Genesis

Old Testament · 50 chapters · 1,533 verses.

Chapter 1

1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
1:2And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
1:3Then God said, “Let light be,” and light was.
1:4And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
1:5And God called the light “Day,” and the darkness He called “Night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—one day.
1:6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse within the waters, and let it separate waters from waters.”
1:7And God made the expanse and separated the waters below the expanse from the waters above the expanse. And it was so.
1:8And God called the expanse “Heavens.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
1:9Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
1:10And God called the dry land “Earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “Seas.” And God saw that it was good.
1:11Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to their kinds, with their seed in them, upon the earth.” And it was so.
1:12And the earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed in them according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
1:13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
1:14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.
1:15And let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
1:16And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
1:17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth,
1:18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
1:19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
1:20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the heavens.”
1:21And God created the great sea dragons, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.”
1:23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
1:24Then God said, “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.
1:25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creature that moves upon the earth.”
1:27And God created the man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
1:28And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
1:29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed upon the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; they shall be food for you.
1:30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creature that moves upon the earth, in which is the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
1:31And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Chapter 2

2:1And the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their host.
2:2And on the seventh day God completed the work He had done, and on the seventh day He ceased from all the work He had done.
2:3And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He ceased from all the work of creation that He had done.
2:4These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day when the LORD God made earth and heavens.
2:5No shrub of the field was yet upon the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not caused rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the ground.
2:6But a mist rose from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
2:7Then the LORD God formed the man from dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
2:8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He set the man whom He had formed.
2:9And out of the ground the LORD God caused every tree to spring up, desirable to the sight and good for food; and the Tree of Life was in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
2:10And a river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four branches.
2:11The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
2:12And the gold of that land is fine; fragrant resin and the onyx stone are there.
2:13And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush.
2:14And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that goes east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
2:15Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it.
2:16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat from every tree of the garden.
2:17But from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die.”
2:18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
2:19And the LORD God formed from the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man, to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
2:20And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for the man no suitable helper was found.
2:21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.
2:22Then the LORD God built the rib which He had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man.
2:23And the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, for she was taken from Man.”
2:24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother, and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
2:25And the two of them were naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

Chapter 3

3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
3:2And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.
3:3But from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
3:4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not surely die.
3:5For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
3:6And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. And she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
3:7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.
3:8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
3:9Then the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
3:10And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, for I was naked; and I hid myself.”
3:11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
3:12And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”
3:13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
3:14Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, more cursed are you than all livestock and every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat, all the days of your life.
3:15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
3:16To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in pregnancy; in pain you shall bear children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
3:17And to Adam He said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife, and ate from the tree concerning which I charged you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you shall eat from it all the days of your life.
3:18Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field.
3:19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground; for from it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
3:20And the man named his wife Eve, for she was the mother of all living.
3:21And the LORD God made garments of skin for the man and his wife, and clothed them.
3:22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become as one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever—”
3:23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to work the ground from which he had been taken.
3:24And He drove out the man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the guardian beings, with the flame of a sword turning every way, to guard the way of the Tree of Life.

Chapter 4

4:1And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man by the LORD.”
4:2And again she bore his brother Abel. And Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain became a worker of the ground.
4:3And after some time, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground.
4:4And Abel also brought from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the LORD regarded Abel and his offering,
4:5but Cain and his offering He did not regard. And Cain was greatly displeased, and his face fell.
4:6Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you displeased? And why has your face fallen?
4:7If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you; but you shall rule over it.”
4:8Then Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go into the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
4:9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
4:10Then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.
4:11And now, cursed are you from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
4:12When you till the ground, it will no longer give you its strength. A fugitive and a wanderer you shall be upon the earth.”
4:13Then Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
4:14Behold, You have driven me today from the face of the ground, and from Your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer upon the earth; and whoever finds me will kill me.”
4:15Then the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance sevenfold.” And the LORD set a sign upon Cain, lest anyone who found him should kill him.
4:16Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
4:17And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he was building a city, and he named the city after his son Enoch.
4:18And Irad was born to Enoch; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
4:19Then Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
4:20And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.
4:21And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and pipe.
4:22And Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain, a forger of every tool of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
4:23Then Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, give ear to my saying. For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for striking me.
4:24If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
4:25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, “For God has appointed another seed for me in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
4:26And to Seth also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the Name of the LORD.

Chapter 5

5:1This is the account of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, in the likeness of God He made him.
5:2Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man on the day they were created.
5:3Then Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his likeness, according to his image, and called his name Seth.
5:4And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.
5:5And all the days of Adam were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
5:6Then Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.
5:7And Seth lived after he begot Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:8And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
5:9Then Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Kenan.
5:10And Enosh lived after he begot Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:11And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
5:12Then Kenan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel.
5:13And Kenan lived after he begot Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:14And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
5:15Then Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared.
5:16And Mahalalel lived after he begot Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:17And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
5:18Then Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.
5:19And Jared lived after he begot Enoch eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:20And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
5:21Then Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
5:22And Enoch walked with God continually after he begot Methuselah three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
5:24And Enoch walked with God continually, and he was not, for God took him.
5:25Then Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
5:26And Methuselah lived after he begot Lamech seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:27And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
5:28Then Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.
5:29And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.”
5:30And Lamech lived after he begot Noah five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters.
5:31And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
5:32And when Noah was five hundred years old, he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Chapter 6

6:1And when mankind began to multiply upon the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves from any whom they chose.
6:3Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for indeed, he is flesh; and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
6:4The giants were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men of old, men of renown.
6:5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6:6And the LORD regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
6:7Then the LORD said, “I will wipe away man whom I created from the face of the ground, from man to beast, to creeping things, and to birds of the heavens; for I regret that I have made them.”
6:8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
6:9These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God continually.
6:10And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
6:12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
6:13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am destroying them with the earth.
6:14Make for yourself an Ark of cypress wood. You shall make rooms within the Ark and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
6:15And this is how you shall make it: the Ark shall be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
6:16You shall make a window for the Ark and finish it to within a cubit of the top; and you shall set the door of the Ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third stories.
6:17And I, behold, I am bringing floodwaters upon the earth, to destroy from under the heavens all flesh in which is the breath of life. All that is upon the earth shall die.
6:18But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall come into the Ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
6:19And 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.
6:20Of birds according to their kinds, of livestock according to their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come to you, to keep them alive.
6:21And you, take for yourself every kind of edible food, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
6:22And Noah did according to all that God commanded him. So he did.

Chapter 7

7:1Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come, you and all your house, into the Ark; for I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
7:2From every clean beast you shall take for yourself seven pairs, a male and its female; and from the beasts which are not clean, two, a male and its female.
7:3Also from the birds of the heavens, seven pairs, male and female, to preserve their seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
7:4For after seven more days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe away every living thing that I have made from the face of the ground.”
7:5And Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him.
7:6And Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth.
7:7Then Noah entered the Ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because of the waters of the flood.
7:8From the clean beasts, and from the beasts that were not clean, and from the birds, and from everything that creeps upon the ground,
7:9two by two, male and female, they came to Noah into the Ark, as God had commanded Noah.
7:10And after seven days, the floodwaters came upon the earth.
7:11In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month—on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
7:12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13On that same 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—
7:14they, and every living creature according to its kind, and every beast according to its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind—every winged creature.
7:15And they came to Noah into the Ark, two by two from all flesh in which was the breath of life.
7:16Male and female of all flesh entered, as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
7:17And the flood continued upon the earth forty days; and the waters increased and lifted up the Ark, and it rose high above the earth.
7:18And the waters prevailed and increased exceedingly upon the earth, and the Ark floated upon the face of the waters.
7:19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole heavens were covered.
7:20The waters rose fifteen cubits above them, and the mountains were covered.
7:21And all flesh died that moved upon the earth: birds, livestock, beasts, every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind.
7:22All on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life died.
7:23And every living thing upon the face of the ground was wiped away—from man to beast, to creeping things, and to birds of the heavens. They were wiped away from the earth, and only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the Ark.
7:24And the waters prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Chapter 8

8:1Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the livestock that were with him in the Ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.
8:2And the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained.
8:3And the waters receded steadily from the earth; and the waters diminished at the end of one hundred and fifty days.
8:4And the Ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
8:5And the waters continued to decrease until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
8:6And after forty days, Noah opened the window of the Ark which he had made.
8:7And he sent forth the raven; and it went to and fro, until the waters upon the earth had dried up.
8:8And he sent out the dove, to see whether the waters had lessened from the face of the ground.
8:9But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him, for the waters were upon the face of all the earth. And he put out his hand, took her, and brought her into the Ark with him.
8:10And he waited yet another seven days, and again sent forth the dove from the Ark.
8:11And the dove returned to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; and Noah knew that the waters had lessened from the earth.
8:12And he waited again seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him anymore.
8:13And in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the waters upon the earth had dried up. And Noah removed the covering of the Ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
8:14And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
8:15And God spoke to Noah, saying,
8:16“Go out from the Ark—you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.
8:17Every living thing that is with you, of all flesh—birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth—bring out with you; and let them teem upon the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.”
8:18Then Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.
8:19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the earth—went out from the Ark according to their families.
8:20Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took from every clean beast and from every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar.
8:21And the LORD smelled the soothing fragrance, and the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, though the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again strike every living thing, as I have done.
8:22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.”

Chapter 9

9:1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
9:2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, every bird of the heavens, all that moves upon the ground, and all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand.
9:3Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. As I gave you the green plants, so I give you everything.
9:4But you shall not eat flesh with its life—that is, its blood.
9:5And for your lifeblood I will surely require an accounting: from every beast I will require it, and from every man I will require the life of his fellow man.
9:6Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in His image.
9:7And you, be fruitful and multiply; teem upon the earth and multiply in it.”
9:8Then God spoke to Noah and his sons with him, saying,
9:9“Behold, I Myself establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you,
9:10and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you—from all that came out of the Ark to every beast of the earth.
9:11I establish My covenant with you: never again shall all flesh be cut off by floodwaters, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
9:12Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am giving between Me and you and every living creature with you, for enduring generations:
9:13I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
9:14And when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the cloud,
9:15I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
9:16The bow shall be in the cloud, and I will see it and remember the enduring covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”
9:17Then God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh upon the earth.”
9:18And the sons of Noah who went out of the Ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.
9:19These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
9:20And Noah, a man of the ground, began by planting a vineyard.
9:21And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.
9:22Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
9:23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it across their shoulders, walked backward, and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24Then Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him.
9:25And he said, “Cursed is Canaan; servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
9:26And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
9:27May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”
9:28And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
9:29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.

Chapter 10

10:1And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
10:2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
10:3And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
10:4And the sons of Javan were Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
10:5From these the coastland peoples spread into their lands, each according to its language, by their clans within their nations.
10:6And the sons of Ham were Cush, and Mitzraim, and Put, and Canaan.
10:7And the sons of Cush were Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
10:8And Cush begot Nimrod.
10:9He began to be a mighty man upon the earth; he was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
10:10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
10:11From that land he went out to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah,
10:12and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; this is the great city.
10:13And Mitzraim begot the Ludim, and the Anamim, and the Lehabim, and the Naphtuhim,
10:14and the Pathrusim, and the Casluhim, from whom came the Philistines, and the Caphtorim.
10:15And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
10:16and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
10:17and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
10:18and the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And afterward the families of the Canaanites were scattered.
10:19And the border of the Canaanites extended from Sidon toward Gerar, as far as Gaza, and toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
10:20These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
10:21And sons were also born to Shem, the father of all the sons of Eber and the elder brother of Japheth.
10:22The sons of Shem were Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
10:23And the sons of Aram were Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
10:24And Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber.
10:25And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the first was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
10:26And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
10:27and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
10:28and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
10:29and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
10:30And their dwelling extended from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
10:31These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
10:32These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, within their nations; and from these the nations spread over the earth after the flood.

Chapter 11

11:1And the whole earth had one language and the same words.
11:2And as they journeyed from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.
11:3Then each said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” And they used brick in place of stone, and bitumen in place of mortar.
11:4Then they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens; and let us make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.”
11:5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
11:6Then the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language; and this is what they have begun to do. Now nothing they devise to do will be impossible for them.
11:7Come, let Us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s language.”
11:8And the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased to build the city.
11:9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
11:10These are the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.
11:11And Shem lived after he begot Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:12And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Shelah.
11:13And Arphaxad lived after he begot Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:14And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.
11:15And Shelah lived after he begot Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:16And Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.
11:17And Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
11:19And Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:20And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.
11:21And Reu lived after he begot Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:22And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.
11:23And Serug lived after he begot Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:24And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.
11:25And Nahor lived after he begot Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
11:26And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27And these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot.
11:28And Haran died before his father Terah, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
11:29And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.
11:30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
11:31And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go toward the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and dwelt there.
11:32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

Chapter 12

12:1Then the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your land, from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.
12:2And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
12:3And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the ground shall be blessed.”
12:4Then Abram went, as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he went out from Haran.
12:5And Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all the possessions that they had acquired, and the people whom they had obtained in Haran; and they set out toward the land of Canaan, and came to the land of Canaan.
12:6And Abram passed through the land, to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
12:7And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
12:8And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the Name of the LORD.
12:9And Abram journeyed on, going farther toward the Negev.
12:10And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
12:11And as he drew near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Behold, I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance.
12:12And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but let you live.
12:13Please say that you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and my life may be spared for your sake.”
12:14And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was exceedingly beautiful.
12:15And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
12:16And Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her; and Abram had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
12:18Then Pharaoh called for Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
12:19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? And now, behold your wife; take her and go.”
12:20And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Chapter 13

13:1Then Abram went up from Egypt—he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him—into the Negev.
13:2And Abram was exceedingly wealthy in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
13:3And he journeyed by stages from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
13:4to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first. And there Abram called upon the Name of the LORD.
13:5And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents.
13:6And the land could not support them while they dwelt together, for their possessions were great, and they were not able to dwell together.
13:7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.
13:8Then Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between me and you, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.
13:9Is not all the land before you? Please separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; and if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
13:10Then Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the whole Jordan Valley was well watered, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you go toward Zoar.
13:11And Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from one another.
13:12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent as far as Sodom.
13:13And the men of Sodom were wicked and great sinners against the LORD.
13:14And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are: northward, southward, eastward, and westward.
13:15For all the land which you see, I give to you and to your seed forever.
13:16And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if one is able to number the dust of the earth, then your seed also may be numbered.
13:17Arise, walk through the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you.”
13:18Then Abram pitched his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron; and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Chapter 14

14:1And in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,
14:2they made war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
14:3All these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.
14:4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
14:5And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, and the Emim at Shaveh Kiriathaim,
14:6and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El-Paran, which is by the wilderness.
14:7Then they turned back and came to En-Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and struck the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon-Tamar.
14:8Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, which is Zoar, went out and set themselves in array for battle in the Valley of Siddim,
14:9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
14:10And the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, while those who remained fled to the hills.
14:11Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went away.
14:12And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, and his possessions, and went away; for he was dwelling in Sodom.
14:13Then one who had escaped came and reported it to Abram the Hebrew. He was dwelling by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner; and they were Abram’s allies.
14:14And when Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he mustered his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.
14:15And by night he divided his men against them, struck them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
14:16And he brought back all the possessions; he also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the people.
14:17Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King’s Valley, after his return from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
14:18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was priest of God Most High.
14:19And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of the heavens and earth.
14:20And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of all.
14:21Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and take the possessions for yourself.”
14:22Then Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of the heavens and earth,
14:23that I will not take even a thread or a sandal strap, or anything that is yours, lest you say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
14:24I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten and the portion of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion.”

Chapter 15

15:1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be exceedingly great.”
15:2Then Abram said, “Lord, the LORD, what will You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
15:3And Abram said, “Behold, You have given me no seed, and one born in my house will inherit from me.”
15:4And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir; but he who comes forth from your own body shall be your heir.”
15:5And He brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.”
15:6And Abram believed the LORD, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
15:7Then He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, to possess it.”
15:8And he said, “Lord, the LORD, by what shall I know that I shall possess it?”
15:9Then He said to him, “Take for Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
15:10And he took all these to Him, cut them in two, and laid each half opposite its fellow; but the birds he did not divide.
15:11And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
15:12And as the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, a terror of great darkness fell upon him.
15:13Then He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed shall be sojourners in a land not theirs, and shall serve them; and the people of that land shall afflict them four hundred years.
15:14And I will also judge the nation whom they serve; and afterward they shall go out with great possessions.
15:15And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
15:16And in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
15:17And when the sun had set and thick darkness had come, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between those pieces.
15:18In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your seed I have given this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River:
15:19the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
15:20and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,
15:21and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Chapter 16

16:1And Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no child. She had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
16:2Then Sarai said to Abram, “Behold, the LORD has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my maidservant; perhaps I may have children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
16:3And after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
16:4And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she despised her mistress.
16:5Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you. I gave my maidservant into your arms, and when she saw that she had conceived, she despised me. The LORD judge between me and you.”
16:6Then Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maidservant is under your authority; do to her what is good in your sight.” And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her presence.
16:7And the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
16:8And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, from where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.”
16:9Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority.”
16:10Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your seed exceedingly, so that it cannot be numbered.”
16:11Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your affliction.
16:12And he shall be a wild donkey of a man; his hand shall be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in opposition to all his brothers.”
16:13Then she called the LORD who spoke to her, “You are the God Who Sees Me”; for she said, “Have I truly seen here the One who sees me?”
16:14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
16:15And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
16:16And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Chapter 17

17:1And Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk continually before Me and be blameless.
17:2And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
17:3Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying,
17:4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall become the father of a multitude of nations.
17:5And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
17:6And I will make you exceedingly fruitful; nations shall come from you, and kings shall go out from you.
17:7And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you, throughout their generations, for an enduring covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you.
17:8And I will give to you and to your seed after you the land of your sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for an enduring possession; and I will be their God.”
17:9Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you, throughout their generations.
17:10This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
17:11And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
17:12And every male among you eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.
17:13He who is born in your house or bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an enduring covenant.
17:14And any uncircumcised male whose flesh of foreskin is not circumcised—that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
17:15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall no longer call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.
17:16And I will bless her, and I will also give you a son from her. I will bless her, and nations shall come from her; kings of peoples shall arise from her.”
17:17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Can a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
17:18And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live before You!”
17:19Then God said, “Indeed, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an enduring covenant for his seed after him.
17:20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
17:21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time in the next year.”
17:22And when He had finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.
17:23Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, all those born in his house, and all those bought with his money—every male among the men of Abraham’s house—and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had spoken with him.
17:24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.
17:25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.
17:26On that very day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
17:27And all the men of his house—born in the house, and bought with money from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18

18:1And the LORD appeared to him among the oaks of Mamre, as he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day.
18:2And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground.
18:3And he said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, please do not pass by Your servant.
18:4Please let a little water be brought, and wash Your feet, and rest under the tree.
18:5And I will bring a morsel of bread, that You may refresh Your hearts; afterward You may pass on, since You have come to Your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have spoken.”
18:6And Abraham hurried to the tent, to Sarah, and said, “Hurry; take three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make cakes.”
18:7And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the young man; and he hurried to prepare it.
18:8Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set them before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
18:9Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”
18:10And He said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.
18:11And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days; Sarah’s monthly period had ceased.
18:12And Sarah laughed in her heart, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
18:13Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
18:14Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
18:15And Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
18:16Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to see them on their way.
18:17And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18since Abraham shall certainly become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed?
18:19For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him.”
18:20Then the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is exceedingly grievous.
18:21I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
18:22Then the men turned from there and went toward Sodom; and Abraham still stood before the LORD.
18:23And Abraham drew near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
18:24Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will You indeed sweep it away, and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in its midst?
18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked. Far be it from You. Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?”
18:26And the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27Then Abraham answered, “Now behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, though I am dust and ashes.
18:28Perhaps the fifty righteous lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”
18:29And he spoke to Him yet again, and said, “Perhaps forty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it, because of the forty.”
18:30Then he said, “Please let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: perhaps thirty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”
18:31Then he said, “Now behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord: perhaps twenty are found there.” And He said, “I will not destroy it, because of the twenty.”
18:32Then he said, “Please let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak only this time: perhaps ten are found there.” And He said, “I will not destroy it, because of the ten.”
18:33And the LORD departed when He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Chapter 19

19:1And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the ground.
19:2And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside to the house of your servant, and lodge there, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will lodge in the city square.”
19:3But he urged them strongly, and they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
19:4Before they lay down, the men of the city—the men of Sodom, young and old, all the people from every quarter—surrounded the house.
19:5And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
19:6And Lot went out to them at the entrance, and shut the door behind him.
19:7And he said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.
19:8Now behold, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you see fit; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
19:9But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This man came to sojourn, and now he would act as judge! Now we will do worse to you than to them.” And they pressed hard against Lot, and drew near to break down the door.
19:10Then the men reached out their hands, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
19:11And they struck the men who were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the least to the greatest; and they wearied themselves trying to find the entrance.
19:12Then the men said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? Your sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and all whom you have in the city—bring them out from this place.
19:13For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the LORD; and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Rise, go out from this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
19:15And as dawn broke, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Rise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the iniquity of the city.”
19:16But he lingered. And the men took hold of his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, because of the compassion of the LORD toward him; and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
19:17And when they had brought them outside, he said, “Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, nor stop anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away.”
19:18Then Lot said to them, “Oh no, my Lord.
19:19Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown great kindness to me by saving my life. But I am unable to escape to the mountains, lest disaster overtake me and I die.
19:20Now behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please let me escape there—is it not small?—that I may live.”
19:21And he said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request also in this matter, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
19:22Hurry, escape there; for I am unable to do anything until you enter there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
19:23The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24And the LORD rained sulfur and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD, from the heavens.
19:25And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground.
19:26And his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
19:27And Abraham rose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
19:28And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.
19:29And when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
19:30Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
19:31And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.
19:32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father.”
19:33And they made their father drink wine that night; and the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
19:34And on the next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay with my father last night. Let us make him drink wine tonight also; then go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father.”
19:35And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
19:36And both daughters of Lot conceived by their father.
19:37And the firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
19:38And the younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Chapter 20

20:1And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
20:2And Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
20:3Then God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is another man’s wife.”
20:4But Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, “Lord, will You also slay a righteous nation?
20:5Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”
20:6And God said to him in the dream, “Indeed, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this; and I also kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I did not permit you to touch her.
20:7And now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die—you and all who are yours.”
20:8And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and spoke all these words in their hearing; and the men were greatly afraid.
20:9Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not be done.”
20:10And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?”
20:11And Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for the sake of my wife.’
20:12Besides, she truly is my sister, the daughter of my father, though not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
20:13And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you shall show me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.
20:15And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever it is good in your sight.”
20:16And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; before everyone, you are cleared.”
20:17And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his female servants; and they bore children.
20:18For the LORD had completely closed every womb in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Chapter 21

21:1And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
21:2And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.
21:3And Abraham called his son, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
21:4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
21:5And Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
21:6Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
21:7And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
21:8And the boy grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
21:9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
21:10Then she said to Abraham, “Cast out this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant shall not inherit with my son Isaac.”
21:11And the matter was very grievous in the sight of Abraham because of his son.
21:12Then God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy and because of your maidservant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice; for through Isaac your seed shall be named.
21:13And I will also make the son of the maidservant a nation, because he is your seed.”
21:14And Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, placing them on her shoulder; and he sent her away with the boy. And she went and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
21:15And when the water in the skin was spent, she placed the boy under one of the bushes.
21:16And she went and sat by herself opposite him, about a bowshot away; for she said, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” And she sat opposite him, lifted up her voice, and wept.
21:17And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
21:18Rise, lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”
21:19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy drink.
21:20And God was with the boy, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21:21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
21:22And at that time Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
21:23And now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my offspring, or with my descendants. As I have dealt kindly with you, so deal with me and with the land in which you have sojourned.”
21:24And Abraham said, “I swear.”
21:25And Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.
21:26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I had not heard of it until today.”
21:27Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
21:28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
21:29Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?”
21:30And he said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”
21:31Therefore he called that place Beersheba, for there the two of them swore.
21:32And they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his army, rose and returned to the land of the Philistines.
21:33And Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beersheba, and there called upon the Name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
21:34And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Chapter 22

22:1And after these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham.” And he said, “Here I am.”
22:2Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
22:3And Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose and went to the place of which God had spoken to him.
22:4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place from afar.
22:5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Remain here with the donkey, while I and the boy go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”
22:6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. And the two of them went on together.
22:7Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
22:8And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
22:9And they came to the place of which God had spoken to him; and there Abraham built the altar, arranged the wood, bound Isaac his son, and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.
22:10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
22:11And the Angel of the LORD called to him from the heavens and said, “Abraham, Abraham.” And he said, “Here I am.”
22:12And He said, “Do not lay your hand upon the boy, nor do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
22:13Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
22:14And Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD Will Provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
22:15And the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from the heavens,
22:16and said, “By Myself I have sworn—an utterance of the LORD—that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
22:17surely I will bless you, and surely I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
22:18And in your Seed all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves, because you have listened to My voice.”
22:19Then Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelt in Beersheba.
22:20And after these things it was reported to Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:
22:21Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel father of Aram,
22:22and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
22:23And Bethuel begot Rebekah.” These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
22:24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Chapter 23

23:1And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of Sarah’s life.
23:2And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
23:3Then Abraham rose from beside his dead and spoke to the Hittites, saying,
23:4“I am a sojourner and a resident among you. Give me possession of a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
23:5And the Hittites answered Abraham, saying to him,
23:6“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none among us will withhold his burial place from you, that you may bury your dead.”
23:7Then Abraham rose and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the Hittites.
23:8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your will that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar for me,
23:9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, at the edge of his field. Let him sell it to me for the full price in your presence, for possession as a burial place.”
23:10Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who entered the gate of his city, saying,
23:11“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12And Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land.
23:13And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you would hear me. I will give the price of the field; take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
23:14Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying,
23:15“My lord, hear me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
23:16And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver of which he had spoken in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, current among merchants.
23:17So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, east of Mamre—the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees in the field within all its surrounding border—
23:18was conveyed to Abraham as a possession, in the sight of the Hittites and all who entered the gate of his city.
23:19And after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
23:20And the field and the cave that was in it were established as Abraham’s possession for a burial place, from the Hittites.

Chapter 24

24:1And Abraham was old, advanced in days; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
24:2Then Abraham said to the oldest servant of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh,
24:3and I will make you swear by the LORD, God of the heavens and God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.
24:4But you shall go to my land and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5Then the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6And Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.
24:7The LORD, God of the heavens, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed I give this land’—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
24:8And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be released from this oath of mine. Only you shall not take my son back there.”
24:9Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him concerning this matter.
24:10And the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. And he arose and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
24:11And he made the camels kneel outside the city by the well of water, at evening, at the time when the women who draw water come out.
24:12Then he said, “O LORD, God of my lord Abraham, please grant me success this day, and show kindness to my lord Abraham.
24:13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
24:14And let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please lower your jar, that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels’—let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I shall know that You have shown kindness to my lord.”
24:15And before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar upon her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24:16And the young woman was very beautiful in appearance, a virgin, and no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.
24:17Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.”
24:18And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she hurried and lowered her jar from her shoulder to her hand, and gave him drink.
24:19And when she had finished giving him drink, she said, “I will draw water also for your camels, until they have finished drinking.”
24:20And she hurried and emptied her jar into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw; and she drew water for all his camels.
24:21And the man gazed at her in silence, to learn whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.
24:22And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels of gold.
24:23And he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me: is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24:24And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
24:25And she said also to him, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and also a place to lodge.”
24:26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD.
24:27And he said, “Blessed is the LORD, God of my lord Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast love and His faithfulness from my lord. As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the house of my lord’s relatives.”
24:28Then the young woman ran and reported these things to her mother’s household.
24:29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man at the spring.
24:30And when he saw the ring and the bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
24:31And he said, “Come in, O blessed one of the LORD. Why do you stand outside, when I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?”
24:32Then he brought the man into the house, unloaded the camels, and gave straw and fodder for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
24:33And food was set before him to eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.” And he said, “Speak.”
24:34Then he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
24:35And the LORD has blessed my lord exceedingly, and he has become great. And He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.
24:36And Sarah, my lord’s wife, bore a son to my lord in her old age; and my lord has given him all that he has.
24:37And my lord made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.
24:38But you shall go to my father’s household and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’
24:39And I said to my lord, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
24:40And he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked continually, will send His angel with you and make your journey successful; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s household.
24:41Then you shall be released from my oath when you come to my family. And if they do not give her to you, then you shall be released from my oath.’
24:42And I came today to the spring and said, ‘O LORD, God of my lord Abraham, if You will indeed make the journey on which I am going successful—
24:43behold, I am standing by the spring of water—then let it be that the virgin who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”
24:44and she says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,” she is the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my lord’s son.’
24:45Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar upon her shoulder. And she went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
24:46And she hurried and lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels.’ And I drank, and she also gave the camels drink.
24:47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands.
24:48And I bowed down and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, God of my lord Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take a daughter of my lord’s kin for his son.
24:49And now, if you will deal with my lord in steadfast love and faithfulness, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right or to the left.”
24:50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The matter has gone forth from the LORD; we are not able to speak to you bad or good.
24:51Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be a wife to your lord’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”
24:52And when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the LORD.
24:53And the servant brought out objects of silver and objects of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
24:54And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and lodged there. And they rose in the morning, and he said, “Send me back to my lord.”
24:55Then her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a few days, perhaps ten; afterward she may go.”
24:56And he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey successful. Send me on my way, that I may go to my lord.”
24:57And they said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.”
24:58Then they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”
24:59And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
24:60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “You are our sister; become thousands upon ten thousands, and let your seed possess the gate of those who hate him.”
24:61Then Rebekah and her young women arose, rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went.
24:62Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and he was dwelling in the land of the Negev.
24:63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming.
24:64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac, and dismounted from the camel.
24:65And she said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “It is my lord.” And she took the veil, and covered herself.
24:66And the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
24:67And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Chapter 25

25:1And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.
25:2And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
25:3And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan; and the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
25:4And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah.
25:5And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.
25:6But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts; and while he was still alive, he sent them away from Isaac his son, eastward, to the land of the east.
25:7And these were the years of Abraham’s life: one hundred and seventy-five years.
25:8And Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, old and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
25:9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre—
25:10the field which Abraham bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.
25:11And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son; and Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi.
25:12And these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
25:13And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, in order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
25:14Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
25:15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
25:16These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages and their encampments: twelve princes according to their peoples.
25:17And these were the years of Ishmael’s life: one hundred and thirty-seven years. And he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
25:18And they dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. Ishmael settled in opposition to all his brothers.
25:19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac.
25:20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah for his wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
25:21And Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, for she was barren; and the LORD answered his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
25:22And the children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is so, why is this happening to me?” And she went to inquire of the LORD.
25:23And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from within you. One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.”
25:24And when her days to give birth were fulfilled, behold, twins were in her womb.
25:25And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
25:26And afterward his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; and they called his name Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
25:27And the boys grew. Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
25:28And Isaac loved Esau, for he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
25:29And Jacob cooked stew, and Esau came in from the field, exhausted.
25:30And Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me eat some of that red stew—that red stew—for I am exhausted.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
25:31And Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright today.”
25:32And Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; what use, then, is a birthright to me?”
25:33And Jacob said, “Swear to me today.” And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
25:34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went away. Thus Esau despised the birthright.

Chapter 26

26:1And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
26:2And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.
26:3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
26:4And I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and I will give to your seed all these lands; and in your Seed all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves,
26:5because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
26:6And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
26:7And the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” lest the men of the place kill him because of Rebekah, for she was beautiful in appearance.
26:8And when he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah his wife.
26:9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is surely your wife. How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”
26:10And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
26:11And Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
26:12And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
26:13And the man grew great, and continued growing until he became very great.
26:14And he had flocks and herds, and many servants; and the Philistines envied him.
26:15And all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up and filled with earth.
26:16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much mightier than we.”
26:17And Isaac went from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
26:18And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham’s death; and he called them by the names his father had given them.
26:19And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of living water.
26:20And the shepherds of Gerar contended with Isaac’s shepherds, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek, because they had contended with him.
26:21And they dug another well, and they strove over that one also; and he called its name Sitnah.
26:22And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not strive over it. And he called its name Rehoboth, and said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
26:23And he went up from there to Beersheba.
26:24And the LORD appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed, because of Abraham My servant.”
26:25And he built an altar there and called upon the Name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
26:26And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol commander of his army.
26:27And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hated me and sent me away from you?”
26:28And they said, “We have clearly seen that the LORD has been with you. And we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you,
26:29that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you, and as we have done only good to you and sent you away in peace. You are now blessed of the LORD.’”
26:30And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
26:31And they rose early in the morning and swore to one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
26:32And on that same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”
26:33And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
26:34And Esau was forty years old when he took as wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
26:35And they were a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebekah.

Chapter 27

27:1And when Isaac had grown old and his eyes were too dim to see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
27:2And he said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.
27:3And now, please take your hunting gear—your quiver and your bow—and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
27:4And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat and bless you before I die.”
27:5And Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and bring it back.
27:6Then Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,
27:7‘Bring me game, and make me savory food, that I may eat and bless you before the LORD before my death.’
27:8And now, my son, obey my voice in what I command you.
27:9Go now to the flock and take for me from there two good young goats, and I will make them into savory food for your father, such as he loves.
27:10And you shall take it to your father, that he may eat and bless you before his death.”
27:11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
27:12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall appear to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing.”
27:13And his mother said to him, “Let your curse be upon me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go, take them for me.”
27:14And he went and took them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
27:15And Rebekah took the choice garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
27:16And she put the skins of the young goats upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck.
27:17And she put the savory food and the bread which she had made into the hand of Jacob her son.
27:18And he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
27:19And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat of my game, that you may bless me.”
27:20And Isaac said to his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God caused it to come before me.”
27:21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are truly my son Esau or not.”
27:22And Jacob came near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
27:23And he did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother; and he blessed him.
27:24And he said, “Are you truly my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”
27:25And he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
27:26Then Isaac his father said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”
27:27And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and blessed him and said, “See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which the LORD has blessed.
27:28And may God give you of the dew of the heavens, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of grain and wine.
27:29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed are those who curse you, and blessed are those who bless you.”
27:30And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
27:31And he also made savory food and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”
27:32And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
27:33And Isaac trembled exceedingly, with a great trembling, and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted game and brought it to me? And I ate of it all before you came, and I blessed him. Indeed, he shall be blessed.”
27:34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
27:35And he said, “Your brother came with deceit and took your blessing.”
27:36And he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
27:37And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him master over you, and I have given all his brothers to him as servants; and I have sustained him with grain and wine. What then can I do for you, my son?”
27:38And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
27:39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of the heavens from above.
27:40And by your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but when you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
27:41And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father draw near; then I will kill Jacob my brother.”
27:42And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Behold, Esau your brother is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.
27:43And now, my son, obey my voice. Rise, flee to Laban my brother at Haran.
27:44And dwell with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,
27:45until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”
27:46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from the Hittite women, like these women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Chapter 28

28:1Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and commanded him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the Canaanite women.
28:2Rise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take for yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
28:3And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
28:4And may He give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, that you may possess the land where you sojourn, which God gave to Abraham.”
28:5Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the Canaanite women,”
28:7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-Aram.
28:8And Esau saw that the Canaanite women were displeasing in the sight of Isaac his father.
28:9Then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, sister of Nebaioth, as a wife in addition to his other wives.
28:10And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
28:11And he came upon a certain place and lodged there, for the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place.
28:12And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set upon the earth, and its top reached to the heavens; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
28:13And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, God of Abraham your father and God of Isaac. The land upon which you are lying, I give to you and to your seed.
28:14And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and you shall spread abroad westward and eastward, northward and southward; and in you and in your seed all the families of the ground shall be blessed.
28:15And behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
28:16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
28:17And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is nothing but the house of God, and this is the gate of the heavens.”
28:18And Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone which he had put under his head, and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil upon its top.
28:19And he called the name of that place Bethel; but Luz was the name of the city at first.
28:20Then Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and keep me on this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
28:21so that I return in peace to my father’s house, then the LORD shall be my God.
28:22And this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be the house of God; and of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Chapter 29

29:1Then Jacob continued on his journey and went toward the land of the peoples of the east.
29:2And he looked, and behold, a well in the field; and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. And a great stone was upon the mouth of the well.
29:3And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep; then they returned the stone to its place upon the mouth of the well.
29:4Then Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.”
29:5And he said to them, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.”
29:6And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well; and behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the flock.”
29:7And he said, “Behold, the day is still high; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the flock, and go, pasture them.”
29:8And they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the flock.”
29:9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherdess.
29:10And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the flock of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered Laban’s flock.
29:11Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
29:12And Jacob told Rachel that he was a kinsman of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son. And she ran and told her father.
29:13And when Laban heard the report of Jacob his nephew, he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him into his house. And Jacob recounted to Laban all these things.
29:14And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he dwelt with him a full month.
29:15Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”
29:16And Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
29:17And Leah’s eyes were tender, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.
29:18And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
29:19And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man. Dwell with me.”
29:20And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
29:21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
29:22And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.
29:23And in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and Jacob went in to her.
29:24And Laban gave Zilpah his maidservant to Leah his daughter as her maidservant.
29:25And in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
29:26And Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
29:27Complete this one’s bridal week, and we will give you the other also, for the service which you shall serve with me yet another seven years.”
29:28And Jacob did so and completed her bridal week; and Laban gave him Rachel his daughter as his wife.
29:29And Laban gave Bilhah his maidservant to Rachel his daughter as her maidservant.
29:30And Jacob went in also to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served Laban yet another seven years.
29:31And the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
29:32And Leah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”
29:33And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this one also.” And she called his name Simeon.
29:34And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
29:35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased from bearing.

Chapter 30

30:1And Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, and Rachel envied her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
30:2Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
30:3And she said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, and she shall bear children upon my knees, that I too may have children through her.”
30:4And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
30:5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
30:6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.
30:7And Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
30:8Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali.
30:9And Leah saw that she had ceased from bearing, and she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
30:10And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a son.
30:11Then Leah said, “A troop has come!” And she called his name Gad.
30:12And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a second son.
30:13Then Leah said, “Happy am I, for daughters will call me blessed.” And she called his name Asher.
30:14And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
30:15And she said to her, “Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband? Would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he shall lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
30:16And Jacob came in from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.
30:17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
30:18Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I gave my maidservant to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.
30:19And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
30:20Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; this time my husband will dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun.
30:21And afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
30:22Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
30:23And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
30:24And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
30:25And when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my land.
30:26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the service which I have rendered you.”
30:27And Laban said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight—stay, for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”
30:28And he said, “Name your wages to me, and I will give them.”
30:29And Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me.
30:30For what you had before I came was little, but it has increased into a multitude; and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. And now, when shall I also provide for my own household?”
30:31And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock.
30:32I will pass through all your flock today and remove from there every speckled and spotted one among the sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted and speckled one among the goats; and these shall be my wages.
30:33And my righteousness shall testify for me in time to come, when you come to inspect my wages. Every goat that is not speckled or spotted, and every lamb that is not dark-colored, shall be counted stolen if it is found with me.”
30:34And Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”
30:35And that day Laban removed the striped and spotted male goats, and all the speckled and spotted female goats—every one that had white in it—and every dark-colored one among the lambs; and he gave them into the hand of his sons.
30:36And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.
30:37Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white strips in them, exposing the white of the rods.
30:38And he set the rods which he had peeled in the troughs, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, directly before the flocks; and they were in heat when they came to drink.
30:39And the flocks mated before the rods, and the flocks bore striped, speckled, and spotted young.
30:40And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flock toward the striped and all the dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock; and he set his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock.
30:41And whenever the stronger animals of the flock were in heat, Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the troughs, that they might mate among the rods.
30:42But when the flock was weak, he did not set them there. So the weak ones were Laban’s, and the strong ones Jacob’s.
30:43And the man prospered exceedingly, and had large flocks, female and male servants, camels, and donkeys.

Chapter 31

31:1And Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken all that belonged to our father, and from what belonged to our father he has acquired all this wealth.”
31:2And Jacob saw Laban’s face, and behold, it was not toward him as before.
31:3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
31:4And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock was.
31:5And he said to them, “I see that your father’s face is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
31:6And you know that I have served your father with all my strength.
31:7Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; but God has not permitted him to harm me.
31:8If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled young; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped young.
31:9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given it to me.
31:10And during the mating season of the flock, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats mating with the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted.
31:11And the Angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’
31:12And He said, ‘Lift up your eyes now and see: all the male goats mating with the flock are striped, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
31:13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
31:14Then Rachel and Leah answered him and said, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house?
31:15Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also consumed the money paid for us.
31:16For all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. And now, do all that God has said to you.”
31:17Then Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives upon the camels.
31:18And he drove away all his livestock and all the possessions he had acquired—the livestock he had gained in Paddan-Aram—to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
31:19And Laban had gone to shear his flock; and Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.
31:20And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.
31:21And he fled with all that he had; and he arose, crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.
31:22And on the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
31:23Then he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
31:24And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Take care that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
31:25And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched theirs in the hill country of Gilead.
31:26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword.
31:27Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with tambourine and lyre?
31:28And you did not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have acted foolishly.
31:29It is in my power to harm you; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Take care that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
31:30And now you have gone because you greatly longed for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”
31:31Then Jacob answered Laban and said, “Because I was afraid, for I thought, ‘Lest you take your daughters from me by force.’
31:32Whoever is found with your gods shall not live. Before our kinsmen, identify whatever I have that belongs to you, and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
31:33And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two maidservants, but he did not find them. Then he went out from Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.
31:34Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat upon them. And Laban searched through all the tent but did not find them.
31:35And she said to her father, “Let it not be displeasing in the sight of my lord that I cannot rise before you, for I am having my monthly period.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.
31:36Then Jacob became angry and confronted Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have pursued me so fiercely?
31:37For you have searched through all my goods. What have you found of all the goods of your house? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, and let them decide between the two of us.
31:38These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.
31:39What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
31:40Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
31:41These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.
31:42Unless the God of my father—the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac—had been with me, surely you would now have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and He rebuked you last night.”
31:43Then Laban answered Jacob and said, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine. Yet what can I do today to these daughters of mine, or to the children whom they have borne?
31:44And now, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between me and you.”
31:45Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
31:46And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap; and they ate there beside the heap.
31:47And Laban called it Jegar-Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
31:48Then Laban said, “This heap is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,
31:49and Mizpah also, for he said, “May the LORD watch between me and you when we are hidden from one another.
31:50If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters—though no man is with us—see, God is witness between me and you.”
31:51And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set between me and you.
31:52This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and that you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
31:53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor—the God of their father—judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
31:54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his kinsmen to eat bread. And they ate bread and lodged on the mountain.

Chapter 32

32:1And Laban arose early in the morning, kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
32:2And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him.
32:3And when Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
32:4Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
32:5And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban and remained until now.
32:6And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’”
32:7And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, with four hundred men.”
32:8Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, herds, and camels, into two camps.
32:9And he said, “If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it, then the camp that remains shall escape.”
32:10Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you’:
32:11I am unworthy of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness You have shown Your servant; for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
32:12Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me down, the mother with her children.
32:13And You have said, ‘I will surely deal well with you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
32:14And he lodged there that night, and from what he had with him he took a gift for Esau his brother:
32:15two hundred female goats and twenty male goats; two hundred ewes and twenty rams;
32:16thirty nursing camels with their young; forty cows and ten bulls; twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
32:17And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, each drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.”
32:18And he commanded the first, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘Whose servant are you? Where are you going? And whose are these before you?’
32:19then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’”
32:20And he commanded the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you meet him.
32:21And you shall also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will receive me.”
32:22So the gift passed over before him, and he lodged that night in the camp.
32:23And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
32:24And he took them and sent them across the stream, and sent across all that he had.
32:25And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of dawn.
32:26And when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him.
32:27And He said, “Let Me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”
32:28And He said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
32:29And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
32:30Then Jacob asked Him and said, “Please declare Your Name.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask for My Name?” And He blessed him there.
32:31And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
32:32And the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping upon his hip.
32:33Therefore, to this day, the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is upon the socket of the hip, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip upon the sinew of the thigh.

Chapter 33

33:1And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
33:2And he put the maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last.
33:3And he himself passed over before them and bowed himself to the earth seven times, until he drew near to his brother.
33:4And Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell upon his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.
33:5And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children with whom God has favored your servant.”
33:6Then the maidservants drew near, they and their children, and bowed themselves.
33:7And Leah also drew near with her children, and they bowed themselves. And afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed themselves.
33:8And he said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
33:9And Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”
33:10And Jacob said, “No, please; if now I have found favor in your sight, then receive my gift from my hand, for I have seen your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.
33:11Please take my gift which has been brought to you, because God has favored me, and because I have everything.” And he urged him, and he took it.
33:12Then he said, “Let us journey and go on, and I will go before you.”
33:13But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the nursing flocks and herds are in my care; and if they drive them hard for one day, all the flock will die.
33:14Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, at the pace of the livestock before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15And Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” And he said, “Why this? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
33:16And Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
33:17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built a house for himself and made booths for his livestock; therefore he called the name of the place Succoth.
33:18And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-Aram; and he encamped before the city.
33:19And he bought the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of silver.
33:20And he set up an altar there and called it, “God, the God of Israel.”

Chapter 34

34:1Then Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
34:2And Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the land, saw her, and took her, and lay with her, and violated her.
34:3And his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob; and he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.
34:4Then Shechem spoke to Hamor his father, saying, “Get me this young woman for a wife.”
34:5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field, and Jacob kept silent until they came.
34:6Then Hamor, Shechem’s father, went out to Jacob to speak with him.
34:7And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard. The men were grieved and very angry, for he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that ought not to be done.
34:8And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him for a wife.
34:9And intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
34:10And dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions in it.”
34:11Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you say to me I will give.
34:12Ask of me an exceedingly great bride-price and gift, and I will give whatever you say to me; only give me the young woman for a wife.”
34:13Then the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.
34:14And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to an uncircumcised man, for that would be a reproach to us.
34:15Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become as we are, and every male among you is circumcised,
34:16then we will give our daughters to you, and take your daughters for ourselves, and dwell with you, and become one people.
34:17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”
34:18And their words were pleasing in the sight of Hamor and in the sight of Shechem, Hamor’s son.
34:19And the young man did not delay to do the thing, for he delighted in Jacob’s daughter; and he was the most honored in all his father’s house.
34:20Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying,
34:21“These men are at peace with us. Let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is spacious before them. Let us take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
34:22Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us and become one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.
34:23Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their beasts be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
34:24And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
34:25And on the third day, when they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed every male.
34:26And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.
34:27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
34:28They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field.
34:29And they took captive all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives; and they plundered all that was in the houses.
34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number, and they will gather themselves against me and strike me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my household.”
34:31Then they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

Chapter 35

35:1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the presence of Esau your brother.”
35:2Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and cleanse yourselves, and change your garments.
35:3And let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the way that I went.”
35:4Then they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak that was by Shechem.
35:5Then they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan—that is, Bethel—he and all the people who were with him.
35:7And he built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from the presence of his brother.
35:8Then Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon-bacuth.
35:9And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-Aram, and blessed him.
35:10Then God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And He called his name Israel.
35:11Then God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from your own body.
35:12And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I give to you; and to your seed after you I give the land.”
35:13Then God ascended from him in the place where He had spoken with him.
35:14And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering upon it, and poured oil upon it.
35:15And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
35:16Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and her labor was severe.
35:17And while she was in severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for this also is a son for you.”
35:18And as her life was departing—for she died—she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
35:19Then Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
35:20And Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
35:21Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
35:22And while Israel dwelt in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it.
35:23And the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.
35:27Then Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, at Kiriath-arba—that is, Hebron—where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.
35:28And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
35:29Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

Chapter 36

36:1And these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
36:2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
36:3and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
36:4And Adah bore Esau Eliphaz, and Basemath bore Reuel.
36:5And Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
36:6Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all the possessions he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from Jacob his brother.
36:7For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock.
36:8And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.
36:9And these are the generations of Esau, the father of Edom, in Mount Seir.
36:10These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, son of Adah, Esau’s wife; and Reuel, son of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
36:11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
36:12And Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
36:13And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
36:14And these were the sons of Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36:15These are the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,
36:16Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
36:17And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
36:18And these are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jalam, and Chief Korah. These are the chiefs descended from Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and wife of Esau.
36:19These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their chiefs.
36:20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
36:21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.
36:22And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
36:23And these are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
36:24And these are the sons of Zibeon: Ajah and Anah. This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while pasturing the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
36:25And these are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, daughter of Anah.
36:26And these are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
36:27These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
36:28These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
36:29These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,
36:30Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their clans in the land of Seir.
36:31And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.
36:32And Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
36:33Then Bela died, and Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
36:34Then Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
36:35Then Husham died, and Hadad son of Bedad reigned in his place, who struck Midian in the territory of Moab; and the name of his city was Avith.
36:36Then Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
36:37Then Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
36:38Then Saul died, and Ba‘al-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.
36:39Then Ba‘al-hanan son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau. And his wife’s name was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.
36:40And these are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their territories, by their names: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,
36:41Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,
36:42Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,
36:43Chief Magdiel and Chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of Edom.

Chapter 37

37:1And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
37:2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, seventeen years old, was tending the flock with his brothers; and he was a youth with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.
37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, for he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long tunic.
37:4And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
37:5Then Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers, and they hated him still more.
37:6And he said to them, “Please hear this dream that I dreamed.
37:7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed themselves to my sheaf.”
37:8Then his brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed rule over us?” And they hated him still more because of his dreams and his words.
37:9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing themselves to me.”
37:10And he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the earth before you?”
37:11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
37:12Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.
37:13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock near Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
37:14Then he said to him, “Go now and see how your brothers are faring and how the flock is faring, and bring word back to me.” And he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
37:15And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”
37:16And he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
37:17Then the man said, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
37:18And they saw him from afar; and before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
37:19And they said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer is coming.
37:20And now come, let us slay him and cast him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast has devoured him.’ Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.”
37:21But Reuben heard and rescued him from their hand, saying, “Let us not take his life.”
37:22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him from their hand and bring him back to his father.
37:23And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the long tunic that he wore.
37:24And they took him and cast him into the pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
37:25Then they sat down to eat. And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, and their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balm, and myrrh, going down to Egypt.
37:26And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?
37:27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened.
37:28Then Midianite merchants passed by; and they drew Joseph up and brought him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.
37:29And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his garments.
37:30And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone; and I—where shall I go?”
37:31Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
37:32And they sent the long tunic and brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. Please determine whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
37:34Then Jacob tore his garments, put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
37:35And all his sons and all his daughters rose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted and said, “I will go down mourning to my son in the realm of the dead.” And his father wept for him.
37:36And the Medanites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Chapter 38

38:1And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to an Adullamite man named Hirah.
38:2And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
38:3And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
38:4And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
38:5And she again bore a son and called his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib when she bore him.
38:6Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
38:7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.
38:8Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”
38:9And Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his seed on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.
38:10And what he did was evil in the sight of the LORD, and He put him also to death.
38:11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
38:12And after many days, the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died. And when Judah was comforted, he went up to his sheep-shearers at Timnah, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite.
38:13And it was told to Tamar, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his flock.”
38:14And she removed her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance of Enayim, which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, yet she had not been given to him as a wife.
38:15And when Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, because she had covered her face.
38:16And he turned aside to her by the way and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
38:17And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?”
38:18And he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” And he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
38:19Then she arose and went away, removed her veil, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
38:20And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand; but he did not find her.
38:21Then he asked the men of her place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enayim by the road?” And they said, “There has been no cult prostitute in this place.”
38:22And he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her; and the men of the place also said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute in this place.’”
38:23Then Judah said, “Let her keep them, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”
38:24And about three months afterward, it was told to Judah, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has prostituted herself; and behold, she has also conceived by prostitution.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
38:25As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the seal, the cord, and the staff.”
38:26And Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he did not know her again.
38:27And at the time of her labor, behold, twins were in her womb.
38:28And as she was giving birth, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”
38:29But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez.
38:30And afterward his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and his name was called Zerah.

Chapter 39

39:1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, an Egyptian man, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
39:2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.
39:3And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
39:4And Joseph found favor in his sight and served him; and he appointed him over his house, and put all that he had into his hand.
39:5And from the time he appointed him over his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field.
39:6And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and concerned himself with nothing except the food he ate. And Joseph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.
39:7And after these things, his master’s wife lifted up her eyes to Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
39:8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master concerns himself with nothing in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand.
39:9There is none greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
39:10And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
39:11And one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there in the house.
39:12And she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, fled, and went outside.
39:13And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
39:14she called to the men of her house and said to them, “See, he has brought us a Hebrew man to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
39:15And when he heard that I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, fled, and went outside.”
39:16And she laid his garment beside her until his master came home.
39:17And she spoke to him with these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me.
39:18And when I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.”
39:19And when his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his anger burned.
39:20Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the prison.
39:21But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
39:22And the keeper of the prison put into Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; and he was responsible for all that was done there.
39:23The keeper of the prison concerned himself with nothing under Joseph’s hand, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD caused it to prosper.

Chapter 40

40:1And after these things, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their lord, the king of Egypt.
40:2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
40:3And he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
40:4And the captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he served them; and they were in custody for some time.
40:5And the two of them dreamed a dream in the same night, each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison.
40:6And Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, and behold, they were troubled.
40:7And he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces sad today?”
40:8And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
40:9And the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me.
40:10And on the vine were three branches; and as it budded, its blossoms came out, and its clusters ripened into grapes.
40:11And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
40:12Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
40:13Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, according to the former custom when you were his cupbearer.
40:14But remember me when it goes well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
40:15For I was indeed stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing for which they should put me in the dungeon.”
40:16And when the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.
40:17And in the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
40:18Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.
40:19Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds shall eat your flesh from you.”
40:20And on the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker among his servants.
40:21And he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
40:22But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
40:23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Chapter 41

41:1And at the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed; and behold, he was standing by the Nile.
41:2And behold, from the Nile came up seven cows, beautiful in appearance and fat in flesh, and they fed among the reeds.
41:3And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, ugly in appearance and lean in flesh; and they stood beside the cows on the bank of the Nile.
41:4Then the ugly and lean cows ate the seven beautiful and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
41:5Then he slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
41:6And behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them.
41:7Then the thin heads swallowed the seven plump and full heads. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
41:8And in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
41:9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my offenses this day.
41:10Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.
41:11And we dreamed a dream in one night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the meaning of his dream.
41:12And there was with us a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. He interpreted each according to his dream.
41:13And as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass: Pharaoh restored me to my office, and the other he hanged.”
41:14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they hurried him out of the dungeon. And he shaved, changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh.
41:15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.”
41:16Then Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
41:17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
41:18And behold, out of the Nile came up seven cows, fat in flesh and beautiful in form; and they fed among the reeds.
41:19And behold, seven other cows came up after them, gaunt and very ugly in form and lean in flesh. I have never seen such ugliness in all the land of Egypt.
41:20Then the lean and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows.
41:21And when they had consumed them, no one could tell that they had consumed them, for their appearance was as ugly as at the beginning. And I awoke.
41:22Then I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good.
41:23And behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them.
41:24Then the thin heads swallowed the seven good heads. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
41:25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dream is one. What God is about to do, He has shown to Pharaoh.
41:26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.
41:27And the seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine.
41:28This is the word that I spoke to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
41:29Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt.
41:30And after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will consume the land.
41:31And the abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows, for it will be very severe.
41:32And because the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, the matter is firmly established by God, and God will soon bring it about.
41:33And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
41:34Let Pharaoh act, and let him appoint overseers over the land and exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
41:35And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up grain under Pharaoh’s authority as food in the cities, and let them keep it.
41:36And the food shall be held in reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
41:37And the proposal was good in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of all his servants.
41:38Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
41:39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is none so discerning and wise as you.
41:40You shall be over my house, and at your command all my people shall submit; only as to the throne will I be greater than you.”
41:41Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
41:42And Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
41:43And he had him ride in the second chariot that he had, and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt.
41:44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your command no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”
41:45And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah, and gave him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
41:46And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before Pharaoh and passed throughout all the land of Egypt.
41:47And in the seven years of abundance, the land yielded abundantly.
41:48And he gathered all the food of the seven years that were in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put in each city the food from the fields around it.
41:49And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased counting, for it was beyond measure.
41:50And before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
41:51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.”
41:52And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
41:53Then the seven years of abundance that were in the land of Egypt came to an end.
41:54And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food.
41:55And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; do whatever he says to you.”
41:56And the famine was over all the face of the land. And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
41:57And all the earth came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe over all the earth.

Chapter 42

42:1And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
42:2And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there, that we may live and not die.”
42:3Then Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
42:4But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he said, “Lest harm befall him.”
42:5And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
42:6Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
42:7And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. And he said to them, “From where have you come?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
42:8And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
42:9Then Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed concerning them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the unguarded parts of the land.”
42:10And they said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
42:11We are all sons of one man; we are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”
42:12And he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the unguarded parts of the land.”
42:13And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
42:14And Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you: You are spies.
42:15By this you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
42:16Send one of you to bring your brother, while you remain bound, that your words may be tested, whether you are telling the truth. And if not, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.”
42:17And he put them all together in custody for three days.
42:18Then Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God.
42:19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain bound in the place of your confinement; and you, go and carry grain for your starving households.
42:20Then bring your youngest brother to me, and your words shall be confirmed, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
42:21And they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
42:22Then Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’? But you would not listen. And now, behold, his blood is required of us.”
42:23And they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
42:24And he turned away from them and wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them, and took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
42:25And Joseph gave orders to fill their sacks with grain, return each man’s money to his sack, and give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.
42:26Then they loaded their grain upon their donkeys and went from there.
42:27And at the lodging place, one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey, and he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his bag.
42:28And he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned; and behold, it is in my sack.” And their hearts sank, and they trembled, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
42:29And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,
42:30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and took us for spies of the land.
42:31And we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies.
42:32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’
42:33Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for your starving households, and go.
42:34And bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother back to you, and you may trade in the land.’”
42:35And as they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of silver was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of silver, they were afraid.
42:36Then Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me. Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”
42:37Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Give him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you.”
42:38But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to the realm of the dead.”

Chapter 43

43:1And the famine was severe in the land.
43:2And when they had finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return and buy us a little food.”
43:3Then Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
43:4If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
43:5But if you do not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
43:6Then Israel said, “Why did you bring evil upon me by telling the man that you had another brother?”
43:7And they said, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
43:8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the young man with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die—we, and you, and our children.
43:9I will be surety for him; from my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the blame before you all my days.
43:10For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned twice.”
43:11Then Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice produce of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man—a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
43:12And take double the silver in your hand; and the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks, carry back in your hand. Perhaps it was an oversight.
43:13Take your brother also, and arise; return to the man.
43:14And may God Almighty grant you compassion before the man, so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
43:15Then the men took this present, and they took double the silver in their hand, and Benjamin. And they arose, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
43:16And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the one who was over his house, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal, and prepare it, for the men shall eat with me at noon.”
43:17And the man did as Joseph had said, and brought the men into Joseph’s house.
43:18And the men were afraid because they had been brought into Joseph’s house, and they said, “We are being brought in because of the silver that was returned in our sacks the first time, so that he may bring a charge against us, fall upon us, and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
43:19Then they drew near to the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the entrance of the house.
43:20And they said, “O my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.
43:21And when we came to the lodging place and opened our sacks, behold, each man’s silver was in the mouth of his sack—our silver in its full weight. So we have brought it back in our hand.
43:22And we have brought other silver down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
43:23Then he said, “Peace be with you; do not fear. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your silver.” And he brought Simeon out to them.
43:24Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave fodder to their donkeys.
43:25And they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they had heard that they would eat a meal there.
43:26And when Joseph came into the house, they brought him the present that was in their hand and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
43:27Then he asked about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
43:28And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed low and prostrated themselves.
43:29Then he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
43:30And Joseph hurried away, for his compassion was stirred toward his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered the inner chamber and wept there.
43:31Then he washed his face, came out, restrained himself, and said, “Serve the meal.”
43:32And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; for the Egyptians could not eat a meal with the Hebrews, because that was an abomination to the Egyptians.
43:33And they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
43:34Then portions were carried to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as large as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

Chapter 44

44:1Then he commanded the one who was over his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.
44:2And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with his silver for the grain.” And he did according to the word Joseph had spoken.
44:3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
44:4They had gone out of the city but had not gone far when Joseph said to the one who was over his house, “Arise, pursue the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
44:5Is this not the cup from which my lord drinks and by which he practices divination? You have done evil in what you have done.’”
44:6And he overtook them and spoke these words to them.
44:7Then they said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.
44:8Behold, the silver we found in the mouth of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?
44:9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will become my lord’s slaves.”
44:10Then he said, “Very well; let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the rest of you shall be innocent.”
44:11And they hurried, and each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
44:12And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
44:13Then they tore their garments, and each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
44:14And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him.
44:15Then Joseph said to them, “What is this deed you have done? Did you not know that a man like me can certainly practice divination?”
44:16Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? How shall we justify ourselves? God has uncovered the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he in whose hand the cup was found.”
44:17But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose hand the cup was found shall become my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
44:18Then Judah drew near to him and said, “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant, for you are as Pharaoh himself.
44:19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
44:20And we said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father and a young son born in his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’
44:21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.’
44:22And we said to my lord, ‘The young man cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
44:23Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’
44:24And when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
44:25Then our father said, ‘Return and buy us a little food.’
44:26And we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down, for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
44:27Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.
44:28One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since.
44:29And if you take this one also from my presence and harm befalls him, you will bring down my gray hairs in misery to the realm of the dead.’
44:30And now, when I come to your servant my father and the young man is not with us—and his life is bound up with the young man’s life—
44:31when he sees that the young man is not with us, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father in sorrow to the realm of the dead.
44:32For your servant became surety for the young man to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my days.’
44:33And now, please let your servant remain instead of the young man as a slave to my lord, and let the young man go up with his brothers.
44:34For how can I go up to my father if the young man is not with me? I cannot bear to see the calamity that would overtake my father.”

Chapter 45

45:1Then Joseph could no longer restrain himself before all those standing by him, and he cried, “Have everyone leave me!” And no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
45:2And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard it, and Pharaoh’s household heard it.
45:3Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
45:4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
45:5And now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
45:6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and five years still remain in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
45:7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.
45:8And now, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
45:9Hurry, go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay.
45:10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your sons and your sons’ sons, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
45:11And I will provide for you there, for five years of famine still remain, lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty.’
45:12And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth speaking to you.
45:13And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
45:14Then he fell upon the neck of Benjamin his brother and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
45:15And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them; and afterward his brothers spoke with him.
45:16And the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And the matter pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
45:17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your animals and go to the land of Canaan.
45:18Take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’
45:19And you are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and your wives, and bring your father and come.
45:20Do not concern yourselves with your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
45:21And the sons of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharaoh’s command, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
45:22To each of them he gave a change of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
45:23And to his father he sent ten donkeys laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys laden with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
45:24Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”
45:25Then they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.
45:26And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But his heart grew numb, for he did not believe them.
45:27And they spoke to him all the words Joseph had spoken to them; and when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
45:28Then Israel said, “It is enough. My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Chapter 46

46:1Then Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
46:2And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”
46:3Then He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation.
46:4I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will surely bring you up again; and Joseph shall close your eyes.”
46:5Then Jacob arose from Beersheba. And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
46:6And they took their livestock and their possessions, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt—Jacob and all his seed with him.
46:7His sons and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters and his sons’ daughters—all his seed he brought with him into Egypt.
46:8And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons. Jacob’s firstborn was Reuben.
46:9And the sons of Reuben: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
46:10And the sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul son of the Canaanite woman.
46:11And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
46:12And the sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
46:13And the sons of Issachar: Tola, Pua, Jashub, and Shimron.
46:14And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
46:15These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, together with his daughter Dinah. All the persons of his sons and daughters were thirty-three.
46:16And the sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
46:17And the sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishuah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah; and the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
46:18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob—sixteen persons.
46:19The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
46:20And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.
46:21And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ahiram, Rosh, Shupham, Hupham, and Ard.
46:22These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob; all the persons were fourteen.
46:23And the sons of Dan: Shuham.
46:24And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
46:25These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob—all the persons were seven.
46:26All the persons who came with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his own body, apart from the wives of Jacob’s sons—all the persons were sixty-six.
46:27And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
46:28And he sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
46:29Then Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. And when he appeared before him, he fell upon his neck and wept upon his neck a long while.
46:30Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, for you are still alive.”
46:31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
46:32And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’
46:33And when Pharaoh calls for you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’
46:34you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Chapter 47

47:1Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, saying, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
47:2And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.
47:3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.”
47:4Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
47:5Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
47:6The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any capable men among them, set them as chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
47:7Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
47:8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?”
47:9Then Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty. Few and hard have been the years of my life, and they have not reached the years my fathers lived during their sojournings.”
47:10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from Pharaoh’s presence.
47:11And Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
47:12And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.
47:13And there was no food in all the land, for the famine was exceedingly severe; and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
47:14And Joseph gathered all the money found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
47:15And when the money was spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, “Give us food. Why should we die before you because the money is gone?”
47:16Then Joseph said, “Give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if the money is gone.”
47:17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. And he sustained them with food in exchange for all their livestock during that year.
47:18And when that year was ended, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone and the livestock belongs to my lord. Nothing remains before my lord except our bodies and our land.
47:19Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will become servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
47:20Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every Egyptian sold his field because the famine was severe upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s.
47:21And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the border of Egypt to the other.
47:22Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allowance from Pharaoh, and they ate from the allowance Pharaoh had given them; therefore they did not sell their land.
47:23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
47:24And at the harvests, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh; and four parts shall be your own, for seed for the field, for your food, for those in your households, and for food for your children.”
47:25Then they said, “You have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
47:26And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have a fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
47:27And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they acquired possessions in it, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
47:28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years.
47:29And when the days of Israel drew near for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt.
47:30But let me lie with my fathers; and you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.”
47:31Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself at the head of the bed.

Chapter 48

48:1And it came to pass after these things that one told Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.
48:2And one told Jacob, saying, “Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you.” And Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed.
48:3Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.
48:4And He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you an assembly of peoples; and I will give this land to your seed after you for an enduring possession.’
48:5And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
48:6But your offspring born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.
48:7And as for me, when I came from Paddan-Aram, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.”
48:8Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these?”
48:9And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.”
48:10Now the eyes of Israel were dim from age, so that he could not see. And Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
48:11Then Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has shown me your seed also.”
48:12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees and bowed himself with his face to the ground.
48:13Then Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them near to him.
48:14But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, though Manasseh was the firstborn.
48:15And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has shepherded me all my life to this day,
48:16the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and let my name be carried on in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them multiply abundantly within the land.”
48:17And when Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
48:18Then Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
48:19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become the fullness of nations.”
48:20And he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel shall pronounce blessings, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’” And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
48:21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God shall be with you and shall bring you back to the land of your fathers.
48:22And I have given you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Chapter 49

49:1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, and I will declare to you what shall happen to you in the latter days.
49:2Assemble and hear, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
49:3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, foremost in dignity and foremost in power.
49:4Turbulent as water, you shall not excel, for you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—you went up to my couch.
49:5Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
49:6Let my soul not enter their council; let my glory not be united with their assembly. For in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen.
49:7Cursed is their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
49:8Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow themselves to you.
49:9Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped; he crouched as a lion, and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him?
49:10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until His Seed comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
49:11Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He has washed His garment in wine and His robe in the blood of grapes.
49:12His eyes are darker than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk.
49:13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore; he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be toward Sidon.
49:14Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.
49:15And he saw that rest was good and that the land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to bear and became a forced laborer.
49:16Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a horned viper by the path, biting the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.
49:18I wait for Your salvation, O LORD.
49:19Gad—raiders shall raid him, but he shall raid at their heels.
49:20Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
49:21Naphtali is a doe set free, uttering beautiful words.
49:22Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
49:23The archers bitterly attacked him; they shot at him and hated him.
49:24Yet his bow remained firm, and the arms of his hands were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,
49:25by the God of your father, who helps you, and by the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep lying beneath, blessings of breasts and womb.
49:26The blessings of your father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of him who was set apart from his brothers.
49:27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, and at evening he divides the spoil.”
49:28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them; each according to his blessing he blessed them.
49:29Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
49:30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
49:31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
49:32The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
49:33And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, died, and was gathered to his people.

Chapter 50

50:1Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.
50:2Then Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel.
50:3Forty days were required for him, for so many days are required for embalming; and the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
50:4When the days of weeping for him had passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household, saying, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please speak in Pharaoh’s hearing, saying,
50:5‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying. In my grave, which I prepared for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” And now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”
50:6Then Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
50:7Then Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt.
50:8And all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household went up; only their children, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.
50:9Both chariots and horsemen went up with him, and the company was very great.
50:10Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was beyond the Jordan, and there they mourned with a very great and grievous lamentation; and he observed seven days of mourning for his father.
50:11When the Canaanites who inhabited the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called The Mourning of the Egyptians, which is beyond the Jordan.
50:12Then his sons did for him as he had commanded them.
50:13His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place, facing Mamre.
50:14Then Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father, after burying his father.
50:15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and repays us in full for all the evil we did to him?”
50:16And they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before his death, saying,
50:17‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you. And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
50:18Then his brothers also went and fell before him, and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
50:19But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in God’s place?
50:20You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good, to bring about what is now, to keep many people alive.
50:21And now, do not fear. I will provide for you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts.
50:22Then Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
50:23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation; the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, were also born on Joseph’s knees.
50:24Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying; but God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
50:25And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take notice of you, and you shall bring up my bones from this place.”
50:26Then Joseph died, one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.