Genesis Translation

Genesis

1:1 At the dawn of time, God crafted the heavens and the earth.
1:2 The earth lay unformed and empty, with darkness shrouding the deep waters. The breath of God swept over these waters.
1:3 God commanded, “Let light be,” and light emerged.
1:4 Seeing the light was good, God separated it from the darkness.
1:5 God named the light ‘Day’ and the darkness ‘Night.’ Evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
1:6 God declared, “Let there be an expanse amid the waters, to separate water from water.”
1:7 Thus, God fashioned the expanse, dividing the waters below from those above, and it was so.
1:8 God called the expanse ‘Sky.’ Evening passed and morning came, the second day.
1:9 God proclaimed, “Let the waters under the sky gather to one place, and let dry ground appear,” and it was so.
1:10 God named the dry ground ‘Earth’ and the gathered waters ‘Seas.’ God saw that it was good.
1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seed, each according to its kind upon the earth,” and it was so.
1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
1:13 Evening passed and morning came, the third day.
1:14 God announced, “Let there be lights in the sky’s expanse to separate day from night. Let them serve as signs for seasons, days, and years,
1:15 and let them be lights in the sky’s expanse to illuminate the earth,” and it was so.
1:16 God made two great lights: the larger light to govern the day, and the smaller light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
1:17 God set them in the sky’s expanse to shine upon the earth,
1:18 to oversee day and night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
1:19 Evening passed and morning came, the fourth day.
1:20 God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the sky’s expanse.”
1:21 God created great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.
1:22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
1:23 Evening passed and morning came, the fifth day.
1:24 God stated, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds,” and it was so.
1:25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. God saw that it was good.
1:26 God proposed, “Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
1:27 So God created mankind in his own image; in the divine image he created them; male and female he created them.
1:28 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
1:29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth, and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. They will be yours for food.
1:30 To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth in which there is life, I have given every green plant for food,” and it was so.
1:31 God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good. Evening passed and morning came, the sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, along with their entire host.
2:2 On the seventh day, God finished his work which he had done; he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
2:3 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creation.
2:4 These are the records of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
2:5 there was not yet any wild shrub on the earth, nor had any wild plants sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.
2:6 But a mist rose up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
2:7 The LORD God then formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; there he placed the man whom he had formed.
2:9 Out of the ground, the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
2:10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; from there it divided and became four branches.
2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
2:12 and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.
2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
2:15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.
2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat from every tree of the garden,
2:17 but 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.”
2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a suitable helper for him.”
2:19 Out of the ground, the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called each living creature, that became its name.
2:20 Adam gave names to all livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam, no suitable helper was found.
2:21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.
2:22 With the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to the man.
2:23 Then Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘Woman,’ for she was taken out of Man.”
2:24 For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
2:25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.
3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3:3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'”
3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
3:5 For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”
3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
3:8 Then they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
3:9 But the LORD God called to Adam, asking, “Where are you?”
3:10 He replied, “I heard Your voice in the garden and was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
3:11 God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
3:12 The man answered, “The woman you provided as my companion offered me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
3:13 The LORD God then inquired of the woman, “What have you done?” She replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
3:14 The LORD God declared to the serpent, “Since you have done this, you are now more cursed than all livestock and wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and consume dust all your life.
3:15 I will create hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; with pain you will give birth. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
3:17 To Adam He said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree I commanded you not to eat from, the ground is cursed because of you. Through painful toil you will eat from it all your life.
3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, from which you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you will return.”
3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
3:22 The LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, eat, and live forever—”
3:23 Therefore, the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
3:24 He expelled the man and stationed cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden, along with a flaming sword that turned in every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.
4:1 Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.”
4:2 She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Cain worked the soil.
4:3 In time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4:4 Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
4:5 but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
4:6 The LORD asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
4:8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
4:9 The LORD asked Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” He replied, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s guardian?”
4:10 Then He said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
4:11 Now you are cursed and driven from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
4:12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
4:13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear.
4:14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
4:15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
4:16 So Cain left the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
4:17 Cain knew his wife intimately, and she conceived and bore Enoch. He then built a city and named it after his son, Enoch.
4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.
4:19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
4:20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and raise livestock.
4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and flute.
4:22 Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain, a forger of all implements of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
4:23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; wives of Lamech, hear my words: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
4:24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
4:25 Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
4:26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time, people began to call on the name of the LORD.
5:1 This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.
5:2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.
5:3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
5:4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
5:6 Seth lived 105 years and then became the father of Enosh.
5:7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
5:9 Enosh lived 90 years and became the father of Kenan.
5:10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:11 Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
5:12 Kenan lived 70 years and became the father of Mahalalel.
5:13 After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:14 Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
5:15 Mahalalel lived 65 years and became the father of Jared.
5:16 After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
5:18 Jared lived 162 years and became the father of Enoch.
5:19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:20 Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
5:21 Enoch lived 65 years and became the father of Methuselah.
5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
5:24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
5:25 Methuselah lived 187 years and became the father of Lamech.
5:26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
5:28 Lamech lived 182 years and had a son.
5:29 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.”
5:30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
5:31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:1 As humanity multiplied on Earth’s face, and daughters were born to them,
6:2 The sons of God observed that these daughters of men were beautiful; they chose and married whom they wished.
6:3 Then the LORD declared, “My spirit shall not contend with humans indefinitely, for they are mortal; their lifespan shall be 120 years.”
6:4 Giants existed on Earth in those days, and even afterward, when the sons of God united with the daughters of men, who bore children to them. These offspring became the ancient, famous warriors.
6:5 The LORD saw the extensive wickedness of humankind on Earth, every thought and imagination of their hearts inclined to evil all the time.
6:6 It grieved the LORD that He had made humans on Earth, and His heart was filled with sorrow.
6:7 The LORD resolved, “I will obliterate humans whom I have created from the Earth’s face—humans, animals, creeping creatures, and birds of the sky—for I regret making them.”
6:8 But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.
6:9 These are Noah’s descendants. Noah was a righteous, blameless man in his time; he walked faithfully with God.
6:10 Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11 The Earth was corrupt in God’s sight, filled with violence.
6:12 God observed the Earth; indeed, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way on Earth.
6:13 God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the Earth is filled with violence because of them. Behold, I will destroy them along with the Earth.
6:14 Construct an ark of gopher wood; make compartments in the ark and coat it inside and out with pitch.
6:15 Here’s how you’ll build it: the ark’s length will be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.
6:16 Make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; set the door of the ark in its side. Construct it with lower, second, and third decks.
6:17 I am about to bring floodwaters upon the Earth to destroy all flesh under the heavens with the breath of life; everything on Earth will perish.
6:18 But with you, I will establish my covenant; you shall enter the ark—your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
6:19 Of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
6:20 Of birds according to their kind, of animals according to their kind, and of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of each will come to you to keep them alive.
6:21 Also, take all sorts of food that is eaten and store it; it shall be food for you and them.”
6:22 Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.
7:1 The LORD said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and your whole family, for I have found you righteous before me in this generation.
7:2 Take with you seven pairs of every clean animal, a male and its female; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female.
7:3 Also, seven pairs of birds of the air, male and female, to keep their species alive on the face of all the Earth.
7:4 For in seven days, I will send rain on the Earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the Earth’s face every living thing I have made.”
7:5 Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came upon the Earth.
7:7 Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
7:8 Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that crawls on the ground,
7:9 In pairs, male and female, entered the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
7:10 After the seven days, the floodwaters were on the Earth.
7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
7:12 Rain fell upon the Earth for forty days and forty nights.
7:13 On that very day, Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
7:14 They and every beast according to its kind, all the livestock according to their kinds, every creature that creeps on the Earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort.
7:15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.
7:16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
7:17 The flood continued for forty days on the Earth; and the waters increased, lifting the ark high above the Earth.
7:18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the Earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.
7:19 The waters prevailed so mightily on the Earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
7:20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
7:21 All flesh died that moved on the Earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the Earth, and all mankind.
7:22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
7:23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the Earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
7:24 And the waters prevailed on the Earth for 150 days.
8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the Earth, and the waters subsided.
8:2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,
8:3 And the waters receded from the Earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated;
8:4 And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
8:5 The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
8:6 At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made
8:7 And sent forth a raven; it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the Earth.
8:8 Then he sent forth a dove to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.
8:9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole Earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
8:10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.
8:11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the Earth.
8:12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
8:13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the Earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the Earth was dry.
8:15 Then God said to Noah,
8:16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.
8:17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth—that they may swarm on the Earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the Earth.”
8:18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
8:19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the Earth, went out by families from the ark.
8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
8:21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
8:22 While the Earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth.
9:2 “Every creature on earth, every bird in the sky, all that moves on the land, and all the fish in the sea are given into your hands and shall fear and dread you.
9:3 “Just as I have provided the green plants, I now give you everything that moves and lives as food.
9:4 “However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.
9:5 “For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting. I will require it from every animal and from every human; from everyone I will demand an accounting for the life of another human.
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for God made humans in his own image.
9:7 “And as for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
9:8 “Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons,
9:9 “saying, ‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
9:10 “and with every living creature that was with you: the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.
9:11 “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to devastate the earth.’
9:12 “God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:
9:13 “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
9:14 “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
9:15 “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
9:16 “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.’
9:17 “So God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.’
9:18 “The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)
9:19 “These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
9:20 “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
9:21 “When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.
9:22 “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.
9:23 “But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
9:24 “When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,
9:25 “he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’
9:26 “He also said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
9:27 “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.’
9:28 “After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
9:29 “Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 “This is the account of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
10:2 “The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
10:3 “The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
10:4 “The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
10:5 “From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.
10:6 “The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
10:7 “The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
10:8 “Cush fathered Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth.
10:9 “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.’
10:10 “The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Calneh, in Shinar.
10:11 “From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
10:12 “and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
10:13 “Mizraim fathered the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,
10:14 “Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorites.
10:15 “Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
10:16 “as well as the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
10:17 “Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
10:18 “Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered.
10:19 “The border of the Canaanites extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
10:20 “These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
10:21 “Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 “The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
10:23 “The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
10:24 “Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.
10:25 “Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
10:26 “Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
10:27 “Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
10:28 “Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
10:29 “Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
10:30 “The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
10:31 “These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
10:32 “These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.
11:1 “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
11:2 “As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
11:3 “They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
11:4 “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’
11:5 “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
11:6 “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
11:7 “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’
11:8 “So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
11:9 “That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
11:10 “This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
11:11 “And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:12 “When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
11:13 “And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:14 “When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
11:15 “And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:16 “When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
11:17 “And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 “When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
11:19 “And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 “When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
11:21 “And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 “When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
11:23 “And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 “When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
11:25 “And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 “After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 “Now this is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begot Lot.
11:28 “Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
11:29 “Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.
11:30 “But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 “Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
11:32 “The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
12:1 “Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.
12:2 “‘I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
12:3 “‘I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
12:4 “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
12:5 “Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
12:6 “Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
12:7 “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
12:9 “So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
12:10 “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
12:11 “And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.
12:12 “‘Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife”; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.
12:13 “‘Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.’
12:14 “So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
12:15 “The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
12:16 “He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 “But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
12:18 “And Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
12:19 “‘Why did you say, “She is my sister”? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.’
12:20 “So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
13:1 “Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
13:2 “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
13:3 “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
13:4 “to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
13:5 “Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
13:6 “Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
13:7 “And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
13:8 “So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
13:9 “‘Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’
13:10 “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
13:11 “Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
13:12 “Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13:13 “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
13:14 “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
13:15 “‘for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
13:16 “‘And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
13:17 “‘Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.’
13:18 “Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.
14:1 “It came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,
14:2 “that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
14:3 “All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
14:4 “Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
14:5 “In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
14:6 “and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness.
14:7 “Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
14:8 “And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim
14:9 “against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
14:10 “Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.
14:11 “Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
14:12 “They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
14:13 An escapee came and informed Abram the Hebrew, who was residing in Mamre the Amorite’s plain, brother to Eshcol and Aner, allies of Abram.

14:14 Upon hearing of his brother’s capture, Abram mobilized his trained men, born in his household, numbering 318, and pursued the captors to Dan.
14:15 He and his servants launched a night attack, defeating them and chasing them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
14:16 Abram recovered all the plunder, as well as his nephew Lot and his possessions, including the women and other people.
14:17 After Abram’s victory over Chedorlaomer and the allied kings, the King of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, also known as the King’s Valley.
14:18 Melchizedek, the King of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
14:19 He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
14:21 The King of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”
14:22 But Abram said to the King of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
14:23 and have vowed that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
14:24 I will accept only what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me — Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them have their share.”
15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
15:2 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
15:3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”
15:5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars — if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
15:7 He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
15:8 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
15:9 So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
15:10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.
15:11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
15:12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
15:13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.
15:14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
15:15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.
15:16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
15:17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —
15:19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;
16:2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
16:3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
16:4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
16:6 “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
16:7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
16:8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
16:9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”
16:10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
16:11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
16:12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
16:13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
16:14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
16:15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
17:2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
17:3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
17:4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
17:5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
17:6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
17:8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.
17:10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
17:11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
17:12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner — those who are not your offspring.
17:13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
17:14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
17:15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.
17:16 “I shall indeed bless her, and ensure she bears you a son. Moreover, I shall bless her so that she becomes the mother of nations; from her, kings of various peoples shall arise.”
17:17 At this, Abraham prostrated himself and laughed, thinking, “Can a son be born to a man who is a century old? And will Sarah, at ninety, give birth?”
17:18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under Your favour!”
17:19 But God replied, “No, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants.”
17:20 Regarding Ishmael, I have heard you: I have blessed him, will make him fruitful, and greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
17:21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
17:22 Having finished speaking with Abraham, God ascended from him.
17:23 On that very day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the males in his household, whether born there or bought with money, and circumcised them, as God had instructed him.
17:24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,
17:25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.
17:27 And all the men of his household, whether born in his house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
18:2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
18:3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.
18:4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.
18:5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
18:7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
18:8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
18:9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said.
18:10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.
18:11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.
18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
18:13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’
18:14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
18:15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
18:16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.
18:17 Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
18:20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
18:21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
18:22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
18:23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?
18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
18:26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,
18:28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
18:29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
18:30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
18:32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
18:33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
19:2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
19:3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
19:4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.
19:5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”
19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him
19:7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.
19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
19:9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
19:10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.
19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.
19:12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
19:13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
19:15 As dawn broke, the angels urgently prompted Lot, saying, “Rise, take your wife and your two daughters who are with you, lest you be swept away in the city’s sin.”
19:16 As Lot hesitated, the men grasped his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters – out of the LORD’s compassion for him. They led them safely out of the city.
19:17 Once outside, they advised, “Flee for your life! Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the mountains, lest you be overtaken.”
19:18 But Lot protested to them, “Oh no, my lords,
19:19 Your servant has found favour in your sight, and your great mercy has saved my life. I cannot flee to the mountains, for fear the disaster will catch me, and I will die.
19:20 Look, this nearby city is small enough to flee to. It is a minor one. Let me escape there – isn’t it just a small one? – and my life will be spared.”
19:21 He answered, “I will also grant this request; I will not overthrow the city you speak of.
19:22 Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive.” Therefore, the city was named Zoar.
19:23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah – from the LORD out of the heavens.
19:25 He overthrew these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
19:26 But Lot’s wife, looking back as she followed him, became a pillar of salt.
19:27 Early in the morning, Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
19:28 He looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah and over the land of the plain and saw dense smoke rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace.
19:29 When God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
19:30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar to live in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his daughters lived in a cave.
19:31 The elder daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around to give us children as is the custom all over the earth.
19:32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and sleep with him so that we can preserve our father’s lineage.”
19:33 That night, they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up.
19:34 The next day, the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with our father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our father’s lineage.”
19:35 They got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and slept with him. Again, he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
19:36 Thus, both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
19:37 The firstborn bore a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites to this day.
19:38 The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.
20:1 Abraham traveled from there to the southern region, living between Kadesh and Shur. For a while, he stayed in Gerar.
20:2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night and said, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 20:5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
20:6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
20:7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours.”
20:8 Early the next morning, Abimelech summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very frightened.
20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”
20:10 And Abimelech asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”
20:11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’
20:12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.
20:13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, He is my brother.'”
20:14 Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him.
20:15 And Abimelech said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”
20:16 To Sarah, he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”
20:17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so they could have children again,
20:18 for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.
21:1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.
21:2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.
21:3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.
21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.
21:5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
21:6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
21:7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast.
21:9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,
21:10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
21:11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
21:12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.
21:13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”
21:14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.
21:16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.
21:17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.
21:18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
21:19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.
21:21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
21:22 At that time, Abimelech, accompanied by Phichol, his chief military advisor, approached Abraham, affirming, “The Divine favours you in all your endeavours.”
21:23 He continued, “I implore you, by God, to pledge that you will not betray me, my offspring, or my descendants. Repay my kindness to you and the land of your sojourn with equal benevolence.”
21:24 Abraham responded, “I give you my solemn oath.”
21:25 He then reproached Abimelech due to a dispute over a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
21:26 Abimelech replied, “I was unaware of this matter; you did not inform me, nor had I heard of it until today.”
21:27 Abraham then presented sheep and oxen to Abimelech, and the two formed a covenant.
21:28 Abraham also set aside seven ewe lambs from the flock.
21:29 Perplexed, Abimelech asked, “What is the purpose of these seven ewe lambs you have isolated?”
21:30 Abraham explained, “Accept these lambs from me as a testimony that I dug this well.”
21:31 Hence, he named that place Beersheba, for there they both swore an oath.
21:32 After establishing their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phichol returned to Philistine territory.
21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and invoked the Eternal God’s name.
21:34 He resided in the Philistines’ land for a prolonged period.
22:1 After these events, God tested Abraham. He called, “Abraham,” who replied, “Here I am.”
22:2 God instructed, “Take Isaac, your only son whom you love, to Moriah. Offer him as a burnt sacrifice on one of the mountains I will indicate.”
22:3 Abraham rose early, prepared his donkey, took two servants and Isaac, and chopped wood for the offering. He then set out for the designated place.
22:4 On the third day, Abraham saw the location from afar.
22:5 He told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go further to worship and then return.”
22:6 Abraham placed the wood on Isaac and carried the fire and knife himself. Together, they proceeded.
22:7 Isaac addressed Abraham, “Father?” He replied, “Yes, my son.” Isaac asked, “We have fire and wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?”
22:8 Abraham assured, “My son, God will provide the lamb for the offering.” So, they continued together.
22:9 Reaching the designated place, Abraham constructed an altar, arranged the wood, bound Isaac, and placed him on the altar.
22:10 As Abraham was about to sacrifice his son,
22:11 The LORD’s angel called from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” He responded, “Here I am.”
22:12 The angel instructed, “Do not harm the boy or do anything to him. Now I know you fear God, as you didn’t withhold your son from me.”
22:13 Abraham then noticed a ram entangled by its horns in a thicket. He sacrificed the ram instead of his son.
22:14 Abraham named the place Jehovahjireh, as it is said, “On the LORD’s mountain, it shall be provided.”
22:15 The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
22:16 Declaring, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD: because you have done this and not withheld your son,
22:17 I will surely bless and multiply your offspring like the stars and the sands on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer their enemies’ gates.
22:18 Through your offspring, all nations will be blessed, for you obeyed my voice.”
22:19 Abraham returned to his servants, and they journeyed back to Beersheba, where he resided.
22:20 Later, Abraham was informed, “Milcah also bore children to your brother Nahor:
22:21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (father of Aram),
22:22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
22:23 Bethuel fathered Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
22:24 His concubine Reumah also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years.
23:2 She passed away in Kirjatharba, now Hebron, in Canaan. Abraham mourned and wept for her.
23:3 Rising from mourning, Abraham requested from the Hittites a burial site, stating, “I am a foreigner residing among you. Grant me a burial plot to lay my wife to rest.”
23:4 The Hittites responded to Abraham,
23:5 “Hear us, my lord: you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our graves. None of us will deny you a burial site.”
23:6 Abraham rose, bowed to the people, and proposed,
23:7 “If you consent to me burying my dead, intercede for me with Ephron, son of Zohar,
23:8 That he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, at the end of his field, for its full price as a permanent burial site.”
23:9 Ephron, present among the Hittites, replied to Abraham in everyone’s hearing,
23:10 “No, my lord, listen to me. I give you the field and the cave within it, in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
23:11 Abraham bowed before the locals.
23:12 He spoke to Ephron publicly, “If you will, please let me pay for the field. Accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
23:13 Ephron responded,
23:14 “My lord, listen to me. The land is worth 400 silver shekels, but what is that between us? Bury your dead.”
23:15 Abraham agreed with Ephron’s terms and weighed out the silver, 400 shekels, as agreed among the Hittites.
23:16 Thus, the field of Ephron in Machpelah, facing Mamre—the field, the cave within it, and all the trees within the field’s boundaries—
23:17 Were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, all who entered the city gate.
23:18 Following this, Abraham buried Sarah in the cave of Machpelah’s field near Mamre (Hebron) in Canaan.
23:19 The field and the cave therein were secured to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
24:1 Abraham, advanced in years, was blessed by the LORD in all aspects.
24:2 He instructed his senior servant, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
24:3 And swear by the LORD, God of heaven and earth, not to take a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I live.
24:4 Instead, go to my homeland, my relatives, and find a wife for Isaac there.”
24:5 The servant questioned, “What if the woman refuses to come back with me to this land? Should I take Isaac back to your homeland?”
24:6 Abraham cautioned, “Never take my son back there.
24:7 The LORD, who led me from my father’s home and spoke to me, promising this land to my descendants, will send his angel ahead of you. You will find a wife for my son from there.
24:8 If the woman is unwilling, you will be free from this oath; just do not take my son back.”
24:9 The servant swore to Abraham regarding this matter.
24:10 Taking ten of Abraham’s camels and all his master’s goods, he set out for Nahor’s city in Mesopotamia.
24:11 Arriving in the evening, when women draw water, he made the camels kneel near the well.
24:12 He prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today and show kindness to Abraham.
24:13 Here by the well, let the woman who offers me water, and waters the camels too, be the one you’ve chosen for Isaac. This will show your kindness to Abraham.”
24:14 Before he finished praying, Rebekah, born to Bethuel, Milcah’s son and Nahor’s wife, came with her pitcher.
24:15 She was very beautiful, a virgin unknown to any man. She filled her pitcher and ascended.
24:16 The servant approached, requesting a drink from her pitcher.
24:17 She complied, offering him a drink, and quickly offered to draw water for his camels as well, until they were quenched.
24:18 She emptied her pitcher into the trough and hurried back to the well to draw more, providing for all his camels.
24:19 Astonished, the man silently observed her, wondering if the LORD had made his journey successful.
24:20 After the camels finished drinking, he presented her with a golden nose ring and two gold bracelets, asking her family details and if they had room to accommodate them.
24:21 Rebekah informed him that she was Bethuel’s daughter, born to Milcah and Nahor, with ample room and provisions for them.
24:22 And so it happened, when the camels had finished drinking, the man presented a golden earring, weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold;
24:23 and he inquired, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there space in your father’s home for us to stay?”
24:24 She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.”
24:25 She added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, and room to accommodate you.”
24:26 The man then bowed and worshipped the LORD,
24:27 proclaiming, “Praised be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and truth towards my master. As for me, the LORD has guided me to the house of my master’s relatives.”
24:28 The young woman ran and informed her mother’s household about these events.
24:29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring.
24:30 When he saw the earring and bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s account of the man’s words, he went to him. There, by the camels at the spring, he found the man,
24:31 and said, “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD. Why stand outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
24:32 The man entered the house. Laban unloaded the camels, provided straw and feed for them, and water to wash his and his companions’ feet.
24:33 Food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have spoken my piece.” Laban responded, “Speak.”
24:34 He began, “I am Abraham’s servant.
24:35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, making him wealthy. He has given him flocks, herds, silver, gold, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
24:36 Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to him in her old age, and to this son he has given everything he owns.
24:37 My master made me swear an oath, saying, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,
24:38 but go to my father’s family and my clan, and get a wife for my son.’
24:39 I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
24:40 But he replied, ‘The LORD, whom I serve, will send His angel with you and make your journey successful. You will get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.
24:41 You will be released from my oath if, when you get to my clan, they refuse to give her to you.’
24:42 Today, I arrived at the spring and prayed: ‘LORD, God of my master Abraham, if it is your will, make the venture on which I have come successful.
24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”
24:44 and she responds, “Drink, and I will also water your camels,” let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 Before I finished praying silently, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So, I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
24:46 She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too.’ So, I drank, and she also watered the camels.
24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I placed the earring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
24:48 I bowed and worshipped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
24:49 Now, if you are going to show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; if not, let me know, so that I may turn elsewhere.”
24:50 Laban and Bethuel replied, “This matter comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good.
24:51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.”
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down before the LORD.
24:53 The servant brought out gold and silver jewellery and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and her mother.
24:54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
24:55 But her brother and mother replied, “Let the young woman stay with us ten days or so; then you may go.”
24:56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey successful. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
24:57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her opinion.”
24:58 They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said.
24:59 So, they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men.
24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her attendants mounted the camels and followed the man. So, the servant took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.
24:63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.
24:64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel
24:65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So, she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.
24:67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. She became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
25:1 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.
25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
25:3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.
25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
25:5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.
25:6 But to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts and sent them away from Isaac to the east, to the land of Kedem.
25:7 Abraham lived 175 years.
25:8 Then he breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years, and he was gathered to his people.
25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite,
25:10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.
25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
25:12 This is the account of the family line of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
25:16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.
25:17 Ishmael lived 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.
25:18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go towards Assyria. And he died in the presence of all his relatives.
25:19 Here begins the lineage of Isaac, son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac.
25:20 At the age of forty, Isaac wed Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister to Laban the Aramean.
25:21 Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, as she was barren. The LORD heeded his plea, and Rebekah, his wife, conceived.
25:22 Inside her, the children jostled each other; she wondered, “Why is this happening to me?” and sought the LORD’s guidance.
25:23 The LORD revealed to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples will emerge from you. They will be divided; one stronger than the other, the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When her time came, she bore twins.
25:25 The first emerged red and covered in hair like a cloak; they named him Esau.
25:26 Following came his brother, grasping Esau’s heel; he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty when they were born.
25:27 As they grew, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors; Jacob was content living in tents.
25:28 Isaac favored Esau for his game, but Rebekah favored Jacob.
25:29 Once, Jacob was cooking stew when Esau returned famished from the fields.
25:30 Esau begged Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, I’m so hungry!” That’s why he was called Edom.
25:31 Jacob proposed, “Sell me your birthright now.”
25:32 Esau replied, “I’m about to die, what use is a birthright to me?”
25:33 Jacob insisted, “Swear to me now.” So he swore, selling his birthright to Jacob.
25:34 Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up, and left. So Esau scorned his birthright.
26:1 There was a famine, other than the earlier one in Abraham’s time. Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
26:2 The LORD appeared to him: “Do not go to Egypt; stay in the land I direct you to.
26:3 Remain in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I will grant these lands to you and your descendants, fulfilling the oath to Abraham your father.
26:4 Your offspring will be numerous as the stars, inheriting these lands. Through your offspring, all nations will be blessed.
26:5 Because Abraham obeyed me, keeping my mandates, commands, statutes, and laws.”
26:6 Isaac stayed in Gerar.
26:7 When the locals inquired about his wife, he said, “She’s my sister,” fearing they would kill him over Rebekah, as she was beautiful.
26:8 After a considerable time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, spotted Isaac caressing Rebekah, his wife.
26:9 Abimelech confronted Isaac: “She is surely your wife! Why did you claim she was your sister?” Isaac explained his fear of death over her.
26:10 Abimelech warned, “What have you done? One of us might have slept with your wife, bringing guilt upon us.”
26:11 Abimelech decreed that anyone harming Isaac or his wife would be put to death.
26:12 Isaac sowed in that land, reaping a hundredfold that year, blessed by the LORD.
26:13 He prospered greatly, becoming very wealthy.
26:14 He owned many flocks, herds, and servants. The Philistines envied him.
26:15 They filled all the wells dug in his father Abraham’s time with earth.
26:16 Abimelech told Isaac, “Leave us, you’re too powerful for us.”
26:17 Isaac left, settling in the Gerar valley.
26:18 He reopened the wells dug in Abraham’s time, naming them as his father had.
26:19 Isaac’s servants found a spring in the valley.
26:20 But Gerar’s herdsmen argued with Isaac’s herdsmen, claiming the water. He named the well Esek because of the dispute.
26:21 They dug another well, which was also contested, so he named it Sitnah.
26:22 Moving away, he dug another well. This time there was no quarrel, so he named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has given us room, and we will flourish.”
26:23 From there he went to Beersheba.
26:24 The LORD appeared to him that night, saying, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, I am with you. I will bless you and increase your descendants for Abraham’s sake.”
26:25 Isaac built an altar there, called on the LORD’s name, pitched his tent, and his servants dug a well.
26:26 Abimelech came from Gerar to see him, with Ahuzzath his advisor and Phicol the army commander.
26:27 Isaac questioned their visit, given their hostile past.
26:28 They replied, “We clearly see the LORD is with you. Let’s make an oath between us, a pact that you will not harm us.
26:29 Just as we haven’t hurt you and have treated you well, sending you away peacefully. You are now the LORD’s blessed.”
26:30 Isaac prepared a feast, and they ate and drank.
26:31 They rose early next morning, swore an oath to each other, and Isaac sent them away in peace.
26:32 That day, Isaac’s servants reported about the well they dug: “We’ve found water.”
26:33 He named it Shibah, thus Beersheba’s name to this day.
26:34 Esau, at forty, married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite,
26:35 which brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes weak, he called his elder son Esau: “My son.” “Here I am,” he replied.
27:2 Isaac said, “I am old and don’t know my death day.
27:3 Take your weapons, hunt game for me.
27:4 Prepare a tasty dish as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so I may bless you before I die.”
27:5 Rebekah overheard Isaac speaking to Esau. Esau went hunting for game.
27:6 Rebekah told Jacob, “I heard your father telling Esau,
27:7 ‘Bring game and prepare a meal for me to eat, that I may bless you before the LORD before I die.'”
27:8 “Now, my son, follow my instructions.”
27:9 “Go to the flock, bring two choice goats, and I’ll prepare a dish for your father.
27:10 You’ll bring it to him to eat, so he may bless you before his death.”
27:11 Jacob protested, “Esau is hairy; I’m smooth.
27:12 What if my father touches me? I’ll seem a deceiver, bringing a curse, not a blessing.”
27:13 His mother said, “Let your curse fall on me. Just do as I say; bring the goats.”
27:14 He brought them, and she prepared the dish.
27:15 Rebekah took Esau’s best clothes, in her house, and dressed Jacob.
27:16 She covered his hands and neck with goatskins.
27:17 She handed him the food and bread.
27:18 Jacob approached his father: “My father.” “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
27:19 Jacob lied, “I’m Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you asked. Sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.”
27:20 Isaac asked how he found game so quickly. Jacob said, “The LORD your God led me.”
27:21 Isaac, suspicious, said, “Come near so I can touch you, to know if you’re really Esau.”
27:22 Jacob went closer. Isaac touched him, noting, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.”
27:23 Not recognizing him due to his hands, Isaac blessed him.
27:24 He asked again, “Are you really my son Esau?” He lied, “I am.”
27:25 “Bring the food, I’ll eat my son’s game and bless you.” He ate, and Jacob brought wine.
27:26 Isaac asked for a kiss.
27:27 Jacob kissed him. Isaac, smelling his clothes, blessed him, “See, the scent of my son is like a field blessed by the LORD.
27:28 May God grant you heaven’s dew, earth’s richness, abundant grain and wine.
27:29 May nations serve you, peoples bow to you. Be lord over your brothers, with your mother’s sons bowing to you. Cursed be those who curse you, blessed be those who bless you.”
27:30 As Isaac finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had just left, Esau returned from hunting.
27:31 He also prepared a tasty dish, brought it to his father, and said, “Let my father rise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”
27:32 Isaac asked, “Who are you?” He said, “I’m your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
27:33 Isaac, shaking tremendously, asked, “Who is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I have eaten it all before your arrival and have blessed him – indeed, he shall remain blessed.”
27:34 Hearing his father’s words, Esau cried out in immense and bitter anguish, pleading with his father, “Bless me too, my father!”
27:35 Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken your blessing.”
27:36 Esau exclaimed, “Isn’t he rightly called Jacob, as he has cheated me twice now? He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
27:37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have appointed him as your master, and all his brothers as his servants; and I have provided him with grain and wine. What can I possibly do for you now, my son?”
27:38 Esau implored his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” Then Esau wept aloud.
27:39 Isaac then told him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above.”
27:40 “You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”
27:41 Esau harbored a deep hatred for Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. Esau planned to kill Jacob after their father’s mourning period.
27:42 When Rebekah was told about her older son Esau’s intentions, she called for her younger son Jacob and said, “Your brother Esau is consoling himself with plans to kill you.”
27:43 “Now then, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.”
27:44 “Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides.”
27:45 “When your brother’s anger against you dies down and he forgets what you did to him, I’ll send for you. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
27:46 Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hethite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, what good is my life?”
28:1 Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.”
28:2 “Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.”
28:3 “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.”
28:4 “May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to find a wife there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”
28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
28:8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
28:9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.
28:11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
28:12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
28:13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
28:15 “Behold, I am with you, guarding you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have accomplished what I have promised you.”
28:16 Upon waking from his sleep, Jacob declared, “Indeed, the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware.”
28:17 Filled with awe, he exclaimed, “How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gateway to heaven.”
28:18 Rising early in the morning, Jacob took the stone he had used as his pillow and set it up as a pillar, anointing it with oil.
28:19 He named that place Bethel, though previously the city was known as Luz.
28:20 Jacob vowed, “If God remains with me, protects me on this journey, provides me with bread to eat and clothing to wear,
28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, then the LORD shall be my God.
28:22 This stone I have set as a pillar shall be a house of God, and of all you give me, I will surely give a tenth back to you.”
29:1 Jacob continued his journey and arrived in the land of the eastern peoples.
29:2 There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep resting near it, as it was used to water the flocks. A large stone covered the mouth of the well.
29:3 All the flocks would gather there, and the shepherds would roll the stone away to water the sheep, then replace it over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We are from Haran.”
29:5 He inquired further, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s son?” They answered, “We do.”
29:6 On asking about Laban’s wellbeing, they said, “He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”
29:7 Jacob said, “Look, the day is still long; it’s not time to gather the animals. Water the sheep, then go and graze them.”
29:8 But they replied, “We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, daughter of his uncle Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he approached, rolled the stone away from the well’s mouth, and watered his uncle’s flock.
29:11 Jacob kissed Rachel, then broke down and wept.
29:12 He explained to Rachel that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son, and she ran to tell her father.
29:13 Upon hearing the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, Laban ran to meet him. He embraced and kissed him, and brought him to his home, where Jacob told Laban all that had happened.
29:14 Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” Jacob stayed with him for a month.
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?”
29:16 Now Laban had two daughters; the elder was Leah, and the younger was Rachel.
29:17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.
29:18 Jacob loved Rachel and said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
29:19 Laban replied, “It is better that I give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.”
29:20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
29:21 Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to be with her.”
29:22 So Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast.
29:23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob slept with her.
29:24 Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.
29:25 When morning came, there was Leah! Jacob said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
29:26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the elder one.
29:27 Complete the bridal week with this one, and we will give you the younger one also, in return for serving me another seven years.”
29:28 Jacob did so. He completed the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
29:29 Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.
29:30 Jacob also made love to Rachel, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.
29:32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son, she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am unloved, He gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
29:34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son, she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.
29:35 She conceived yet again, and when she gave birth to a son, she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
30:2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
30:3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my maid; sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
30:4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,
30:5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son.
30:6 Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.
30:7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
30:10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
30:11 Then Leah said, “A troop is coming!” So she named him Gad.
30:12 Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a second son.
30:13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
30:14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
30:15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”
30:16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
30:17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.
30:18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
30:19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
30:20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
30:21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God remembered Rachel; He listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
30:23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”
30:24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
30:25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland.
30:26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
30:27 Laban said to him, “Please stay if I have found favour in your eyes. I have realised that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
30:28 “Name your price for your wages, and I will pay it,” he continued.
30:29 “You are aware of how faithfully I have served you and how your livestock has thrived under my care,” Jacob replied.
30:30 “Before I arrived, your possessions were modest, but they have grown substantially. The LORD has blessed you since my arrival. Now it is time for me to provide for my own household.”
30:31 “What should I give you in return?” Laban asked. Jacob answered, “You need not give me anything, but if you agree to this, I will continue to tend and watch over your flocks.”
30:32 “Let me go through all your flocks today and set aside every speckled or spotted sheep, goat, and all the brown lambs. They will be my wages.”
30:33 “In the future, my honesty will be evident when you check the animals I have taken as my wages. Any goat that is not speckled or spotted and any sheep that is not brown will be considered stolen by me.”
30:34 “Agreed,” said Laban, “Let it be as you have said.”
30:35 That same day, Laban removed all the male goats with stripes and spots, and all the speckled and spotted female goats, along with all the brown sheep, and placed them under the care of his sons.
30:36 Then he put a three days’ journey distance between himself and Jacob, while Jacob took care of the rest of Laban’s flock.
30:37 Jacob then took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, peeling white streaks in them, exposing the white of the branches.
30:38 He placed the peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so they would mate near the branches.
30:39 The flocks mated near the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.
30:40 Jacob separated the lambs and made the rest of the flock face the streaked and the dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. He kept his own herds separate and did not mix them with Laban’s sheep.
30:41 Whenever the stronger animals were mating, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,
30:42 but he did not put them there for the weaker animals. Thus, the weaker animals became Laban’s and the stronger ones Jacob’s.
30:43 In this way, the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, as well as female and male servants, camels, and donkeys.
31:1 Jacob heard Laban’s sons complaining, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”
31:2 Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude towards him was not as friendly as before.
31:3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
31:4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flock was.
31:5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude towards me is not as it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.
31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,
31:7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me.
31:8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young.
31:9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
31:10 In breeding season, I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, or spotted.
31:11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’
31:12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.
31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate?
31:15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.
31:16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
31:17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,
31:18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
31:19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.
31:20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.
31:21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 On the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
31:23 Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
31:24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
31:25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too.
31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.
31:27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps?
31:28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing.
31:29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
31:30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?”
31:31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.
31:32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.
31:33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tents of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent.
31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.
31:35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.
31:36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “What sin have I committed that you hunt me down?
31:37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.
31:38 “I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.
31:39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.
31:40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
31:41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.
31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”
31:43 Laban replied to Jacob, “These daughters are mine, as are these children and cattle. All you see here belongs to me. What action can I take today concerning my daughters and their offspring?
31:44 Come now, let us establish a covenant, you and I, and let it stand as a testament between us.”
31:45 So Jacob erected a stone as a monument.
31:46 Jacob then instructed his brethren to collect stones. They gathered them, forming a mound, and they dined upon it.
31:47 Laban named it Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob called it Galeed.
31:48 Laban declared, “This mound bears witness between us today.” Hence, it was named Galeed, 31:49 and also Mizpah, as he said, “May the LORD keep watch between us when we are out of each other’s sight.
31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, remember, no one is with us, but God is our witness.”
31:51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this mound and the pillar I have set between us.
31:52 They are witnesses that I will not cross to your side past this mound, and you will not cross to mine for harm.
31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kin to eat. They ate and stayed overnight on the mountain.
31:55 Early the next morning, Laban kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and left to return to his own place.
32:1 As Jacob continued on his journey, he was greeted by angels of God.
32:2 Seeing them, Jacob exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” and he named the place Mahanaim.
32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom.
32:4 He instructed them, “Say to my lord Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have stayed with Laban until now.
32:5 I own oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female servants. I send this message to gain your favour.'”
32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob, reporting, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you with four hundred men.”
32:7 Jacob was greatly frightened and distressed. He divided his people, flocks, herds, and camels into two groups,
32:8 thinking, “If Esau attacks one group, the other may escape.”
32:9 Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham and Isaac, LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and family, and I will treat you well,’
32:10 I am unworthy of all your kindness and faithfulness. With only my staff, I crossed this Jordan; now I am two groups.
32:11 Save me from Esau’s hand; I fear he may attack me, mothers, and children alike.
32:12 You promised, ‘I will surely treat you well, making your offspring as numerous as the sand of the sea, too vast to count.'”
32:13 He spent the night there and selected gifts for Esau:
32:14 Two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams,
32:15 thirty milking camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.
32:16 He entrusted them to his servants, each herd separately, and told them, “Go ahead of me, keep some distance between the herds.”
32:17 He instructed the foremost, “When Esau meets you and asks, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose animals are these?’
32:18 then say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. Moreover, he is coming behind us.'”
32:19 He gave similar instructions to the second, third, and all who followed the herds: “This is how you should speak to Esau when you find him.
32:20 And add, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.'” For Jacob thought, “I will pacify him with the gifts going ahead; then, when I see him, perhaps he will accept me.”
32:21 So the gifts went ahead of him, while he stayed that night in the camp.
32:22 He got up that night, took his two wives, two female servants, and eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok.
32:23 He sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
32:24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
32:25 When the man saw he could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, dislocating it as they wrestled.
32:26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
32:27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.”
32:28 The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and humans and have prevailed.”
32:29 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” And he blessed Jacob there.
32:30 Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life was spared.”
32:31 As he passed Penuel, the sun rose, and he limped because of his hip.
32:32 Therefore, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, for the man touched Jacob’s hip socket at the tendon.
33:1 Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with four hundred men. He divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.
33:2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.
33:3 He himself went ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
33:4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him. They both wept.
33:5 Looking up, Esau saw the women and children and asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob answered, “The children God graciously gave your servant.”
33:6 Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down.
33:7 Next, Leah and her children came forward and bowed, and lastly, Joseph and Rachel, and they also bowed.
33:8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these herds I met?” Jacob replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”
33:9 Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; keep what you have.”
33:10 But Jacob insisted, “No, please accept my gift, for seeing your face is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably.
33:11 Please accept the present I brought you, for God has been gracious to me, and I have all I need.” And Jacob urged him until he accepted.
33:12 Esau suggested, “Let’s be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”
33:13 But Jacob said, “My lord knows the children are tender and I must care for the nursing flocks and herds. If they are driven hard for one day, all the animals will die.
33:14 Please go ahead of your servant. I will move at a slow pace, according to the speed of the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
33:15 Esau offered, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.” But Jacob said, “What is the need? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
33:16 So that day, Esau returned to Seir.
33:17 Jacob traveled to Succoth, built a house, and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth.
33:18 Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan, coming from Paddan Aram, and camped near the city.
33:19 He bought a plot where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.
33:20 There, he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
34:1 Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to see the local women.
34:2 Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, the region’s prince, saw her, took her, and violated her.
34:3 His heart clung to Dinah, daughter of Jacob; he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
34:5 Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but his sons were in the field with his livestock, so he said nothing until they returned.
34:6 Hamor, Shechem’s father, went to speak with Jacob.
34:7 Jacob’s sons returned from the field and were distressed and furious because Shechem had done something outrageous in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
34:8 Hamor spoke to them, saying, “My son Shechem’s heart yearns for your daughter. Please, allow her to be his wife.”
34:9 “Form matrimonial bonds with us; give us your daughters and take ours for yourselves.”
34:10 “You may reside among us. The land is open to you; live, trade, and acquire property here.”
34:11 Shechem appealed to her father and brothers, “May I win your favour, and I’ll offer whatever you ask.”
34:12 “Demand any bride price or gift; I’ll pay what you decide, just let me marry the girl.”
34:13 Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and Hamor, as Shechem had dishonoured Dinah.
34:14 They said, “We cannot do this, giving our sister to an uncircumcised man; that would disgrace us.”
34:15 “Only on this condition will we agree: If every male among you gets circumcised like us.”
34:16 “Then we’ll give our daughters to you, take yours for ourselves, live with you, and become one people.”
34:17 “But if you don’t get circumcised, we’ll take our daughter and leave.”
34:18 Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.
34:19 Shechem, eager, as he was fond of Jacob’s daughter, was the most respected in his father’s house.
34:20 Hamor and Shechem went to their city’s gate and spoke to the men there,
34:21 “These men are peaceful towards us; let them live and trade in the land—it’s spacious enough; let’s marry their daughters and give ours to them.”
34:22 “Only on this one condition will they consent to live with us and become one people: every male among us must be circumcised as they are.”
34:23 “Then, their livestock, possessions, and all their animals will be ours. Just agree, and they’ll settle among us.”
34:24 All the men at the city gate agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male was circumcised.
34:25 On the third day, when they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, boldly attacked the city, and killed every male.
34:26 They killed Hamor and Shechem with their swords, retrieved Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left.
34:27 Jacob’s sons plundered the city in retaliation for defiling their sister.
34:28 They seized their flocks, herds, donkeys, whatever was in the city and fields,
34:29 took all their wealth, children, wives captive, and looted everything in the houses.
34:30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve caused me trouble, making me odious to the land’s inhabitants, the Canaanites and Perizzites. I am few in number; they may unite against me, attack me, and I, along with my household, will be destroyed.”
34:31 They replied, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
35:1 God told Jacob, “Go to Bethel, settle there, and build an altar to God who appeared to you when fleeing Esau.”
35:2 Jacob told his household and all with him, “Remove foreign gods among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.”
35:3 “Let’s go to Bethel, where I’ll build an altar to God who answered me in my distress and has been with me wherever I went.”
35:4 They gave Jacob all foreign gods in their possession and the earrings in their ears; Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem.
35:5 They journeyed, and a divine terror was upon the surrounding cities, so they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
35:6 Jacob reached Luz in Canaan (that is, Bethel), along with everyone with him.
35:7 He built an altar there and named the place Elbethel because God appeared to him when he was fleeing his brother.
35:8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried below Bethel under the oak, named Allonbachuth.
35:9 God appeared again to Jacob on returning from Paddan-aram and blessed him.
35:10 God said, “Your name is Jacob; it will no longer be Jacob, but Israel will be your name.” He named him Israel.
35:11 God told him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase; a nation, even a group of nations, shall come from you, and kings will come from your body.”
35:12 “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I give to you, and to your descendants after you.”
35:13 Then God ascended from the place where He spoke with him.
35:14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had spoken with him, poured a drink offering, and anointed it with oil.
35:15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.
35:16 They traveled from Bethel, and when still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into childbirth and had difficult labor.
35:17 During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have another son.”
35:18 As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin.
35:19 Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
35:20 Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
35:21 Israel moved on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal-eder.
35:22 While living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons.
35:23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons, born to him in Paddan-aram.
35:27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had resided.
35:28 Isaac lived 180 years.
35:29 Isaac breathed his last, died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
36:1 Here are the descendants of Esau (who is Edom).
36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
36:3 and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; Basemath bore Reuel;
36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, born to him in Canaan.
36:6 Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all his household, his livestock, all his animals, and all his goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land away from his brother Jacob.
36:7 Their possessions were too great for them to live together; the land where they were residing could not support them because of their livestock.
36:8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
36:9 These are the descendants of Esau, father of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.
36:10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, son of Esau’s wife Adah; Reuel, son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.
36:13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:14 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon: she bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.
36:15 These are the chiefs among Esau’s descendants: The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
36:16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they are the sons of Adah.
36:17 These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:18 The progeny of Aholibamah, spouse of Esau, were: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, Chief Korah. These chiefs originated from Aholibamah, daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.
36:19 These were the descendants of Esau, known as Edom, and these were their chiefs.
36:20 The sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land, were: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the offspring of Seir in the land of Edom.
36:22 The children of Lotan included Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
36:23 The progeny of Shobal comprised: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
36:24 The offspring of Zibeon were: Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who discovered the mules in the wilderness while tending the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
36:25 The children of Anah were: Dishon and Aholibamah, daughter of Anah.
36:26 The offspring of Dishon were: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
36:27 The progeny of Ezer were: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
36:28 The children of Dishan were: Uz and Aran.
36:29 These were the chiefs from the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,
36:30 Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, Chief Dishan. These chiefs came from Hori, among their ranks in the land of Seir.
36:31 These were the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel.
36:32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
36:33 Upon Bela’s death, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
36:34 After Jobab’s demise, Husham from the land of Temani took the throne.
36:35 Following Husham’s death, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the Moab fields, reigned. His city was named Avith.
36:36 After Hadad’s death, Samlah from Masrekah ascended the throne.
36:37 Upon Samlah’s death, Saul from Rehoboth by the river became king.
36:38 After Saul’s demise, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned.
36:39 Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned. His city was Pau; his wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
36:40 The chiefs descending from Esau, named after their families, places, and names, were: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,
36:41 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,
36:42 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,
36:43 Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, dwelling in their territories in their inheritance. He is Esau, the patriarch of the Edomites.
37:1 Jacob lived in the land where his father was a stranger, in Canaan.
37:2 These are the descendants of Jacob. At seventeen, Joseph tended the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph reported their misconduct to their father.
37:3 Israel loved Joseph more than his other children, for he was the son of his old age, and he made him a multicoloured coat.
37:4 Seeing that their father favoured him above all his brothers, they hated Joseph and could not speak peaceably to him.
37:5 Joseph had a dream, which he shared with his brothers, inciting further hatred.
37:6 Joseph implored them to hear his dream:
37:7 “We were binding sheaves in the field when my sheaf arose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed to mine.”
37:8 His brothers mockingly asked if he intended to rule over them, increasing their resentment for his dreams and words.
37:9 Joseph dreamed again, telling his brothers, “The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed to me.”
37:10 Sharing this with his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, questioning the meaning of the dream. Yet his brothers envied him, while his father pondered the matter.
37:11 His brothers journeyed to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
37:12 Israel asked Joseph to check on his brothers and their flock in Shechem. Joseph agreed, departing from the valley of Hebron to Shechem.
37:13 Upon arrival, a man informed Joseph that his brothers had moved to Dothan. Joseph followed them there.
37:14 Israel instructed him to report back on his brothers’ welfare and the flock. He sent him from the valley of Hebron to Shechem.
37:15 In the field, a man found Joseph wandering and asked his purpose.
37:16 Joseph said he was seeking his brothers and asked for their location.
37:17 The man told him they had left for Dothan. Joseph pursued them and found them in Dothan.
37:18 His brothers conspired to kill him upon seeing him from afar.
37:19 They referred to him as the dreamer approaching.
37:20 They plotted to slay him, throw him into a pit, and claim he was devoured by a beast, to see what becomes of his dreams.
37:21 Reuben heard this and planned to rescue him, suggesting they not kill him.
37:22 Reuben proposed they cast him into a pit in the wilderness without harming him, intending to save him later.
37:23 Upon Joseph’s arrival, they stripped him of his multicoloured coat and cast him into an empty, waterless pit.
37:24 They sat down to eat, and saw Ishmeelites from Gilead approaching, carrying spices, balm, and myrrh to Egypt.
37:25 Judah suggested selling Joseph to the Ishmeelites instead of killing him, as he was their brother. His brothers agreed.
37:26 As Midianite merchants passed by, they retrieved Joseph from the pit and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver, taking him to Egypt.
37:27 Reuben returned to the pit to find Joseph missing. Distraught, he told his brothers.
37:28 They killed a goat, dipped Joseph’s coat in its blood, and presented it to their father, questioning its ownership.
37:29 Reuben discovered Joseph’s absence from the pit and tore his clothes in despair.
37:30 He informed his brothers that Joseph was gone and wondered where to go next.
37:31 They presented the bloodied coat to their father, asking if it belonged to his son.
37:32 Jacob recognized it and concluded that a wild beast had devoured Joseph, tearing him to pieces.
37:33 Grieving, Jacob tore his clothes, donned sackcloth, and mourned for many days.
37:34 His sons and daughters attempted to console him, but he refused comfort, vowing to mourn until joining his son in death.
37:35 The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
38:1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and stayed with Hirah, an Adullamite.
38:2 There, Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shuah, married her, and cohabited with her.
38:3 She conceived and bore a son named Er.
38:4 She conceived again, bearing a son named Onan.
38:5 She bore another son named Shelah; he was in Chezib when she gave birth.
38:6 Judah arranged a marriage for Er, his firstborn, with Tamar.
38:7 Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in God’s sight, and God took his life.
38:8 Judah instructed Onan to marry his brother’s widow and provide offspring for his brother.
38:9 Aware the offspring would not be his, Onan spilled his seed on the ground during intercourse, preventing pregnancy.
38:10 This act displeased the Lord, who then took Onan’s life.
38:11 Judah told Tamar, his daughter-in-law, to remain a widow in her father’s house until Shelah grew up, fearing he might die like his brothers. Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
38:12 After his wife’s death, Judah was comforted and went to Timnath with his friend Hirah, the Adullamite, for sheep shearing.
38:13 Tamar was informed that her father-in-law was heading to Timnath to shear his sheep.
38:14 She removed her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat by the road to Timnath, as Shelah had grown and she was not given to him in marriage.
38:15 Judah, mistaking her for a prostitute because she covered her face, approached her.
38:16 Turning to her on the way, he said, “Come now, allow me to be with you,” not realising she was his daughter-in-law. She asked, “What will you give me for being with you?”
38:17 He replied, “I shall send a young goat from my flock.” She asked for a guarantee until it was sent.
38:18 He inquired, “What guarantee shall I give?” She requested his signet, bracelets, and staff. He handed them over, lay with her, and she became pregnant by him.
38:19 Rising, she left, discarded her veil, and resumed her widow’s attire.
38:20 Judah sent a goat through his friend the Adullamite to retrieve his pledge, but she was nowhere to be found.
38:21 He inquired of the locals, “Where is the prostitute by the roadside?” They replied, “There has been no prostitute here.”
38:22 Returning, he told Judah, “I couldn’t find her, and the locals say there’s no prostitute here.”
38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the items, lest we become a laughingstock. I did send the goat, after all.”
38:24 Three months later, Judah learned his daughter-in-law Tamar had played the harlot and was pregnant. He ordered, “Bring her out to be burned.”
38:25 As she was brought, she sent word to her father-in-law, “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” showing the signet, bracelets, and staff.
38:26 Judah recognized them and declared, “She is more righteous than I, for I did not give her to my son Shelah.” He never slept with her again.
38:27 When her labour came, twins were in her womb.
38:28 During birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread, declaring, “This one came out first.”
38:29 But he withdrew his hand, and his brother emerged. She exclaimed, “How you have broken out!” and he was named Perez.
38:30 The brother with the scarlet thread emerged afterward and was named Zerah.
39:1 Meanwhile, Joseph was taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, purchased him from the Ishmaelites.
39:2 The LORD was with Joseph, prospering him in his master’s house.
39:3 Seeing the LORD’s blessing on everything Joseph did, his master made him overseer of his household.
39:4 Joseph’s presence brought grace, and he was entrusted with all his master’s possessions.
39:5 From then on, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, prospering everything in his care.
39:6 Leaving everything in Joseph’s charge, his master was unaware of his possessions, except for the food he ate. Joseph was handsome and well-formed.
39:7 His master’s wife desired Joseph, urging him to lie with her.
39:8 He refused, explaining that his master entrusted everything to him, except her, as she was his wife. “How could I commit such a wicked act against God?” he said.
39:9 Despite her daily persuasions, Joseph did not yield to lie or be with her.
39:10 One day, when no one else was in the house, she caught his garment, pleading for him to lie with her. He left the garment and fled.
39:11 She kept his garment and accused Joseph to the household, claiming he tried to mock her, but she screamed, and he fled, leaving his garment.
39:12 She maintained her story until her husband returned.
39:13 She accused Joseph of mocking her, stating he left his garment and fled when she cried out.
39:14 Her husband, upon hearing this, was furious.
39:15 He imprisoned Joseph in the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
39:16 But the LORD was with Joseph, showing him steadfast love and granting him favour with the prison warden.
39:17 The warden entrusted all prisoners to Joseph’s care, and he oversaw all that was done there.
39:18 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s charge, for the LORD was with him, making everything he did succeed.
40:1 Later, the Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker offended him.
40:2 Pharaoh was angered against these two officers.
40:3 He imprisoned them in the captain of the guard’s house, where Joseph was confined.
40:4 The captain charged Joseph with their care, and they remained in custody for some time.
40:5 Both men dreamed on the same night, each dream having its own interpretation.
40:6 When Joseph saw them in the morning, they were troubled.
40:7 He asked why they looked so distraught today.
40:8 They replied they had dreams but no interpreter. Joseph said, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.”
40:9 The chief cupbearer described his dream: a vine with three branches that budded, blossomed, and produced ripe grapes. He squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and handed it to him.
40:10 Joseph interpreted: the three branches represented three days. Within three days, Pharaoh would restore the cupbearer to his position, and he would place the cup in Pharaoh’s hand as before.
40:11 Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh to help release him from this unjust imprisonment.
40:12 Observing the favourable interpretation, the chief baker shared his dream: three white baskets on his head, the top one filled with baked goods for Pharaoh, but birds ate them.
40:13 Joseph interpreted: the three baskets also represented three days. Within three days, Pharaoh would lift off the baker’s head and hang him, and birds would eat his flesh.
40:14 On Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer but executed the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted.
40:15 The cupbearer, however, forgot Joseph and did not mention him to Pharaoh.
41:1 After two full years, Pharaoh dreamed of standing by a river.
41:2 Seven healthy, well-fed cows emerged from the river and grazed in a meadow.
41:3 Then, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the river and stood beside the first cows.
41:4 The thin cows ate the seven healthy cows. Pharaoh awoke, troubled.
41:5 He dreamed again: seven healthy, full ears of grain grew on one stalk.
41:6 Then, seven thin ears, blasted by the east wind, sprouted.
41:7 The thin ears swallowed the seven healthy ears. Pharaoh awoke, realizing it was a dream.
41:8 Disturbed, he called all magicians and wise men of Egypt, but none could interpret the dreams.
41:9 The chief cupbearer then remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about his accurate interpretations in prison.
41:10 Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought from the dungeon. After shaving and changing his clothes, he appeared before Pharaoh.
41:11 Pharaoh recounted his dreams: standing by the river, he saw seven healthy cows, followed by seven thin cows which ate the first ones. Similarly, he saw seven healthy ears of grain swallowed by seven thin ears. No one could interpret these.
41:12 Joseph explained that both dreams had the same meaning. The seven healthy cows and seven healthy ears represented seven years of abundance. The seven thin cows and ears signified seven years of famine to follow.
41:13 He advised Pharaoh to appoint a discerning and wise man to oversee Egypt and prepare for the coming years.
41:14 Joseph recommended storing a fifth of the produce during the seven plentiful years.
41:15 This stored food would be a reserve against the seven years of famine, preventing the land’s destruction.
41:16 Pharaoh and his servants found the plan good.
41:17 Pharaoh acknowledged Joseph’s wisdom, declaring no one as discerning and wise as him.
41:18 He appointed Joseph over his house, with only Pharaoh himself holding more authority.
41:19 Pharaoh gave Joseph his signet ring, dressed him in fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot and proclaimed him ruler over all Egypt.
41:20 Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphnath-Paaneah and gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, as his wife. Joseph then oversaw the land of Egypt.
41:21 Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh. He traveled throughout Egypt, gathering food during the seven years of abundance.
41:22 He stored immense quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea, beyond measure.
41:23 Before the famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. He named the firstborn Manasseh, for God made him forget his hardships and family. The second he named Ephraim, for God made him fruitful in his affliction.
41:24 The seven years of plenty ended, and the seven years of famine began, as Joseph had predicted. The famine was severe in all lands, but Egypt had food.
41:25 When all Egypt felt the famine, they cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh directed them to Joseph, who opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians.
41:26 As the famine worsened, people from all countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.
42:1 Jacob learned of grain in Egypt and told his sons to go there to buy food and survive.
42:2 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy grain, but Jacob kept Benjamin back, fearing harm might befall him.
42:3 Joseph’s ten brothers journeyed to Egypt to purchase grain.
42:4 However, Benjamin, Joseph’s sibling, was not sent with them by Jacob, fearing harm might befall him.
42:5 The sons of Israel arrived to buy grain amidst the throngs, as famine afflicted Canaan.
42:6 As governor of the land, Joseph was the one selling grain. His brothers approached, bowing low.
42:7 Recognizing his brothers, Joseph acted as a stranger and spoke sternly, questioning their origin. They replied, “From Canaan to buy food.”
42:8 Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him.
42:9 Reminded of his dreams about them, Joseph accused them of espionage.
42:10 They protested, “No, my lord, we’ve come only to buy food.”
42:11 “We are all sons of one man; honest men, not spies.”
42:12 Joseph insisted, “You’ve come to see our land’s vulnerabilities.”
42:13 They explained, “We are twelve brothers, sons of one man in Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more.”
42:14 Joseph said, “Exactly what I said: you’re spies.
42:15 You’ll be tested. By Pharaoh’s life, you won’t leave unless your youngest brother comes here.”
42:16 “Send one to fetch your brother. The rest will stay imprisoned to verify your truth, or else by Pharaoh’s life, you are indeed spies.”
42:17 He imprisoned them for three days.
42:18 On the third day, Joseph said, “Do this and live, for I fear God:
42:19 If you’re honest, let one stay imprisoned. The rest, take grain for your famine-stricken homes.
42:20 But bring your youngest brother to me; then I’ll believe you, and you won’t die.” They agreed.
42:21 They lamented among themselves, “We’re truly guilty about our brother. We saw his distress when he pleaded, and we didn’t listen. That’s why this trouble is upon us.”
42:22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I say not to harm the boy? But you didn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood.”
42:23 Unaware that Joseph understood them (he had used an interpreter), they spoke freely.
42:24 Joseph turned away and wept. Then, facing them again, he detained Simeon and released the others.
42:25 Joseph ordered their sacks filled with grain, each man’s money returned to his sack, and provisions given for their journey. This was done.
42:26 They loaded their donkeys with grain and departed.
42:27 At their lodging, one opened his sack and found his money. He told his brothers, “My money is returned; it’s here in my sack!” They were frightened and wondered, “What has God done to us?”
42:28 He declared to his brothers, “My money has been returned; look, it’s even in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and they trembled, asking each other, “What has God wrought upon us?”
42:29 Arriving in Canaan, they relayed everything to their father Jacob,
42:30 telling him, “The lord of the land addressed us harshly, suspecting us as spies.”
42:31 “We assured him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.
42:32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no longer with us, and the youngest remains with our father in Canaan.'”
42:33 “The lord of the land then said, ‘To prove you are honest, leave one brother with me. Take provisions for your famine-stricken households and depart.
42:34 Bring your youngest brother to me; then I will know you are not spies, but honest men. I will release your brother and allow you to trade in the land.'”
42:35 As they unpacked their sacks, each found his bundle of money. Fear gripped them and their father when they saw the money.
42:36 Jacob lamented, “You have deprived me of my children: Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
42:37 Reuben said to his father, “Take the lives of my two sons if I don’t bring him back. Entrust him to my care, and I will return him.”
42:38 But he replied, “My son shall not go with you. His brother is dead, and he is all I have left. If harm befalls him, you will bring my grey hair down to the grave in sorrow.”
43:1 The famine in the land was severe.
43:2 When they had consumed the grain from Egypt, their father said, “Go back and buy a little food.”
43:3 Judah said, “The man warned us sternly, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'”
43:4 “If you send our brother with us, we will go and buy food.
43:5 But if not, we will not go, for the man said, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'”
43:6 Israel asked, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man you had another brother?”
43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us about our family, asking if our father was still alive and if we had another brother. We answered truthfully. How could we know he would demand to see our brother?”
43:8 Judah urged Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go, so we may live and not die—us, you, and our little ones.”
43:9 “I will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, I will bear the blame forever.
43:10 Had we not delayed, we could have returned twice by now.”
43:11 Israel said, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the land’s best products in your bags, and take a gift for the man—a little balm, a little honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.
43:12 Take double the money and return the money found in your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.
43:13 Take your brother and go back to the man.
43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
43:15 So the men took the gift, double the money, and Benjamin. They went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he told his house steward, “Bring these men to my house, slaughter an animal, and prepare a meal; they will dine with me at noon.”
43:17 The steward did as Joseph ordered and brought the men to Joseph’s house.
43:18 The men were frightened, thinking they were brought in because of the returned money in their sacks. “He may accuse us, attack us, and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
43:19 Approaching Joseph’s steward, they spoke at the entrance of the house,
43:20 explaining, “We came to buy food initially.
43:21 When we stopped overnight and opened our sacks, each of us found his money at the top. We’ve brought it back with additional money to buy food.”
43:22 “We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”
43:23 He reassured them, “Be at peace, do not fear. Your God and the God of your father has provided you treasure in your sacks. I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon to them.
43:24 The steward took them into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided feed for their donkeys.
43:25 They prepared their gift, awaiting Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they heard they would eat there.
43:26 When Joseph arrived, they presented him with the gifts they had brought into the house, bowing to the ground before him.
43:27 He inquired about their welfare and asked, “Is your elderly father, of whom you spoke, well? Is he still alive?”
43:28 They replied, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed respectfully.
43:29 Looking at his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your younger brother you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
43:30 Overwhelmed with emotion for his brother, Joseph hurried to find a private place to weep. He entered his chamber and wept there.
43:31 After composing himself, he returned and said, “Serve the meal.”
43:32 They served him separately, the brothers separately, and the Egyptians who ate with him separately, as Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews; it was detestable to them.
43:33 They were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. The men were amazed at one another.
43:34 He sent portions to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of theirs. They drank and made merry with him.
44:1 He commanded his steward, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.
44:2 Place my silver cup in the youngest’s sack, along with his grain money.” He did as Joseph had said.
44:3 At dawn, they were sent off with their donkeys.
44:4 Not far from the city, Joseph told his steward, “Follow the men; when you catch up with them, say, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
44:5 Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? You have done wrong.'”
44:6 The steward caught up with them and repeated these words.
44:7 They replied, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that.
44:8 Look, the money we found in our sacks, we brought back from Canaan. How could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?
44:9 If any of us is found with it, let him die, and we will become my lord’s slaves.”
44:10 He said, “Let it be as you say: the one with whom it is found will become my slave; the rest of you will be free.”
44:11 They quickly lowered their sacks to the ground and opened them.
44:12 He searched, starting with the eldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
44:13 They tore their clothes, reloaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
44:14 Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, still there, and fell before him on the ground.
44:15 Joseph asked, “What have you done? Don’t you know a man like me can certainly divine?” 44:16 Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves, both we and he with whom the cup was found.”
44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing. Only the man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
44:18 Judah approached him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.”
44:19 “My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
44:20 We answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.'”
44:21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.'”
44:22 “We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he does, his father will die.'”
44:23 “But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will not see my face again.'”
44:24 Upon reaching your servant, our father, we relayed the words of my lord.
44:25 He instructed us to return and purchase some food.
44:26 We explained that we could not venture again unless our youngest brother accompanied us, for we dare not meet the man without him.
44:27 Our father then told us, ‘You are aware that my wife bore me two sons.
44:28 One left and never returned, and I presumed him torn apart.
44:29 Should you take his brother and harm befalls him, my old age will be brought sorrowfully to the grave.’
44:30 So, if I return to your servant, our father, without the boy, whose life is closely intertwined with his,
44:31 and he sees the boy is not with us, he will surely perish. Our return without him would bring our father’s grief-stricken old age to the grave.
44:32 For I guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, promising that if I failed to bring him back, I would bear the blame forever.
44:33 Therefore, please let me stay as a servant to my lord in the boy’s place and let him return with his brothers.
44:34 How can I face my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to witness the distress that would befall him.
45:1 Unable to contain himself before his attendants, Joseph demanded privacy. Once alone, he revealed his identity to his brothers.
45:2 Overwhelmed, he wept so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard him.
45:3 Addressing his brothers, he asked, ‘Is my father still alive?’ But they were too astonished to respond.
45:4 Drawing them closer, Joseph revealed, ‘I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
45:5 Do not be distressed or reproach yourselves for selling me here, for God sent me ahead to preserve life.
45:6 The famine has lasted two years, with five more years without plowing or harvesting.
45:7 God sent me ahead to ensure your survival on earth and to save your lives in a remarkable deliverance.
45:8 It was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all Egypt.
45:9 Hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.
45:10 You will live in the region of Goshen, close to me with your children, grandchildren, flocks, herds, and everything you own.
45:11 I will provide for you there, for five more years of famine remain, lest you and your family and all that you have become destitute.’
45:12 You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.
45:13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded to me in Egypt and everything you have seen. Hurry and bring my father here.’
45:14 Then he embraced his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
45:15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward, his brothers talked with him.
45:16 When Pharaoh’s household heard that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants greatly.
45:17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Tell your brothers to load their animals and return to the land of Canaan.
45:18 Bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat from the fat of the land.’
45:19 ‘Now you are commanded to do this: Take carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and bring your father and come.
45:20 Do not concern yourselves with your belongings, for the best of all Egypt will be yours.’
45:21 The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and supplied them with provisions for their journey.
45:22 He gave each of them new clothes, but to Benjamin, he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.
45:23 To his father, he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other provisions for his journey.
45:24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving, he told them, ‘Do not quarrel on the way.’
45:25 They went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
45:26 They told him, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.
45:27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
45:28 Then Israel said, ‘Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’
46:1 Israel set out with all he had and came to Beersheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
46:2 During the night, God spoke to Israel in a vision: ‘Jacob! Jacob!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ he replied.
46:3 ‘I am God, the God of your father,’ he said. ‘Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
46:4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.’
46:5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
46:6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan.
46:7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
46:8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
46:9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
46:10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
46:11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
46:12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
46:13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.
46:14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
46:15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
46:16 The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
46:17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel.
46:18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
46:19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
46:20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
46:21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
46:22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
46:23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
46:24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
46:25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
46:26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.
46:27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
46:28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen,
46:29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
46:30 Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.’
46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, ‘I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, “My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
46:32 The men are herdsmen by profession, as they have long tended livestock; they’ve brought their sheep, cattle, and all their possessions.
46:33 When Pharaoh summons you and inquires about your occupation,
46:34 You shall respond, ‘Your servants have been livestock keepers since our youth, as were our ancestors.’ Thus, you may reside in Goshen, for all herdsmen are detested by Egyptians.
47:1 Joseph then informed Pharaoh, “My father, brothers, their sheep, cattle, and all their assets have arrived from Canaan, and now reside in Goshen.”
47:2 He introduced five of his brothers to Pharaoh.
47:3 Pharaoh asked them about their occupation, to which they replied, “Your servants are herdsmen, as were our ancestors.”
47:4 They further told Pharaoh, “We have come to stay temporarily, for there is no grazing for our sheep due to the severe famine in Canaan. Therefore, we request to dwell in Goshen.”
47:5 Pharaoh addressed Joseph, “Your father and brothers have joined you.
47:6 Let them inhabit the finest part of Egypt; let them live in Goshen. If you know any capable men among them, appoint them as overseers of my livestock.”
47:7 Joseph presented his father Jacob to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
47:8 Pharaoh asked Jacob about his age.
47:9 Jacob replied, “I have journeyed for 130 years; my life has been short and difficult, not matching the longevity of my ancestors during their travels.”
47:10 After blessing Pharaoh, Jacob left his presence.
47:11 Joseph settled his father and brothers in Egypt’s prime territory, in Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
47:12 Joseph provided for his father, brothers, and their entire household with food according to their needs.
47:13 The famine was severe; there was no bread throughout the land, and Egypt and Canaan were exhausted by the famine.
47:14 Joseph gathered all the money found in Egypt and Canaan in exchange for grain and brought it to Pharaoh’s house.
47:15 When the money in Egypt and Canaan was spent, all Egyptians approached Joseph, pleading for bread, asking why they should die in his presence as their money was gone.
47:16 Joseph instructed them to bring their livestock, and he would provide bread in exchange if they had no money.
47:17 They brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them bread in exchange for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys, sustaining them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.
47:18 When that year ended, they came to him the next year and admitted they couldn’t hide the fact that their money was gone, along with their livestock; they had nothing left but themselves and their land.
47:19 “Why should we perish before your eyes,” they asked, “both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for bread, and we and our land will serve Pharaoh. Provide us seed so that we may live and not die, and the land won’t become desolate.”
47:20 So Joseph acquired all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, as every Egyptian sold their fields because the famine was so severe; thus, the land became Pharaoh’s.
47:21 He relocated the people to cities from one end of Egypt’s borders to the other.
47:22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, as they had an allotment from Pharaoh and ate their allotted portion, so they did not sell their land.
47:23 Joseph told the people, “Today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you to sow the land.
47:24 When the crops come in, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours for seed and for feeding yourselves, your households, and your children.”
47:25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in your eyes, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
47:26 Joseph established it as a law, still in force in Egypt, that Pharaoh should have a fifth, except for the land of the priests, which did not become Pharaoh’s.
47:27 Israel lived in Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there, were fruitful, and multiplied greatly.
47:28 Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, making his total lifespan 147 years.
47:29 When the time approached for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, place your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and faithfully with me. Do not bury me in Egypt,
47:30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph promised to do as he asked.
47:31 “Swear to me,” Israel said. And Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
48:1 After these events, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” He took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him.
48:2 When Jacob was informed, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me,
48:4 saying, ‘I will make you fruitful and multiply you. I will make you a multitude of people and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
48:5 Now your two sons born in Egypt before I came here will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.
48:6 Any children born to you after them will be yours and will be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.
48:7 As for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died beside me in Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
48:8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these?”
48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So, Joseph brought them near, and he kissed and embraced them.
48:11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”
48:12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
48:13 Joseph took both of them, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near to him.
48:14 Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands intentionally, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
48:15 He blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
48:16 the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they carry on my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
48:17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
48:18 Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will invoke blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
48:22 Moreover, I have given you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
49:1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
49:2 Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
49:4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.
49:5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
49:6 O my soul, do not join their secret counsel; to their assembly, my honour, do not unite: for in anger they killed a man, and in willfulness, they dismantled a wall.
49:7 Accursed be their rage, for it was intense; and their fury, for it was harsh: I shall disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them across Israel.
49:8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall commend: your hand shall grasp your enemies’ neck; your father’s offspring shall kneel before you.
49:9 Judah resembles a young lion: from the hunt, my son, you have ascended: he bent down, he lay as a lion, and as a mature lion; who shall stir him?
49:10 The sceptre shall not leave Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his feet, until Shiloh arrives; and to him shall the congregation of peoples adhere.
49:11 Tying his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the superior vine; he laundered his robe in wine, and his garments in the juice of grapes:
49:12 His eyes shall glow with wine, and his teeth white from milk.
49:13 Zebulun shall reside at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for ships; his border reaching unto Zidon.
49:14 Issachar is a robust donkey lying between two packs:
49:15 And he perceived that rest was favourable, and the territory delightful; and he leaned his shoulder to bear the burden, and became a labourer for tribute.
49:16 Dan shall administer justice to his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17 Dan shall be a viper on the path, a serpent on the road, that bites the horse’s heels, causing its rider to fall backward.
49:18 I await your deliverance, O LORD.
49:19 Gad, a band shall overpower him: but he shall triumph in the end.
49:20 From Asher, his bread shall be rich, and he shall provide regal delicacies.
49:21 Naphtali is a deer set free, offering beautiful words.
49:22 Joseph is a flourishing branch, a flourishing branch by a spring; his branches spread over the wall:
49:23 Archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harboured animosity:
49:24 Yet his bow remained firm, and his arms were strengthened by the mighty God of Jacob; (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
49:25 By the God of your father, who will assist you; and by the Almighty, who will bless you with heavenly blessings, blessings of the depths, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
49:26 The blessings of your father surpass the blessings of my ancestors to the utmost bound of the eternal hills: they shall rest on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the separated from his brothers.
49:27 Benjamin shall hunt like a wolf: in the morning he shall consume the prey, and at evening he shall distribute the spoils.
49:28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel: this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them; each according to his own blessing he blessed them.
49:29 He instructed them, and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people: bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
49:30 In the cave in the field of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a burial place.
49:31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
49:32 The purchase of the field and the cave therein was from the children of Heth.
49:33 When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
50:1 And Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.
50:2 And Joseph ordered his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
50:3 And forty days were completed for him; for such are the days required for those embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
50:4 When the mourning period ended, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household, saying, If I have found favour in your eyes, please convey to Pharaoh, saying,
50:5 My father made me swear, saying, Look, I am dying: in my tomb that I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. Now then, let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father, then I will return.
50:6 Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.
50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
50:8 And all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household: only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
50:9 Both chariots and horsemen went up with him: it was an exceedingly large assembly.
50:10 They came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and intense lamentation: he held a mourning for his father seven days.
50:11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, they said, This is a profound mourning by the Egyptians: therefore its name was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
50:12 His sons did to him as he had commanded them:
50:13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham purchased with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
50:14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he, his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father.
50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, Perhaps Joseph will bear a grudge against us and fully repay us for all the harm we caused him.
50:16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying,
50:17 Thus you shall say to Joseph, Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin; for they did you wrong: and now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
50:18 His brothers also came and prostrated themselves before him; and they said, Behold, we are your servants.
50:19 But Joseph said to them, Do not fear: for am I in the place of God?
50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me; but God intended it for good, to bring about what is now happening, to save many lives.
50:21 Therefore do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones. He comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
50:22 Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house: and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
50:23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation: also the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.
50:24 Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying: but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
50:25 Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry my bones from here.
50:26 So Joseph died, aged one hundred and ten years: and they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

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