Genesis 1:1-30:20

The Beginning 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

8God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.

25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Adam and Eve 4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth Or land; also in verse 6 and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6but streams Or mist came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

7Then the LORD God formed a man The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20). from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 11The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. Possibly southeast Mesopotamia

14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

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

18The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib Or part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23The man 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.” 25Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

The Fall 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

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

15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring Or seed and hers; he will crush Or strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

20Adam Or The man named his wife Eve, Eve probably means living. because she would become the mother of all the living. 21The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side Or placed in front of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

2Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD . 4And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

5but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

8Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

12When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear.

14Today 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.” 15But the LORD said to him, “Not so Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well ; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

16So Cain went out from the LORD ’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14). east of Eden. 17Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.

24If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” 25Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, Seth probably means granted. saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

2He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” Hebrew adam when they were created. 4After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 6When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 7-26. of Enosh. 13After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

14Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died. 15When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 19After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

24Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 26After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 28When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.

31Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died. 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

3Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with Or My spirit will not remain in humans forever, for they are mortal Or corrupt ; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 6The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD . 11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 16Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters high all around. The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 19You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

21You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

1The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

5And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. 6Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 8Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 13On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.

16The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in. 18The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 21Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

23Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. 24The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

1But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 8Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 11When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.

12He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.

14By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. 16“Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.

17Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”

21The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though Or humans, for every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” 2The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.

3Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

5And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. 8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I 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.

16Whenever 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.”

The Sons of Noah 18The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. 24When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,

25he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” 28After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

3The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

7The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8Cush was the father Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26. of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD ; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD .” 10The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Or Uruk and Akkad—all of them in Shinar. That is, Babylonia 11From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Or Nineveh with its city squares Calah

13Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,

14Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

18Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered

19and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.

The Semites 21Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Or Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

22The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

24Arphaxad was the father of Hebrew; Septuagint father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.

25Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, Peleg means division. because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

30The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

31These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. 32These 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. 3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

4Then 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.” 5But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6The 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. 8So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9That is why it was called Babel That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused. —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

11And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. 12When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 14When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.

15And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

17And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 18When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.

19And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

21And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 22When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.

23And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 24When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.

26After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

Abram’s Family 27This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.

The Call of Abram 1The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Or be seen as blessed

3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20) 4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring Or seed I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and 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 . 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.

13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” 14When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 17But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

2Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 5Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 8So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.

9Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” 10Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 15All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring Or seed; also in verse 16 forever. 16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 18So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD . 3All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley).

4For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 6and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 8Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim

12They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. 13A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother Or a relative; or an ally of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 15During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

19and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23that 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.’ 2But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”

7He 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.”

8But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

11Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 13Then 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. 17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

Hagar and Ishmael 1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;

2so 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.

5Then 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.”

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. 9Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

10The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

11The 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, Ishmael means God hears. for the LORD has heard of your misery.

12He 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 Or live to the east / of all his brothers.” 13She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen Or seen the back of the One who sees me.” 15So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram Abram means exalted father. ; your name will be Abraham, Abraham probably means father of many. for I have made you a father of many nations. 7I 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.

8The 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.” 9Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 15God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 27And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors 1The 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.

2Abraham 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. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.

5Let 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.” 7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 11Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 13Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’

14Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom 16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)

19For 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.” 20Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD . Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham 23Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

25Far 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?”

31Abraham 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.”

32Then 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.” 33When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed 1The 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.

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.” 4Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 6Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.

8Look, 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.”

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. 12The 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,

13because 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.”

14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry Or were married to 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.

15With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

17As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” 18But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, Or No, Lord; or No, my lord please!

20Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

22But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar. Zoar means small. ) 24Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.

28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

29So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

32Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” 34The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 37The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father. ; he is the father of the Moabites of today.

Abraham and Abimelek 1Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar,

3But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.” 4Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?

5Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.” 6Then 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. 9Then Abimelek called Abraham in 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.”

10And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?” 11Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.

13And when God had me 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.” ’ ”

15And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”

16To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” 18for the LORD had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac Isaac means he laughs. to the son Sarah bore him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.

5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,

13I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14Early 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. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.

16Then 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 Hebrew; Septuagint the child began to sob. 17God 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. 20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.

The Treaty at Beersheba 22At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

23Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.” 25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.

26But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.” 27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. 28Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock,

29and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

30He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”

31So that place was called Beersheba, Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath. because the two men swore an oath there. 32After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

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

11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

18and through your offspring Or seed all nations on earth will be blessed, Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) because you have obeyed me.”

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. 21Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.”

The Death of Sarah 1Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.

2She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. 3Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. Or the descendants of Heth; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18 and 20 He said,

4“I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

6“Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” 7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

9so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.” 12Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

13and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. 19Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

Isaac and Rebekah 1Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,

5The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” 6“Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7“The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring Or seed I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

11He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. 12Then he prayed, “ LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

16The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

18“Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.”

23Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.”

25And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” 26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.

31“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.

33Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.” “Then tell us,” Laban said. 35The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 40“He replied, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.

41You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’ 42“When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘ LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come.

44and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’

45“Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

46“She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also. 48and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD . I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

49Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.” 50Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD ; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.

51Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.” 52When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD .

54Then 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.” 59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

61Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. 62Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63He went out to the field one evening to meditate, The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

65and 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. 66Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

The Death of Abraham 1Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 7Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 10the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Or the descendants of Heth There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

Ishmael’s Sons 12This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.

Jacob and Esau 19This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 21Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

23The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” 25The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. Esau may mean hairy.

26After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.

30He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. Edom means red. ) 34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelek 1Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 5because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”

6So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

11So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 13The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

15So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 17So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled.

18Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 21Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. Sitnah means opposition.

22He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, Rehoboth means room. saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” 23From there he went up to Beersheba.

24That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

27Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 32That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!”

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing 34When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. 3Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me.

4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” 5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 7‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.

10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” 11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin.

12What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.

17Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

18He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 23He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.

24“Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied.

25Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank.

28May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. 30After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting.

32His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

34When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

37Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. 43Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran.

45When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 2Go at once to Paddan Aram, That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7 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. 3May God Almighty Hebrew El-Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 8Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;

9so 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.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel 10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 12He 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. 13There above it Or There beside him 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. 14Your 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. Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) 16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

19He called that place Bethel, Bethel means house of God. though the city used to be called Luz. 20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD Or Since God… father’s household, the Lord will be my God 22and Or household, and the Lord will be my God, 22 then this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram 1Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large.

3When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

4Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied.

7“Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 10When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.

12He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

14Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

15Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

20So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 22So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.

24And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

25When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

27Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” 29Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.

30Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

32Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son. for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

33She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. Simeon probably means one who hears. 35She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD .” So she named him Judah. Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. Then she stopped having children.

1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

3Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.” 5and she became pregnant and bore him a son.

8Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali. Naphtali means my struggle. 10Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” Or “A troop is coming!” So she named him Gad. Gad can mean good fortune or troop. 12Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher. Asher means happy.

16So 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.

18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward. 19Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. Zebulun probably means honor.