He put the man that he had formed.

9. And Jehovah God caused to sprout from the ground every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life was in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10. And a river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there, it was divided and became four heads.

11. The name of the first was Pishon, which borders the land of Havilah, where there is gold

12.(the gold of that land is good), and bdellium and the onyx stone are there.

13. And the name of the second river was Gihon, which borders all the land of Cush.

14. And the name of the third river was Hiddekel, going east of Assyria. And the fourth river was the Euphrates.

15. And Jehovah God took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to tend and to look after it.

16. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, “You may eat from any of the trees of the garden.

17.However, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

18. Then Jehovah God said, “It is not good for the man to live by himself. I will make a helper fit for him.”

19. And Jehovah God formed from the ground all creatures that live in the field and all creatures that fly in the sky. Then He brought each to the man to see what he would call it, and whatever the man called the creature, that was its name.

20. So, the man gave names to all the beasts and creatures that fly in the sky, and to all the animals of the field, but as for the man, He found no helper fit for him.

21. And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. Then He took one of his ribs, and He closed up the flesh in its place.

22. And Jehovah God made the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman. And He brought her to the man.

23. And the man said, “This one, at last, is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. This one shall be called ‘woman’ because she was taken out of man.”

24. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25. And the man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

Genesis 3

Back to Top

1. Now the serpent was more cunning than all of the creatures of the field that Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from every tree of the garden?”

2. And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,

3.but of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, lest you die.’”

4. And the serpent said to the woman, “You will certainly not die.

5.For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise[2], she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it.

7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8. Then they heard the voice of Jehovah God as He walked about in the garden in the evening breeze. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the face of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden.

9. And Jehovah God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10. And he said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

11. And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12. And the man said, “The wife that you gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

13. And Jehovah God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14. And Jehovah God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are more cursed than all cattle, and more than any beast of the field. You shall go about on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15.And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.”

¶16. To the woman, He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception. With pain will you bear children. And your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

¶17. To the man, He said, “Inasmuch as you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. By hard labor shall you eat, all the days of your life,

18.for it will bring forth thorns and thistles. And you shall eat the plants of the field.

19.By the sweat of your face shall you eat food until you return to the ground, for you were taken from it. You were dirt, and to dirt shall you return.”

20. And the man called his wife, Eve[3], for she was the mother of all living.

21. And Jehovah God made tunics of skin for the man and his wife, and He clothed them.

¶22. And Jehovah God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil. Now, lest he stretch out his hand to take and eat from the tree of life as well, and live forever . . .”

23. Then Jehovah God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

24. And He drove the man out, and on the east side of the garden of Eden, He placed cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 4

Back to Top

¶1. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain[4]. For she said, “I have gotten a man with the help of God.”[5]

2. And again, she gave birth to his brother, Abel[6]. And Abel became a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.

3. And it happened after some time, that Cain brought the fruit of the ground as an offering for Jehovah.

4. And Abel brought his also, the firstlings of his flock and their fat. And Jehovah accepted Abel and his gift,

5.but He did not accept Cain and his gift. And Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

6. And Jehovah said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why is your countenance fallen?

7.If you do good, will you not be accepted? (But if you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door.) And his desire will be toward you, and you will rule over him.”

8. And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

9. And Jehovah said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” And he said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10. And God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.

11.Therefore, you are now cursed from the ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hand,

12.so that when you work the ground, it will not produce abundantly for you. But you will be a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth.”

13. And Cain said to Jehovah, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14.For you have driven me off the face of the land today, and I will be hidden from your face. And I will be a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth. And it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15. And Jehovah said to him, “Then, whoever slays Cain shall suffer vengeance, seven-fold.” And Jehovah put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

16. So Cain went out from before Jehovah and dwelled in the land of Nod[7], east of Eden.

17. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And then he built a city, and he named the city after the name of his son Enoch.

18. And to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mahujael, and Mahujael fathered Mathushael, and Mathushael fathered Lamech.

19. And Lamech took two wives for himself. The name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

20. And Adah bore Javal, who became the father of those who dwell in tents and tend cattle.

21. And his brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all lyre and flute players.

22. And Zillah also bore Tubal-cain, the fashioner of all copper and iron implements. And Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah.

23. And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, “Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech! Give ear to what I say! I have killed a man for my wound, and a young man for my stripe.

24.If Cain suffered vengeance seven-fold, then Lamech, seventy-seven.”

25. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she called his name Seth[8], for she said, “God has given me another seed in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”

26. And to Seth, a son was born also, and he called his name Enosh. At that time, man began to call on a name of the Lord.[9]

Genesis 5

Back to Top

¶1. This is the genealogical record of Adam. In the day God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

2. Male and female, He created them, and He blessed them. And He called their name “man” in the day they were created.

3. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he fathered a son in his likeness and his form, and he called his name Seth.

4. And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

5. And all of the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

¶6. And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he fathered Enosh.

7. And Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he fathered Enosh. And he fathered sons and daughters.

8. And all of the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

¶9. And Enosh lived ninety years, and he fathered Cainan.

10. And Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he fathered Cainan, and he fathered sons and daughters.

11. And all of the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¶12. And Cainan lived seventy years, and he fathered Mahalaleel.

13. And Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years after he fathered Mahalaleel, and he fathered sons and daughters.

14. And all of the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¶15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and he fathered Jared.

16. And Mahalaleel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered sons and daughters.

17. And all of the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¶18. And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and he fathered Enoch.

19. And Jared lived eight hundred years after he fathered Enoch, and he fathered sons and daughters.

20. And all of the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

¶21. And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and he fathered Methuselah[10].

22. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

23. And all of the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

24. Then Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him.

¶25. And Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and he fathered Lamech.

26. And Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he fathered Lamech, and he fathered sons and daughters.

27. And all of the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

¶28. And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and he fathered a son.

29. And he named him Noah[11] saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands because of the ground that God[12] has cursed.”

30. And after Lamech fathered Noah, he lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

31. And all of the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

¶32. And Noah was five hundred years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

2.that the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful to look at, and they took wives for themselves, whoever they chose.

3. And Jehovah said, “My spirit will not contend with man forever, inasmuch as he is flesh. His days will be one hundred and twenty years.”

4. There were giants on earth in those days (and even after that) when the sons of God went in to the daughters of man, and they bore them children. They were mighty men, men of renown from long ago.

¶5. And Jehovah saw that man’s wickedness was great on the earth and that every thought and intention of his heart was altogether evil every day.

6. And Jehovah regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved to His heart.

7. And Jehovah said, “I will wipe man, whom I have created, from off the face of the earth, as well as the beasts, the creeping things, and the flying creatures of the sky. For it grieves me that I have made them.”

8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.

¶9. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man; he was without blemish in his generations. And Noah walked with God.

10. And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11. And the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was full of violence.

12. And God saw the earth, that behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.

¶13. And God said to Noah, “An end of all flesh has come before me because the earth is full of violence because of them. Now, behold, I will wipe them off the face of the earth.

14.Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make compartments in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and out.

15.And this is how you will make it: three hundred cubits will be the length of the ark, fifty cubits, its width, and thirty cubits, its height.

16.You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it off, a cubit above, and you shall make the door of the ark on the side. With lower, second, and third decks shall you make it.

17.As for me, I am bringing a cataclysm of water upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life. Everything that is on the earth will perish from under heaven.

18.But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

19.And from every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female –

20.the flying creature after its kind, the beast of the field after its kind, and every creeping thing on the ground after its kind – two from each shall enter in to you, to stay alive.

21.And as for you, take for yourself every food that is eaten, and you shall store it for yourself. And it shall be food for you and for them.”

22. And Noah built it. He did everything as God commanded him.

Genesis 7

Back to Top

1. And Jehovah said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, because I have found you to be righteous in this generation.

2.From all the clean beasts of the field, take to you by sevens, the male and his mate, and from the beasts that are not clean, two, the male and his mate,

3.and from the flying creatures of the sky by sevens, male and female, to preserve seed on the face of all the earth,

4.for after seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will wipe out every living thing that I have made on the face of the earth.”

5. And Noah did according to all that Jehovah commanded him.

6. Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth.

7. And Noah and his sons, and his wife and his sons’ wives, went with him into the ark because of the waters of the flood.

8. Of clean beasts of the field, and beasts that are not clean, and flying creatures, and every thing that creeps on the ground,

9.two by two, they came to Noah in the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

10. And after seven days, the flood-waters came on the earth.

11. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the windows of heaven were opened,

12.and the rain came on the earth for forty days and forty nights.

13. In that very same day, Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s sons, went into the ark, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons went with them,

14.they and every creature after its kind, and every beast after its kind, and every thing that creeps about on the land after its kind, and every flying creature after its kind, every bird of every sort.

15. And they came in to Noah, into the ark, two by two of all flesh in which was the breath of life,

16.male and female of all flesh entered in. They came as God had commanded him, and Jehovah closed him in.

17. And the flood was forty days on the earth, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the land.

18. And the waters prevailed, and greatly increased on the earth. And the ark floated on the face of the waters.

19. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains under heaven were covered.

20. Fifteen cubits and upwards the waters prevailed and covered the mountains.

21. And all flesh that crept about on the earth died – flying creatures, cattle, beasts, all swarming animals that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.

22. Indeed, all died in whose nostrils was the breath of life, everything that was on dry ground.

23. And every living thing on the face of the ground was destroyed – man, cattle, creeping thing, and flying creature of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Noah alone remained, and those with him in the ark.

24. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8

Back to Top

1. And God remembered Noah, and every beast, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind pass over the earth, and the waters abated.

2. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were shut, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

3. And the waters returned from going over the earth, and in returning, the waters decreased for one hundred fifty days.

4. And the ark rested in the seventh month, in the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

5. And the waters continued to decrease until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6. And it came to pass after forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made,

7.and he sent forth a raven, and it went out, and went to and fro until the waters dried up from the earth.

8. And so, after him, he sent a dove to see if the waters had abated from the surface of the ground,

9.but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him, to the ark, because the waters were upon the face of the whole earth. And Noah stretched out his hand, and took her, and brought her in to him in the ark.

10. And he waited seven more days, and then he again sent the dove out of the ark.

11. And the dove came in to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive tree leaf was in her mouth, and Noah knew that the waters had abated from the earth.

12. And he waited seven more days, and then, again, he sent the dove, and it did not return to him any more.

13. It came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, at the beginning of the first month, that the waters were dried up from off the earth, and Noah removed the ark’s covering and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

14. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

¶15. And God spoke to Noah, saying,

16.“Leave the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

17.Every living thing that is with you of all flesh – flying creatures, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps on the ground – bring out with you.” And they spread over the earth, and were fruitful, and multiplied on the earth.

18. And Noah went out, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him.

19. And every living thing after their kind – every creeping thing, every flying creature, and everything that moves on the earth – went out from the ark.

20. And Noah built an altar to Jehovah, and he took some of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21. And Jehovah smelled the placating aroma, and Jehovah said in his heart, “For man’s sake, I will not curse the ground again, for the thought of man’s heart is continually evil from his youth. Nor will I again destroy all life the way I have done it.

22.As long as the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.”

Genesis 9

Back to Top

1. And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2.A fear of you and dread of you will come upon every animal of the earth, and upon every creature that flies in the sky, and on every creeping thing that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; they are delivered into your hand.

3.Every creeping thing that lives will be food for you, just like the plants. I have given you everything.

4.Only, do not eat flesh with its lifeblood.

5.And your lifeblood I will surely require; of the hand of every animal and of the hand of man will I require it. By each man’s brother will I require the life of the man.

6.Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for He made man in the image of God.

7.Now, be fruitful and multiply, and cover the earth, and multiply on it.”

¶8. God also spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9.“And, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you, and with your seed after you,

10.with every living soul that is with you – the flying creature, the beast of the field, and with every living thing of earth that is with you – from all that go out of the ark to every living thing on earth.

11.And I am establishing my covenant with you. Never again will all flesh be cut off by floodwaters, and never again will there be a flood to wipe out the earth.”

12. And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between me and you and every living soul that is with you, unto all generations:

13.I will set my bow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of the covenant between me and the earth,

14.so that when I cause a cloud to appear on the earth, the bow will appear in the cloud,

15.and I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh, and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16.And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look at it to remember the lasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is on the earth.”

17. And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

¶18. And the sons of Noah went from the ark, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.[13]

19. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, all the earth was populated.

20. And Noah became a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.

21. And he drank of the wine and was made drunk, and he was uncovered inside his tent.

22. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked, and he told his two brothers outside.

23. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and they put it on their two shoulders and walked behind it, and they covered the nakedness of their father. But their faces were behind the garment so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.

24. And Noah came out of his stupor, and he found out what his younger son had done to him.

25. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan! He shall be a servant of servants to his brothers!”

26. And he said, “Blessed be God,[14] the God of Shem, and Canaan shall be a servant to him!

27. And God will enlarge Japheth, and he will dwell in the tents of Shem, but Canaan shall be a servant to him!”

28. And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

29. And all of the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Genesis 10

Back to Top

¶1. And these were the children of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.

2. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

3. And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

4. And the sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5. The borders of the nations were divided among these. In their lands, each had their own language for their family in their nations.

6. And the sons of Ham were Cush,[15] Mizraim,[16] Put, and Canaan.

7. And the sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

8. And Cush fathered Nimrod. He became a mighty man on the earth.

9. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah. For this reason, it is said, “Like Nimrod, the mighty hunter before Jehovah.”

10. The principal cities of his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11. From that land, went Asshur, and he built Nineveh and the city of Rehoboth, and Calah,

12.and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah, which is the great city.

13. And Mizraim fathered the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

14. Pathrusim, Casluhim (from there came the Philistim), and Caphtorim.

¶15. And Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth,

16.and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

17.the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

18.the Arvadites, the Zamarites, and the Hamathites. And afterwards, the families of the Canaanites were scattered.

19. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon to Gerar, and from Gaza to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha.

20. These were the sons of Ham according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, in their nations.

¶21. And to Shem, father of all the sons of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, were born children.

22. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.[17]

23. And the sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

24. And Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.

25. And to Eber were born two sons. The name of the first was Peleg[18] because in his days, the earth was divided. And the name of his brother was Joktan.

26. And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

27.Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28.Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

29.Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

30. And their dwellings were from Mesha to Sephar, a mountain to the east.

31. These were the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

32. These were the families of the sons of Noah according to their children, by their nations. And by these were the nations of the earth divided after the flood.

Genesis 11

Back to Top

¶1. And all the earth was one language and one speech.

2. And it came to pass that when they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelled there.

3. And they said, each one to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them.” And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar.

4. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, that we may make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

5. And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of Adam had built.

6. And Jehovah said, “Behold, the people are one, and there is one language for them all, and they have begun to do this. Now, nothing they imagine will be too difficult for them.

7.Come, let us go down and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

8. And so, Jehovah scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city.

9. This is why its name is called Babel, for there, Jehovah confused the languages of the whole earth, and from there, Jehovah scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

¶10. These are the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.

11. And after he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived five hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶12. And Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and he fathered Shelah.

13. And after he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶14. And Shelah lived thirty years, and he fathered Eber.

15. And after he fathered Eber, Shelah lived four hundred and three years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶16. And Eber lived thirty-four years, and he fathered Peleg.

17. And after he fathered Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶18. And Peleg lived thirty years, and he fathered Reu.

19. And after he fathered Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶20. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and he fathered Serug.

21. And after he fathered Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶22. And Serug lived thirty years, and he fathered Nahor.

23. And after he fathered Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶24. And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and he fathered Terah.

25. And after he fathered Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

¶26. And Terah lived seventy years, and he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27. And these were the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot.

28. But Haran died before Terah his father in his homeland, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.

30. And Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son. And they went with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to travel to the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and dwelled there.

32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12

Back to Top

¶1. And Jehovah said to Abram, “Go from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2.And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

3.And I will bless them who bless you, and curse him who curses you. And in you will all the families of the earth be blessed.”

4. And Abram went as Jehovah had told him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

5. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, his brother’s son, and all the possessions that they had, and the souls that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan, and they came into the land of Canaan.

6. And Abram passed through the land to the area of Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

7. And Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said, “I will give this land to your seed.” And he built there an altar to Jehovah, who appeared to him.

8. And he moved on from there to the mountain east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Hai on the east. And there, he built an altar to Jehovah, and he called upon a name of Jehovah.

9. And Abram pulled up stakes and set out, going toward the Negev.

¶10. And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land.

11. And it came to pass as he was about to enter into Egypt that he said to Sarai his wife, “Behold now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

12.And it will be that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they will kill me, and keep you alive.

13.Say, if you will, that you are my sister so that it will go well for me on account of you. Then my life will be spared because of you.”

14. And it came to pass when Abram entered into Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

15. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into the house of Pharaoh.

16. And he treated Abram well for her sake. And he had sheep, cattle, donkeys, male slaves, female slaves, she-asses, and camels.

17. But Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, the wife of Abram.

18. And Pharaoh summoned Abram, and he said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

19.Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to me for a wife? And now, behold your wife! Take her and leave!”

20. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife, with all that he had.

Genesis 13

Back to Top

1. And Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev, he and his wife, with all that he had, and Lot was with him.

2. And Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.

3. And he went on his journeys from the Negev to Bethel, to the place where he pitched his tent at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4.to the place of the altar that he made in the beginning. And there, Abram called upon a name of Jehovah.

5. And Lot, who went with Abram, possessed flocks, and cattle, and tents.

6. And the land could not support them dwelling together because their substance was great, and so, they were not able to dwell together.

7. Moreover, there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. (The Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelled then in the land.)

8. So, Abram said to Lot, “Let there now be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.

9.Is not all the land before you? Separate yourself from me, I pray you. If you want the left, then I will go to the right, and if you want the right, then I will go to the left.”

10. And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the area around the Jordan, that all of it was well-watered (before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah). It was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

11. And Lot chose for himself the whole area around the Jordan, and Lot set out eastward. And they separated, each from his brother;

12.Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the area and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

13. But the men of Sodom were very evil and sinful before Jehovah.

14. And Jehovah said to Abram after he was separated from Lot, “Lift up your eyes, if you will, and look northward from where you are, and southward, and east, and west.

15.For all the land that you see will I give to you and to your seed forever.

16.And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your seed will also be counted.

17.Rise; walk the land, its length and its breadth, for I will give it to you.”

18. And Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelled at the Oaks of Mamre, which is at Hebron. And there he built an altar to Jehovah.

Genesis 14

Back to Top

¶1. It came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim,

2.that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (which is Zoar).

3. These all came together to the Valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.

4. They had served Chedorlaomer twelve years, but in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.

5. Then, in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came, and they defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,

6.and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, to El-paran, which is by the wilderness.

7. And they turned back and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

8. And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (which is Zoar) went out and set the battle in order with them in the Valley of Siddim,

9.against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar – four kings against five.

10. And the Valley of Siddim was full of pits of bitumen, and the kings of Sodom and of Gomorrah fell there, and those who were left escaped to the mountain.

11. And they seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and left.

12. And when they left, they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who lived in Sodom, and his goods.

13. But a man who escaped came and brought a report to Abram the Hebrew, who had settled at the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. These were parties to a covenant with Abram.

14. And Abram heard that his kinsman had been carried away, and he armed his trained men who were born in his house, three hundred eighteen, and he made pursuit as far as Dan.

15. And when he had divided them up, he and his servants attacked them at night and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

16. And he brought back all the goods, and he also brought back his kinsman, Lot, and his goods, and the women and the people as well.

17. And the king of Sodom went out to speak to him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, to the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King’s Valley.

18. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest of the Most High God.

19. And he blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth,

20.and blessed be the Most High God who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And he gave him a tenth of everything.

21. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and you take the goods.”

22. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to God,[19] the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and have put myself under an oath, saying,

23.Let God damn me if I take anything of yours,[20] from a thread to the thong of a sandal,’ lest you should say, ‘I made Abram rich’ –

24.with the exception of what the young men have eaten, and a portion for the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They will take their portion.”

Genesis 15

Back to Top

¶1. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Abram, do not be afraid. I will be your shield and your very great reward.”

2. And Abram said, “O Lord God,[21] what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?”

3. And Abram said, “Behold, you have not given me offspring. And behold, one born in my house is my heir.”

4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your bowels will be your heir.”

5. And He brought him outside and said, “Look toward the heavens, if you will, and number the stars if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “That is how your seed will be.”

6. And he believed Jehovah, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

7. And He said to him, “I am God, who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit.”

8. And he said, “O Lord God, how do I know that I will inherit it?”

9. And He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old she-goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10. And he took all these to Him, and he cut them in halves and put each half opposite the other. But he did not divide the birds.

11. And birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12. And as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, a terror of great darkness fell on him.

13. And He said to Abram, “Know this! Your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will serve them. And they will oppress them four hundred years.

14.And I will also judge the nation that they serve, and after that, they will go out with great substance.

15.And as for you, you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.

16.And in the fourth generation, they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

17. And it came to pass that the sun went down, and it grew dark. And behold, a smoking fire-pot and a fiery torch passed between the pieces.

18. On that day, Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

19.with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,

20.and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,

21.and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.”

Genesis 16

Back to Top

¶1. Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar,

2.and Sarai said to Abram, “If you please, behold, God[22] has kept me from bearing children. Go in, I pray you, to my maidservant. It may be that I will get a child from her.” And Abram listened to Sarai’s voice.

3. And so, after Abram had dwelled in the land of Canaan ten years, Sarai the wife of Abram took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him.

4. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. But when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5. And Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maidservant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. God judge between me and you!”

6. And Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maidservant is in your hand. Do with her what is good in your eyes.” So, Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7. And an angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the road to Shur.

8. And he said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant! Where did you come from, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from Sarai, my mistress.”

9. And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and humble yourself under her hand!”

10. The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your seed, so that it cannot be counted for multitude.”

11. And the angel of the Lord told her, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael[23] because God[24] has heard your affliction.

12.And he will be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him. And he will dwell in the presence of all of his brothers.”

13. And she gave a name to Jehovah who spoke to her, saying, “You are El-Roi,”[25] for she said, “Am I still here, seeing, after He has seen me?”

14. Therefore, the well was called Beer-lahai-roi[26]. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15. And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16. And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 17

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass when Abram was ninety-nine years old that Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El-Shaddai.[27] Live in my presence and be perfect,

2.and I will establish my covenant between me and you, and I will very greatly multiply you.”

3. Then Abram fell on his face. And God spoke to him, saying,

4.“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you will be a father of a multitude of nations.

5.And your name will no longer be called Abram[28], but your name will be Abraham[29] because I have made you a father of many nations.

6.And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

7.And I have established my covenant between me and you, and with your seed after you in their generations, as a perpetual covenant, to be your God, and your children’s after you.

8.And I will give to you and to your seed after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God.”

9. And God said to Abraham, “You must keep my covenant, you and your children after you in their generations.

10.This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you, and your children after you: Every male among you is to be circumcised.

11.You are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it will be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.

12.And every eight-day-old male among you shall be circumcised throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with money from a foreigner who is not your descendant.

13.The child born in your house or one bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh as a perpetual covenant.

14.And an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall certainly be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

¶15. God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai,[30] for Sarah[31] will be her name.

16.And I have blessed her, and I have also given you a son by her. Yea, I have blessed her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

17. And Abraham fell on his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “Will a son be born to a hundred-year-old? And will Sarah give birth at ninety years old?”

18. And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael may live in your sight!”

19. And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac,[32] and I will establish my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his children after him.

20.But as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and multiply him very greatly. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

21.But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

22. And He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23. Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all those born in his house, and all those bought with his money, every male of the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin that very day, just as God had told him.

24. And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25. And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26. In the same day, Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

27. And all the men of his house, those born in his house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 18

Back to Top

¶1. And Jehovah appeared to him at the Oaks of Mamre as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day.

2. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood three men before him, and he saw them and ran from the tent door to meet them. Then he bowed down to the ground

3.and said, “My lords, I pray, if I have found favor in your eyes, do not, I pray, pass your servant by.

4.Let a little water be brought, I pray you, and your feet be washed, and you rest under the tree.

5.And I will fetch a morsel of bread to strengthen your heart, and afterward, you may pass on. For this is why you have come to your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have said.”

6. And Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Knead three measures of fine flour and make cakes!”

7. And Abraham ran to the cattle, and he took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, and he hurried to dress it.

8. And he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and he set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9. And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”

10. And one of them said, “When I return to you according to the time of life, behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door that was behind him.

11. Now, Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “Shall I have pleasure after I am wasted away and my lord is old?”

13. And Jehovah said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’

14.Is anything too difficult for God? I will return to you at the appointed time, and Sarah will have a son according to the time of life.”

15. But Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh” (for she was afraid). Then He said, “No, you laughed.”

16. And the men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham walked with them to send them off.

17. And Jehovah said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

18.Abraham will surely become a great and mighty people, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him.

19.For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of God, to do righteousness and justice, so that God will bring on Abraham what He has spoken concerning him.”

20. And Jehovah said, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sins are very grievous.

21.I will now go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry that has come to me. And if not, I will find out.”

22. And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom. And Abraham still stood before Jehovah.

23. And Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the guilty?

24.What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you indeed destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous in its midst?

25.Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death along with the wicked, so that it is with the righteous as with the wicked. Far be it from you, O Judge of all the earth, not to do what is just.”

26. And Jehovah said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27. And Abraham answered and said, “Behold now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes.

28.What if five are lacking of the fifty righteous? Will you wipe out the whole city for lack of five?” And He said, “I will not wipe it out for the sake of the forty-five.”

29. And he continued still to speak to Him, “What if forty are found there?” He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

30. And he said, “I pray, do not let my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31. Then he said, “Behold, I pray, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord. What if twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not wipe it out for the sake of the twenty.”

32. And he said, “I pray, do not let my Lord be angry, and I will speak only one more time. What if ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not wipe it out for the sake of the ten.”

33. And Jehovah left when He had finished speaking to Abraham. And Abraham returned to his place.

Genesis 19

Back to Top

1. And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them, and bowed his face to the ground.

2. And he said, “Behold now, my lords, if you will, turn in to the house of your servant, and spend the night, and wash your feet, and then rise up early and go on your way.” But they said, “No. We will stay overnight in the street.”

3. But he pressed them greatly, and so they turned aside to him and came into his house. And he made a feast for them, and he baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4. But before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, from the young to the old, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.

5. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them!”

6. But Lot went out to them at the entrance, and he closed the door behind him.

7. And he said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not do this evil!

8.Behold, I pray you, I have two daughters who have not known man. If you will, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

9. But they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This guy came in as a sojourner, and he’s always judging! Now we will do more evil to you than to them!” And they pressed in on the man, on Lot, greatly, and they drew near to break down the door.

10. Then the men stretched out their hand and pulled Lot back to them into the house and shut the door.

11. And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, from the least to the greatest, and they grew weary trying to find the door.

12. Then the men said to Lot, “Who do you still have here? Take all those that you have in the city out of this place, sons-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters.

13.We are about to destroy this place because their cry has become great before God, and God has sent us to destroy it.”

14. And Lot went out and spoke with his sons-in-law who had taken his daughters. And he said, “Get up! Get out of this place! For God is about to destroy the city!” But to his sons-in-law, he seemed like one who was joking.

15. As dawn broke, the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Rise up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are left, lest you be destroyed in the punishment of this city!”

16. Yet, he hesitated, and so the men grabbed his hand, the hand of his wife, and the hand of his two daughters – in Jehovah’s mercy on him – and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

17. And it came to pass that as they were bringing them out, one said, “Flee for your life! Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in the area. Flee to the mountain, lest you be destroyed!”

18. But Lot said to them, “No, my lords! I beg you!

19.Behold now, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountain, lest some evil overtake me, and I die.

20.Behold, I beg you, this town is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me now flee there! Is it not a little one? And my soul will live.”

21. And he said to him, “Behold, I have accepted you concerning this thing also. I will not destroy the town for which you have spoken.

22.Hurry! Flee there, for I can do nothing until you arrive.” For this reason the name of the town was called Zoar.[33]

23. The sun had risen over the land when Lot entered Zoar.

24. Then Jehovah rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from Jehovah out of heaven,

25.and He destroyed those cities, and all the area, and all those who dwelled in the cities, and all that grew out of the ground.

26. But his wife looked behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

27. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood in the presence of Jehovah,

28.and he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land in the area, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29. And it came to pass that when God destroyed the cities of the area, God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot out from the midst of the destruction when He destroyed the cities that Lot dwelled in.

30. And Lot and his two daughters with him went up from Zoar and dwelled in the mountain because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31. And the older said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us according to the manner of the whole earth.

32.Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and we will lie with him and preserve our father’s seed.”

33. And so, that night they gave their father wine to drink, and the older went in and lay with her father. But he did not know when she lay down or when she rose up.

34. And it came to pass the next day that the older said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us give him wine to drink again tonight, and then you go and lie with him, and we will preserve our father’s seed.”

35. And so, they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger rose up and lay with him. And he did not know when she lay down or when she rose up.

36. So, the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.

37. And the older one bore a son, and she called his name Moab,[34] and he is the father of Moab to this day.

38. And the younger also bore a son, and she called his name Ben-ami.[35] He is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.

Genesis 20

Back to Top

¶1. And Abraham journeyed from there toward the region of the Negev, and he dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for and took Sarah.

3. And God came to Abimelech by night in a dream, and He said to him, “Behold, you are to die because of the woman you have taken, for she has a husband.”

4. Now, Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “O Lord, will you destroy a righteous nation also?

5.Didn’t he say to me, ‘She is my sister’? Even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands!”

6. And God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, so I withheld you from sinning against me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her.

7.And now, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you so that you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all that are yours.”

8. And Abimelech rose early in the morning and summoned all his servants, and he spoke all these words in their ears. And the men were very afraid.

9. And Abimelech called Abraham, and he said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you that you have brought upon me and all my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds that should not have been done to me!”

10. Abimelech also said to Abraham, “What did you see that you did this thing?”

11. And Abraham said, “I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because my wife.’

12.But truthfully, she actually is my sister, being my father’s daughter, though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

13.And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you will show me: in every place that we come to, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

14. So Abimelech took sheep and cattle, and male and female slaves, and he gave them to Abraham, and he restored to him Sarah his wife.

15. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell wherever is good in your eyes.”

16. And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your ‘brother’. Behold, he is a covering of the eyes to you and to all who are with you.” And with all this, she was reproved.

17. Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his concubines so that they bore children,

18.for Jehovah had completely closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Genesis 21

Back to Top

¶1. And Jehovah visited Sarah, just as He said, and Jehovah did for Sarah as He had spoken.

2. For Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time which God had told him.

3. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him.

5. Abraham was one-hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

7. And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would give suck to children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

8. And the boy grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she bore to Abraham, laughing.

10. And she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave-girl and her son! For the son of this slave-girl shall not receive an inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son,

12.but God said to Abraham, “Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the youth and your slave-girl. Listen to her voice in everything that Sarah is saying to you, for through Isaac shall your seed be called.

13.And I will also make the son of the slave-girl a nation, since he is your seed.”

14. So Abraham rose early in the morning, and he took food and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar and the boy, putting it on her shoulder, and he sent her away. And she left and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the boy under one of the bushes,

16.and went and sat down opposite him, at a distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not see the boy’s death.” And so, she sat down opposite him, and she lifted up her voice and wept.

17. But God heard the voice of the youth, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the youth who is over there.

18.Arise. Lift the youth up, and hold him up with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”

19. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and made the boy drink.

20. And God was with the youth, and he grew, and he dwelled in the wilderness and became a skilled archer.

21. And he dwelled in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

¶22. And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, captain of his army, spoke to Abraham saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

23.So, swear to me by God, here and now. May you be cursed if you deal falsely with me, my offspring, or my posterity, but you will show to me and to the land in which you sojourn the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

24. And Abraham said, “I swear.”

25. However, Abraham reproved Abimelech concerning a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

26. But Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this; neither did you tell me. I have not even heard of it until today.”

27. Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

28. And Abraham set seven lambs of the flock by themselves.

29. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are these seven lambs for, that you have set by themselves?”

30. And he said, “So that you will take seven lambs from my hand to be a witness for me that I dug this well.”

31. Therefore, that place is called Beersheba,[36] because the two of them took an oath there.

32. And they made a covenant at Beersheba, and Abimelech and Phicol, chief of his army, rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

33. And he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon a name of Jehovah: “El-olam”.[37]

34. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Genesis 22

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and He said to him, “Abraham.” And he said, “Here I am.”

2. And He said, “Take your son, now, the one you love, your only son, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and there offer him up for a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will point out to you.

3. And Abraham rose early in the morning and loaded his donkey, and he took with him two of his young men and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place about which God had spoken to him.

4. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

5. And Abraham told his young men, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”

6. And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them went on together.

7. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

8. And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9. And they came to the place of which God had spoken to him, and Abraham built the altar there. Then he arranged the wood, and he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.

10. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11. But an angel of Jehovah called out to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

12. And he said, “Do not stretch forth your hand against the young man, and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, for you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and he offered him up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14. And Abraham named that place, “God Provides”,[38] for which reason it is said to this day, “In the mountain of Jehovah, it will be provided.”

15. Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven

16.and said, “By myself, I swear, says God, because you have done this thing, and you have not withheld your son, your only son,

17.I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore, and your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.

18.And in your seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.”

19. And Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelled at Beersheba.

¶20. And it came to pass after these things that it was reported to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also bore sons to Nahor your brother:

21.Uz, his firstborn, and Buz, his brother, and Kimuel, the father of Aram,

22.and Kesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

23. And Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, brother of Abraham.

24. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebach, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maacah.

Genesis 23

Back to Top

¶1. And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah’s life.

2. And Sarah died in Kirjath-Arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to lament for her.

3. And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and said to the sons of Heth,

4.“I am a foreigner and a sojourner with you. Sell me property for a burial-place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

5. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6.“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God in our midst. In the best of our burial-places, bury your dead. No man among us will withhold from you his burial-place for burying your dead.”

7. And Abraham rose up and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth.

8. Then he spoke to them, saying, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead out of my sight, then hear me, and entreat Ephron for me, the son of Zohar,

9.that he sell me the cave of Machpelah that is his, which is at the end of his field. For the full price, let him sell it to me in your presence for a burying place.”

10. Now, Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth before everyone who went in at the gate of his city,

11.“No, my lord! Hear me. I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you. Before the sons of my people, I give it to you to bury your dead.”

12. And Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land.

13. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “Nevertheless, if you will, hear me. I will give money for the field. Accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”

14. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15.“My lord, hear me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”

16. And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had spoken of in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, by the merchant’s currency.

17. And the field of Ephron that is at Machpelah before Mamre, the field and the cave that is in it, and all the trees that are in the field, and all the area around it were deeded

18.to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth and all who went in at the gate of his city.

19. So after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

20. And he deeded the field and the cave that was in it to Abraham for a burying place among the sons of Heth.

Genesis 24

Back to Top

¶1. Now, Abraham was old, advanced in years, and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in everything.

2. And Abraham said to his slave, the elder of his household who was in charge of all that he had, “Put now your hand under my thigh.

3.And I will make you swear by God, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell.

4.But you will go to my country and to my kindred, and you will take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5. Then the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land that you came out of?”

6. But Abraham said to him, “Take heed to yourself that you do not take my son back there!

7.God, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kinsmen, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your seed,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

8.However, if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you are free from this, my oath. Only, you shall not take my son back there.”

9. So, the servant put his hand under his master Abraham’s thigh, and he swore to him concerning this matter.

10. Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master and left, with all kinds of his master’s goods in his hand. And he rose up, and he went to Aram-naharaim,[39] to the city of Nahor.

11. And at evening, the time women go out to draw water, he made the camels kneel down outside the city at a well of water

12.and said, “O God, the God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, I pray, and show kindness to my master, Abraham.

13.Behold, I am standing by a well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14.And the young woman to whom I say, ‘If you will, let down your vessel and give me drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also,’ let her be the one that you have chosen for your servant Isaac, and by her, I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

15. And it came to pass that before he finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her vessel on her shoulder.

16. And the girl was very beautiful, a virgin, for no man had known her. And she went down to the well, and filled her vessel, and came up.

17. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “If you will, let me drink a little water from your vessel.”

18. And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she hurried and set down her vessel that was in her hand, and gave him drink.

19. When she had finished giving him drink, she said, “I will draw for your camels also, until they finish drinking.”

20. And she hurried, and emptied her container into the trough. Then she ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew it for all his camels.

21. And watching her, the man kept silent, wondering if Jehovah had made his journey prosperous.

22. And it came to pass that when the camels finished drinking, the man took a gold ring, a half-shekel in weight, and two bracelets of gold, ten shekels in weight, for her wrists,

23.and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, I pray you. Is there a place in your father’s house for us to stay overnight?”

24. And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

25. Then she said to him, “We have an abundance of both straw and fodder, and also a place to stay overnight.”

26. And the man bowed down and worshipped Jehovah.

27. And he said, “Blessed be God, the God of my master Abraham, who did not take His mercy and faithfulness away from my master. I was in the way, and God led me to the house of my master’s kindred.”

28. And the girl ran and told her mother’s household these things.

29. And Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the well.

30. And it came to pass that when he saw the ring and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus the man said to me,” then he went out to the man, and behold, he was standing with the camels at the well.

31. And he said, “Come, O blessed of God! Why do you stand outside when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?”

32. And the man went to the house, unburdened the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33. Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have spoken the things I have to say.” And he said, “Speak.”

34. And he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.

35.God has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks, cattle, silver, gold, menservants, maidservants, camels, and donkeys.

36.Now, Sarah, the wife of my master, bore a son for my master after she was old. And he has given him all that he has.

37.And my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,

38.but you shall go to the house of my father and to my family and take a wife for my son.’

39.And I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’

40.And he said to me, ‘God, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.

41.Then, you will be released from my oath, when you come to my family. And if they do not give her to you, you will be released from my oath.’

42.And I came today to the well, and I said, ‘O God, the God of my master Abraham, if you will, I pray, make the way I go successful.

43.Behold, I am standing at the well of water, and when the virgin comes out to draw and I say to her, “If you will, let me drink a little water from your pitcher,”

44.and she says to me, “Drink! And I will water your camels, too,” let her be the wife whom God has chosen for my master’s son.’

45.Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Let me drink, if you will.’

46.And she hurried, and she let down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink! And I will water your camels, too.’ And I drank, and she watered the camels also.

47.And I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put a ring in her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.

48.And I bowed and worshipped God, and I blessed God, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take a daughter of my master’s brother for his son.

49.And now, if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right or to the left.”

50. Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The word has come from God. We cannot speak evil or good to you.

51.Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, just as God has spoken.”

52. And when Abraham’s slave heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before Jehovah.

53. And then, the slave brought out vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. And he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

54. And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they stayed the night. And they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”

55. And her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us, at least ten days. Afterward, she will go.”

56. But he said to them, “Do not delay me, for God has prospered my journey. Send me away so that I may go to my master.”

57. And they said, “We will call for the girl and see what she says.”

58. And so, they summoned Rebekah, and they said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”

59. And they sent Rebekah their sister away, and her nurse, with Abraham’s slave and his men.

60. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “O our sister, may you become very many thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate them.”

61. And Rebekah and her maidens rose up, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. And the slave took Rebekah and went away.

¶62. Now, Isaac had come from the entrance of Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the region of the Negev.

63. And Isaac had gone out to meditate in the field at dusk. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and there were camels coming.

64. And Rebekah raised her eyes and saw Isaac, and she dismounted the camel.

65. And she said to the slave, “Who is this man who is walking in the field to meet us?” And the slave said, “It is my master.” And she took the veil and covered herself.

66. And the slave told Isaac all the things he had done.

67. And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother. And he took Rebekah, and she became his wife. And he loved her, and Isaac was comforted concerning his mother.

Genesis 25

Back to Top

¶1. And Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

2. And she bore to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3. And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

5. And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac,

6.but to the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts. And he sent them away from Isaac his son while he lived, eastward to the land of the east.

¶7. And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life that he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.

8. And Abraham yielded up the spirit and died in a good old age, old and at peace, and he was gathered to his people.

9. And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre,

10.the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah his wife.

11. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac dwelled by Beer-lahai-roi.

¶12. And these are the generations of Ishmael ben-Abraham, which Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave-girl, bore to Abraham.

13. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: Nebajoth, Ishmael’s firstborn, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14.and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15.Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their settlements and camps, twelve princes according to their nations.

17. And these were the years of Ishmael’s life: one hundred and thirty-seven. And he yielded up the spirit and died, and he was gathered to his people.

18. And they dwelled from Havilah to Shur, which is on the border of Egypt as you go toward Assyria. And he died in the presence of all of his brothers.

¶19. And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham fathered Isaac,

20.and Isaac was forty years old when he took his wife, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, from Padan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

21. And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife because she was barren. And Jehovah was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22. And the children struggled with each other within her. And she said, “If it is like this, why am I this way?” And she went to inquire of Jehovah.

23. And Jehovah said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from your bowels. One people will be stronger than the other people, and the older will serve the younger.”

24. And when her days to deliver were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25. And the first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment. So they called his name Esau.

26. And afterwards, his brother came out, and his hand was holding fast to Esau’s heel. And he called his name Jacob.[40] And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27. And the boys grew up, and Esau became a cunning hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.

28. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29. And Jacob was cooking, and Esau came in from the field, and was exhausted.

30. And Esau said to Jacob, “I beg you, let me eat some of this red stuff because I’m exhausted.” Therefore, he was called Edom.[41]

31. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright today.”

32. And Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die, so what is this birthright to me?”

33. And Jacob said, “Swear to me today.” And he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34. And Jacob gave bread and a pottage of lintils to Esau, and he ate and drank, and rose up and left. Thus Esau despised the birthright.

Genesis 26

Back to Top

¶1. And there was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

2. And Jehovah appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land, where I will tell you.

3.Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for I will give you and your offspring all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4.And I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your seed

5.because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

6. So, Isaac dwelled in Gerar.

7. And the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “my wife”, for he thought, “Lest the men of the place kill me on account of Rebekah,” for she was beautiful.

8. And it came to pass, when he had stayed there many days, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at the window and, behold, he saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife.

9. Then Abimelech summoned Isaac, and he said, “Behold, she is certainly your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “I said it lest I die because of her.”

10. And Abimelech said, “What is this that you have done to us? For one of the people would have soon lain with your wife, and you would have brought an offense upon us.”

11. So, Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death!”

12. And Isaac sowed in that land, and in the same year, he received one-hundred fold, for Jehovah blessed him.

13. And the man grew great, and he continued to increase until he became very great.

14. And he had possession of sheep, and possession of cattle, and many slaves; and the Philistines envied him.

15. And all the wells that the servants of his father dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up and filled with dirt.

16. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much stronger than we.”

17. So Isaac left there and camped in the Gerar Valley, and he settled there.

18. And Isaac dug out the wells of water again that had been dug during the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had filled them in after Abraham died. And he called them by the same names that his father had called them.

19. And the servants of Isaac dug in the valley, and they found there a well of living water.

20. But the shepherds of Gerar strove with Isaac’s shepherds, saying, “The water belongs to us!” And he called the name of the well “Contention” because they contended with him.

21. And they dug another well, and they strove over it, also. So he called its name, “Strife”.

22. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not fight over it, and he called the name of it Rehoboth,[42] because he said, “For now, God has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

23. And he went up from there to Beersheba.

24. And Jehovah appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your offspring for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25. And he built an altar there, and he called upon a name of Jehovah. And there, he pitched his tent, and Isaac’s servants dug a well there.

26. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, his aide, and Phicol, the commander of his army.

27. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and sent me away from you?”

28. And they said, “We have plainly seen that God[43] is with you, and so we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between us and you. And let us make a covenant with you,

29.that you do us no harm, just as we did not touch you, and as we did only good to you and sent you away in peace.’ You are now the blessed of God.”

30. And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31. And they rose up early in the morning, and they swore to one another, and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32. And it came to pass on the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. And they said to him, “We have found water.”

33. And he called it Sheba.[44] Therefore, the name of the city is Beersheba[45] to this day.

¶34. And when Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35. And they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 27

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass when Isaac was old and his eyesight grew dim that he called Esau his elder son, and he said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

2. And he said, “Behold now, I am old. I know not the day of my death.

3.So, take your weapon now, your quiver and your bow, and go to the field and hunt game for me,

4.and make me savory food such as I love and bring it to me, and I will eat it, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game to bring in.

6. And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father talking to Esau your brother, saying,

7.‘Bring game to me and make me savory food that I may eat and bless you in the presence of God before my death.’

8.So obey my voice now, my son, in what I am commanding you to do.

9.Go now to the flock and take from it two good kids of the goats for me, and I will make of them savory food for your father, such as he loves,

10.and you take it to your father, that he may eat, so that he will bless you before his death.”

11. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

12.Perhaps my father will feel me, and in his eyes I will be a deceiver and will bring on myself a curse and not a blessing.”

13. And his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son. Only obey my voice and go fetch them for me.”

14. And he went, and he took them and brought them to his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.

15. And Rebekah took the garments of Esau, her elder son, the best ones that were with her in the house, and she put them on Jacob, her younger son.

16. And on his hands and the smooth part of his neck, she put the skins of the kids of the goats.

17. And she put the savory food and bread that she had made in the hand of Jacob her son,

18.and he went to his father and said, “My father!” Then he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19. And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I did what you told me. I pray you, rise; sit and eat of my game so that your soul may bless me.”

20. And Isaac said to his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because God, your God, made it come before me.”

21. And Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, now, that I may feel you, my son, whether or not this is you, my son Esau.”

22. So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23. And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother, and he blessed him.

24. And he said, “Are you my son, Esau?” And he said, “I am.”

25. Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” And he took it to him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26. And Isaac his father said to him, “Come near, I pray you, and kiss me, my son.”

27. So he drew near and kissed him. And he smelled the scent of his clothes, and he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the scent of a field which God has blessed.

28.May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and much grain and wine.

29.May nations serve you, and may peoples bow down to you. Be ruler over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Let those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

30. And it came to pass when Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31. And he also made savory food and brought it to his father, and he said to his father, “Let my father rise up and eat his son’s game so that your soul may bless me!”

32. But Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33. And Isaac trembled with a very great terror, and he said, “Who, then, is the one who hunted game and brought it in to me? And I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him, and yes, he will be blessed!”

34. When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with a very great and bitter cry. And he said to his father, “Bless me, me also, O my father!”

35. But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken your blessing.”

36. And he said, “Isn’t that why his name is called Jacob? He has now cheated me twice; he took my birthright, and now, behold, he has taken my blessing! Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37. And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him ruler over you, and I have given him all his brothers for servants, and I have sustained him with grain and wine. What now can I do for you, my son?”

38. And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth will be your habitation, and away from the dew of heaven from above,

40.and by your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother. But it will come to pass that when you become restless, you will break his yoke off your neck.”

41. And Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are drawing near; then I will kill Jacob my brother.”

42. And Rebekah was told the words of Esau, her elder son. And she sent and called for Jacob her younger son. And she said to him, “Behold, Esau your brother is comforting himself concerning you with plans to kill you.

43.So, my son, listen now to my voice. Rise up and flee to Laban, my brother in Haran,

44.and live with him for a while until your brother’s fury turns away,

45.until your brother’s anger turns away and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

46. Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife from that daughters of Heth like these daughters of the land, what good will life be to me?”

Genesis 28

Back to Top

¶1. And Isaac summoned Jacob, and he blessed him, and he commanded him and said to him, “Do not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2.Arise and go to Padan-aram to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and from there take a wife of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

3.And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and may you become a company of nations.

4.May He give you the blessing of Abraham, you and your seed with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.”

5. And Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan-aram, to Laban ben-Bethuel the Syrian, brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6. And Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Padan-aram to take a wife from there and that in his blessing of him, he had commanded him, saying, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

7. And Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Padan-aram.

8. And when Esau learned that the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac his father,

9.Esau went to Ishmael and took as a wife Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael ben-Abraham, sister of Nabajoth, in addition to the wives he had.

¶10. And Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran,

11.and he came upon a certain place and stayed there overnight because the sun had set. And he took some stones of the place and put them at his head, and he lay down in that place.

12. And he dreamed, and there was a stairway fixed on earth with its top reaching to heaven! And behold, angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13. And behold, Jehovah was standing above it, and He said, “I am God, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give it to you and your offspring.

14.And your seed will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in you and your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

15.And behold, I am with you, and I will keep you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not forsake you, but will surely do that which I have said to you.”

16. And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, God is in this place, and I did not know it!”

17. And he was afraid, and he said, “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18. And Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put for his head and set it up as a pillar, and he poured oil on top of it.

19. And he called the name of that place Bethel;[46] however, Luz was the original name of that city.

20. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,

21.and I return in peace to my father’s house, then God will be my God.

22.And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you.”

Genesis 29

Back to Top

¶1. And Jacob took to his feet, and he drew near to the land of the sons of the east.

2. And he looked, and there was a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because they watered the flocks from that well. Now, the stone on the well’s mouth was large,

3.and when all the flocks were gathered to it, they would roll the stone from off the well’s mouth and water the sheep, and then return the stone to its place on the well’s mouth.

4. And Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.”

5. And he said to them, “Do you know Laban ben-Nahor?” And they said, “We do.”

6. And he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “Yes, and behold, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”

7. And he said, “Behold, it is still the middle of the day. Is it not time to gather the cattle? Water the sheep and go feed them.”

8. And they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered, and then they roll the stone from the well’s mouth, and we water the sheep.”

9. He was still talking to them when Rachel came with the sheep which belonged to her father, for she was a shepherdess.

10. And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, that Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother.

11. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and he lifted up his voice and wept.

12. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman and that he was the son of Rebekah, and she ran and told her father.

13. And it came to pass when Laban heard the report about Jacob, his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and he embraced him, and kissed him, and he took him to his house. Then, he recounted to Laban all these events.

14. And Laban said to him, “Truly, you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

15. And Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me what your wages will be.”

16. And Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17. And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful to look at.

18. And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, “I will work for you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”

19. And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man. Abide with me.”

20. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but they were like a few days in his eyes because of his love for her.

21. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, and let me go in to her.”

22. And Laban gathered all the men of that place and made a feast.

23. And it came to pass in the evening that he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him. And he went in to her.

24. And Laban gave Zilpah, his slave-girl, to his daughter Leah for a slave.

25. And it came to pass in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this that you’ve done to me? Didn’t I labor for you for Rachel? Now, why have you deceived me?”

26. And Laban said, “It is not done that way in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27.Finish out this one’s week, and then we will also give you this one for the work which you will do for me yet another seven years.”

28. And Jacob did so, and he finished her week, and then he gave him Rachel his daughter for a wife.

29. And Laban gave his slave-girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel for a slave.

30. And he went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for him yet another seven years.

31. And when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

32. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben,[47] for she said, “God looked on my humiliation; surely, now my husband will love me.”

33. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Surely, God has heard that I am hated and has given me this one, too.” And she called his name Simeon.[48]

34. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now, this time my husband will be joined to me because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, his name was called Levi.[49]

35. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “Now I will praise God.” Therefore she called his name Judah.[50] And she ceased bearing.

Genesis 30

Back to Top

¶1. When Rachel saw that she bore no children for Jacob, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, “Give me sons, or else I will die!”

2. And Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has kept the fruit of the womb from you?”

3. And she said, “Behold, my maidservant Bilhah. Go in to her, and let her bear children upon my knees, and I will have children, too, through her.”

4. And she gave her handmaid Bilhah to him for a wife. And Jacob went in to her.

5. And Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob.

6. And Rachel said, “God has judged me, and he has also heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore, she called his name Dan.[51]

7. And Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob.

8. And Rachel said, “Mighty struggles have I struggled against my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali.[52]

9. When Leah saw that she had ceased from bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid and gave her to Jacob for a wife.

10. And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bore a son for Jacob.

11. And Leah said, “A troop!” And she called his name Gad.[53]

12. And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bore a second son for Jacob.

13. And Leah said, “In my happiness, daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.[54]

14. And Reuben went out in the days of the wheat harvest, and he found mandrakes in the field and brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “I pray you, give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15. But she said to her, “Is it a small thing for you to take my husband? And you would take my son’s mandrakes, too?” And Rachel said, “Then, he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

16. And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me because I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

17. And God heard Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob.

18. And Leah said, “God gave me my hire when I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.[55]

19. And Leah conceived again, and she bore a sixth son for Jacob.

20. And Leah said, “God has given me a good dowry. Now my husband will honor me because I have borne him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun.[56]

21. Afterwards, she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

22. Then God remembered Rachel, and God heard her and opened her womb.

23. And she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

24. And she called his name Joseph,[57] saying, “May God add to me another son.”

25. And it came to pass when Rachel bore Joseph that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own land.

26.Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know my service with which I served you.”

27. And Laban said to him, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, stay. I have learned by divination that God has blessed me for your sake.”

¶28. And so, he said, “Tell me your wages, and I will give it.”

29. Then he said to him, “You know how I have served you and what your livestock has become with me.

30.For you had little before I came, but it has increased greatly, and God has blessed you because of my coming. And now, when will I provide for my own household?”

31. And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You will give me nothing. If you will do this thing for me, I will again tend and watch over your flock.

32.I will pass through all your flock today, taking from it all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the rams. And this will be my pay.

33.And tomorrow, when you come to see about my wages, my righteousness will answer for me. Any that are not speckled and spotted among the ewes and dark among the sheep will be as stolen if it is with me.”

34. And Laban said, “Good. Let it be as you say.”

35. But that day, he removed the striped and spotted he-goats and all the speckled and spotted she-goats, every one that had some white in it, and every dark one among the lambs, and he gave them to his sons.

36. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob tended what was left of Laban’s flocks.

¶37. And Jacob took green sticks of poplar, almond, and plane-trees, and he peeled white strips in them, exposing the white that was on the sticks.

38. And he placed the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, by the gutters of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, and they were in heat when they came to drink.

39. And the flocks conceived before the sticks, and the flocks bore striped, speckled, and spotted offspring.

40. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the striped and all the dark in Laban’s flock. And he put his own flocks by themselves, and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

41. And it came to pass when all the strong of the flocks were in heat, Jacob placed the sticks in front of the flocks at the troughs, that they might conceive before the sticks.

42. But he did not set them before the weaker flocks. So the weak were Laban’s, and the strong were Jacob’s.

43. And the man increased very greatly, and he had many flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels, and donkeys.

Genesis 31

Back to Top

¶1. And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken everything that was our father’s, and he has gotten all this abundance from what our father had.”

2. And Jacob observed the face of Laban, and behold, it was not with him as it was previously.

3. And Jehovah said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

4. And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah and called them to the field, to his flocks.

5. And he said to them, “I have been noticing the face of your father, that it is not toward me as it used to be, but the God of my father has been with me.

6.And you yourselves know that I have served your father with all my strength,

7.and your father has deceived me and has changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8.If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. Then if he said, ‘The striped will be your wages,’ all the flocks bore striped.

9.So, God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

10.And it came to pass that when the flock was in heat, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams that were mounting the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted.

11.And an angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’

12.And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes now and look. All the rams that go up to the flock are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

13.I am the God of Bethel where you anointed the pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now, rise up, leave this land, and return to the land of your kindred.’”

14. And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any longer a portion or an inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15.Are we not counted as strangers to him? For he has sold us and has completely devoured our money also.

16.For all the riches that God has taken away from our father is for us and our sons. Now then, do all that God has said to you.”

17. And Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives onto the camels.

18. And he led away all his livestock and all his goods that he had acquired, the property of livestock that he had acquired in Padan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19. And when Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the teraphim[58] that were her father’s.

20. And Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he was leaving.

21. And he left with everything he had, and he rose up and crossed over the river, and set his face toward Mount Gilead.

22. And on the third day, it was reported to Laban that Jacob had fled.

23. And he took his kinsmen with him, and he pursued him on the road for seven days. And he overtook him at Mount Gilead.

24. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream at night, and He said to him, “You beware, that you speak neither good nor bad to Jacob!”

25. And Laban caught up with Jacob. Now, Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, and Laban camped on Mount Gilead with his kinsmen.

26. And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You deceived me and led my daughters away like captives of the sword!

27.Why did you secretly flee and deceive me? And you did not tell me, so that I could send you away with rejoicing, with songs, with timbrel and lyre.

28.And you did not let me kiss my sons and my daughters! You have now acted foolishly in so doing!

29.It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak good or bad to Jacob.’

30.So now, though you must go because you yearn so much for your father’s house, why have you stolen my gods?”

31. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “I left because I was afraid, for I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force.

32.And with whomever you find your gods, let him not live! Before our kinsmen, point out what is yours with me, and take it!” (But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)

33. And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, but he found nothing. And when he came out of Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent.

34. Now, Rachel had taken the teraphim, and she had put them in the camel’s saddlebag and was sitting on them. And Laban felt around throughout the tent, but he found nothing.

35. Then she said to her father, “Do not let it be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise up in your presence, for the way of women is upon me.” So, Laban searched but could not find the teraphim.

36. Then Jacob grew hot and contended with Laban, and Jacob answered Laban, saying, “What is my transgression, or what is my sin that you have so hotly pursued after me?

37.You have groped through all my stuff! What of anything from your house have you found? Set it here, before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, and let them judge between the two of us!

38.These twenty years I was with you. Your ewes and your goats were not barren, and I did not eat the rams of your flock.

39.I did not bring a torn animal to you; I bore the loss of it. You exacted it of me, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40.This is how I lived! By day, drought consumed me, and by night, the cold; and sleep fled from my eyes.

41.This is how it was for me twenty years in your house! I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times!

42.If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have now sent me away with nothing. God saw my abuse and the toil of my hands, and he rebuked you last night.”

43. Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters! And these children are my children! And these flocks are my flocks! Everything you are looking at belongs to me! And my daughters, what can I do for them today, or for their children whom they bore?

44.So now, come, and you and I will make a covenant, and it will be for a witness between me and you.”

45. And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

46. And Jacob told his kinsmen to gather up stones, and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the pile of stones.

47. And Laban called it, “Mound of Witness” in his language,[59] and Jacob called it, “Mound of Witness” in his language.[60]

48. And Laban said, “Today this mound is witness between me and you.” In this, Laban called it Mound of Witness in Jacob’s tongue,

49.and Mizpah,[61] for he said, “God keep watch between me and you while we are out of each other’s sight.

50.If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives other than my daughters – no man is with us – See! God is witness between me and you.”

51. And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this mound, and behold this pillar which I have set up between me and you.

52.This mound is witness, and this pillar is witness, that I will not go past this mound to you and that you will not come past this mound and this pillar to me, for evil.

53.The gods of Abraham and the gods of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us!” But Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

54. And Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his kinsmen to eat bread, and they ate bread, and they lodged on the mountain that night.

55. And Laban rose up early in the morning, and he kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned to his own place.

Genesis 32

Back to Top

¶1. And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him.

2. And when Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.[62]

¶3. And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

4. And he commanded them, saying, “Thus say to my lord, to Esau, ‘Thus says your servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now.

5.And I have oxen and donkeys, sheep, menservants and maidservants, and I have sent to tell my lord, to find favor in your eyes.’”

6. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him.”

7. And Jacob was very afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and the cattle and the camels, into two camps.

8. For he thought, “If Esau comes to the one camp and strikes it, then the remaining camp will escape.”

9. Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the God who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you.’

10.I am not worthy of any of the mercies or any of the truth that you have shown to your servant, for with my staff, I crossed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

11.Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, because I fear him, lest he come and attack me, and mother with children.

12.For you said, ‘I will surely do good to you and will make your seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted for multitude.’”

13. And he stayed there that night, and he took a gift for Esau his brother from what had come into his hand:

14.two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams,

15.thirty suckling camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals.

16. And he gave them to his servants, each drove by itself. And he said to his servants, “Cross over before me, and keep a space between each drove.”

17. And he commanded the first, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘Who do you belong to?’ and ‘Where are you going?’ and ‘Whose are these before you?’

18.then you will say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s; it is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he is also behind us.’”

19. And he commanded also the second and the third, even all who walked behind the droves, saying, “You will speak the same thing to Esau when you find him.

20.You will also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” (Because he thought, “I will appease him with the gift going ahead of me. And afterwards, I will see his face, and perhaps he will accept me.”)

21. And the gift passed on before him, and he remained that night in the camp.

22. And he rose up that night and took his two wives, and his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and he crossed over Jabbok Ford.

23. And he took them and sent them over the river, and he sent his possessions over.

24. And Jacob was left by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn.

25. And he saw that he was not overcoming him, so he struck his hip-socket, and he dislocated Jacob’s hip-socket while he was wrestling with him.

26. And he said, “Let me go, for the dawn has come!” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me!”

27. Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob”.

28. And he said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[63] because you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29. And Jacob asked and said, “I pray you, tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” And he blessed him there.

30. And Jacob called the name of the place Penuel[64] because he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life was spared.”

31. And the sun rose over him as he left Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.

32. For this reason, the children of Israel, to this day, do not eat the thigh sinew that is on the hip-socket, because he struck Jacob’s hip-socket on the thigh sinew.

Genesis 33

Back to Top

1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. And he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maidservants.

2. And he put the maidservants and their children at the front, then Leah and her children, and after them, Rachel and Joseph.

3. And he passed over before them, and he bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near his brother.

4. And Esau ran to meet him, and he hugged him, and he fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

5. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, “Whose are these? Yours?” And he said, “The children with which God has favored your servant.”

6. And the maidservants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7. And Leah and her children also drew near, and they bowed themselves. Then Joseph and Rachel drew near and bowed themselves.

8. And he said, “Whose is all this company that I met? Yours?” And he said, “These were to find favor in the eyes of my lord!”

9. And Esau said, “I have much, my brother; keep what is yours for yourself.”

10. And Jacob said, “No, I beg you! If it be that I have found favor in your eyes, take my gift from my hand because I have seen your face, as seeing the face of God, and you are pleased with me.

11.Take now my blessing that was brought to you because God has shown me favor and because I have all I need.” And he urged him, and he took it.

12. And he said, “Let us break camp and leave, and let me go before you.”

13. And he said to him, “My lord knows the children are tender, and the flocks and the herds that are with me are nursing. And if they drive them too hard in one day, all the flocks will die.

14.If you please, let my lord pass over before his servant, and let me travel more slowly at the pace of the cattle before me and at the pace of the children until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15. And Esau said, “If you permit me, I will leave some of the people with you who are with me.” And he said, “Why is this? Let me find favor in my lord’s eyes.”

16. And Esau headed back that day on his way to Seir.

17. But Jacob set out for Succoth. And he built himself a house, and he made shelters for his cattle, for which reason he named the place Succoth.[65]

¶18. And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, as he travelled from Padan-aram. And he camped before the city.

19. And he purchased the part of the field where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred kesitah.[66]

20. And there he erected an altar, and he called it, El-Elohe-Israel.[67]

Genesis 34

Back to Top

¶1. And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2. And Shechem ben-Hamor the Hivite, prince of the land, saw her. And he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3. But his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke kindly to her.

4. And Shechem spoke to Hamor, his father, saying, “Get me this girl for a wife.”

5. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter, but his sons were with his cattle in the field; so, Jacob held his peace until they came in.

6. And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to talk with him.

7. And Jacob’s sons came in from the field when they heard it, and the men were grieved and very angry because he had committed a disgraceful act against Israel, to lie with the daughter of Jacob. For such is not done.

8. And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem has set his heart on your daughter. I pray you, give her to him for a wife.

9.Make marriages with us! Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves,

10.and live among us. The land is before you; live and do business in it, and acquire possessions in it.”

11. Then Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes. Whatever you say to me, I will give it.

12.Demand of me however much for a bride-price and gift; I will give whatever you tell me, only give me the girl for a wife.”

13. And Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully when they spoke because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

14. And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for to us, that is a disgrace.

15.Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you become like us, and have every male among you circumcised.

16.Then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters for ourselves, and we will dwell among you, and we will become one people.

17.But if you do not consent to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”

18. And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem, Hamor’s son.

19. And the young man did not delay to perform the deed, for he delighted in Jacob’s daughter, and he was more honorable than any of his father’s house.

20. And Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying,

21.“These men are peaceably disposed toward us. Let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for, behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for us and give our daughters to them.

22.But the men will consent to us, to dwell among us and become one people, only on this condition, that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.

23.Their cattle, and their property, and all their livestock – won’t they be ours? Only, let us consent to them, and let them dwell among us.”

24. And they consented to Hamor and Shechem his son, everyone who went out at the gate of his city. And every male was circumcised, all who went out at the gate of his city.

25. And it came to pass on the third day, while they were still in pain, that two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took each his sword, and they came into the city boldly and killed every male.

26. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword. And they took Dinah out of the house of Shechem and left.

27. The sons of Jacob went in upon the slain and looted the city because they had defiled their sister.

28. They took their flocks, and their herds, and their asses, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field,

29.even all their wealth, and they took captive all their children and their women, and they took as spoil anyone else who was in the house.

30. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me trouble, to make me stink to the inhabitant of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites – and I, being just a few men! They will assemble against me and strike me down, and I and my house will be annihilated.”

31. But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a harlot‽”

Genesis 35

Back to Top

¶1. And God said to Jacob, “Arise. Go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.”

2. Then Jacob said to his household and to everyone with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you! Purify yourselves, and change your clothes,

3.and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the journey that I took.”

4. And they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that was near Shechem.

5. Then they broke camp, and the terror of God was on the cities that were around them so that they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6. And Jacob came to Luz, that is, Bethel, which was in the land of Canaan, he and all the people that were with him.

7. And there he built an altar, and he called that place El-Bethel[68] because God revealed Himself to him there when he fled from the face of his brother.

8. And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried at Bethel underneath the oak, and he named it Alon-baccuth.[69]

¶9. And God appeared again to Jacob when he came from Padan-aram, and He blessed him.

10. (Now, God had said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will not be Jacob any longer; instead, Israel will be your name.” And so, He named him Israel.)

11. And God said to him, “I am Almighty God. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will come forth from your loins.

12.And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac will I give to you, and I will give the land to your seed after you.”

13. Then God went up from him from the place where He had spoken with him.

14. And Jacob set up a pillar at the place where He had spoken with him, a stone pillar. And he poured out a libation on it, and he poured oil on it.

15. And Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

16. And they set out from Bethel, and there was still some distance to go to Ephrath when Rachel went into labor, and she had a hard labor.

17. And it came to pass when she was in hard labor that the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid; you have had another son.”

18. And it came to pass as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Benoni.[70] But his father called him Benjamin.[71]

19. And so, Rachel died and was buried along the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20. And Jacob set up a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

21. And Israel pulled up and pitched his tent beyond Migdol-eder.

22. And it came to pass that while Israel dwelled in that area, Reuben came and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. And Israel heard about it.
¶Now, there were twelve sons of Jacob.

23. The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and then Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.

24. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25. And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali.

26. And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram.

27. And Jacob came to Isaac, his father, to Mamre, the city of Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

28. And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.

29. And Isaac yielded up the spirit and died, and he was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

Genesis 36

Back to Top

¶1. And these are the generations of Esau, that is, Edom:

2. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,

3.and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebajoth.

4. And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel.

5. And Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau which were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6. And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls in his household, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went to a land away from Jacob his brother.

7. For their possessions were too great to dwell together, and the land where they sojourned was not able to bear them because of their cattle.

8. And Esau dwelled in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.

9. And these are the generations of Esau, father of Edom, at Mount Seir.

10.These were the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz, son of Adah, Esau’s wife; Reuel, son of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

11. And the sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

12. (And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son. And to Eliphaz, she bore Amalek.) These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.

13. And these were the sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the children of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

14. And these were the sons of Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife. And she bore to Esau Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah.

15. These were the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,

16.Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Adah.

17. And these were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

18. And these were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jalam, Chief Korah. These were the chiefs of Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.

19. These were the sons of Esau, which is Edom, and these were their chiefs.

20. These were the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

21.and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. And Lotan’s sister was Timna.

23. And these were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24. And these were the sons of Zibeon, even Aiah and Anah. That is the Anah who discovered the springs[72] in the desert while tending the donkeys for Zibeon his father.

25. And these were the sons of Anah: Dishon. And Oholibamah was Anah’s daughter.

26. And these were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, and Eshban, and Jithran, and Cheran.

27. These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.

28. These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29. These were the Horite chiefs: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,

30.Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their clans in the land of Seir.

¶31. And these were the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel:

32. Bela ben-Beor ruled in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33. And Bela died, and Jobab ben-Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

34. And Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

35. And Husham died, and Hadad ben-Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead. And the name of his city was Avith.

36. And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

37. And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his stead.

38. And Saul died, and Baal-hanan ben-Acbor reigned in his stead.

39. And Baal-hanan ben-Acbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead. And the name of his city was Pau, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.

¶40. And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau by their families, by their places, by their names: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

41.Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

42.Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

43.Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom by their dwellings in the land of their possession. This is Esau, father of Edom.

Genesis 37

Back to Top

¶1. And Jacob dwelled in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2. These are the generations of Jacob. Seventeen-year-old Joseph was tending the flock with his brothers, and the young man was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought an evil report about them to their father.

3. Now, Israel loved Joseph more than any of his sons because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.[73]

4. And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, and they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.

5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

6. For He said to them, “Hear this dream, I beseech you, that I have dreamed.

7.Now, behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and even stood up. And behold, your sheaves gathered round and bowed themselves to my sheaf.”

8. And his brothers said to him, “Would you reign as a king over us? Would you really rule over us?” And they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

9. And he dreamed yet another dream, and he told it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing to me.”

10. And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come bow to the earth before you?”

11. And His brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

12. And his brothers went to tend their father’s flock in Shechem.

13. And Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers tending the flock at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

14. And he said to him, “Go now, check on the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring me word again.” And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you looking for?”

16. And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, I beg you, where they are pasturing.”

17. And the man said, “They moved on from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.

18. And they saw him at a distance, and before he drew near them, they plotted against him to kill him.

19. And each one said to his brother, “Behold! This dream-meister is coming!

20.Come and let’s kill him now, and dump him into one of the pits. We will say, ‘A wild animal has eaten him,’ and then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams.”

21. But when Reuben heard that, he delivered him from their hand, and he said, “Let’s not kill him.”

22. And Reuben told them, “Do not shed blood; throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him,” in order to deliver him from their hand, to return him to his father.

23. So, it came to pass when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic that was on him, the coat of many colors,

24.and they took him and threw him into the pit, and the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25. Then they sat down to eat bread. And they lifted their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmeelites was coming from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26. And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

27.Come on, and let’s sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother; he is our flesh.” And his brothers consented.

28. Then the men passed by, Midianite merchantmen, and they drew Joseph up and lifted him from the pit. And so, they sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt.

29. And when Reuben returned to the pit, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes.

30. Then he returned to his brothers and said, “The young man is gone! And I, where shall I go?”

31. And they took Joseph’s coat, and they killed a ram of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood.

32. And they sent the coat of many colors, and men brought it to their father and said, “We found this. We beg you, identify this, whether it is your son’s coat or not.”

33. And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s coat. A wild beast has eaten him. Joseph is surely torn to pieces.”

34. And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins, and he mourned many days for his son.

35. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “I will go down mourning into Sheol, to my son.” And his father wept for him.

36. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, chief of the guard.

Genesis 38

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to an Adullamite man, and his name was Hirah.

2. And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanite man (and his name was Shua), and he married her and went in to her.

3. And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

4. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

5. And again, she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And it was at Chezib that she bore him.

6. And Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7. But Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah killed him.

8. And Judah said to Onan, “Go to the wife of your brother, and do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”

9. But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, and so, it happened that when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he wasted it on the ground, not giving seed to his brother.

10. And what he did was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He killed him also.

11. And Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah, my son, is grown” (for he thought, “lest he die also like his brothers”). And Tamar went and dwelled in the house of her father.

12. And many days passed, and the daughter of Shua, wife of Judah, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and his friend, the Adullamite, Hirah, to Timnah.

13. And it was reported to Tamar, saying, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his flock.”

14. And she took off her widow’s clothes and concealed herself with a veil, and she covered herself and sat at the entrance of the two springs which are along the road to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she had not been given to him for a wife.

15. And Judah saw her, but he thought her to be a harlot because she had covered her face.

16. And he turned in to her on the way, and he said, “Come now, let me come in to you.” (But he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.) And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

17. And he said, “I will send a kid of the goats from the flock.” And she said, “If you give a pledge until you send it.”

18. And he said, “What is the pledge that I should give you?” And she said, “Your seal, and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” And he gave it to her, and he went in to her, and she conceived by him.

19. And she got up and left, and she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes.

20. And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the hand of the woman, but he did not find her.

21. And he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the temple-prostitute who was at the two springs by the road?” But they said, “There is no temple-prostitute in this place.”

22. And he returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her, and also, the men of the place said, ‘There is no temple-prostitute in this place.’”

23. And Judah said, “Let her take it for herself, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this kid, and you did not find her.”

24. And it came to pass about the third month that it was reported to Judah, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the harlot, and moreover, behold, she has conceived by whoredom.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned!”

25. As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these things belong, I conceived.” And she said, “I beg you, acknowledge whose these are: the seal, and the cord, and the staff.”

26. And Judah recognized them, and he said, “She is more righteous than I, for I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never again knew her.

27. And it came to pass at the time for her to give birth that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28. And as she was giving birth, it happened that one put out a hand, and the midwife took it and tied scarlet thread around his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

29. But it came to pass that as he withdrew his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “How did you make a breach for yourself?” And he called his name Pharez.[74]

30. And afterwards, his brother came out on whose hand was the scarlet, and he called his name Zarah.

Genesis 39

Back to Top

¶1. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, chief of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmeelites who had brought him down there.

2. But Jehovah was with Joseph, and He prospered him while he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

3. And his master saw that Jehovah was with him, that Jehovah caused all he did to prosper in his hand.

4. And so, Joseph found favor in his eyes, and he ministered to him. And he set him over his house, and he put all that he had into his hand.

5. And it came to pass, from the time that he set him over his house and over all that he had that Jehovah blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake. And the blessing of Jehovah was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

6. And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and he did not concern himself with anything he had, except the bread he ate. And Joseph was well-built and good-looking.

7. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

8. But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, my master is not concerned about what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand.

9.No one is greater in this house than I, and he has not withheld anything from me except you because you are his wife. So how can I do this great evil, and sin against God?”

10. And it came to pass that, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, he did not listen to her, to lie by her to be with her.

11. And it came to pass during this time that he came into the house to do his work, and not one of the men of the house was there in the house.

12. And she caught him by his robe, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his robe in her hand and fled, and went outside.

13. And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his robe in her hand and had fled outside

14.that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “Look! He brought us a Hebrew man to toy with us. He came at me to lie with me, but I cried out with a loud voice!

15.And it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out that he left his robe by me and fled, and went outside.”

16. And she kept his robe by her until his master came home.

17. And she spoke these same words to him, saying, “The Hebrew slave that you brought in to us came to me to play around with me.

18.And it came to pass when I lifted up my voice and cried out that he left his robe by me and fled outside.”

19. And it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him, saying, “Your slave did these things to me,” that his anger was kindled.

20. And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison house, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And so, he was there in the prison house.

21. But Jehovah was with Joseph, and He showed him mercy and gave him favor in the eyes of the warden of the prison house.

22. And the warden of the prison house put into Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison house, so that he was the doer of everything they did there.

23. The warden of the prison house paid no attention to anything that was in his hand, for Jehovah was with him, and whatever he did, Jehovah made to prosper.

Genesis 40

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass after these things that the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their master, the king of Egypt.

2. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, with the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers.

3. And he put them into custody in the house of the chief of the guard, into the prison house where Joseph was confined.

4. And the chief of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and so, he attended to them. And they were in custody for some time.

5. And the king of Egypt’s butler and baker who were confined in the prison house both dreamed a dream, each his own dream in the same night, each dream with its own meaning.

6. And Joseph came to them in the morning and looked at them, and, behold, they were troubled.

7. And he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why are your faces downcast today?”

8. And they said to him, “We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” And Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? I pray you, tell me.”

9. And the chief of the butlers told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, there was a vine before me.

10.And on the vine were three branches, and when it budded, it went up into blossom, and its clusters ripened into grapes.

11.And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into the hand of Pharaoh.”

12. And Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.

13.In three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and return you to your office, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand as before when you were his cupbearer.

14.Only, do remember me when it goes well for you, and deal kindly with me, I beg you, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

15.For I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here, too, I have done nothing that they should have put me in the dungeon.”

16. When the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was good, then he said to Joseph, “I was also in my dream, and there were three baskets of white bread on my head.

17.And in the top basket was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket on my head.”

18. And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.

19.In three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”

20. And it came to pass on the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief of the butlers and the head of the chief of the bakers in the midst of his servants.

21. And then he returned the chief of the butlers to his butlership, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand,

22.but he hanged the chief of the bakers, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.

23. But the chief of the butlers did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Genesis 41

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass at the end of two years that Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

2. And there were seven cows coming up from the Nile, healthy-looking and fat. And they were grazing in the reeds.

3. And behold, seven other cows came up from the Nile after them, bad-looking and gaunt. And they stood beside the other cows on the bank of the Nile.

4. And the bad-looking, gaunt cows ate up the seven healthy-looking, fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

5. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And there were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and good.

6. And behold, seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them.

7. And the thin ears swallowed the seven fat, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

8. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men, and Pharaoh recounted to them his dream, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

9. Then the chief of the butlers spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my sins today.

10.Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me into custody in the house of the chief of the guard, me and the chief of the bakers.

11.And we dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. Each of us dreamed, according to the interpretation of his dream.

12.And a young Hebrew man was there with us, a slave of the chief of the guard, and we recounted them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each man he gave the interpretation, according to his dream.

13.And it came to pass! Just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Me, he restored to my position, but him, he hanged.”

14. Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. And when he had shaved and changed his garments, he came in to Pharaoh.

15. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it, but I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.”

16. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “Not I, but God; He will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

17. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile.

18.And there were seven cows coming up from the Nile, fat and healthy-looking, and they grazed among the reeds.

19.And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor, and very bad-looking, and gaunt. I have not seen as bad as they in all the land of Egypt.

20.And the thin, bad cows devoured the seven fat cows that were first,

21.and they went into their stomachs. However, one would not know that they had gone into their stomachs, for they looked as bad as at the beginning. Then I woke up.

22.And then I saw in my dream, and there were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and good.

23.And behold, seven ears of grain, withered, thin, scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them.

24.And the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. And I told this to the magicians, but there was no one to explain it to me.”

25. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh – it is one. God has made known to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

26.Those seven goodly cows are seven years. And those seven good ears of grain are seven years. It is one dream.

27.And those seven gaunt and bad cows that came up after them are seven years. And those seven empty ears of grain scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine.

28.This is the reason that I said to Pharaoh that God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

29.Behold, seven years of great plenty are coming in all the land of Egypt.

30.But seven years of famine will come up after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devour the land.

31.And the plenty in the land will be unknown by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.

32.And inasmuch as the dream was doubled to Pharaoh, the thing is settled with God, and God is hastening to do it.

33.So, let Pharaoh choose now a man of understanding and wisdom, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34.Let Pharaoh act, and appoint overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty.

35.And let them gather all the food of these coming good years, and let them heap up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them store it.

36.And let the food be for a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be destroyed by the famine.”

37. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all of his servants.

38. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can there be found such a man as this, in whom is the spirit of God?”

39. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Forasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you.

40.You will be over my house, and to your word will all my people submit. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.”

41. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See! I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

42. And Pharaoh took his ring off his hand and put it on the hand of Joseph, and he dressed him in garments of fine linen, and he put the gold chain around his neck,

43.and he had him ride in his second chariot, and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” And he put him over all the land of Egypt.

44. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt!”

45. And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name, Zaphnath-Paeneah.[75] And he gave him Asenath, daughter of Poti-phera, the priest of On, for a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before Pharaoh and passed throughout all the land of Egypt.

47. And during the seven years of plenty, the land produced by handfuls.

48. And for seven years, he gathered all the food that was in the land of Egypt and stored the food in the cities; he stored inside a city the food from the field that was around it.

49. And Joseph heaped up grain like the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was beyond measure.

50. And there were two sons born to Joseph before the time of famine came, whom Asenath, daughter of Poti-phera, the priest of On, bore to him.

51. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn, Manasseh[76] (for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”)

52. And he called the name of the second one, Ephraim[77] (for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”)

53. And the seven years of abundance that were in the land of Egypt came to an end.

54. And the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. And the famine was in all countries, but in all the land of Egypt, there was bread.

55. And all the land of Egypt was hungry, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, but Pharaoh said to all of Egypt, “Go to Joseph. Whatever he tells you, do it.”

56. Now, the famine was upon the face of the whole land, and so, Joseph opened everything because of them, and he sold grain to the Egyptians. And the famine grew severe in the land of Egypt.

57. And all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph, to buy grain, for the famine was severe in all the earth.

Genesis 42

Back to Top

¶1. When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?”

2. And he said, “Behold, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us from there, so that we may live and not die.”

3. So, ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he said, “Lest harm befall him.”

5. And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6. And Joseph was governor over the land; he was the one selling grain to all the people of the earth. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves to him, faces to the ground.

7. And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted toward them as if he were a stranger and spoke harshly to them. And he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

8. (Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him,

9.and Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them.) And he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

10. But they said to him, “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy food.

11.All of us are sons of one man. We are being truthful. Your servants are not spies.”

12. But he said to them, “No! But you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

13. And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, but behold, the youngest is with our father today, and the other is no more.”

14. But Joseph said to them, “It is what I said to you! You are spies!

15.By this will you be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

16.Send one of you and let him bring your brother, but you shall be confined. And so, your words will be put to the test, whether the truth be in you; and if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are surely spies!”

17. Then he put them into custody for three days.

18. But on the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and live, for I fear God.

19.If you are being honest, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your confinement, and you go, take grain for the hunger of your households.

20.And you bring your youngest brother to me, that your words may be confirmed, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

21. And they said, each to his brother, “We are surely guilty because of our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he begged us for mercy and we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come upon us.”

22. Then Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ but you would not listen? And now his blood, behold, is required!”

23. (Now, they did not know that Joseph understood them, for an interpreter had been between them.)

24. And he went away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them, and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

25. And Joseph commanded his servants to fill their vessels with grain, and to return their silver, each into his sack, and to give them provision for the journey. And thus he did for them.

26. And they loaded their grain onto their donkeys and went away from there.

27. And one of them opened his sack at the khan to give feed to his donkey, and he saw his money, and behold, it was in the mouth of his bag.

28. And he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored! Yea, truly! Behold, it is in my bag!” And their hearts sank, and they were afraid, each saying to his brother, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29. And they came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him everything that had happened to them, saying,

30.“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us, and he held us as spies in the land.

31.And we told him, ‘We are truthful. We are not spies.

32.We were twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is not, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’

33.And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this will I know that you are honest: leave one of your brothers with me, and for the hunger of your households, take grain, and go.

34.But bring your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest. Then I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”

35. And it came to pass that as they were emptying their sacks, behold, every man’s pouch of silver was in his sack. And they saw their pouches of silver, they and their father, and they were afraid.

36. And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me! Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin, you would take away! Everything is against me!”

37. And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may kill my two sons if I do not return him to you. Put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.”

38. But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. Harm will come to him on the journey that you take, and you will bring my hoary head down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Genesis 43

Back to Top

¶1. And the famine was severe in the land.

2. And it came to pass that when they finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back, and buy us a little food.”

3. But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man sternly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

4.If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you,

5.but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

6. And Israel said, “Why did you do me such evil as to tell the man that you have another brother?”

7. And they said, “The man asked in detail about us and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive?’ and ‘Do you have a brother?’ And we answered him because he demanded these things. How would we have possibly known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8. And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the young man with me, and let us rise up and go so that we may live and not die, both we and you, and our little ones.

9.I will be surety for him; you may require him of my hand. If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, I will bear the blame before you forever.

10.For had we not delayed, by now we would have already returned a second time.”

11. And Israel their father said to them, “If it is so, then do this. Take some of the best of the land in your vessels and carry a gift down to the man: a little balm, and a little honey, spice and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

12.And take twice as much money with you. The silver that was returned in the mouth of your bags, carry it back with you. Maybe it was a mistake.

13.And take your brother and rise up. Go back to the man.

14.And God Almighty grant you mercy before the man and send back with you your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

15. So, the men took the gift, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. And they rose up and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph.

16. And Joseph saw Benjamin with them, and he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter a beast, and make ready, for the men shall eat with me at midday.”

17. And the man did as Joseph had said, and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house.

18. And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house. And they said, “We are being brought in because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time, that he may have pretext against us, and fall upon us, and take us for slaves, and our donkeys.”

19. And they approached the man who was over Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the entrance of the house.

20. And they said, “If you please, my lord, we really did come down the first time to buy food.

21.And it came to pass that when we came to the khan and opened our bags, behold, each man’s silver was in the mouth of his bag, our silver in its full weight, and we have brought it back with us.

22.Moreover, we have brought down more silver in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our bags.”

23. And he said, “Peace be to you. Do not fear. Your God, even the God of your father, gave you treasure in your bags. Your silver came to me.” And he brought Simeon out to them.

24. Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. And he gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he provided feed for their donkeys.

25. And they prepared the gift for when Joseph came at midday, for they had heard that they would eat bread there.

26. And Joseph came home, and they brought into the house the gift for him that was in their hand. And they bowed down before him to the ground.

27. And he asked them of their welfare, and he said, “How is your father’s health, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still living?”

28. And they said, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.” And they bowed down and prostrated themselves.

29. And he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

30. And Joseph hurried away, for he was deeply moved for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he went into his private room and wept there.

31. Then he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself. And he said, “Set out bread!”

32. And they set out a place for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for the Egyptians cannot eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to Egyptians.

33. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at each other in astonishment.

34. And a servant carried portions from before him to them, and Benjamin’s portion was five times more than the portions of any of them. And they drank and were drunk with him.

Genesis 44

Back to Top

¶1. And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can lift. And put each one’s silver in the mouth of his bag.

2.Also, put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest one’s bag, along with the money for his grain.” And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

3. At morning light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

4. They had left the city and were not far away when Joseph said to the steward of his house, “Rise up! Pursue after the men and overtake them, and say to them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?

5.Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and by which he truly divines? You have done evil in what you have done!’”

6. And so, he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

7. And they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things as these? Be it far from your servants to do such a thing as that!

8.Behold, the money that we found in the mouth of our bags, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How, then, would we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

9.With whichever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we will also become slaves to my lord.”

10. And he said, “Let it now be according to your words. The one with whom it is found shall be my slave; however, you shall be free.”

11. And they hastened and lowered each man his bag to the ground, and opened each one’s bag.

12. And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag.

13. And they tore their garments. Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

14. And Judah and his brothers came into Joseph’s house, and he was still there, and they fell before him to the ground.

15. And Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that a man such as I can certainly divine?”

16. And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What can we say, and how can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered the transgression of your slaves. Behold, we are slaves to my lord, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found.”

17. But he said, “Be it far from me to do that! The man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave, but you go on up to your father in peace.”

¶18. But Judah approached him and said, “If you please, my lord, let your slave, I beg you, speak a word in the ears of my lord, and let not your anger burn against your slave because you are as Pharaoh.

19.My lord asked his slaves, saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

20.And we said to my lord, ‘We have an elderly father and a child of his old age, the youngest one, and his brother died, and he alone remains of his mother, and his father loves him.’

21.And you said to your slaves, ‘You bring him down to me, and let me set my eyes on him.’

22.And we said to my lord, ‘The young man cannot leave his father, for if he leaves his father, he will die.’

23.And you said to your slaves, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you shall not see my face again!’

24.And it came to pass that we went up to your servant, my father, and we told him the words of my lord.

25.And when our father said, ‘Return to buy a little food for us,’

26.we said, ‘We cannot go down! If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot see the face of the man if our youngest brother is not with us.’

27.And your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

28.And one went out from me, and I said, “Surely, he is torn into pieces,” and I have not seen him since.

29.And if you take this one also from me and harm comes to him, you will bring down my hoary head to Sheol in misery.’

30.So, if I come now to your servant, my father, and the young man is not with us – his soul being bound up with his soul –

31.he will die when he sees that the young man isn’t with us, and your servants will bring down the hoary head of our father, your servant, to Sheol in sorrow.

32.For your servant became surety for the youth with my father, saying, ‘Let me be accursed if I do not bring him to you, and thus will I forever bear the blame of sinning against my father.’

33.So, I beg you, let your servant remain now instead of the youth as a slave to my lord, and let the young man go up with his brothers.

34.For how can I go up to my father and the young man not be with me, lest I see the evil that will befall my father?”

Genesis 45

Back to Top

¶1. And Joseph could not restrain himself before all those standing by him. And he cried out, “Get everyone out, away from me!” And not a man remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

2. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard it, and Pharaoh’s household heard of it.

3. And Joseph said to his brothers,[78] “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” And his brothers were not able to answer him because they were terrified at his presence.

4. But Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near me, I pray you.” And they came near. And he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5.Now, therefore, do not be grieved, and do not be angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to save life!

6.For this famine has been in the land two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

7.But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth and to bring about a great deliverance for you.

8.So now, you did not send me here, but God, and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord over all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9.Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord over all of Egypt. Come down to me! Do not delay!

10.And you will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you, and your sons, and your sons’ sons, and your flocks, and your cattle, and all that you have.

11.And I will take good care of you there, for there will be five more years of famine, lest you come to poverty, you and your house, and all who belong to you.

12.And, behold, your eyes will see, as do the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that is talking to you!’

13.And tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Now, hurry and bring my father down here!”

14. And he fell on the neck of Benjamin his brother and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that, his brothers talked with him.

16. And the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come!” And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.

17. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: load up your beasts and depart. Go to the land of Canaan,

18.and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’

19.You are also commanded to tell them, ‘Do this: take for yourselves from the land of Egypt wagons for your children and your wives, and carry your father, and come!

20.And do not be concerned about your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

21. And the sons of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons at the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provision for the journey.

22. He gave all of them, to each one, changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

23. And to his father he sent this: ten donkeys bearing the best of Egypt, and ten she-asses bearing grain, and bread and food for his father for the journey.

24. And he sent his brothers away, and they went, but he had said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”

25. And they went up from Egypt, and they came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

26. And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” And his heart went numb, for he could not believe them.

27. And they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

28. And Israel said, “It is enough! Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis 46

Back to Top

¶1. And Israel set out with all that he had, and he went to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2. And God spoke to Israel in visions during the night, and He said, “Jacob! Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”

3. And He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.

4.I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will also surely bring you back up. And Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

5. And so, Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their children, and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6. And they took their cattle and their goods which they had gained in the land of Canaan. And Jacob and all his seed entered with him into Egypt.

7. His sons and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed, he brought with him to Egypt.

¶8. And these are the names of the sons of Israel who went into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. The firstborn of Jacob was Reuben.

9. And the sons of Reuben were Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10. And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

11. And the sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12. And the sons of Judah were Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah. But Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

13. And the sons of Issachar were Tola, and Puvvah, and Job, and Shimron.

14. And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15. These were the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Padan-aram, and Dinah, his daughter. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.

16. And the sons of Gad were Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi, and Areli.

17. And the sons of Asher were Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Ishui, and Beriah, and Seraq their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.

18. These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. And she bore these sixteen souls to Jacob.

19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife were Joseph and Benjamin.

20. And in the land of Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On, bore to him.

21. And the sons of Benjamin were Bela, and Becher, and Ashbeel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim, and Ard.

22. These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob. All the souls were fourteen.

23. And the sons of Dan: Hushim.

24. And the sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25. These are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob. All the souls were seven.

26. All the souls who went with Jacob into Egypt, who came from his loins, except for the wives of Jacob’s sons, all the souls were sixty-six.

27. And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt were two souls. Every soul belonging to the house of Jacob who went into Egypt were seventy.

¶28. And he sent Judah before him to lead him to Goshen to Joseph, and they entered the land of Goshen.

29. And Joseph prepared his chariot and went to Goshen to meet Israel his father, and he presented himself to him, and he fell on his neck and wept on his neck for a long time.

30. And Israel said to Joseph, “I can die now, since I have seen your face, for you are still alive.”

31. And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and report to Pharaoh, and I will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

32.And the men are shepherds of flocks, for they are herdsmen, and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’

33.And it shall come to pass if Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’

34.then you shall say, ‘Your servants, we and our fathers, have been herdsmen from our youth until now,’ so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen.” (For every shepherd of flocks is an abomination to the Egyptians.)

Genesis 47

Back to Top

¶1. And Joseph went and reported to Pharaoh, and he said, “My father, and my brothers, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they possess have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

2. And he had taken five men from among his brothers, and he presented them before Pharaoh.

3. And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants tend flocks, both we and our fathers.”

4. And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. But now, if you will grant it, your servants will dwell in the land of Goshen.”

5. And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers are come to you.

6.The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen, and if you discern that there are men of ability among them, make them chief herdsmen over what belongs to me.”

7. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and he presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

9. And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and evil, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the lives of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”

10. And when Jacob had blessed Pharaoh, he went out from before Pharaoh.

11. And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

12. And Joseph provided his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with food for the children.

13. But there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted because of the famine.

14. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they were buying. And Joseph brought the money into the house of Pharaoh.

15. And when the money was spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, “Give us food!” and “Why should we die before you? For the money is gone.”

16. And Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.”

17. And they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys. And that year, he relieved them with food in exchange for all of their livestock.

18. And when that year ended, they came to him the second year and said to him, “We cannot conceal from my lord that the money has run out, and the herds of cattle are my lord’s. Nothing remains before my lord except our body and our land.

19.Why should we perish before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and let us, we and our land, become slaves to Pharaoh. Provide us seed, that we may live and not die, and the land be not desolate.”

20. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians, every one, sold his field because the famine was hard on them, and the land became Pharaoh’s.

21. And as for the people, he moved them to the cities, from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

22. Only the land of the priests did he not buy, for there was a portion for the priests from Pharaoh. And they ate their portion that Pharaoh gave to them. Therefore, they did not sell their land.

23. And Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Here is your seed so that you may sow the land.

24.And it shall be that in harvest, you will give a fifth part to Pharaoh, but four parts will be yours for seed of the field, and for your food, and those in your houses, and food for your children.”

25. And they said, “You have saved our lives. Let us find grace in the eyes of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

26. And Joseph made it a statute until this day over the land of Egypt for Pharaoh to receive a fifth part, excepting the land of the priests; theirs alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

27. And Israel dwelled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they had possessions in it, and were fruitful, and multiplied greatly.

28. And Jacob was in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So, the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years.

29. And the days drew near for Israel to die, and he called for his son Joseph, and he said to him, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, do this. Put your hand under my thigh, if you will, and deal with me kindly and truly. Do not, I pray you, bury me in Egypt,

30.but I would lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial-place.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.”

31. And he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed.

Genesis 48

Back to Top

¶1. And it came to pass after these things that one said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick.” And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2. And one told Jacob, saying, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you.” And Israel strengthened himself and sat up on his bed.

3. And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me in Luz in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me.

4.And He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply you, and I will make you a company of nations, and I will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting inheritance.’

5.And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh, like Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.

6.And your offspring that you father after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7.And when I came from Padan, Rachel died because of me in the land of Canaan on the journey, with still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there, on the road to Ephrath” (which is Bethlehem).

8. And Israel saw Joseph’s sons and he said, “Who are these?”

9. And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, if you will, and I will bless them.”

10. Now, Israel’s eyes were weak because of age, and he could not see. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11. And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face, but behold, God has let me see your seed as well.”

12. And Joseph brought them out from his knees, and he bowed down, with his face to the ground.

13. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and he brought them to him.

14. And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and his left, he put on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15. And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked is the God who has been my shepherd since I was born until this day.

16.May the angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the young men, and may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase to a multitude in the midst of the land!”

17. And when Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him, and he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head, to the head of Manasseh.

18. And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

19. But his father refused and said, “I know, my son. I know. He will also become a people, and he will also be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become the fullness of nations.”

20. And he blessed them that day, saying, “By you will Israel pronounce blessings, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’” So, he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21. And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and He will return you to the land of your fathers.

22.And I have given you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

Genesis 49

Back to Top

¶1. And Jacob summoned his sons, and then he said, “Assemble yourselves, and I will tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2.Gather yourselves and hear, O sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father!

¶3.“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my vigor and the beginning of my strength, excelling in rank and excelling in might.

4.Unstable as water, you shall not excel, for you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch!

¶5.“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their weapons are instruments of cruelty.

6.Let not my soul come into their secret counsel! With their assembly, let not my honor be united! For in their anger, they slew a man, and in their self-will, they hamstrung an ox.

7.Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was harsh. I will divide them within Jacob; yea, I will scatter them within Israel!

¶8.“As for you, Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father will bow themselves to you.

9.Judah is a lion’s cub. You have risen from the prey, my son. He crouched; he lay down like a lion. And as with a lion, who will rouse him?

10.The scepter shall not depart from Judah, neither the lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be the obedience of the nations.

11.Binding his foal to the vine, and the ass’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his clothes in wine and his garment in the blood of grapes.

12.His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

¶13.Zebulon will dwell on the shore of the sea; yea, he will be a haven for ships, and his border will be extend to Sidon.

¶14.Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between two camps.

15.When he sees a resting place that is good and the land that is pleasant, he will bend his back to bear a load, and he will become a forced laborer.

¶16.Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17.Dan will be a serpent on the road, a horned snake on the path that bites a horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.

18.I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

¶19.Gad is a raider; he will attack him. Yea, he will attack the rear.

¶20. From Asher will come his rich food; yea, he will produce the king’s delicacies.

¶21. Naphtali will be a doe set free who produces words of beauty.

¶22. Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful sprout by a spring; his branches climbed over a wall.

23.The archers were bitter against him, and shot at and harassed him,

24.but his bow remained with the Everlasting One, and his strong hands rested in the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25.in your father’s God! And He will help you, yea, mightily. Yea, He will bless you with blessings from heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of breasts and womb,

26.blessings of your father greater than the blessings of my progenitors, to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills! Let they be for Joseph’s head, even for the head of the one separated from his brothers!

¶27.Benjamin is a wolf who tears. In the morning, he will devour prey, and in the evening, he will divide the spoil.”

¶28. These are all twelve of the tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them. Each according to his blessing, he blessed them.

29.And he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30.in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial place.

31.There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32.The purchase of the field and the cave that is in it was from the sons of Heth.”

33. And Jacob finished commanding his sons, and he drew up his feet into the bed. And he died and was gathered to his people.

Genesis 50

Back to Top

¶1. And Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him.

2. And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel.

3. And forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is the required time for embalming. And Egypt bewailed him seventy days.

4. When the days of his mourning passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

5.‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying. Bury me in my grave that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So, let me go up now, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will return.’”

6. And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7. And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all of Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8.and all the house of Joseph and his brothers, even the house of his father. Only, they left their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds in the land of Goshen.

9. And with him went up both chariots and horsemen. It was indeed a very large company.

10. And they went to the threshing floor of Atad, which is on the other side of the Jordan, and they made lamentation there, a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made for his father a mourning for seven days.

11. And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is a grievous mourning for Egyptians.” Therefore, he named that place, “Abel-Mizraim”,[79] which is on the other side of the Jordan.

12. And so, his sons did for him as he had commanded them.

13. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and they buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which field Abraham bought for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

14. And Joseph returned to Egypt after he buried his father, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father.

¶15. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Joseph is no doubt holding a grudge against us and is going to repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”

16. And they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave a command before his death, saying,

17.‘Thus shall you say to Joseph: I beseech you to forgive, if you will, the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for they did evil to you. But forgive now, if you will, the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18. Then his brothers also came and fell down before him, and they said, “Behold, we are your slaves.”

19. And Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid. Am I in God’s place?

20.Yes, you meant to do evil to me, but God meant it for good, in order to save the lives of many people, as it is this day.

21.So, do not be afraid now. I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

¶22. And Joseph dwelled in Egypt, he and his father’s house. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.

23. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and the sons of Machir, Manasseh’s son, were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

24. And Joseph said to his kinsmen, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

25. And Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry my bones up from this place.”

26. And Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.


Footnotes

[1] No one knew the name “Jehovah” until God revealed His name to Moses in Exodus 6:3–4. This is evidence that Moses wrote the books of Genesis and Exodus, inserting “Jehovah” into the story before that name was known.

[2] Or, “successful”, which implies a worldly wisdom.

[3] Hebrew: Havah, meaning “life”.

[4] “Cain” means “gotten”.

[5] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[6] Hebrew: Hevel, meaning “vapor” or “breath”.

[7] That is, “wandering”.

[8] That is, “given”.

[9] Or, “profaned calling on a name of the Lord.”

[10] “Methuselah” means, “at his death, it will be sent”.

[11] That is, “rest”, or “comfort”

[12] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[13] From a Hebrew verb meaning “to be humbled” or “be subdued”.

[14] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[15] Cush is Ethiopia.

[16] Mizraim is Egypt.

[17] Aram is Syria.

[18] That is, “divided”.

[19] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[20] Literally, only “ – if I take anything of yours.” The curse intended with this oath is so horrific – calling for one’s own death and damnation – that it is not even uttered.

[21] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[22] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[23] That is, “God hears.”

[24] See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[25] That is, “God saw me.”

[26] That is, “Well of the Living One who sees me.”

[27] That is, “Almighty God”.

[28] That is, “exalted father”.

[29] That is, “father of a multitude”.

[30] Meaning obscure, perhaps, “barren”.

[31] That is, “princess”.

[32] That is, “laughter”.

[33] That is, “little”.

[34] That is, “from [my] father”.

[35] That is, “son of my [own] people”.

[36] That is, “well of the oath”.

[37] That is, “Eternal God”.

[38] That is, “Jehovah-jireh”. See footnote on Genesis 2:4.

[39] Or, Aram of the two rivers.

[40] That is, “supplanter”.

[41] That is, “red”.

[42] That is, “broad places”.

[43] See footnote on Genesis 2:4. Moses even puts “Jehovah”, the name of God revealed first to him, in the mouths of Canaanites.

[44] That is, “an oath”.

[45] That is, “well of an oath”.

[46] That is, “house of God”.

[47] That is, “Behold, a son!”

[48] That is, “heard”.

[49] That is, “joined”.

[50] That is, “praise”.

[51] That is, “judge”.

[52] That is, “my struggle”.

[53] Meaning uncertain.

[54] That is, “happy” or “blessed”.

[55] That is, “hire” or “wages”.

[56] That is, “honor”.

[57] That is, “added”.

[58] That is, “household idols”.

[59] Jegar-sahadutha.

[60] Galeed.

[61] “That is, “watching”.

[62] That is, “two camps”.

[63] That is, “He perseveres with God.”

[64] That is, “face of God”.

[65] That is, “shelters”.

[66] A unit of unknown type and value.

[67] That is, “God, the God of Israel”.

[68] That is, “God of Bethel”.

[69] That is, “oak of weeping”.

[70] That is, “son of my idolatry”.

[71] That is, “son of my right hand”.

[72] Hebrew uncertain.

[73] Or possibly, “a tunic reaching to the feet”.

[74] That is, “breach”.

[75] Meaning unknown, but possibly, “the god speaks and he lives”.

[76] That is, “forgetting”.

[77] That is, “fruitful”.

[78] In their language without an interpreter.

[79] That is, “the mourning of Egyptians”.

Go Top