Genesis

Book Outhne

Key theme: Beginnings

Key verse:

I. God Creates the Universe ()

II. Adam and Eve ()

A. The garden ()

B. The Fall ()

C. The consequences of the Fall ()

III. Noah and His Family ()

A. The flood ()

B. The new earth ()

C. The covenant ()

D. The nations ()

E. The tower of Babel ()

IV. Abraham and Sarah: The Beginning of the Hebrew Nation ()

V. Isaac and Rebekah ()

VI. Jacob and His Family: The Building of the Hebrew Nation ()

VII. Joseph and His Ministry: The Protecting of the Hebrew Nation ()

Book Overview

The Book of Genesis is the “book of basics,” because it’s the “book of beginnings” in the Bible. To know Genesis is to know the fundamental truths—the basics—about God, the world, ourselves and other people, law, sin, salvation, marriage, faith, and spiritual fulfillment. Inspired by the Spirit of God, Moses wrote Genesis and told us where we came from, why we’re here, and what God expects us to do. Moses also explained the beginning of the Israelite nation—the people through whom God would reveal Himself to the world, write the Bible, and ultimately give us our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis is the foundational book of the Bible, and the rest of Scripture is built on what Moses wrote. Genesis is quoted or referred to more than 200 times in the New Testament, which means it’s important for the New Testament Christian to understand its message. The New Testament also expands upon some of the concepts rooted in the Old Testament.

One such area is the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine isn’t clearly revealed in the Old Testament, because the emphasis is on the God of Israel as one God, uncreated and unique, the only true God. Worshiping the false gods of their neighbors was the great temptation and repeated sin of Israel, so Moses and the prophets hammered away on the unity and uniqueness of Israel’s God. Even today, the faithful Jewish worshiper recites the “Shema” each day: “Hear [shema], O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (). The God revealed in Scripture has no peers and no rivals.

But the Old Testament does give glimpses and hints of the wonderful truth of the Trinity, a truth that would later be clearly revealed in the New Testament by Christ and the apostles. The use of the pronoun “Us” in Genesis (; ; ; see also ) suggests that the Persons of the Godhead worked together in conference, and the many instances when “the angel of the LORD” appeared on the scene indicate the presence of the Son of God.

“Be Transformed”

The Book of Genesis takes us back to the very tips of our family roots. We may not be able to trace the winding story of our individual ancestry, but we can all benefit from what Genesis tells us about our original ancestors. Adam and Eve gave us our basic DNA and something more—an inherited sin nature. We all have a personal connection with Genesis that we can deny but we can’t avoid. We live with our sin nature every day. Fortunately, God has not left us alone with our problem.

God is the Creator, and He’s given His creatures a book that helps us understand who He is, how He works, and what He wants us to do. It’s a book of precepts to obey, promises to believe, and principles to understand. It’s also a book about real people, some who obey the Lord and some who don’t, and from the experiences of these people we can learn a great deal about what to avoid on the path of life. The Book of Genesis introduces all the themes that God has unfolded and revealed throughout history. Knowing it well prepares us to understand every other part of the Bible. It answers the ultimate question of why we need to be transformed.

The History of Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

7Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

8And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

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

And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

12And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

15“and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

16Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

17God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,

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

19So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

21So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

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

23So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.

25And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.

30“Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.

31Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

5before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;

6but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Life in God’s Garden

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.

11The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.

13The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.

14The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

19Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

20So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

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

The Temptation and Fall of Man

Now the serpent was more cunning 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 of every tree of the garden’?”

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

3“but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

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

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

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

11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

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

14So the LORD God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

And 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.”

To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;

In pain you shall bring forth children;

Your desire shall be for your husband,

And he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;

In toil you shall eat of it

All the days of your life.

Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

And you shall eat the herb of the field.

19In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread

Till you return to the ground,

For out of it you were taken;

For dust you are,

And to dust you shall return.”

And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

21Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

23therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

24So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain Murders Abel

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.”

Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.

4Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,

5but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

7“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

11“So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

12“When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

13And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!

14“Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

The Family of Cain

16Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

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

18To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

19Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

20And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

21His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

22And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

23Then Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

For I have killed a man for wounding me,

Even a young man for hurting me.

24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

A New Son

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.

The Family of Adam

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

2He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.

3And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.

4After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.

So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

6Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.

7After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters.

8So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.

9Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.

10After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters.

11So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.

12Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel.

13After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters.

14So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.

15Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared.

16After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters.

17So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.

18Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.

19After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

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

21Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

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

24And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

25Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.

26After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters.

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

28Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son.

And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.”

30After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters.

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

32And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The Wickedness and Judgment of Man

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

3And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

4There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Noah Pleases God

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

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

11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

The Ark Prepared

13And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

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

16“You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.

“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

“And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

20“Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

21“And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

22Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

The Great Flood

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

2“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;

3“also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.

4“For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

5And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.

6Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.

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

8Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth,

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

10And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.

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

And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—

14they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

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

16So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

17Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

18The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters.

19And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.

20The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

21And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.

23So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

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

Noah’s Deliverance

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

2The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

3And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

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

5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

7Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.

8He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.

9But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.

10And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark.

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

12So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.

13And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.

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

15Then God spoke to Noah, saying,

16“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

17“Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

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

19Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

God’s Covenant with Creation

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

“While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

Cold and heat,

Winter and summer,

And day and night

Shall not cease.”

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

“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.

3“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.

4“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

“Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6“Whoever sheds man’s blood,

By man his blood shall be shed;

For in the image of God

He made man.

7And as for you, be fruitful and multiply;

Bring forth abundantly in the earth

And multiply in it.”

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:

9“And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,

10“and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.

11“Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

14“It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

15“and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16“The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

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

Noah and His Sons

18Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.

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

20And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.

Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.

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

But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.

Then he said:

“Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants

He shall be to his brethren.”

And he said:

“Blessed be the LORD,

The God of Shem,

And may Canaan be his servant.

May God enlarge Japheth,

And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;

And may Canaan be his servant.”

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

29So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.

Nations Descended from Noah

Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.

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

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

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

From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

6The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

7The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.

9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.”

10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,

12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

13Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

14Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).

Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth;

16the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite;

17the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite;

18the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.

19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

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

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

22The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

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

24Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber.

25To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

26Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

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

30And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.

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

These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

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

3Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

8So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

9Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Shem’s Descendants

This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.

11After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

12Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah.

13After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

14Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.

15After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

16Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.

17After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

18Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.

19After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.

20Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.

21After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

22Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.

23After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.

25After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Terah’s Descendants

This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot.

28And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.

30But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

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

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

Promises to Abram

Now the LORD had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,

From your family

And from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you

And make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

3I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

5Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

6Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

9So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

Abram in Egypt

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.

And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.

12“Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

13“Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

14So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

15The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.

16He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

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

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

19“Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.”

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

Abram Inherits Canaan

1Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.

2Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.

6Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.

7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.

9“Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

11Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

13But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;

15“for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

16“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

17“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

18Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

Lot’s Captivity and Rescue

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,

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

3All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness.

7Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

8And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim

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

10Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.

11Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.

They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.

Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

15He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

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

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Abram and Melchizedek

18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

19And he blessed him and said:

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

And blessed be God Most High,

Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he gave him a tithe of all.

21Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,

23“that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—

24“except only 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.”

God’s Covenant with Abram

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

4And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

7Then He said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”

8And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”

So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.

Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

14“And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

15“Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

16“But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.

18On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:

“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—

19“the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,

20“the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21“the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Hagar and Ishmael

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

3Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.

5Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me.”

6So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.

Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

8And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

9The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”

10Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”

11And the Angel of the LORD said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,

And you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

Because the LORD has heard your affliction.

12He shall be a wild man;

His hand shall be against every man,

And every man’s hand against him.

And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

13Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

14Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

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

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

The Sign of the Covenant

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

2“And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

3Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

“I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

7“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

“Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10“This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

11“and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12“He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

13“He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14“And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16“And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

18And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

20“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

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

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

23So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.

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

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

26That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;

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

The Son of Promise

Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,

3and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

4“Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5“And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”

6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”

7And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.

8So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

9Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”

10And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)

11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

13And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

15But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.

17And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,

18“since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

20And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,

21“I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

22Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.

23And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24“Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?

“Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”

Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:

28“Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”

29And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”

30Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”

32Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

33So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Sodom’s Depravity

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”

3But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.

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 carnally.”

6So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,

7and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!

8“See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

9And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.

10But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

11And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

12Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!

13“For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”

14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

15When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”

And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

17So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

18Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!

19“Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.

20“See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

21And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.

22“Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

23The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

24Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.

25So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

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

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.

28Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

The Descendants of Lot

30Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

31Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.

32“Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”

33So 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.

34It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”

35Then 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.

36Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

37The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

38And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

Abraham and Abimelech

And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.

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

3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

4But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?

5“Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

6And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

7“Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

8So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.

And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”

10Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”

11And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.

12“But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

13“And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’

14Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.

15And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”

16Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.

17So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;

18for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Isaac Is Born

And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.

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

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

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

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

And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”

7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Depart

8So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.

10Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”

11And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

12But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.

13“Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”

14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

15And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.

16Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.

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

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

20So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

21He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

A Covenant with Abimelech

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

23“Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”

24And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.

26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”

So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

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

29Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”

30And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.”

Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

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

Abraham’s Faith Confirmed

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

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3So Abraham rose early in the morning and 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 arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

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

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

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

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

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

11But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”

12And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

13Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

14And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

15Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

16and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—

17“blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

18“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

The Family of Nahor

20Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

21“Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,

22“Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

23And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

Sarah’s Death and Burial

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

2So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,

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

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

6“Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”

7Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.

8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,

9“that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.”

Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,

11“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”

12Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;

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

14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15“My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.”

16And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.

17So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded

18to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

20So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

A Bride for Isaac

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,

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

4“but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5And 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?”

6But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.

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

8“And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

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

Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

13“Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14“Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

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

16Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.

17And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

18So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.

19And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

20Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

22So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,

and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”

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

Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”

26Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD.

27And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

28So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.

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

30So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.

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

32Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.”

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

35“The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

36“And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.

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

38‘but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’

39“And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’

40“But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.

41‘You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

42“And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,

43‘behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”

44‘and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’

45“But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

46“And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.

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

48“And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.

49“Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.

51“Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the LORD has spoken.”

52And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

53Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

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

55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”

And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”

57So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.”

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

59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:

“Our sister, may you become

The mother of thousands of ten thousands;

And may your descendants possess

The gates of those who hate them.”

Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming.

64Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;

65for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.

66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.

67Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Abraham and Keturah

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

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

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

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

5And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.

6But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

7This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.

8Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

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

10the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

11And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac

Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.

13And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

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

16These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.

17These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.

18(They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.

19This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac.

20Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

And the LORD said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”

24So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

25And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

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

Esau Sells His Birthright

29Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.

30And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

31But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

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

33Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelech

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

2Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

3“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4“And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

5“because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

6So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

And 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,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.”

8Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.

9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

10And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”

11So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.

13The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

14for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

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

17Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

19Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.

20But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.

21Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.

22And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

Then he went up from there to Beersheba.

24And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

25So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.

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

28But they said, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you,

29‘that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’ ”

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

31Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

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

33So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.”

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

3“Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.

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

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.

6So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

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

8“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.

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

10“Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”

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

12“Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”

13But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”

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

15Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

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

17Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

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

19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

20But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

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

23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”

25He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”

And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field

Which the LORD has blessed.

28Therefore may God give you

Of the dew of heaven,

Of the fatness of the earth,

And plenty of grain and wine.

29Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brethren,

And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope

Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31He also had 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 your soul may bless me.”

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

33Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

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

36And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

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.

Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,

And of the dew of heaven from above.

40By your sword you shall live,

And you shall serve your brother;

And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,

That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Jacob Escapes from Esau

41So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.

43“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.

44“And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,

45“until 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 also of you both in one day?”

46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

1Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.

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

3“May God Almighty bless you,

And make you fruitful and multiply you,

That you may be an assembly of peoples;

4And give you the blessing of Abraham,

To you and your descendants with you,

That you may inherit the land

In which you are a stranger,

Which God gave to Abraham.”

5So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Esau Marries Mahalath

Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,”

7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram.

8Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.

9So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Jacob’s Vow at Bethel

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

11So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.

12Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

14“Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

15“Behold, I am with you and 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.”

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

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

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

19And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

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

21“so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.

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

Jacob Meets Rachel

So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.

2And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth.

3Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.

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

5Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.”

6So he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”

7Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”

8But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”

9Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

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

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

12And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father.

13Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.

14And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

15Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?”

16Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.

Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”

19And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”

20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.

Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.

24And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”

26And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27“Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”

28Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.

29And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.

30Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.

The Children of Jacob

31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

32So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”

33Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.

34She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”

2And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”

4Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

7And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8Then Rachel said, “With great wresthngs I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

10And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.

12And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.

Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

16When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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.

17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

19Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

21Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

22Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

23And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

24So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add to me another son.”

Jacob’s Agreement with Laban

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.

26“Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”

27And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”

28Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

29So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me.

30“For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”

31So 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 feed and keep your flocks:

32“Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.

33“So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”

34And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”

35So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.

38And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.

39So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

41And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

42But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

43Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob Flees from Laban

Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.”

2And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.

Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”

4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,

5and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

6“And you know that with all my might I have served your father.

7“Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

8“If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.

9“So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

10“And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.

11“Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’

12“And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

13‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”

14Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15“Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.

16“For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.

18And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s.

20And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.

21So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

22And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.

24But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”

25So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.

26And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?

27“Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?

28“And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing.

29“It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’

30“And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’

32“With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

34Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.

35And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.

36Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?

37“Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!

38“These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.

39“That which 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.

40“There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.

41“Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.

42“Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob

43And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

44“Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

45So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

46Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.

47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

48And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,

also Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.

50“If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!”

51Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me.

52“This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53“The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.

55And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

Esau Comes to Meet Jacob

1So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

2When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

4And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.

5“I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

6Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

7So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.

8And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:

10“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

11“Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.

12“For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

13So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:

14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

15thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.

16Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.”

17And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’

18“then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ”

19So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;

“and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”

21So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.

Wresthng with God

22And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

23He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

Now 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 out of joint as He wrestled with him.

26And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

27So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

28And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

31Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

32Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Jacob and Esau Meet

Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.

2And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.

Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

5And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

6Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down.

7And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.

8Then Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.”

9But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”

10And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

11“Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” So he urged him, and he took it.

12Then Esau said, “Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.”

13But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die.

14“Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15And Esau said, “Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”

So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Jacob Comes to Canaan

18Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city.

19And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.

20Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.

The Dinah Incident

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.

3His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.

4So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.

6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

7And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.

8But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

9“And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.

10“So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.”

11Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.

12“Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”

13But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

14And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.

15“But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,

16“then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17“But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”

18And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.

19So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.

20And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:

“These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22“Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.

23“Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”

24And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

25Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.

26And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out.

27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.

28They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field,

29and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.”

31But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?”

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

3“Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”

4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

5And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

7And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.

Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him.

10And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel.

11Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.

12“The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”

13Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.

14So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.

15And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

Death of Rachel

Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor.

17Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.”

18And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

20And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.

Jacob’s Twelve Sons

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun;

24the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin;

25the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali;

26and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.

Death of Isaac

27Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.

28Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.

29So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

The Family of Esau

Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom.

2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

3and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

4Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel.

5And Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob.

7For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock.

8So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.

9And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir.

10These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.

11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.

13These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

14These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

The Chiefs of Edom

15These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,

16Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah.

17These were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

18And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah.

19These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs.

The Sons of Seir

20These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna.

23These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

25These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

26These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,

30Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

The Kings of Edom

31Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel:

32Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.

34When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

35And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.

36When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

37And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by–the–River reigned in his place.

38When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

39And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

The Chiefs of Esau

40And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

41Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

42Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

43Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

Joseph Dreams of Greatness

Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.

6So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

7“There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

10So 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 your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”

11And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”

14Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

15Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

16So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

17And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

18Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.

19Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!

20“Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

21But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”

22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.

23So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.

24Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.

26So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

27“Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

28Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

29Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

30And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

33And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

35And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

36Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Judah and Tamar

1It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her.

3So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

5And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

6Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him.

8And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”

9But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.

10And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.

11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

12Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.

16Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

17And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”

18Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.

19So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.

21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”

22So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.”

23Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”

24And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

25When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”

So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

27Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.

28And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

29Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.

30Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.

Joseph a Slave in Egypt

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

2The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.

4So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

7And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.

9“There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,

12that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

13And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

14that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

15“And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

16So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

17Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;

18“so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.

20Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

21But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.

23The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

The Prisoners’ Dreams

It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

3So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

4And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

5Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.

6And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.

7So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

8And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

9Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,

10“and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

11“Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

13“Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.

“But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

15“For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.

17“In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

18So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

19“Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

20Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

21Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

22But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Pharaoh’s Dreams

Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.

2Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.

3Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.

4And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

5He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.

6Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.

7And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.

8Now it came to pass in the morning that 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.

9Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day.

10“When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,

11“we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.

12“Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.

13“And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.

15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.

18“Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.

19“Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.

20“And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.

21“When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22“Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.

23“Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.

24“And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:

26“The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.

27“And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.

28“This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

29“Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;

30“but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.

31“So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.

32“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33“Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34“Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.

35“And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36“Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”

Joseph’s Rise to Power

So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

40“You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

43And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.

44Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

47Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.

48So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.

49Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

50And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

51Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”

52And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,

54and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”

56The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.

57So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

2And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”

So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

5And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

8So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

9Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

10And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

11“We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

12But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

13And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”

14But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

15“In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16“Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!”

17So he put them all together in prison three days.

18Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:

19“If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.

20“And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

21Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

22And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”

23But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.

And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

The Brothers Return to Canaan

25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.

26So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.

27But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.

28So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:

30“The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

31“But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

32‘We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’

33“Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.

34‘And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”

35Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

36And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”

37Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

38But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

Joseph’s Brothers Return with Benjamin

Now the famine was severe in the land.

2And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

4“If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

5“But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

6And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”

7But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

9“I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

10“For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

12“Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

13“Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.

“And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

15So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.

When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”

17Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

18Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”

19When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house,

20and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;

21“but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.

22“And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

23But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

25Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.

26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

27Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

28And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

29Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

30Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.

31Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”

32So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

34Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Joseph’s Cup

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

2“Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

3As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

5‘Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ”

6So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

8“Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

9“With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

10And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”

11Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

12So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”

Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

17But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Judah Intercedes for Benjamin

18Then Judah came 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 even like Pharaoh.

19“My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

20“And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

21“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

22“And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

23“But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

24“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

25“And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

26“But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27“Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28‘and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.

29‘But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

30“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,

31“it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32“For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

33“Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34“For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

Joseph Revealed to His Brothers

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

3Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.

4And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5“But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

6“For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8“So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

9“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.

10“You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.

11“There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’

12“And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

13“So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

14Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

16Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.

18‘Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

19‘Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.

20‘Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”

21Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

22He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

23And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.

So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”

25Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

27But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

28Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Jacob’s Journey to Egypt

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”

3So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.

“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

7His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

8Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.

9The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

11The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

16The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.

18These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.

19The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.

20And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

21The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.

23The son of Dan was Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.

26All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.

27And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

Jacob Settles in Goshen

Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.

29So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

30And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”

31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

32‘And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’

33“So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’

34“that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.”

2And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.”

4And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

5Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.

6“The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”

7Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”

9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”

10So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11And Joseph situated 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.

12Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.

Joseph Deals with the Famine

Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.

14And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

15So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”

16Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.”

17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.

18When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

19“Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

20Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.

21And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.

22Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.

23Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.

24“And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”

25So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”

26And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.

Joseph’s Vow to Jacob

27So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years.

When the time drew near that Israel must 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 kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,

30“but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.”

31Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons

1Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.

3Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

4“and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

“And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

6“Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7“But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

8Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”

9Joseph 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.”

10Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

12So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

13And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.

14Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15And he blessed Joseph, and said:

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

16The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,

Bless the lads;

Let my name be named upon them,

And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;

And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

17Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.

18And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

20So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22“Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

2“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,

And listen to Israel your father.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,

My might and the beginning of my strength,

The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not excel,

Because you went up to your father’s bed;

Then you defiled it—

He went up to my couch.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers;

Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

6Let not my soul enter their council;

Let not my honor be united to their assembly;

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;

And their wrath, for it is cruel!

I will divide them in Jacob

And scatter them in Israel.

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;

Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9Judah is a lion’s whelp;

From the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He bows down, he lies down as a lion;

And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

Until Shiloh comes;

And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

11Binding his donkey to the vine,

And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

He washed his garments in wine,

And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine,

And his teeth whiter than milk.

13“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;

He shall become a haven for ships,

And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

14“Issachar is a strong donkey,

Lying down between two burdens;

15He saw that rest was good,

And that the land was pleasant;

He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,

And became a band of slaves.

16“Dan shall judge his people

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent by the way,

A viper by the path,

That bites the horse’s heels

So that its rider shall fall backward.

I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

19“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,

But he shall triumph at last.

20“Bread from Asher shall be rich,

And he shall yield royal dainties.

21“Naphtali is a deer let loose;

He uses beautiful words.

“Joseph is a fruitful bough,

A fruitful bough by a well;

His branches run over the wall.

23The archers have bitterly grieved him,

Shot at him and hated him.

24But his bow remained in strength,

And the arms of his hands were made strong

By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob

(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

By the God of your father who will help you,

And by the Almighty who will bless you

With blessings of heaven above,

Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father

Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,

Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.

They shall be on the head of Joseph,

And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

In the morning he shall devour the prey,

And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacob’s Death and Burial

29Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30“in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.

31“There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

32“The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

1Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him.

2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

3Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,

5‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”

6And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.

9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.

Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father.

11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.

13For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.

And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.”

16So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,

17‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’ ” Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

21“Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Death of Joseph

22So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.

23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

24And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

26So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Annotations for Genesis

, Three books of the Bible open with “beginnings”: ; ; and . Each of these beginnings is important. “In the beginning was the Word” () takes us into eternity past when Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, existed as the eternal Son of God. John wasn’t suggesting that Jesus had a beginning. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who existed before all things because He made all things (; , ; ). Therefore, John’s “beginning” antedates . The message of the gospel of Mark didn’t start with the ministry of John the Baptist, because the good news of God’s grace was announced in . God’s promise was believed by people throughout Old Testament history, and those who believed were saved (see and ). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” () refers to the dateless past when God brought the universe into existence out of nothing (; ; ). , is the declaration that God created the universe; the detailed explanation of the six days of God’s creative work is given in the rest of the chapter. In these “beginnings” also rest the beginnings of our own faith.

Thirty-two times in this chapter, this creative God is called “Elohim” in the Hebrew, a word that emphasizes His majesty and power. (The covenant name “Jehovah” appears for the first time in .) Elohim is a plural noun that is consistently used with singular verbs and adjectives; it might be a hint that God exists in three persons. In Scripture, creation is attributed to the Father () and to the Son () and to the Holy Spirit ().

Catalyst

God created the world, not because He needed anything, but that He might share His love with creatures who, unlike the angels, are made in the image of God and can respond willingly to His love.

The Godhead determined that the Son would come to earth and die for the sins of the world, and Jesus came to do the Father’s will (, ; ). The words Jesus spoke were from the Father (), and the works He did were commissioned by the Father (, ; ) and empowered by the Spirit (). The Son glorifies the Father (; , ) and the Spirit glorifies the Son (). The Persons of the Holy Trinity work together to accomplish the divine will.

As far as God the Son is concerned, we were saved when He died for us on the cross, and we can know that great truth from the earliest days of our lives. But as far as God the Holy Spirit is concerned, we are saved on a particular day and time, when the Spirit of God convicts us and we trust Jesus Christ. Then what God has planned from eternity all falls into place in our lives.

Spiritual birth is as real as God’s creation. It is God’s chosen, ongoing work. Spiritual birth is also something like physical birth: We experience it but it takes time to understand it! After all, we wouldn’t know our own birth date if somebody hadn’t told us. It’s after we’ve been born into God’s family that the wonder of it all is revealed to us from God’s word, and then we want to share it with others.

When He wrote the Bible, God gave us a story, a narrative that begins in eternity past and ends in eternity future. It’s a story about God and His dealings with all kinds of people and how they responded to His word. As we read these narratives, we learn a great deal about God, ourselves, and our world, and we discover that our own personal story is found somewhere in the pages of Scripture.

Go to the

Scripture doesn’t reveal why God chose to start His creative work with a chaotic mass that was dark, formless, and empty, but the Holy Spirit, hovering over the waters, would bring order out of chaos and beauty and fullness out of emptiness. He can still do that with the lives of all who will yield to Him. The simple account in Genesis presents us with one God who alone created all things and is still in control of His creation.

There’s a pattern to God’s activities during the creation week: First He formed and then He filled. He made three spheres of activity: the heavens, the landmasses, and the waters; and then He filled them with appropriate forms of life. One of the first things God reveals about the way He works in our lives follows this same pattern. God is working out a purpose in our lives. He continually forms us and fills us. We can count on His participation as surely as we can count on the daily pattern of sunrise and sunset.

Life as we know it could not exist without the light of the sun. Later in the New Testament, the apostle Paul saw in this creative act the work of God in the new creation, the salvation of the lost. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (). “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” ().

Throughout Scripture, light is associated with Christ (), the Word of God (, ), God’s people (; ), and God’s blessing (), while darkness is associated with Satan (; ), sin (, ; ), death (, ), spiritual ignorance (), and divine judgment (). This explains why God separated the light from the darkness, for the two have nothing in common.

Sometimes biblical writers use “day” to describe a longer period of time in which God accomplishes some special purpose, such as the “day of the LORD” (). The use of “evening” and “morning” even in the first day of creation is not affected by the fact that the sun and moon which we associate with daylight were not created until day four.

When we speak about spiritual things, it’s important that we use God’s dictionary as well as His vocabulary. Words carry meanings and giving the wrong meaning to a word could lead to serious trouble. The Bible explains and illustrates words like sin, grace, forgiveness, justification, and faith, and to change their meanings is to replace God’s truth with lies. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (). The length of the days of creation is not as significant as God’s creative work in them. His creative acts are actually described as instant. It didn’t take God twenty-four hours to say, “Let there be light.” God created on His timetable, and He called the sequence “days.”

The word translated “firmament” (expanse) means “to beat out.” The term probably relates to the way metal bowls were beaten into shape. The observed similarity between the heavens and an upside-down bowl explains the connection. In Scripture, the sky is sometimes referred to as a dome or a covering; however, Scripture nowhere supports the pagan mythological notion that the sky is some kind of solid covering. The lights (stars) were set in this expanse (vv. ) and that’s where the birds flew (v. ).

God saw that what He had done was “good.” God’s creation is still good, even though it struggles because of sin () and has been ravaged and exploited by sinful people.

God also caused plant life to appear on the earth: the grasses, the seed-producing herbs, and the fruit-bearing trees. God decreed that each seed would reproduce “the kind” of plant or tree from which it originated, which helps to make possible order in nature. God has set reproductive limits for both plants and animals (v. ) because He is the Lord of creation. There’s no suggestion here of any kind of “evolution.” God was preparing the earth as a habitat for humans and for animals, and the plants would help to provide their food. God has always been a God of order. We can trust the orderliness of God in the details of our lives.

God has now created three special “spaces”: the land, the seas, and the expanse of the sky. He has declared each of these “good.” During the next three creative days, He will fill these spaces.

On the fourth day God filled the skies with sources of light. Before the invention of the clock and the compass, the activities of human life were closely linked to nature’s cycles, and navigators depended on the stars to direct them. Israel would need the help of the heavenly bodies to direct their activities, and God would occasionally use signs in the heavens to speak to His people on earth. Israel was commanded not to imitate their pagan neighbors by worshiping the heavenly bodies (; ; ). They were to worship the true God. In our world of GPS guidance and tracking, we need to be reminded that knowing where we are in the universe is still not as important as knowing who owns and runs the universe.

A new element is added to God’s work on the fifth day: He not only saw His work as “good,” but He blessed the creatures He had made. This is the first time the word “bless” is used in the Bible.

God’s blessing enabled the sea creatures and the fowl to reproduce abundantly and to enjoy all that He had made for them. God would also bless the first man and woman (; ), the Sabbath day (), and Noah and his family (). After creation, perhaps the most important occasion for God’s blessing was when He gave His gracious covenant to Abram and his descendants (). That blessing has reached down to God’s people today (). In what ways do you recognize God’s blessing in your life?

Creation reaches its climax when on the sixth day God filled the land with animal life and then created the first man who, with his wife, would have dominion over the earth and its creatures. Because our personal origins are found in the first chapter of God’s Word, we can anticipate that the unfolding story and message will transform us.

Like the first man, the animals were formed out of the dust of the ground (), which explains why the bodies of both humans and animals go back to the dust after death (, ). However, humans and animals are different. No matter how intelligent some animals may appear to be, or how much they are taught, animals are not endowed with the “image of God” as are humans.

The creation of the first man is seen as a very special occasion, for there’s a “consultation” prior to the event. “Let Us make man in Our image” sounds like the conclusion of a divine deliberation among the persons of the Godhead. God couldn’t have been talking with the angels about His plans because angels weren’t made in God’s image (“Our image”), and angels had nothing to do with the creation of Adam.

Catalyst

Several important facts must be noted about the origin of humans. First, we were created by God. We are not the products of some galactic accident, nor are we the occupants of the top rung of an evolutionary ladder. God made us, which means we are creatures and wholly dependent on Him. “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (). calls Adam “the son of God.”

Second, we were created in God’s image (, ). The image of God in men and women has been marred by sin (, ), but through faith in Christ and submission to the work of the Holy Spirit, believers can have the divine nature renewed within them (; ; ; , ; ). One day, when we see Jesus, all of God’s children will share in the glorious image of Christ (; ; ).

Third, we were created to have dominion over the earth (, ). Adam and Eve were the first regents over God’s creation (). But when Adam believed Satan’s lie and ate of the forbidden fruit, he lost his kingship, and now sin and death reign over the earth ().

Fourth, this wonderful Creator deserves our worship, praise, and obedience. When God surveyed His creation, He saw that it was “very good” (). David surveyed God’s creation and asked, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” ().

Finally, we must be good stewards of creation. This means we should respect our fellow human beings who are also made in the image of God (). It means appreciating the gifts we have in creation and not wasting or exploiting them.

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The verb “created” (see ) used in describing the details of God’s creation of humans suggests the potter making a work of art with his skilled hands. The human body is indeed a work of art, an amazingly complex organism that only the wisdom of God could design and the power of God create. The physical matter for Adam’s body came from the ground, for the name “Adam” means “taken out of the ground,” but the life Adam possessed came from God.

God’s final act in the seven days of creation was to create rest. The word “Sabbath” isn’t found in this paragraph, but Moses is writing this record during the exodus, when God instituted the Sabbath, the special seventh day of the week. The words “seventh day” are mentioned three times in verses , . “Sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which means “to cease working, to rest” and is related to the Hebrew word for “seven.”

The personal Sabbath of the Lord God (vv. ) didn’t take place because God was tired from all His creative work; God doesn’t get weary (). God set apart the seventh day because His work of creation was finished and He was pleased and satisfied with what He had created. “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (). Can you think of reasons other than fatigue that make your day of rest worthwhile?

Catalyst

Three things are distinctive about the seventh day of the creation week:

First, there’s no mention of “the evening and the morning,” suggesting that God’s Sabbath rest would have no end. Unfortunately, man’s sin interrupted God’s rest, and God had to search for Adam and Eve and deal with them (, , and see , ).

Second, there’s no record that He blessed any of the other six days, but God did bless the seventh day (). In blessing it, He made it a blessing. In other words, we can discover good things about the seventh day if we remember it (see ).

Third, after blessing the seventh day, God sanctified it (), which means He set it apart for His own special purposes.

God marked out the seven-day week and set aside one day for Himself.

God had done many wonderful things during the six days of creation, but the climax of the creation week was God’s “rest” after His work. As we shall see, God has sanctified work as well as rest, but it’s rest that seems to be the greatest need in people’s hearts today. Take time at least every seven days to place yourself back into God’s care and “rest” in Him.

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This is the same creation story as in chapter , but it adds details that we need to know in order to understand events that happen later. is the first of eleven “account” (literally “generation”) statements that mark the progress of the story Moses wrote in the Book of Genesis. This passage shifts the story of creation from a global to a local place, the garden of Eden. Within the amazing world God created, He set aside a wonderful place to provide a homestead for the first couple.

God planted His garden “eastward in Eden.” “Eden” means either “delight” or “place of much water” and suggests that this garden was a paradise from the hand of God. Bible history begins with a beautiful garden in which man sinned, but the story ends with a glorious “garden city” () in which there will be no sin.

In this beautiful garden, God provided both bounty and beauty; Adam and Eve had food to eat and God’s lovely handiwork to enjoy. As yet, sin hadn’t entered the garden, so their happiness wasn’t marred.

God placed two special trees in the middle of the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see also v. ; , , ). Eating of the tree of life would confer immortality (). Eating from the second tree would confer an experiential knowledge of good and evil, but it would also bring about death (v. ). Since they had never experienced evil, Adam and Eve were still sinless children (; , ). When they disobeyed God, they became like Him in being able to discriminate between good and evil, but they became unlike Him in that they lost their sinlessness and eventually died.

Humans are stewards of God’s creation blessings and should use His gifts as He commands. God and man work together, for God put Adam into the garden to do His work in tilling the soil and caring for it (v. ). The same God who ordains the end—a beautiful garden—also ordains the means to the end—someone to do the work. As vital as faith is, faith is dead without good works (), and no amount of prayer or Bible study can take away the importance of physically working in obedience to God. “For we are God’s fellow workers” ().

Work isn’t a curse; it’s an opportunity to cooperate with God and to be a faithful steward of His creation. We all have different abilities and opportunities, and we must discover what God wants us to do with our lives in this world, for the good of others and the glory of God.

God gave Adam duties and privileges in the garden, establishing the first covenant in Scripture. A covenant is a binding arrangement between two or more parties that governs their relationship. A command is introduced at this point because it is God who makes the terms of the agreement. God is the creator and man is the creature, a “royal tenant” in God’s wonderful world, so God has the right to tell the man what he can and cannot do. God didn’t ask for Adam’s advice; He simply gave Him His commandment.

God established a single limitation on the privileges of stewardship in the garden. One tree was declared off-limits. The same divine Word that brought the universe into being also expressed God’s love and will to Adam and Eve and their descendants (). Obedience to this Word would keep them in the sphere of God’s fellowship and approval. All God’s commands are good commands and bring good things to those who obey them (; ). “His commandments are not burdensome” ().

God wanted humans to love and obey Him freely and willingly, not because they were programmed like robots who had to obey. In one sense, God “took a risk” when He made Adam and Eve in His own image and gave them the privilege of choice, but this is the way He ordained for them to learn about freedom and obedience. It’s one of the basic truths of life that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings judgment.

At the close of the sixth day of creation, God surveyed everything He made and pronounced it “very good” (). But now God says that there’s something in His wonderful world that is not good: The man is alone. God knew what Adam needed: “a helper comparable to him.” There was no such helper among the animals, so God made the first woman and presented her to the man as his wife, companion, and helper. She was God’s special love gift to Adam.

The woman was by no means a lesser creature. The same God who made Adam also made Eve and created her in His own image (). Both Adam and Eve exercised dominion over creation (). Adam was made from the dust, but Eve was made from Adam’s side, bone from his bone and flesh from his flesh (). The plain fact is that Adam needed Eve. Not a single animal God had created could do for Adam what Eve could. She was a helper just right for him.

God’s pattern for marriage wasn’t devised by Adam; as a traditional marriage ceremony states it, “Marriage was born in the loving heart of God for the blessing and benefit of mankind.” No matter what the courts may decree or society may permit, when it comes to marriage, God had the first word and He will have the last word (; ).

Woman is one with man both in origin (she came from man) and in marriage. In the sexual union and in their children, the man and woman are “one flesh.” The man and the woman are not primarily “one spirit” or “one heart,” as essential as those things are, but “one flesh.” Hence, the importance of “leaving” the former family and “cleaving” to one’s mate (, ), the forming of a new relationship that must be nurtured and protected.

In , Jesus teaches that adultery can also break the marriage bond. Under the Old Testament law, anybody who committed adultery was stoned to death (; ), thus leaving the innocent mate free to remarry. It appears that divorce in the New Testament is the equivalent of death in the Old Testament and that the innocent party is free to remarry. However, sins against the marriage bond can be forgiven and couples can exercise forgiveness and make a new beginning in the Lord.

Catalyst

God established at least four purposes for marriage when He performed the first marriage in the garden of Eden.

First, He wants people to enjoy suitable companionship.

Second, marriage provides the God-given right to enjoy sex and have children. This doesn’t imply that sexual love is only for procreation, because many people marry who are beyond the time of bearing children, but the bearing of children is an important part of the marriage union ().

A third purpose for marriage is to encourage self-control (). “For it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (). Sexual love ought to be enriching and not just exciting, and marriage partners need to respect one another and not just use one another.

Finally, marriage is an illustration of the loving and intimate relationship between Christ and His church (). Paul called this “a great mystery,” that is, a profound spiritual truth that was once hidden but is now revealed by the Spirit. Christ loves the church, cares for her, and seeks to cleanse her and make her more beautiful for His glory. One day Christ will claim His bride and present her in purity and glory in heaven (; ).

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The record in is not a myth. If the fall of man didn’t actually occur, then the Christian faith is built on fables, not fact, and Jesus Christ suffered needlessly on the cross. From to , the Bible records the conflict between God and Satan, sin and righteousness, and pleads with sinners to repent and trust God.

Although we don’t understand much about his origin, we know that Satan is real, Satan is an enemy, and Satan is dangerous. Here in , Satan is compared to a serpent, an image that’s repeated in . In , he’s called a dragon, and both names are combined in . But Satan is not only a serpent who deceives, he’s also a roaring lion who devours (). Among his names are “Abaddon” and “Apollyon” which mean “destroyer” (), “Satan” which means “adversary,” and “devil” which means “slanderer.”

In , Jesus called Satan a murderer and “the father of lies.” He also called him “the wicked one” () and “the ruler of this world” (). Paul said Satan was “the god of this age” (), “prince of the power of the air” (), and the leader of demonic forces of evil ().

In short, Satan is no pushover, and God’s people must be careful not to give him a foothold in their lives (). That’s why we study God’s Word and seek to understand the strategy of Satan ().

What begins in Genesis is developed throughout the Bible and then finds its fulfillment in the book of Revelation. The following parallels give us a glimpse of God’s orderly revelation.

Genesis

Revelation

The first heaven and earth

The new heaven and earth

The first garden; The Tree of Life guarded

The “garden city” and the Tree of Life available

The first marriage

The last marriage, the marriage of the Lamb

Satan tempts Eve to sin

Satan thrown into the lake of fire

Death enters the scene

“No more death”

Babylon built

Babylon destroyed

The Redeemer promised

The Redeemer reigns

Go to the

Catalyst

Satan isn’t an originator; he’s a clever imitator who disguises his true character. If necessary, he can even masquerade as an angel of light (). When he came into the garden, Satan used the body of a serpent, one of God’s creatures that He had pronounced “good” ().

Satan still works today as the great impersonator. He has produced a counterfeit righteousness apart from the righteousness that comes only by faith in the Savior (). Satan has false ministers () who preach a false gospel ().

Satan questioned God’s Word (). makes it clear that Satan’s target was Eve’s mind, and that his weapon was deception. By questioning what God said, Satan raised doubts in Eve’s mind concerning the truthfulness of God’s word and the goodness of God’s heart. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” was the import of the subtle question.

Eve’s reply showed that she was following Satan’s example and altering the very Word of God. So, she took from God’s Word, added to God’s Word, and changed God’s Word, which are serious offenses indeed (; ; ; ). She was starting to doubt God’s goodness and truthfulness.

Satan denied God’s Word (). “You will not surely die” is a direct contradiction of God’s “You shall surely die” (). But Satan is a liar () and God is the God of truth (), and our response to what God says should be, “Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold” ().

Satan substituted his own lie (). “You will be like God” is a promise that would get anybody’s attention. describes how Gentile civilization from the time of Cain rejected the truth of God and turned to foolishness and lies. They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” ().

Once we start to question God’s Word, we’re prepared to deny His Word and believe Satan’s lies. Then it’s just a short step to believing Satan’s promises and disobeying God’s commands. When our Lord was tempted (), He answered Satan’s lies with God’s truth and three times affirmed, “It is written . . . .” Satan wants to deceive our minds (), but we defeat him by using the spiritual weapons God provides (, ; ).

Go to the

First Eve took the fruit and ate it, and then she gave some fruit to her husband and he ate it, so that both of them disobeyed the Lord. Eve was deceived, but Adam sinned willfully with his eyes wide open (). This is why Paul points to Adam, not Eve, as the one who brought sin and death into the human race (). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” ().

God sees the first Adam as the head of the human race, the old creation. When Adam sinned, we sinned in him and through him suffered the consequences of sin and death. But God sees Jesus Christ as the Head of the church, the new creation (), and through His righteous act of obedience in dying on the cross, we have life and righteousness.

parallels : Physical beauty, desire, and pride are the things that motivate the people of the world today, and when God’s people start thinking like the world, they start living like the world.

Adam and Eve suddenly “knew” in a new and shameful way. Their first insight was guilt over their disobedience. Satan promised that they would “be like God” and know good and evil, and his promise was tragically fulfilled. Adam and Eve lost their innocence and for the first time had a personal realization of what it meant to sin. It wasn’t necessary for their happiness that they had this knowledge, and it would have been far better had they obeyed and grown in their knowledge of God ().

Realizing their nakedness for the first time (cf. ), they quickly made coverings for their bodies. Sin ought to make us ashamed of ourselves. God has given us an inner judge called “conscience” that accuses when we do wrong and approves when we do right ().

When the time came to meet God, the first couple was overwhelmed with fear and they hid. Sin produces both shame and guilt, and both make sinners want to hide. Adam and Eve felt ashamed because of what they were (naked), and they felt guilty because of what they had done (disobeyed God). Guilt and fear usually go together, which explains why the pair didn’t want to enjoy their evening fellowship with the Lord in the garden.

Adam and Eve should have been running to God, confessing their sin, and asking for His forgiveness. But instead, they were hiding from God, and He had to find them. “There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God” ().

Jesus says, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working. . . . The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (, ). Today, through the witness of the church, the Holy Spirit is still seeking the lost and bringing them to the Savior (; ).

God’s call to Adam wasn’t because of ignorance. God doesn’t ask questions because He needs information. Being God, He knows everything. Rather, He asks questions for our good, to give us the opportunity to face facts, be honest, and confess our sins. That God called Adam at all was an act of grace, for God could have spoken a word of judgment and justly destroyed Adam and Eve. Another gracious wonder was that Adam could hear God’s voice and respond, for his inner nature had been so polluted by sin that he didn’t want to face God.

God’s love for sinners in no way eliminates His holy hatred for sin, for while it’s true that God is love (, ), it’s also true that God is light (). A holy God must deal with sin, for the good of the sinner and for the glory of His name.

God’s words to Satan are called the “protevangelium,” (“the first gospel”), because they are the first announcement of the coming Redeemer found in the Bible. To the Old Testament covenant people, this verse was a beacon of hope (); to Satan, it was God’s declaration of war, climaxing in his condemnation (); and to Eve, it was the assurance that she was forgiven and that God would use a woman to bring the Redeemer into the world ().

Both Jesus and Paul pictured false teachers as pretenders, vicious wolves disguised as harmless sheep (; ). Satan the counterfeiter has always had his children ready to oppose the people of God. The end of the age will culminate in the battle of Christ versus Antichrist, Satan’s counterfeit masterpiece (; ). At the cross, Satan “bruised” Christ’s heel, but because of His death and resurrection, Christ “bruised” and crushed Satan’s head and won a complete victory over him (; , ). Back at the moment of the fall of humanity, God already knew what He was going to do for us.

God reinforced His word of hope to Eve by assuring her that she would bear children and therefore not immediately die. But the special privilege of woman as the childbearer (and ultimately the one who would bring the Redeemer into the world) would involve multiplied pain in pregnancy as well as submission to her husband. The New Testament makes it clear that husbands and wives who love each other and are filled with the Spirit will be mutually submissive (; .).

Adam would have pain in his daily labor in the field. As he worked to get his food, Adam would encounter obstacles and have to toil and sweat to get a harvest, and this would remind him that his disobedience had affected creation (). Even today we recognize this mixture of blessing and curse in the delights and necessity of work.

, The judgment God announced to Adam and Eve touched all of creation. For the sake of His own character and law, God must judge sin, but for the sake of His beloved Son, God is willing to forgive sin. Remember, God had already made provision for forgiveness and salvation through Jesus the Lamb “from the foundation of the world” (; see ; , ).

Adam believed God’s promises (vv. , ) and accepted God’s judgment. He called his wife’s name “Eve,” which means “living.” Faith simply takes God at His Word and acts upon it.

Adam and Eve must one day die because “the wages of sin is death” (). Therefore, the Lord banished the couple from the garden; in fact, says that He sent them out (see and ). God put angelic guards at the entrance of the garden to make sure Adam and Eve didn’t try to reenter. The way to “the tree of life” would one day be opened by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross (; ; ; , , , ).

Man and woman could still have fellowship with God, but they would daily suffer the consequences of their sin, and so would their descendants after them. The law of sin and death would now operate in the human family until the end of time, but the death and resurrection of the Savior would introduce a new law: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” ().

, The name Cain sounds like the Hebrew word for “acquired.” Abel means “breath” and is the word translated “vanity” at least thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes. Cain’s name reminds us that life comes from God, while Abel’s name tells us that life is brief.

Adam certainly taught his sons why they worked: It was a part of God’s creation mandate and they were co-laborers with God (). Work isn’t a punishment from God because of sin, for Adam had work to do in the garden before he and his wife yielded to Satan’s temptation. Work in the will of God isn’t a curse; it’s a blessing. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” () was as much a part of God’s law for Israel as His command to rest on the Sabbath day.

God accepted Abel and his sacrifice, and perhaps indicated this by sending fire from heaven to consume the animals (; ; ), but He rejected Cain and his sacrifice. Cain wasn’t rejected because of his offering, but his offering was rejected because of Cain: His heart wasn’t right with God. It was “by faith” that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain (), which means that he had faith in God and was right with God.

Abel brought the best that he had and truly sought to please God, but Cain didn’t have that attitude of faith. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (; and see ; ; ; ).

The fact that people attend religious meetings and participate in church activities is no proof that they are true believers. It’s possible to “act religious” but never experience God’s saving power (). The most costly sacrifices apart from the submission of the heart can never make the worshiper right before God (, ). “The way of Cain” () is the way of self-will and unbelief.

God knew why Cain was angry, but He wanted Cain to examine his own attitude. It’s dangerous to carry grudges and harbor bitter feelings in our hearts, because these can be used by Satan to lead us into temptation and sin. This is what Paul meant when he wrote that anger “gives place to the devil” (). If we aren’t careful, we can tempt ourselves and bring about our own ruin.

We can’t separate our relationship with God from our relationship with our brothers and sisters. (That includes our natural brothers and sisters as well as our brothers and sisters in the Lord.) An unforgiving spirit, such as Cain possessed, hinders worship and destroys our fellowship with God and God’s people (; ). It’s better that we interrupt our worship and get right with a brother than to pollute our sacrifice because we have a bad spirit within.

Anger is a powerful emotion that can lead to violence and even murder. Jesus taught that anger in the heart is the moral equivalent of murder with the hands ().

There’s a definite parallel between God’s dealings with Cain here and His dealings with Adam and Eve in chapter . In both instances the Lord asked questions, not to get information (for He knows everything), but to give the culprits opportunity to tell the truth and confess their sins. In both instances, the sinners were evasive and tried to cover up what they had done, but both times God brought their sins into the light and they had to admit their guilt.

God did an unexpected thing: He put a mark on Cain that would protect him from the assaults of people who wanted to kill him. We don’t know what this mark was or why people would recognize it as God’s protective seal, but it worked. This was purely an act of mercy on God’s part.

In His mercy, God doesn’t give us what we do deserve, and in His grace, He gives us what we don’t deserve. That’s the nature of God. God spared Cain’s life, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Eventually Cain died and “after that comes judgment” (). The entire civilization that he built was destroyed in the flood, and the record of his life is left in Holy Scripture as a warning to anybody who pretends to worship, plays with sin, and doesn’t take temptation seriously. “The way of Cain” () does not follow the narrow way that leads to life (, ).

This section of Genesis covers over 1,500 years of human history, years that are overshadowed by sin and sorrow. But when the night is the darkest, the stars shine the brightest; when the outlook is grim, the uplook is encouraging. Thirteen different people are named in this section, but four of them stand out because they are associated with something special that God did to encourage His people. Those four were Seth, Enosh, Enoch, and Noah.

The birth of Seth represents a new beginning with God. God is sovereign in all things, and His plans are not frustrated by the foolish and sinful ways of mankind. Because He is the sovereign God, He “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (). The Lord enabled Eve to conceive and bear a son whom she named Seth (“granted”) because God had appointed him to replace Abel. As always God keeps His promises.

The life of Enosh marks a revival of public worship and believing prayer as the descendants of Seth met together in the name of the Lord. While the worldly Cainites were boasting of their strength and valor (, ), the godly Sethites, led by Enosh, were giving glory to the name of the Lord. When the work and the plans of God look like they are failing, and you feel like you’re the only one left to serve God, remember Enosh and the godly remnant in his day that called on the Lord by name. The Lord can “save by many or by few” ().

This chapter of Genesis includes the first genealogy in Scripture and introduces “the book of the genealogy of Adam.” Ten generations are listed here, from Adam to Noah, just as ten generations are listed from Shem to Abram in “the genealogy of Shem” ().

Adam and his immediate descendants lived a long time! Today’s discussions about extending human life come nowhere near what was common in the early days of the human race. But, like every person born since Adam, each life was punctuated by the words “and he died.” These words occur eight times in chapter , emphasizing the fact that death was now reigning over mankind because of Adam’s sin (see , ). Sin and death still rule today, but through Jesus Christ we can “reign in life” ().

The birth of Methuselah was a turning point in Enoch’s life, because he then began to live in close fellowship with God (see also v. ). Did the responsibility of raising a son in such a godless world so challenge Enoch that he knew he needed God’s help? Or when the baby was born, did God give Enoch insight into the future so that he knew the flood was coming? We don’t know, but we do know that (as history has repeatedly demonstrated) the arrival of this baby changed his father’s life.

Instead of the echoed words “and he died,” Enoch’s life story ends with the statement, “and he was not, for God took him.” It was “by faith” that Enoch was taken to heaven (see ). He believed God, walked with God, and went to be with God, which is an example for all of us to follow. Imagine how difficult it must have been to live in close fellowship with God during those years before the flood, when vice and violence were prevalent and only a remnant of people believed God (see ). But Enoch’s life of faith wasn’t a private thing, for he boldly announced that God would come to judge the world’s sins (see , ). Enoch’s life and witness remind us that it is possible to be faithful to God “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” ().

Lamech named his son Noah, which sounds like the Hebrew word for “comfort.” His prayer was that his son would somehow bring to the world the rest and comfort that people so sorely needed. Centuries later, weary people would hear the voice of Jesus say, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” ().

, One of Satan’s most successful devices is compromise. If he can delude God’s people into abandoning their privileged position of separation from sin and communion with God, then he can corrupt them and lead them into sin. He did this to Israel in the land of Moab (; ) and also after they had conquered the land of Canaan (; ).

Satan’s plan for defeating God’s people in Noah’s day was to entice the godly line of Seth (“the sons of God”) to mix with the ungodly line of Cain (“the daughters of men”) and thus abandon their devotion to the Lord. It is the same temptation that Christians face today: Be friendly with the world (), love the world (), and conform to the world (), rather than be separated from the world ().

The term “sons of God” refers to angels in ; ; , but these are unfallen angels faithfully serving God. The emphasis in is on the sin of man and not the rebellion of angels. The Hebrew word for “man” is used nine times in verses , and God states clearly that the judgment was coming because of what humans had done. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (). The most likely interpretation of is that God saw the people of that day as “fallen ones,” while men saw these people as mighty leaders.

Catalyst

The only way people can be saved from God’s wrath is through God’s grace (, ), but grace isn’t God’s reward for a good life: It’s God’s response to saving faith. True faith involves the whole of the inner person: The mind understands God’s warning, the heart fears for what is coming, and the will acts in obedience to God’s Word.

Everybody who has ever been saved from sin has been saved “by grace . . . through faith,” and this includes the Old Testament believers listed in . Nobody was ever saved by bringing a sacrifice (, ; ), by keeping the law (), or by doing good works (). Salvation is a gracious gift that can be rejected or received by faith. Like Noah, we must all find “grace in the eyes of the LORD” ().

Go to the

Noah was righteous, a “just man” (see also ). Noah’s righteousness is also mentioned in other places (, ; ; ). It didn’t come from his good works; his good works came because of his righteousness. Like Abraham’s, his righteousness was God’s gift in response to his personal faith. Both Abraham and Noah believed God’s Word and the Lord counted them as righteous (; see ; .; .). Noah was also “perfect in his generations” (). If “just” describes Noah’s standing before God, then “perfect in his generations” describes his conduct before people. It doesn’t mean “sinless,” because nobody but Jesus Christ ever lived a sinless life on this earth (, ).

This is the first use of the word “covenant” in the Bible, though the concept first occurred in the garden (). It appears often in Scripture because the covenant concept is an important part of God’s great plan of redemption. (God would explain His covenant to Noah after he left the boat; .) A covenant is an agreement that involves obligations and benefits for the parties involved. In some of the covenants, God alone is the “covenant party” and makes unconditional promises to His people. But there were also covenants that required His people to fulfill certain conditions before God could bless them.

The fact that God covenanted to care for Noah and his family gave them the peace and confidence they needed as they prepared the boat and then lived in it for over a year. God is faithful to keep His promises, and as God’s covenant people, those eight believers had nothing to fear. What can people see in your life about your understanding of God’s promises toward you?

How was Noah to gather such a large number of animals, birds, and creeping things? God would cause these creatures to come to Noah (see v. ; , ) and Noah would take them into the ark. In His sovereign power, God brought the animals to Noah and his sons and controlled them so that they did His bidding. But even this amazing demonstration of God’s power didn’t touch the hearts of Noah’s neighbors. The animals knew their Creator’s voice and obeyed Him, but people made in the image of God refused to heed God’s call. Humans still resist the voice of God.

God called Noah “righteous” (see also ). Anybody who has ever developed godly character has had to fight against peer pressure in their cultural environment; this includes Noah and his family, Abraham and his family, Moses in Egypt (), and Daniel and his friends in Babylon (). Resisting peer pressure means not only saying a determined “no” to people but also a dedicated “yes” to the Lord (see , ).

The rain stopped after forty days, which would be on the twenty-seventh day of the third month. However, the water continued to rise for another 110 days and reached its peak after 150 days (v. ). At that time, the boat rested on a mountain peak of Ararat (). The earth was not actually dry until more than a year after the flood began ().

The clear language of the text states that God was bringing a universal judgment. God said He would destroy humans and beasts “from the face of the earth” (; see also , ; ). The apostle Peter saw in Noah’s experience a picture of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (). The earth in Noah’s day was immersed in water, but the boat floated above the water and brought Noah and his family to the place of safety. This was, to Peter, a picture of baptism: death, burial, and resurrection. Peter makes it clear that the water of baptism doesn’t wash away sin. It’s our obedience to the Lord’s command to be baptized (, ) that cleanses the conscience so that we are right before God.

To “remember” means to act on behalf of another. God remembered Abram and rescued his nephew Lot from destruction in Sodom (). The Lord remembered both Rachel and Hannah and enabled them to conceive and bear sons (; , ). The Lord remembered His covenant and delivered the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt (; ). “To remember” implies a previous commitment made by God and announces the fulfillment of that commitment. We can be sure that God never forgets nor forsakes His people, not only because of His promises, but also because of His character. God is love, and where there’s love, there’s faithfulness. He can never deny Himself or His Word, for He’s the faithful God, and He can never change, because He’s immutable.

Noah was a man of faith whose name is recorded in with those of other heroes of faith. He had the faith to walk with God when the people of the world were ignoring and disobeying God. He had the faith to work for God and to witness for God when opposition to truth was the popular thing. When it comes to saving faith, each of us must trust Jesus Christ personally; we can’t be saved by the faith of a substitute. Noah’s wife, their three sons, and their three daughters-in-law were also believers; they proved it by standing with Noah while he worked and witnessed, and then by entering the boat in obedience to the Lord.

, The description of the “soothing aroma” (v. ) is a human way of stating a divine truth: God was satisfied with the sacrifice, accepted it, and was pleased with His people and their worship (; ). If God refused to “smell” the fragrance of the offering, it meant that He was displeased with the worshipers (; ). In New Testament language, the sacrifice speaks of Jesus Christ offering Himself up for us. “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (). Those who belong to Christ are “a new creation” (), and when the Father looks at them, He sees the righteousness of His Son ().

The guarantee in this verse gives us hope and courage as we face an unknown future. Each time we go to bed for the night, or turn the calendar to a new month, we should be reminded that God is concerned about the earth and its inhabitants. God’s covenant of “day and night” is especially meaningful to the people of Israel, for it guarantees them His care and protection so that they will never cease to be a nation (). God’s promise that He will not send another flood is assurance to the Jews that His covenant with them will never be broken (). And Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” () gives us great assurance.

When Noah came out of the boat, he was like a second Adam about to usher in a new beginning on earth for the human race. Faith in the Lord had saved Noah and his household from destruction, and his three sons would repopulate the whole earth (v. ). God had told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth” (), and He repeated that mandate twice to Noah and his family (, ). All of Noah’s descendants were important to the plan of God, but the line of Shem was especially so, because from that line Abraham would be born, the man God chose to be the father of the Israelite nation. From that nation would come the Redeemer who would fulfill the promise in and crush the serpent’s head.

When God established Adam and Eve in their garden home, He gave them fruit and plants to eat (; , ); but after the flood, He expanded the human diet to include meat. However, God put one restriction on the eating of animal flesh: The meat must be free of blood (). God stated concisely to Noah what He later elaborated through Moses: The life is in the blood, and the life must be respected, even if you’re butchering an animal to eat at a feast. (See ; , ; ; ; , ; .)

, After addressing the treatment of animal life, the Lord proceeded to discuss an even more important topic: the shedding of human blood. Those who kill their fellow human beings will have to answer to God for their deeds, for men and women are made in the image of God. To attack a human being is to attack God, and the Lord will bring judgment on the offender. All life is the gift of God, and to take away life means to take the place of God. The Lord gives life and He alone has the right to authorize taking it away ().

God ordained and established three institutions on this earth: marriage and the family (; ), human government (, ), and the church (; ). Each has its sphere of responsibility, and one can’t substitute for the other. The church wields the sword of the Spirit (), not the sword of justice (; ), but if the government interferes with matters of Christian conscience, believers have the right to disobey ().

This section is what theologians call “the Noahic covenant.” Though God spoke especially to Noah and his sons, this covenant includes all of Noah’s descendants (v. ) and “perpetual generations” (v. ). The covenant doesn’t stop there, however, for it also includes every living creature (vv. , , ). Humans, birds, beasts, and wild animals are encompassed in this wonderful covenant—a covenant with creation. At least four times in this covenant, the Lord mentioned “every living creature.” He was speaking about the animals and birds that Noah had kept safe in the boat during the flood (v. ). Once again, we’re reminded of God’s special concern for animal life.

God made the rainbow a covenant sign. To help His people remember His covenants, God gave them visible signs. His covenant with Abraham was sealed with the sign of circumcision (; ) and the Mosaic covenant at Sinai with the sign of the weekly Sabbath (, ). God’s covenant with Noah and the animal creation was sealed with the sign of the rainbow. Whenever people saw the rainbow, they would remember God’s promise that no future storm would ever become a worldwide flood that would destroy humanity.

The rainbow isn’t only for us to see, for the Lord said, “I will look on it” (). God certainly doesn’t forget His covenants with His people, but this is just another way of assuring us that we don’t need to be afraid. When we look at the rainbow, we know that our Father is also looking at the rainbow, and therefore it becomes a bridge that brings us together.

This is the first mention of wine in Scripture, but wine-making was practiced before the flood, and Noah certainly knew what too much wine would do to him. In an attempt to exonerate Noah, some students claim that the flood brought about a change in the earth’s atmosphere, and this caused the grape juice to ferment for the first time, but that defense is feeble. Noah had picked the grapes, crushed them in the winepress, put the juice into skins, and waited for the juice to ferment. Both his drunkenness and his nakedness were disgraceful, and the two often go together (; ; , ). The Bible doesn’t excuse the sins of the saints but mentions them as warnings to us not to do what they did (). When it comes to sin, there’s always a price to pay.

Instead of laughing with Ham and humiliating their father, Shem and Japheth showed their respect for him. The brothers stood together and held a garment behind them, backed into the tent with their eyes averted, and covered Noah’s naked body.

Noah predicted three times that the descendants of Ham’s son Canaan would become the lowest of servants. Much of the history of the Old Testament involves subjection of the Canaanites.

Shem is the ancestor of Abram () who is the founder of the Hebrew nation; so Noah was talking about the Israelite people. That the Lord would enrich the Israelite people spiritually was promised to Abram () and later explained by Paul (; ). It’s through Israel that we have the knowledge of the true God, the written Word of God, and the Savior, Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah. In the Hebrew, “Shem” means “name,” and it’s the people of Israel who have preserved the name of the Lord.

To “enlarge Japheth” is a play on words, for in the Hebrew the name Japheth is very close to the word that means “to enlarge.” Also, “may he dwell in the tents of Shem” can signify God’s intention for the descendants of Japheth to find God through Shem. Israel (the descendants of Shem) was chosen by God to be a “light to the Gentiles” (; ), and “salvation is of the Jews” ().

This chapter is known as “The Table of Nations” and is unique in the annals of ancient history. The purpose of the chapter is given at the beginning (v. ) and the end (v. ): to explain how the earth was repopulated after the flood by the descendants of the three sons of Noah. There is a similar (but not identical) listing in .

Catalyst

The list of names and places in chapter carries with it some important theological truths, not the least of which is that Jehovah God is the Lord of the nations. God gave the nations their inheritance () and “determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (). In spite of despots like Nimrod, Jehovah is the God of geography and of history; He is in control. What God promises, He performs, and Noah’s prophecy about his sons came true.

Second, in spite of external differences, all nations belong to the same human family. God made us all “from one man” (), and no race or people can claim to be superior to any other race or people. While in His providence, God has permitted some nations to make greater progress economically and politically than other nations, their achievements don’t prove that they are better than others ().

Third, God has a purpose for the nations to fulfill. The account in makes it clear that God’s chosen nation was Israel. From chapter on, Israel will be center stage in the narrative. But God also used Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Media-Persia, and Rome to accomplish His purposes with reference to the Jewish people. God can use pagan rulers like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, and even Augustus Caesar.

Fourth, God is concerned for all the nations. Frequently in the Book of Psalms we find the phrase “all the earth” or “all nations.” and both express this universal vision that all the nations of the earth come to know God and serve Him. The church’s commission to go into all the world isn’t a New Testament afterthought; it’s written into the warp and woof of the Old Testament story.

Finally, what’s written in must have been an encouragement to the people of Israel when they conquered Canaan. They knew that they were the chosen people of God and that the Canaanites would be their servants. They also knew that their God was the Lord of the nations and could dispose of them as He pleased. The conquest of Canaan was a victory of faith in God’s promises, which explains why God admonished Joshua to meditate on the Word of God ().

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Japheth was the ancestor of what we generally call the “Gentile nations.” It’s difficult to identify some of these nations and give them modern names. Over the centuries, nations can change their names, move to different locations, modify their language, and even alter their racial composition through intermarriage.

, , The listing is not a typical genealogy that gives only the names of descendants. The writer reminds us that these ancient peoples had their own clans and languages, territories and national identities. In other words, this is a genealogy plus an atlas plus a history book. We’re watching the movements of people and nations in the ancient world.

The Canaanites listed in these verses are the very nations the Israelites conquered and whose land they inhabited (; , ; ; ; ).

It’s likely that the word “Hebrew” comes from the name “Eber,” so this verse establishes Shem as the father of the Hebrews.

It’s interesting to note that the listing in chapter isn’t complete. For example, we don’t find Edom, Moab, and Ammon mentioned, and yet these were important nations in biblical history. The fact that there are seventy nations in the list suggests that the arrangement may be deliberately artificial, an approach often used in writing such listings. There were seventy persons in Jacob’s family when they went to Egypt (; ), and our Lord sent seventy disciples out to preach the Word ().

It’s likely that the events in chapter occurred prior to those in chapter and that the scattering described in chapter was the consequence of God’s judgment at Babel. Perhaps the story was placed here in Genesis so it could lead into the genealogy of Shem, which leads into the genealogy of Abraham, the founder of the Hebrew nation. The arrangement, then, is literary and not chronological.

Catalyst

The word “babel” sounds like the Hebrew word balal which means “confusion.” Babel, the “gate of the gods,” became the “door to confusion.” Instead of making a name for themselves, God gave the project a new name! In His church, “God is not the author of confusion” (), but in the world, God sometimes uses confusion to humble people and keep them from uniting against His will.

In Scripture, Babylon symbolizes worldly pride, moral corruption, and defiance against God. The biblical contrast is between the earthly city of Babylon that rebels against God, and the heavenly city of Jerusalem that brings glory to God. and show the contrasts between these two cities. Babylon represents the world system that opposes God, hates Jesus Christ, and appeals to the baser appetites of human nature. Babylon is the opposite of the heavenly Jerusalem which is the city of the saints (.).

What humanity can’t achieve by means of its “proud towers,” Jesus Christ has achieved by dying on a humiliating cross. All who trust Jesus Christ are one in Him () and will share heaven together, regardless of race, nation, language, or tribe (). Today the Holy Spirit continues to use the church as an agent of reconciliation to bring things together in Jesus Christ (; ). In one sense, Pentecost was a reversal of Babel, for the people present in Jerusalem at Pentecost heard the praises of God in their own languages (). The day will come when people from every tribe and nation will worship Jesus Christ (), and the judgment against Babel will be gone ().

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God had commanded the peoples to be fruitful and multiply and to scatter across the earth, but they decided to move to Nimrod’s city of Babylon and settle there (vv. ). This move showed blatant rebellion against God’s command that the people scatter. Apparently, Nimrod wanted them in his cities and under his control.

The “tower” that they built at Babel was what is known as a ziggurat. Archaeologists have excavated several of these large structures, which were built primarily for religious purposes. A ziggurat was like a pyramid except that the successive levels were recessed so that one could walk to the top on “steps.” At the top was a special shrine dedicated to a god or goddess. In building the structure, the people weren’t trying to climb up to heaven to dethrone God; rather, they hoped that the god or goddess they worshiped would come down from heaven to meet them. The structure and the city were called “Babel,” which means “the gate of the gods.”

This infamous project was an arrogant declaration of war against the Lord, not unlike the revolt described in . To begin with, the people were resisting God’s edict to scatter and repopulate the earth. Motivated perhaps by fear as well as pride, they decided to build a city and a great ziggurat and stay together. But even more, they wanted to make a name for themselves so that others would admire them and perhaps come and join them. Their stated purpose mirrored the devil’s lie in Eden: “You will be like God” ().

The people had several things in their favor. They were truly a “United Nations”—one people speaking one language and using one vocabulary and dictionary. They were motivated by one spirit of pride and one compelling desire to make a name for themselves. The only thing missing was the approval of God. We can’t afford to miss the point of , “Unless the LORD builds a house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

, As with Adam and Eve in the garden (), God’s judgment at Babel not only dealt with the immediate sins but also helped to prevent future problems. The unity of mankind would only give people a false sense of power that would lead them into even greater rebellion against God. By confusing their language and scattering them over all the earth, God graciously spared their lives and gave them opportunity to return to Him.

God had promised that He would send a Redeemer, the “Seed” of the woman (), who would defeat Satan and bring salvation. Noah’s prophecy revealed that God would bless the world through the line of Shem. The “Semites” were the ancestors of the Hebrew people (, ; ).

The people named in didn’t live as long as the men named in . The list begins with Noah’s 950 years and dwindles down to Nahor’s 148 years. The post-flood generations were starting to feel the physical consequences of sin in the human body.

The important thing about this genealogy is that it records the faithfulness of God in watching over His people and fulfilling His promises. What to us is only a list of names was to God a “bridge” from the appointment of Shem to the call of Abram. God has deigned to use people to help accomplish His will on earth, and people are fragile and not always obedient. But the “bridge” was built and the covenant promises sustained.

is a record of four key events—creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the judgment at Babel. is the record of the lives of four key men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. In this transition between world events and family events, five persons stand out: Abraham and his wife Sarah; Terah, Abraham’s father; and Nahor and Haran, Abraham’s brothers. Haran died and was survived by his son Lot.

It was God’s purpose to call a man and his wife and from them to build a family. From that family he would build a nation, and from that nation, God would bless all the nations of the earth (; ). From start to finish, it was a work of God’s grace; for when God called Abram and Sarai, they belonged to a family that worshiped idols (). In both Ur of the Chaldees and Haran, the people worshiped the moon god.

There’s quite a contrast between man’s ways at Babel and God’s ways in calling Abram and Sarai. The world depends on large numbers of powerful people in order to accomplish things, but God chose two weak people and started a new nation. The people at Babel wanted to make a name for themselves, but God promised to make Abram’s name great. The workers at Babel followed the wisdom of this world, but Abram and Sarai trusted the Word of God (, ). Babel was built by the energy of the flesh and the motivation of pride, but the nation of Israel was built by the grace and power of God and in spite of human weakness.

An awareness and understanding of the basic truths of gives us the key we need to unlock the rest of Scripture and to live to the glory of God. These chapters introduce twelve foundational teachings upon which the rest of the Scriptures rest:

1. God is real and we can trust Him.

2. We live in God’s creation.

3. We are made in the image of God.

4. Obedience is the key to usefulness, joy, and blessing.

5. Satan is real, but is a defeated enemy.

6. There is such a thing as sin.

7. Sex is God’s idea and He knows best how it should be used.

8. All humans are made of one blood.

9. Israel is God’s chosen people.

10. God doesn’t change and is always in control.

11. Our relationship to God is based on faith.

12. Living for God is the most rewarding life possible.

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God spoke to Abram, and the Word brought about the miracle of faith. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (). It was a call to separate himself from the corruption around him, and Abram obeyed by faith (). True faith is based on the Word of God and leads to obedience. God would not bless and use Abram and Sarai unless they were in the place of His appointment (). That principle still holds true for us today.

God began to work in Abram’s life. Salvation comes because God calls in grace and sinners respond by faith (, ; , ). God called Abram out of idolatry (), when he was in Ur of the Chaldees (, ; ; ), a city devoted to Nannar, the moon-god. Abram did not know the true God, and had done nothing to deserve knowing Him, but God graciously called him. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” ().

Abram was seventy-five years old when God called him, so age doesn’t need to be an obstacle to faith. He trusted God for 100 years (), and from his experience, we today can learn how to walk by faith and live to please the Lord.

The remarkable thing about God’s call of Abram and Sarai was that they were childless (see ). Abram means “exalted father,” but he wasn’t a father at all! They were the least likely candidates to have a family and build a great nation. But God’s ways are not our ways (, ), and by calling and blessing a barren couple, the Lord revealed the greatness of His power and His glory. Abram would be named “Abraham,” which means “father of many nations.”

Abram and Sarai were not perfect, but their walk was generally characterized by faith and faithfulness. When they sinned, they suffered for it; and the Lord was always ready to forgive when they repented. “The victorious Christian life,” said George Morrison, “is a series of new beginnings.” As you study the life of Abram and Sarai, you will learn what faith is and how to walk by faith. You will discover that, when you trust the Lord, no test is impossible and no failure is permanent.

God did not give Abram reasons or explanations; He simply gave him promises: “I will show you . . . I will make you . . . I will bless you . . . I will bless those who bless you” (vv. ). God promised to show him a land, to make him into a great nation, and to use that nation to bless the whole world. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others, and His great concern is that the whole world might be blessed. The missionary mandate of the church does not begin with or . It begins with God’s covenant with Abram. We are blessed that we might be a blessing.

Catalyst

Faith brings us out (, ). It may have been a son’s love for his aged father that made Abram delay (), but the day finally came when he and Sarai had to leave Haran and go to the land God chose for them. Faith and a double mind never go together (), and you cannot serve two masters (). Faith demands commitment.

Faith brings us in (). God brings us out that He might bring us in (). We know nothing about their long journey from Haran to Canaan, because it was the destination that was important. Centuries later, God would give that land to Abram’s descendants, but when Abram and Sarai arrived, they were “foreigners and nomads” in the midst of a pagan society ().

Faith brings us on, in our journey (). Obedience leads to new assurance and new promises from God (). What a comfort it must have been to Abram and Sarai to get this fresh revelation from God as they arrived in a strange and dangerous land. When you walk by faith, you know that God is with you and you don’t need to be afraid (, ; ; , ). God will work out His purposes and accomplish in and through you all that is in His heart. Most of us are not commanded to pull up stakes and go to a strange country, but the challenges to our faith are just as real. Sometimes there are serious problems in the home, on the job, or in the church, and we wonder why God has permitted these things to happen. If you are to claim your spiritual inheritance in Christ, you must display faith in God’s Word and obedience to God’s will.

Faith brings us through our journey (, ). In the pilgrim life, being right with God is accomplished “from start to finish by faith” (; that is how we “grow stronger,” ). “By faith Abraham obeyed” (). Faith without obedience is dead (), and action without faith is sin (). God has wedded faith and obedience like the two sides of a coin; they go together. The faith that saves is the faith that proves itself in good works (; ; , ). Abraham was saved by faith (; see ; ), but his faith was made evident by his obedience ().

Abram is now in the place of God’s appointment, doing what God told him to do. But this is not the end—it is the beginning! Even in the place of obedience you will face tests and trials, for that is how faith grows. But the same Lord who brought you out, brought you in, and brought you on in your pilgrim journey will also bring you through if you follow Him by faith.

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Abram’s construction of an altar indicates he realized God had established a covenant with him. The Bible records God’s many covenants, beginning with the promise of the Redeemer in and climaxing with the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ (; ). The Hebrew word translated “covenant” has several meanings: (1) to eat with, which suggests fellowship and agreement; (2) to bind or fetter, which means commitment; and (3) to allot, which suggests sharing. When God makes a covenant, He enters into an agreement to commit Himself to give what He promises. It is purely an act of grace. Here, God promised a place, a land for Abraham’s descendants.

, Wherever Abram went in the land of Canaan, he was marked by his tent and his altar (vv. , ; , , ). The tent marked him as a foreigner and nomad who did not belong to this world (; ), and the altar marked him as a citizen of heaven who worshiped the true and living God. He gave witness to all that he was separated from this world (the tent) and devoted to the Lord (the altar). Whenever Abram abandoned his tent and his altar, he got into trouble. What represents the “tent” and “altar” in your life?

God permitted a famine to come to the land. There is no record that Abram ever faced a famine in Ur or Haran, but now that he was in God’s land, he had to find food for a large company of people, plus flocks and herds (see ). Tests often follow triumphs. This principle is illustrated in the history of Israel. No sooner had the nation been delivered from Egypt than the Egyptian army chased them and cornered them at the Red Sea (). Triumph was followed by testing. God brought them through, but then they faced another test: no water (). After that came hunger () and an attack from the Amalekites (). Tests follow triumphs.

In the Bible, Egypt is a symbol of the world system and its bondage, while the land of Israel is a picture of the inheritance of blessing God has for His people (). When people went to Jerusalem, they went up, but when they went to Egypt, they went down. Spiritually speaking, “going down to Egypt” means doubting God’s promises and running to the world for help. (See ; ; , ; ; .)

Abram moved from trusting to scheming. Abram had no altar in Egypt, and you don’t find him calling on the Lord for guidance and help. When Abram stopped trusting God’s Word, he started leaning on his own wisdom, and this leads to trouble (, ; ). Abram and Sarai brought this “half-truth” with them from Ur (), used it in Egypt and Gerar (ch. ), and then their son Isaac adopted it (ch. ).

Abram learned his lesson, repented, and “went up” out of Egypt (v. ). When you disobey the will of God, the only right thing to do is to go back to the place where you left Him and make a new beginning (). No failure is permanent in “the school of faith.” Abram went back to his tent and altar and the life of a foreigner and nomad.

The problem between Abram and Lot was not caused by the land, the famine, their wealth (both of them were rich), or even their herdsmen (v. ). The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart. Lot’s heart was centered on wealth and worldly achievement, while Abram wanted only to please the Lord. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” ().

Lot had “heart trouble.” He followed the wisdom of this world (as his uncle Abram had done in Egypt) and not God’s wisdom. He was at war with Abram because he was at war with himself, and he was at war with himself because he was at war with God. The world’s wisdom and the world’s wealth seem so satisfying, but they ultimately bring disappointment.

Lot had tents but no altar, which meant he did not call on the Lord for wisdom in making decisions (). Instead of lifting up his eyes to heaven, Lot lifted up his eyes to the Jordan valley () and stopped there.

The eyes see what the heart loves. Abram had taken Lot out of Egypt, but he could not take Egypt out of Lot. Outlook helps to determine outcome. Abram’s eyes were on the Holy City of God (), and he went on to walk with the Lord and inherit blessing.

Abram lived by faith, not by sight. No matter what Lot did, Abram was not worried about his future, for he knew that everything was in the hands of the Lord. Abram had never read or , but he was putting both into practice by faith. He had met God at the altar and he knew that everything was under control. When God is first in your life, it makes no difference who is second or last.

Abram gave thanks to God. Not only did Abram lift up his eyes and look (v. ) and lift up his feet and walk (v. ), but he also lifted up his heart and worshiped God and thanked Him for His gracious blessing. He pitched his tent from place to place as God led him, and he built his altar of witness and worship. The people in Sodom were proud of their affluence (), but Abram had spiritual wealth that they knew nothing about (). He was walking in fellowship with God, and his heart was satisfied.

In this chapter Abram, the man of faith, fulfills three special roles: the watcher (vv. ), the warrior (vv. ), and the worshiper (vv. ). In all three roles, Abram exercises faith in God and makes the right decisions. We can count on God to work through the patterns and roles in our lives.

The five city-states in the Jordan valley (see ) had been subject for twelve years to the kings of four eastern city-states () and finally revolted against them. This, of course, was a declaration of war; so the four kings invaded the Jordan valley to bring the five kings into subjection. From our modern viewpoint, the invasion was a minor skirmish, but in that day, it was considered a major international conflict.

Abram did not get involved in the war until he heard that Lot had been captured, and then he began to act. Abram was separated, but not isolated; he was independent, but not indifferent. In fact, he and some of the local sheiks had formed an alliance for just such emergencies (v. ). He was “Abram the Hebrew” (v. ), which means “the outsider,” a person with no secure place in society. He was not “Abram the hardhearted.” He was a foreigner in the land, but that was no excuse for inaction. He was practicing what Jesus would later describe for us as being in the world without being of the world (see ).

Abram took action. While believers must not compromise with the unsaved in matters of spiritual walk and ministry (), they may cooperate when it comes to caring for humanity and “promoting the general welfare.” When you see that people are in trouble, you don’t ask them for a testimony before helping them (; ). Sacrificial service is one way of showing the love of Christ to others ().

Abram treated his nephew with love, both when he gave Lot first choice of the land () and when he risked his own life to rescue him. Lot had not been kind to Abram, and Abram had every excuse to let his nephew suffer the painful consequences of his own poor decisions. But Abram practiced brotherly love and overcame evil with good (; , ).

When Abram returned from battle, he was met by two kings: Bera, king of Sodom (“burning”), and Melchizedek, king of Salem (“peace”). Bera offered Abram all the spoils in return for the people, while Melchizedek gave Abram bread and wine. Abram rejected Bera’s offer but accepted the bread and wine from Melchizedek and gave him tithes of the spoils.

Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and Salem means “peace.” and both connect Melchizedek with Jesus Christ, the “King of peace” and the “King of righteousness” (). Like Melchizedek in Abram’s day, Jesus Christ is our King-Priest in heaven, enabling us to enjoy righteousness and peace as we serve Him (; ). Certainly we can see in the bread and wine a reminder of our Lord’s death for us on the cross.

Abram’s gift to Melchizedek is the first mention of tithing in the Bible. To tithe is to give God ten percent, whether of money, farm produce, or animals. (The Hebrew word means “ten.”) When we tithe, we acknowledge that God owns everything and that we are grateful stewards of His wealth. The Israelites paid an annual tithe to the Lord () as well as a tithe every third year especially for the poor (). They could also tithe on the remaining ninety percent for a special festive offering to be enjoyed in Jerusalem ().

The practice of tithing antedated the Law of Moses, for not only did Abram tithe, but so did Jacob (). For this reason, many Christians believe that God’s people today should begin their giving with the tithe. A godly deacon once said, “If the Old Testament Jew under law could tithe, how much more ought New Testament Christians under grace!” The New Testament plan for giving is outhned in , but tithing is a good place to start.

Catalyst

Abram was prompt in his giving. His stewardship principles were firmly fixed in his heart, so there was no reason to delay.

He was also proportionate in his giving, a policy encouraged by the apostle Paul (, ). Tithing is a good place to begin, but as the Lord blesses, we must increase that percentage if we are to practice the kind of “grace giving” that is described in .

Abram gave, because he loved God and wanted to acknowledge His greatness and His goodness. What a contrast between “the Most High God” and the heathen idols! Abram’s God is possessor (Creator) of heaven and earth (; see ). He deserves all the worship and praise of all of His people!

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Take time to listen to God and receive His words of encouragement. This is the first occurrence in the Bible of the phrase “the word of the LORD came”; it is used more than 100 times in the Old Testament. The faith that conquers fear is faith in the Word, not faith in feelings. Each time we open the Bible we should expect to “hear” God speak to us.

This verse also contains the first time the assuring words “do not be afraid” appear in the Bible. God repeated them to Isaac () and Jacob () and often to the people of Israel (; ; ; ). The “don’t be afraid” promises in Isaiah are good to read and ponder when you find yourself dealing with fear (, , ; , ; , ).

God’s remedy for Abram’s fear was to remind him to look to Him: “I am your shield.” God’s “I am” is perfectly adequate for man’s “I am not.” “Be still, and know that I am God” (). Your life is only as big as your faith, and your faith is only as big as your God. If you spend all your time looking at yourself, you will get discouraged, but if you look to God by faith, you will be encouraged.

Abram’s concern was not just for himself and his wife, though like all Eastern couples they wanted children. His concern was for the working out of God’s plan of salvation for the whole world. God had a glorious plan, and God made a gracious promise, but God seemed to be doing nothing! Abram and Sarai were getting older, and time was running out. One of the basic lessons in “the school of faith” is: God’s will must be fulfilled in God’s way and in God’s time. God did not expect Abram and Sarai to figure out how to have an heir; all He asked was that they be available so He could accomplish His purposes in and through them. What Abram and Sarai did not realize was that God was waiting for them to be “as good as dead” so that God alone would receive the power and glory. God always works according to His plan and His timetable.

Tens of thousands of stars are listed in the General Catalog used by astronomers, but it is estimated that there are 100 billion more in just our one galaxy! God did not say that Abram would have that many descendants but that, like the stars, there would be too many to count. Whether Abram looked down at the dust () or up at the stars (), he would recall God’s promise and have confidence. This promise was repeated to Abraham () and reaffirmed to Isaac ().

“And he believed in the LORD . . . .” Promises do us no good unless we believe them and act on them. Abram had already trusted God’s promise () and proved it by leaving home and going to Canaan (). But is the first reference in the Bible to Abram’s faith. It is the of the Old Testament, and for this reason, the New Testament writers use it to illustrate salvation by faith. The Hebrew word translated “believed” means “to lean your whole weight upon.” Abram leaned wholly on the promise of God and the God of the promise. We are not saved by making promises to God but by believing the promises of God. In the gospel of John, which was written to tell people how to be saved (), the word for “believe” is used nearly 100 times. Salvation is the gracious gift of God, and it is received by faith (, ).

Later, Abram proved his faith by his works when he offered Isaac on the altar (, ). Abram was not saved by obeying God, or even promising to obey God, but his obedience proved his faith. Sinners are not saved by faith plus works but by a faith that works.

What is described in verses was known in that day as “cutting a covenant.” This solemn ritual involved the death of animals and the binding of people to a promise. The persons making the covenant would sacrifice several animals and divide the bodies, placing the halves opposite each other on the ground. Then the parties would walk between the pieces of the sacrifices in declaration that, if they failed to keep their word, they deserved the same fate as the animals (see , ).

God’s covenant with Abram stands no matter what Israel believes. The covenant is unconditional; its fulfillment does not depend on man’s faith or faithfulness. In like manner, the new covenant established by Jesus Christ is dependable whether people accept it or not. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ enter into that covenant and receive eternal salvation (; ), an eternal inheritance (), and eternal glory ().

The 400 years refers to Israel’s entire stay in Egypt, from Jacob’s arrival to the Exodus. It is a round figure, because puts it at 430 years. (See also .) Why did God wait so long to deliver His people? Because God was longsuffering with the nations in Canaan and delayed their judgment so they might have more time to repent (, ; see ).

Abram was now eighty-five years old. He had been walking with the Lord for ten years and had learned some valuable lessons about faith. God had promised Abram and Sarai a child but had not told them when the child would be born. It was a period of waiting, and most people don’t like to wait. But waiting is following the example of “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” ().

God has a perfect timetable for all that He wants to do. After all, this event was not the birth of just another baby: It was part of God’s great plan of salvation for the whole world. However, as Sarai waited for something to happen, she became impatient.

A willingness to wait on the Lord is evidence that you are walking by faith. “Whoever believes will not act hastily” (). Paul quoted this verse in and amplified its meaning: “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (The same Holy Spirit inspired both Isaiah and Paul, and He has the right to make these changes.) Whenever we stop trusting God, we start acting hastily in the wrong direction, and we end up being ashamed.

Abram’s taking Hagar as a second wife was perfectly legal according to the marriage code of that day. In later years, Jacob would marry his wives’ maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, and each would give him two sons. Moreover, the plan seemed to be successful, for Hagar conceived a child. But not everything that is legal or that appears to be successful is approved by the will of God. God never accepted Hagar as Abram’s wife.

Sarai was not concerned about the glory of God; her only goal was “perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” Maybe there is a hint of disappointment with God and even blaming God when she says, “The LORD has restrained me from bearing children” (v. ).

Hagar’s wilderness experience brought her face-to-face with God and taught her some important truths about Him. She learned that He is the living God who sees us and hears our cries when we hurt. The name of the well means “the well of the One who lives and sees me.” He is a personal God, concerned about abused people and unborn babies. He knows the future and cares for those who will trust Him.

Satan wants us to think that our “disobedience detours” must become the permanent road for the rest of our lives, but this is a lie. Like Abram and Sarai, we can confess our sins, accept God’s cleansing (), and then learn to live with our mistakes. Yes, there will be pain and regret, but God’s grace will overcome in the end.

This is the first time the Hebrew El-Shaddai (shuh-DYE) occurs in Scripture. Shaddai is translated as “Almighty” forty-eight times in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek equivalent is used in and ; ; ; ; , ; , ; and . El-Shaddai is the name of the all-powerful and all-sufficient God who can do anything and meet any need.

The word “blameless” is sometimes translated “perfect,” but it does not mean “sinless,” for that would be an impossible goal for anyone to reach (). It means “single-hearted, without blame, sincere, wholly devoted to the Lord.” In , the word refers to a perfect sacrifice without blemish. It was a call for integrity.

The phrase “My covenant” is used often in this chapter and defines God’s relationship with Abram. This was not another covenant, different from the one God had already established with Abram (; ). It was a reaffirmation of that covenant, with the important addition of circumcision, the sign and seal of the covenant.

“Abram” means “exalted father”; “Abraham” means “father of a multitude.” When Abraham informed the people in his camp that he had a new name, some of them must have smiled and said, “Father of a multitude! Why, he and his wife are too old to have children!” Whether he looked at the dust beneath his feet or the stars in the heavens, or whenever anyone called him by name, Abraham was reminded of God’s gracious promise to give him many descendants.

God told Abraham he would father nations and kings. Abraham’s descendants include not only the Jewish people, but also the Arab world (through Ishmael) and the nations listed in . All who trust Jesus Christ as Savior are spiritual children of Abraham (), and that will be a vast multitude ().

God gave Abraham the entire land of Canaan. Eventually, Jacob and his family had to leave the land and go to Egypt (ch. ), but God had promised that they would return to Canaan at the appointed time (). Joshua led them into their land where they conquered the inhabitants and claimed their inheritance. But the people did not stay true to the covenant, so God had to discipline them in the land (). He raised up enemy nations to defeat Israel and put her in bondage. Israel was in the land, but she did not control it or enjoy it (.).

Abraham’s part in the covenant was to obey God and mark each male in his house with the sign of the covenant. Circumcision was not a new rite, for other nations practiced it in Abraham’s time; but God now gave it new importance and special meaning. For the descendants of Abraham, circumcision was not an option; it was an obligation.

Since God’s covenant involved Abraham’s descendants or his “seed,” it was fitting that the mark of the covenant was to be on the male organ of generation. Since all people are conceived in sin (), this special mark would remind them that they were accepted by God because of His gracious covenant.

The Jewish people eventually made this ritual a means of salvation; circumcision was a guarantee that they were accepted by God. They did not realize that circumcision stood for something much deeper: the person’s relationship to God. God wants to “circumcise our hearts” so that we are totally devoted to him in love and obedience (; ; ; , ; cf. ). This “spiritual circumcision” is accomplished at conversion when the sinner believes in Christ and is baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (). This baptism identifies the believer with Christ in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and also in his circumcision (, ; cf. ). It is not “the circumcision of Moses” but “the circumcision of Christ” that is important to the Christian believer.

The Lord had come all the way from heaven to give Abraham and Sarah an announcement: At that same time next year, Sarah would give birth to the promised son! The news was so incredible that Sarah laughed and questioned whether such a thing could happen to two elderly people. Sarah’s laughter was marked by unbelief, even though she tried to deny it. Of course, whenever we doubt God, we are questioning both His veracity and His ability. Does He keep His promises? Does He have the power to do what He says He will do? The answer to both questions is yes! (See , .)

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Of course not! If you need proof, then listen to Job (), Jeremiah (, ), the angel Gabriel (), and the apostle Paul (, ). If God makes a promise, you can be sure He has the power to fulfill it, and He will remain faithful even if we are faithless (). Sarah eventually repented and, with her husband, trusted God, and He gave them the promised son.

Abraham belonged to that select company of God’s people known as intercessors—individuals like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, the apostles, and our Lord Himself. In fact, our Lord’s ministry today in heaven is a ministry of intercession (), so we are never more like our Lord than when we are interceding for others. It is not enough for us to be a blessing to our Lord in our home; we must also seek to win a lost world and bring sinners to the Savior.

An intercessor must know the Lord personally and be obedient to His will. He must be close enough to the Lord to learn his “secrets” and know what to pray about (; ). The Lord’s words “I have known him” () mean “I have chosen him, and he is my intimate friend” (see ). Abraham knew more about Sodom’s future than the citizens themselves did, including Lot.

Abraham’s prayer was based not on the mercy of God but on the justice of God. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (see also ). A just and holy God could not destroy righteous believers with wicked unbelievers, and Lot was a believer (), even though his actions and words seemed to belie the fact.

Abraham did not want to see all those people die and be lost forever. God “is not willing that any should perish” (), and He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (). “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (). Intercessors must have compassionate hearts and a deep concern for the salvation of the lost, no matter what their sins may be.

We must not get the idea that Abraham argued with the Lord, because he did not. He was very humble before the Lord as he presented his case (see also vv. ). Abraham was sure there were at least ten believers in the Sodom and Gomorrah.

Never underestimate the importance of even a small number of believers. As few as ten people would have saved a whole city from destruction! Your personal witness today is important to God, no matter how insignificant you may feel.

When the heavenly contingent came to visit Abraham, he was at his tent door, but Lot was sitting in the gate of a wicked city. Abraham was a pilgrim and stranger, only passing through this world, but Lot had gradually abandoned his tent and settled down in Sodom. Instead of keeping his eyes on the heavenly city (, ), Lot looked toward Sodom and began to walk by sight (). Then he moved his tent near Sodom (), and finally he moved into Sodom (). Lot’s location in the gate indicates that he was a man of some authority, for that was where official business was conducted (.).

Lot placed himself in the role of a “servant,” but you do not see him hurrying to prepare a meal as Abraham did; nor did he stand by to see what further service he could render. He was meeting the minimum requirements of hospitality. But the arrival of the men of the city at the door for immoral purposes was the climax of the evening. The crowd demanded, “Bring them out to us so that we may know them” (v. ). Lot was willing to sacrifice his two unmarried daughters to the lust of the crowd (see ), but the angels intervened. What had happened to Lot’s personal values that he would offer his daughters to satisfy the sensual appetites of a mob? (In contrast, Abraham would offer his son to the Lord.)

Because of his worldliness, Lot had no spiritual influence either in the city or in his own home. His daughters and their fiancés laughed at him and refused to leave the city. Even his wife was so in love with Sodom that she had to take one last look, and that look killed her (; ). Lot’s two unmarried daughters accompanied him out of the city, but they ended up in a cave, getting their father drunk and committing incest with him. Lot’s failure as a husband and father had painful and lasting consequences.

Though he was offered a way of escape, Lot dragged his feet. The first time God rescued Lot, he was a prisoner of war (, ); but he went right back into Sodom. That painful experience should have warned him that he was out of the will of God. But if Lot heard the warning, he certainly did not heed it. Now God had to take Lot by the hand and forcibly drag him out of Sodom! First, Lot lingered; then he argued; then he begged to have his own way. Instead of being grateful for God’s mercy and obedient to his rescuers, Lot resented and resisted the help he certainly didn’t deserve. How easy it is to become settled and comfortable in places we shouldn’t even visit!

Consider our Lord’s love for the people of the wicked cities of the plain. To begin with, He was longsuffering toward them as He beheld their sin (; ). Just as Abel’s blood cried out to God from the ground (), so the sins of the people cried out from the wicked cities. God is longsuffering and holds back His judgment so that sinners will have time to repent ().

Abraham saw the cities of the plain destroyed () and knew that God had not found ten righteous people. But God delivered Lot because of Abraham (). It was wholly a matter of God’s grace and mercy (v. ).

God removed Lot physically from disaster, but the effects of his spiritual errors continued to plague him. Lot was conformed to the world (see ). All that he lived for went up in smoke and was buried under ruins somewhere in the area around the Dead Sea. He had chosen “wood, hay, and straw” (see ) for his life-construction materials, and by the time God’s cleansing fire had done its work, nothing was left. Lot is a warning to all believers not to love the world, become friendly with the world, or be stained by the world (), because the day of reckoning finally comes.

In Abraham’s dealings with his neighbors, the patriarch is seen first as a troublemaker (ch. ) and then as a peacemaker (). As we study these two experiences, we can learn how to relate positively to those who are outside the faith and be better witnesses to them (; ; ).

After arriving in Gerar, Abraham began to walk by sight and not by faith, for he began to be afraid (). Fear of man and faith in God cannot dwell together in the same heart. “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe” (). Abraham forgot that his God was “the Almighty” () who could do anything () and who had covenanted to bless Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham’s failure was the sad fact that he and Sarah had failed to judge this sin when they had dealt with it in Egypt (see ). They had admitted their sin to Pharaoh and confessed it to God, but the fact that it surfaced again indicates that they did not judge the sin and forsake it ().

Catalyst

When believers sin, they suffer. Charles Spurgeon said, “God does not allow His children to sin successfully.” When we deliberately disobey God, we suffer both from the consequences of our sins and from the chastening hand of God, unless we repent and submit (). God in His grace will forgive our sins (), but God in His sovereignty must allow sin to produce a sad harvest (). Read and to see what happened to David physically and spiritually before he repented and confessed his sins to the Lord.

This one lie of Abraham () cost him dearly. His character was damaged by loss of personal integrity. His testimony about God to his neighbors was severely damaged. And his ministry as someone who was to bring about God’s blessing in people’s lives was also damaged.

When believers sin, they are disciplined by God until they come to a place of repentance and confession. This discipline is not enjoyable, but it is profitable, and in the end it produces happiness and holiness to the glory of God.

God does not reject His children when they sin any more than a parent rejects a disobedient son or daughter (). Abraham was justified by faith and had a righteous standing before God (). Justification does not change; we are accepted in Jesus Christ no matter what we are in ourselves (, ; ). Of course, the fact that we are justified before God means there will be a change in our lives, for “faith without works is dead” (). But our position in Christ (justification) is not altered by our practice on earth (sanctification).

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, Abimelech confronted Abraham. Believers do sin and it is particularly painful to have nonbelievers point that out in us! This chapter would be an embarrassment to us except for one thing: The Bible tells the truth about all people, and that includes God’s people. It does not hide the fact that Noah got drunk and exposed himself (), or that Moses lost his temper (), or that David committed adultery and plotted the death of a valiant soldier (). It reveals that Peter denied the Lord three times (), and that Barnabas lapsed into false doctrine ().

The birth of Isaac involved much more than parental joy, for his birth meant the fulfillment of God’s promise. When God had called Abraham, He promised to make of him a great nation that would bless the whole world (). Then He repeatedly promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants () and to multiply them greatly (). Abraham would be the father of the promised son (), and Sarah (not Hagar) would be the mother (; ). The birth of Isaac reminds us that God keeps His promises, in His own way, and in His own time. In spite of their occasional failures, Abraham and Sarah believed God, and God honored their faith ().

Catalyst

Isaac’s birth meant the rewarding of patience. Abraham and Sarah had to wait twenty-five years for their son to be born, because it is “through faith and patience [we] inherit the promises” (; see ). Trusting God’s promises not only gives a blessing at the end, but it gives a blessing while the believer is waiting. Just as Olympic athletes develop their skills as they practice hard and long before the big event, so God’s children grow in godliness and faith as they wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Faith is a journey, and each happy destination is the beginning of a new journey. When God wants to build our patience, He gives us promises, sends us trials, and tells us to trust Him ().

The birth of Isaac was certainly the revelation of God’s power. That was one reason why God waited so long: He wanted Abraham and Sarah to be “as good as dead” so that their son’s birth would be a miracle of God and not a marvel of human nature (). Abraham and Sarah experienced God’s resurrection power in their lives, because they yielded to Him and believed His Word. Faith in God’s promises releases God’s power (, ; ); “For with God nothing will be impossible” (). In what ways are you recognizing God’s power released in your life?

Finally, the birth of Isaac was a step forward in the accomplishing of God’s purpose. The future redemption of a lost world rested with a little baby boy! Isaac would beget Jacob, and Jacob would give the world the twelve tribes of Israel, and from Israel the promised Messiah would be born. Down through the centuries, some of the “living links” in the chain of promise may have seemed insignificant and weak, but they helped to fulfill the purposes of God. We who know God’s promises and His purpose have the privilege of passing them on to others.

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In , , Paul makes it clear that Ishmael represents the believer’s first birth (the flesh) and Isaac represents the second birth (the Spirit). Ishmael was “born according to the flesh” because Abraham had not yet “died” and was still able to beget a son (). Isaac was born “according to the Spirit” because by that time his parents were both “dead” and only God’s power could have brought conception and birth. Ishmael was born first, because the natural comes before the spiritual ().

When, like Isaac, you are born of the Spirit, you are born rich (). Isaac was the heir of all that his father owned, and God’s children are “joint heirs with Christ” (). Abraham cared for Ishmael while the boy was in the home, but “Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac” ().

Catalyst

Some people in the New Testament argued that one must keep the law to obtain salvation. Paul countered the argument by comparing the law to the life of Hagar. To begin with, Hagar was Abraham’s second wife. She was added alongside Sarah. Likewise, the law was “added” alongside God’s already existing promises and was temporary (, , ). God did not start with law; He started with grace.

Second, Hagar was a servant. “Why, then, was the law given?” Paul asks in , and he gives the answer. The law was God’s servant (a “schoolmaster” or “child tutor”) to keep the infant nation of Israel under control and prepare them for the coming of the Redeemer (, ; ). The law was given to reveal sin () but not to redeem us from sin. Grace does not serve law; it is law that serves grace! The law reveals our need for grace, and grace saves us completely apart from the works of the law (, ).

A third fact is obvious: Hagar was never supposed to bear the promised child. The law cannot give what only Jesus Christ can give: life (), righteousness (), the Holy Spirit (), or an eternal inheritance (). All of these blessings come only “by grace [Sarah] . . . through faith [Abraham]” (, ).

This leads to a fourth fact: Hagar gave birth to a slave. If you decide to live under the law, then you become a child of Hagar, a slave, for the law produces bondage and not freedom. The first doctrinal battle the church had to fight was on this very issue, and it was decided that sinners are saved wholly by grace, apart from keeping the law of Moses (). Legalists in the church today are turning sons into slaves and replacing freedom with slavery (), yet, God calls us to freedom ()!

Finally, Hagar never married again. God gave His law to the Israelite nation only and never gave it to the Gentiles or to the church. Nine of the Ten Commandments are quoted in the Epistles as applying to believers today, and we should obey them, but we are not commanded to obey the ceremonial laws that were given only to Israel (see ). Paul affirms that it is love that fulfills the law. When we love God and love one another, we want to obey God; and in the Spirit’s power, we do what is right.

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God did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael, for Ishmael was the son of Abraham, God’s friend (v. ; ). If Ishmael and Hagar had any bad feelings toward Abraham, they were certainly in the wrong; everything God did for them was because of His faithfulness to Abraham. The Lord reaffirmed His promise that Ishmael would become a great nation (, ; ), and He kept His promise (). The Arab world is a force to be reckoned with today, and it all began with Ishmael.

, Water is still a very precious commodity in the Holy Land. Today, various methods of irrigation are used, but in Abraham’s day, it was necessary to dig wells and guard them carefully. If you did not guard your well, your enemies might seize it or fill it up (). Some of Abimelech’s servants had seized Abraham’s well, so the treaty between the two men had not done much good.

The Hebrew word “to swear” (vv. , ) means “to bind by seven things,” and the words “swear” (saba) and “seven” (seba) are very similar. This time the two men went beyond merely giving their oath: They made a covenant that involved slaying animals (see also , ). As Abraham and Abimelech walked between the carcasses of the sacrifices, they were saying, in effect, “May God do this to us and more if we fail to keep our covenant with each other.” This was a serious matter.

The name of the well, Beersheba, means “well of the oath” and was another witness to the transaction. Both men swore to uphold the covenant, and the problem was settled.

This tamarisk tree was also a part of the covenant, a witness to the promises Abraham and Abimelech had made. The tamarisk is a shrub-like tree that has very hard wood and evergreen leaves. As he built an oasis, Abraham was certainly interested in ecology (water and trees), but even more, he was giving witness of what God had done for him. He had gone through a difficult experience in life and had left some blessings behind for others.

A new name for God is introduced here: El-Olam, “the Eternal God.” Abraham already knew El-Elyon (“God Most High”—, ) and El-Shaddai (“God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One”—), but now he had a new name to use in His worship. It is important as we go through life that we learn more and more about God so we can worship Him better. What an encouragement to know “the Everlasting God”!

records the greatest test that Abraham ever faced. True, it also presents a beautiful picture of our Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary, but the main lesson is obedient faith that overcomes in the trials of life. Abraham teaches us how to face and handle the tests of life to the glory of God.

Learn to distinguish between trials and temptations. Temptations come from our desires within us () while trials come from the Lord who has a special purpose to fulfill. Temptations are used by the devil to bring out the worst in us, but trials are used by the Holy Spirit to bring out the best in us (). Temptations seem logical while trials seem very unreasonable. Why would God give Abraham a son and then ask Abraham to kill him?

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Consider how unreasonable God’s request was. Isaac was Abraham’s only son, and the future of the covenant rested in him. Isaac was a miracle child, the gift of God to Abraham and Sarah in response to their faith. Abraham and Sarah loved Isaac very much and had built their whole future around him. When God asked Abraham to offer his son, He was testing Abraham’s faith, hope, and love, and it looked like God was wiping out everything Abraham and Sarah had lived for.

Two statements reveal the emphasis of this passage: “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (v. ); and “Yahweh-Yireh” (v. ), which means, “The LORD will see to it,” that is, “The LORD will provide.” As he climbed Mount Moriah with his son, Abraham was confident that God would meet every need.

Abraham could depend on the promise and provision of the Lord. He had already experienced the resurrection power of God in his own body (), so he knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if that was His plan. Apparently, no resurrections had taken place before that time, so Abraham was exercising great faith in God. According to , and , , believers today have Christ’s resurrection power available in their own bodies as they yield to the Spirit of God. We can know “the mighty power that raised Him from the dead” () as we face the daily demands and trials of life.

In times of testing, it is easy to think only about our needs and our burdens; instead, we should be focusing on bringing glory to Jesus Christ. We find ourselves asking “How can I get out of this?” instead of “What can I get out of this that will honor the Lord?”

If ever two suffering people revealed Jesus Christ, it was Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. Their experience is a picture of the Father and the Son and the Cross, and is one of the most beautiful types of Christ found anywhere in the Old Testament. Jesus said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (). In Isaac’s miraculous birth, Abraham saw the day of Christ’s birth, and in Isaac’s marriage (), he saw the day of Christ’s coming for His bride. But on Mount Moriah, when Isaac willingly put himself on the altar, Abraham saw the day of Christ’s death and resurrection.

The greatest thing that can happen as we experience the trials God sends is that we grow closer to our Father and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Calvary is not only the place where Jesus died for our sins, but it is also the place where He sanctified suffering and, by His resurrection, transformed suffering into glory. Seek to glorify the Lord, and He will do the rest.

Catalyst

There is always an “afterward” to the tests of life (; ), because God never wastes suffering. “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (). Abraham received several blessings from God, because of his obedient faith.

To begin with, he received a new approval from God (). Abraham had described this whole difficult experience as “worship” (v. ), because, to him, that is what it was. He obeyed God’s will and sought to please God’s heart, and God commended him. It is worth it to go through trials if, at the end, the Father can say to us, “Well done!”

He received back a new son. Isaac and Abraham had been at the altar together, and Isaac was now a “living sacrifice” (, ). God gave Isaac to Abraham, and Abraham gave Isaac back to God. We must be careful that God’s gifts do not take the place of the Giver.

God gave Abraham new assurances (). He had heard these promises before, but now they took on fresh new meaning. What two men did on a lonely altar would one day bring blessing to the whole world!

Abraham also learned a new name for God (). As we have seen, Yahweh-Yireh means “the LORD will be seen” or “the LORD will see to it (provide).” The Jewish temple was built on Mount Moriah (), and during our Lord’s earthly ministry, He was seen there. He was the true Lamb of God, provided by God to die for the sins of the world.

Every experience that God allows into our lives comes with the possibility of glory for God. He can take those times we find unspeakable and make them fountains of praise to Him. But we can’t see this until after we have trusted and obeyed.

We sometimes waste our sufferings by neglecting or ignoring opportunities to reveal Jesus Christ to others who are watching us go through the furnace.

But we make good use of difficulties by developing Abraham’s attitude, “God will provide” (). Trusting Him means we keep moving forward even though we don’t know exactly how things will turn out. The outcome we leave in God’s hands.

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Sarah had been a good wife to Abraham and a good mother to Isaac. Yes, she had her faults, as we all do, but God called her a princess (the meaning of her name; ) and listed her with the heroes and heroines of faith (). The apostle Peter named her as a good example for Christian wives to follow (), and Paul used her to illustrate the grace of God in the life of the believer ().

Abraham loved his wife, and her death was a painful experience for him. He showed his love and his grief by his weeping. These are the first recorded tears in the Bible, and tears will not end until God wipes them away in glory (). Even though he was a man of faith, Abraham did not feel that his tears were an evidence of unbelief.

For believers, to be “absent from the body” means to be “present with the Lord” (; ); so Christians do not approach death with fear. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” ().

Like Abraham, God’s people today are foreigners in this present world (; ). We live in “tents” () which one day will be taken down when we move to glory. When Paul wrote “the time of my departure is at hand” (), he used a military word that meant “to take down a tent and move on.” Our present body is temporary, but one day we will receive a glorified body like the body that Jesus Christ now has in heaven (, ; ).

, Following the custom of the East, Ephron offered to give Abraham not only the cave but the whole field in which the cave was located. Of course, this was only a clever maneuver on his part, for he had no intentions of giving away a valuable piece of property, especially to a man as wealthy as Abraham. But Ephron’s reply gave Abraham two pieces of information: Ephron was willing to sell, but he wanted to sell the whole field and not just the cave. This artful negotiation allowed both men to achieve their objectives.

Abraham did not ignore the body but gave it a proper burial in view of the promised resurrection. When God saves us, He saves the whole person, not just “the soul.” The body has a future, and burial bears witness to our faith in the return of Christ and the resurrection of the body.

It must be pointed out, however, that resurrection is not “reconstruction.” God will not reassemble the dust of the body and restore the body to its previous state. God promises us a new body! In , Paul makes it clear that there is continuity but not identity between the old body and the new body. He illustrates this miracle with the planting of a seed. The seed dies and decays, but from it comes a beautiful flower or some grain. The identical seed does not come out of the ground, but the flower or grain has continuity with the seed that was planted. Christian burial bears witness that we believe in a future resurrection.

Abraham was now 140 years old (; ) and would live another 35 years (). His great concern was that, before he died, he would find a wife for his only son Isaac. Only then could God fulfill His covenant promises to bless Abraham with many descendants and give them Canaan for their inheritance (; ; ; ).

Abraham was a man of faith who believed God’s Word and knew how to apply it to specific situations and decisions. He sought to obey God’s Word because true faith always results in obedience. The more we meditate on God’s Word, the more truth we will see in it and the more direction we will get from it. This applies to decisions about marriage, vocation, ministry, or any other area in life. Unless we trust God’s Word and obey it, He will not direct us (, ).

The servant got his orders from his master and did not change them. When he made his vow of obedience, he meant it and kept it. Whether his mission succeeded or failed, the servant knew he would have to give an account to his master, and he wanted to be able to do so without embarrassment (see and ).

The servant acted by faith in the God of Abraham and Isaac. He believed the promise of God and trusted the providence of God to direct him (v. ). He took time to pray and to ask God for help, and he kept his eyes open to see what God might do.

We have no indication that Rebekah was aware she was being evaluated as a potential bride. We have few indications in our own lives of how often others are evaluating us by the way we approach mundane tasks. Little did Rebekah know that doing a humble task for a stranger would make her the chosen wife of a wealthy man who was in a unique covenant relationship with God. The real mark of character isn’t how we act when someone is watching, but how we act when no one is watching (or when it seems that we don’t have an audience to impress).

“Whose daughter are you?” is a key question for any suitor to ask. Of course, the servant was interested in her family, but the question has a wider application for Christian believers today, both men and women. “Are you a child of God? Have you been born again into the family of God?” What a tragedy when believers marry unbelievers and try to establish a home without the full blessing of God.

Locating Rebekah was only the first part of Eliezer the servant’s job. We must pause to see how the servant illustrates the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today as He uses us to witness about Jesus Christ (). He did not speak about himself but about his master and his riches (; , ). He gave tokens of his master’s wealth just as the Spirit gives us the “firstfruits” and “down payment” of our spiritual riches in Christ (, ).

Rebekah’s brother and mother were willing for her to become Isaac’s wife, but they wanted her to wait at least ten days before leaving home. This was a natural request, since the parents would want to spend as much time as possible with her and perhaps even invite the neighbors to celebrate with them ().

, What motivated Rebekah to make the right decision? She heard the word about Isaac and believed it. She saw the proof of his greatness, generosity, and wealth and wanted to belong to him for the rest of her life. She had never seen Isaac (), but what she had heard about him convinced her to go to Canaan with the servant.

Rebekah’s response is a case study in important decision-making. Sinners must not delay in making their decisions for Christ. It is a decision of faith, based on the evidence provided by the Holy Spirit through the Word and the witness of the church. The sinner who delays is in danger of losing the opportunity to belong to God’s family and live in heaven (). “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (, , ). “Now is the accepted time . . . now is the day of salvation” ().

The entire story makes it clear that God had chosen Rebekah for Isaac, for His providential leading is seen each step of the way. Yet Rebekah had to make her choice of Isaac. There is no conflict between divine sovereignty (God’s plan) and human responsibility (man’s choice). In fact, Jesus taught both in one statement: “All that the Father gives Me [divine sovereignty] will come to Me [human responsibility], and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” ().

Camels traveled about twenty-five miles a day and could cover sixty miles if they had to, while the average pedestrian walked about twenty miles a day. A train of ten camels with its attendants and guards could easily make the trip from Hebron to Mesopotamia and back (about 900 miles) in less than two months.

The name of this well would be an encouragement to Isaac as he waited for the return of the servant: “the well of the One who lives and sees me” (). If God took care of Hagar and met her needs, surely He would take care of Isaac and provide the wife that he needed in order to maintain the messianic line. Jehovah is the living God who sees everything and plans all things for His glory and the good of His children.

This passage suggests that Isaac was a quiet, meditative man who pondered the things of the Lord in solitude (). His wife was more the activist type, so there would be a good balance in their home. The two saw each other at a distance, and Rebekah dismounted so she could meet him on foot. In that day, it was considered a breach of etiquette if women rode beasts in the presence of strange men. She also put on the long veil that was a mark of her modesty and submission. Although this was an arranged marriage, Scripture includes the significant note that Isaac loved her.

These verses read like Abraham’s obituary. As the end approached, he put his life in order. He died “in a good old age” (v. ) as the Lord had promised him (see ). He had walked with the Lord for a century () and had been “the friend of God” (). Old age is good if you have the blessing of the Lord on your life (). In spite of physical deterioration and weakness, you can enjoy His presence and do His will until the very end ().

Abraham lived a long and satisfying life, “full of years” (). This suggests more than a quantity of time; it suggests a quality of life. Abraham, who was flourishing and fruitful to the very end, fulfilled the picture of old age given in . How few people really experience joy and satisfaction when they reach old age! When they look back, it is with regret; when they look ahead, it is with fear; and when they look around, it is with complaint.

Like everything else in life, to be successful in old age, you must start working at it very young. That is the counsel Solomon gives in . The chapter describes some of the inevitable physical problems of old age, but it also emphasizes that a godly life beginning in one’s youth is an investment that pays rich dividends when life draws to a close.

Catalyst

Abraham left us a clear witness of salvation through faith. Paul cited his example in , relating it to Abraham’s experience in . Abraham could not have been saved by keeping the law, because the law had not yet been given. He could not have been saved by the ritual of circumcision, because God declared him to be righteous long before Abraham was circumcised. Like everybody else who has ever been saved, Abraham was saved by faith and by faith alone (see and ).

But Abraham also leaves us the example of a faithful life. James used Abraham to illustrate the importance of proving our faith by our works (). Wherever Abraham went, he let the people of the land know that he was a worshiper of the true and living God. When he offered Isaac on the altar, Abraham proved his faith in God and his love for God. He was not saved by works, but he proved his faith by his works.

From Abraham, we learn how to walk by faith. True, he had his occasional lapses of faith, but the general manner of his life evidenced faith in God’s Word. True faith is our obedient response to the Word of God. God speaks, we hear Him and believe, and we do what He tells us to do. Abraham and Sarah held on to God’s promises and God rewarded their faith.

Abraham also gave the world the gift of the Jewish nation; and it is through the Jews that we have the knowledge of the true God plus the Word of God and the salvation of God ().

Finally, because of Abraham, we have a Savior. In the first verse of the New Testament (), Abraham’s name is joined with the names of David and Jesus Christ! God promised Abraham that through him all the world would be blessed (), and He has kept that promise. The problem is that the church is not telling the whole world that Jesus is indeed “the Savior of the world” (). We are keeping the good news to ourselves when we ought to be doing everything we can to let the whole world know.

Go to the

Abraham’s firstborn son Ishmael (ch. ) wasn’t chosen to be the child of promise and the heir of the covenant blessings. God promised to bless Ishmael and make him a great nation, and He kept His promise (, ; ). Ishmael was on hand for his father’s funeral (), but he wasn’t included in the reading of his father’s will.

Ishmael pictures the “natural” or unsaved person (), who is outside the faith and hostile to the things of God. But Isaac pictures those who have trusted Jesus Christ and experienced the miraculous new birth by the power of God (). “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of the promise” (). Ishmael was born a slave, but Isaac was born free (; , ); Ishmael was born poor, but Isaac was born rich. Every believer in Jesus Christ shares all the blessings of the Spirit in Christ () and is part of Christ’s glorious inheritance (, ).

Like Abraham, Isaac was a man of prayer, so he interceded with the Lord on behalf of his barren wife. Isaac had every right to ask God for children because of the covenant promises the Lord had made to his father and mother, promises Isaac had heard repeated in the family circle and that he believed. If Rebekah remained barren, how could Abraham’s descendants multiply as the dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens? How could Abraham’s descendants become a blessing to the whole world (; ; ; )?

In salvation history, the conception and birth of children is a divinely ordained event that has significant consequences. This was true of the birth of Isaac (chs. ; ), the twelve sons of Jacob (), Moses (), Samuel (), David (), and our Lord Jesus Christ (, ). Conception, birth, and death are divine appointments, not human accidents, a part of God’s wise and loving plan for His own people (; ).

The fact that God had already determined to give the covenant blessings to Jacob didn’t absolve anybody in the family from their obligations to the Lord. They were all responsible for their actions, because divine sovereignty doesn’t destroy human responsibility. In fact, knowing that we’re the chosen of God means we have a greater responsibility to do His will.

The name “Jacob” comes from a Hebrew word (yaaqob) that means “may God protect,” but because it sounds like the words aqeb (“heel”) and aqab (“watch from behind” or “overtake”), his name became a nickname: “He grasps the heel” or “he deceives.”

After the births of Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Rebekah’s home became a divided household. It’s unfortunate when homes are divided because parents and children put their own personal interests ahead of the will of God. Isaac enjoyed eating the tasty game Esau brought home, a fact that would be important in later family history (see ch. ). Isaac, the quiet man, fulfilled his dreams in Esau, the courageous, wild man, and apparently ignored the fact that his elder son was also a worldly man. Did Isaac know that Esau had forfeited his birthright? The record doesn’t tell us. Nor does it tell us whether Rebekah ever told her husband God’s message that her younger son would rule over her eldest boy. Perhaps Jacob perfected his “scheming” traits by watching both his mother and father.

God permitted Isaac to remain in Philistia and promised to bless him. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be greatly multiplied and one day would possess all those lands. Thus Isaac had a right to be there as long as God approved (see , ; ; ; ; ). God blessed Isaac for Abraham’s sake (; see also ), just as He has blessed believers today for the sake of Jesus Christ.

God also blessed Isaac because of Abraham’s life and faith, just as He blesses us for the sake of other believers. We’ll never know until we get to heaven how many of our blessings have been “dividends” from the spiritual investments made by godly friends and family who have gone before.

Isaac was asked about the woman who was with him and, like his father Abraham before him, he said she was his sister. But when Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah, he knew she was his wife. Why did Isaac lie? Because he was afraid his pagan host would kill him in order to obtain his beautiful wife. His lie was evidence of his unbelief, for if he had claimed the covenant promise when he prayed for children (), why couldn’t he claim that same covenant promise to protect himself and his wife?

In every difficult situation of life, it requires discernment to know whether God wants us to be confronters like Abraham or peacemakers like Isaac, for God can bless and use both approaches. “As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (). Sometimes it isn’t possible, but at least we should try, and we must depend on the wisdom from above that is “pure” and “peaceable” ().

Isaac’s initial plan was to reopen the wells the Philistines had filled out of jealousy. He knew that was one place he was sure to find water. His experiences underscore the spiritual lesson that the Bible often mentions wells in connection with blessing. The church keeps looking for something new, when all we need is to dig again the old wells of spiritual life that God’s people have depended on from the beginning—the Word of God, prayer, worship, faith, the power of the Spirit, sacrifice, and service—wells that we’ve allowed the enemy to fill up. Whenever there’s been a revival of spiritual power in the history of the church, it’s been because somebody has dug again the old wells so that God’s life-giving Spirit can be free to work.

Beersheba was a very special place of assurance for Isaac, because there his father had entered into a covenant with the Philistine leaders (.). “Beersheba” means “well of the oath.” The Lord comes to us with His assuring Word just when we need encouragement (see ; ; , ; ).

Like his father Abraham, Isaac was identified by his tent and altar (; see , ; , , ). Isaac was wealthy enough to be able to build himself a fine house, but his tent identified him as a foreigner and nomad in the land (, ). A fugitive is fleeing from home; a vagabond has no home; but a foreigner is heading home. The tent identified Isaac as a nomad, and the altar announced that he worshiped Jehovah and was heading to the heavenly kingdom.

Isaac was sure he was going to die soon, and yet his greatest desire was to enjoy a good meal at the hand of his favorite son and cook, Esau (). When Isaac’s father Abraham prepared for death, his concern was to get a bride for his son and maintain the covenant promise. When King David came to the end of his life, he made arrangements for the building of the temple, and Paul’s burden before his martyrdom was that Timothy be faithful to preach the Word and guard the faith.

Isaac was about to disobey God’s command. Before the boys were born, God had told Rebekah that Jacob, the younger son, was to receive the covenant blessing (); yet Isaac planned to give the blessing to Esau.

Knowing that Jacob was chosen to receive the covenant blessing, Rebekah immediately took matters into her own hands to make sure her favorite son got what the Lord had promised him. Had she and Jacob talked with Isaac while Esau was out hunting, perhaps he would have seen the light and agreed with them. Instead, however, Rebekah chose to control Jacob and deceive her husband.

Isaac’s philosophy was “if it feels good, it is good,” but Rebekah’s philosophy was “the end justifies the means.” She couldn’t trust God to fulfill His plan; she had to “help” God out because it was for a good cause. But there’s no place for deception in the life of the believer, for Satan is the deceiver (), but Jesus Christ is the truth (). “Blessed is the man . . . in whose spirit there is no deceit” ().

Isaac blessed Jacob with natural and material wealth, so important to people who belong to the land, but he added political authority with reference to his own people and other nations (v. ). Isaac reaffirmed the word God gave Rebekah about the boys (), and in using plural nouns (“brethren” and “sons”), he looked beyond Jacob’s day to the time when Abraham’s descendants would multiply.

Isaac trembled uncontrollably when the real Esau showed up with his special meal. One Hebrew scholar translates verse : “He trembled a trembling, a great, unto excess.” Why was Isaac so agitated? Because he knew that the Lord had overruled his own selfish plan so that his favorite son did not receive the blessing. Isaac had lied to Abimelech in Gerar (ch. ), and he had tried to lie to God by disobeying the Word (), but now his own lies had caught up with him. Esau wept and begged for a blessing (). The man who despised his birthright and married two pagan women now wept and cried out for his father to bless him (see , ). We often don’t value the important things in our lives until they are no longer ours.

, Isaac’s “blessing” put Esau away from the blessings that had been given to Jacob. Instead of ruling, Esau would live by his sword. The Edomites who descended from Esau (Edom) built their nation at Mount Seir () at the southern end of the Dead Sea, and were constant enemies of the Israelites.

Always close to the family grapevine, Rebekah heard the possible threat and moved into action. Her plan was to send Jacob to Haran to live with her brother Laban and then send for him when it was safe for him to return home. Her question “Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” () implies that she expected somebody, perhaps God, to avenge Jacob’s murder and kill Esau. It turned out that Jacob was gone twenty years, and she never saw him again on earth.

Esau’s response to this news was further evidence that he despised everything spiritual, for he went out and took another wife. Because Jacob was looking for a wife among his uncle Laban’s children, Esau chose a wife from the family of his uncle Ishmael. Perhaps he thought that this would qualify him to receive some kind of blessing from God, but it only added to the irritation in the home.

Jacob the “home boy” is now without a home and is starting on a 500-mile trek to Haran. He is fleeing from an angry brother and facing an unknown future, and all he has to depend on is his father’s blessing. Jacob slept on the earth with a stone “at his head” (vv. , ), a common practice in the Near East. The stone was probably more a protection than a pillow.

Jacob saw the Lord above him and then heard Him speak. The Lord didn’t rebuke Jacob for participating in Rebekah’s scheme; instead, He spoke words of promise and assurance to him. The same God who had cared for his father and grandfather pledged to care for him and to give him the very land on which he was lying. He would also multiply his descendants and fulfill the promise to bring blessing through them to all the world.

The Lord promised to be present with Jacob in whatever circumstances lay before him. In those days, people had the idea that when you left home, you left your god behind you. But the Lord of all the earth promised to go with Jacob, protect him, and one day bring him back home. No matter what happened, He would accomplish His will in and through Jacob.

On awakening, Jacob’s first response was one of fear and surprise. God was in that place, and he didn’t know it! But “fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (), so Jacob’s response was the right one. His next act was to worship the God who had appeared to him. He turned the headrest into a pillar to memorialize the great experience that had been his that night. By pouring oil on the stone, he consecrated it to the Lord. He didn’t use the stone as an altar or make a sacrifice; he simply set it apart as a memorial.

Fortified by the gracious promises that God had given him at Bethel (), Jacob made the long journey to Padan Aram. The episode at the well reminds us of the experience of Abraham’s servant when he was seeking a wife for Isaac (.), a story that Jacob had certainly heard many times.

We see the providence of God in this meeting. Jacob could have borrowed words from Isaac’s servant: “the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren” (). Unbelievers might call this event “a fortunate coincidence,” but believers would see in it the gracious leading of the hand of God. In the life of the trusting Christian, there are no accidents, only appointments.

Once again we see growth in Jacob’s character as he patiently serves Laban for seven difficult years. Shepherding isn’t an easy vocation, and seven years is a long time, but Jacob’s love for Rachel took the burden out of the work and caused the time to pass quickly. It has been well said that happiness consists of having someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to; and Jacob had all three.

Leah seems to have been a willing accomplice, happy to get a hard-working husband like Jacob, who would inherit Isaac’s wealth and enjoy the covenant blessings of Abraham. Certainly she knew that Rachel would also be part of the bargain, but she was willing to risk whatever problems might ensue. Leah may have “borrowed” some of her sister’s garments and even learned to imitate some of her personal mannerisms. If so, she was treating Jacob just the way he had treated his father when he pretended to be Esau. The way we treat others often feels very different when it is applied to us!

Jacob protested the way Laban had treated him and Rachel, but he meekly accepted his lot and went back to work for another seven years. Little by little, Jacob was learning to submit to God’s loving hand of discipline and was growing in faith and character. At the end of Leah’s marriage week, Jacob married Rachel, the woman he loved, and had another week to live like a king. But from then on, he would endure thirteen years of hardship and conflict, not only because of his in-laws, but also because of his own wives and their maids.

, That Jacob could become angry with his favorite wife shouldn’t surprise us. Even the most loving couples have their occasional disagreements, and, after all, she was blaming him for something over which he had no control. But what Rachel needed wasn’t a lecture on theology or gynecology. She needed the kind understanding of her husband and the encouragement that only his love could provide.

At long last, Rachel conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Joseph. The mandrakes had nothing to do with this pregnancy; it was God who blessed her in answer to her prayers. The Hebrew word qsaf means “take away,” and yosef means “to add.” God had taken away her “disgrace” of being childless and had added to her blessings. Her declaration “The LORD shall add to me another son” (v. ) was eventually answered in the birth of Benjamin (“son of my right hand”), but the delivery led to her death (). Many years later, it was Joseph whom God would use to save the entire family during the time of terrible famine.

Jacob’s peeled branches belong in the same category as Rachel’s mandrakes: They were both superstitious practices that had nothing to do with what actually happened. It was God who controlled the genetic structure of the animals and multiplied the spotted and striped sheep and goats, thus increasing Jacob’s wealth very quickly. At Bethel, God promised to bless Jacob (), and He kept His promise; since Laban had agreed to Jacob’s terms, he could do nothing about the results. All of those animals belonged to Jacob.

, Along with the desires within us, God also directs us as He did Jacob through the circumstances around us. Toward the end of those six critical years, Jacob noticed that his in-laws weren’t as friendly toward him as before, largely because of the increase in his wealth. Circumstances aren’t always the finger of God pointing out His way (), but they can be significant indicators of God’s will. When God wants to move us, He occasionally makes us uncomfortable, like the eagle that “stirs up its nest” ().

God had spoken to Jacob in a dream (), and Jacob had remained in Padan Aram to acquire his wealth. Then God said to him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you” (). As the story of Jacob unfolds, we discover that God spoke to him at every important crisis in his life: leaving home (), returning home (), meeting Esau (.), visiting Bethel (.), and moving to Egypt (). God leads us in the paths of righteousness if we’re willing to follow (). Today He usually uses His Word to guide us.

Instead of facing Laban honestly and trusting the Lord to keep His promises and work things out, Jacob fled with his family like a criminal escaping justice. This was an act of fear and unbelief, not an act of faith. In fact, Jacob later admitted to Laban that he had departed secretly and quickly because he was afraid (v. ). It isn’t enough to know and do the will of God; we must also do His will in the way He wants it done, the way that will glorify Him the most.

Confronted by his angry father-in-law, Jacob had little choice but to come clean. The most important thing in Jacob’s speech was the way he gave honor to the Lord: “Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night” (v. ). What a testimony from a man who was inclined to give in to others and do what he was told!

Laban didn’t see the God of Abraham and Isaac as a gracious Lord who had brought them together but as a heavenly Judge who would keep them both from harming each other. In spite of their oaths, Jacob and Laban didn’t trust each other, so they had to trust the Lord to keep them from harming each other. Mizpah was a monument to suspicion and fear, not to love and trust.

Life isn’t easy, but if we submit to God’s disciplines and let Him guide us in our decisions, we can endure the difficulties triumphantly and develop the kind of character that glorifies God. We can conquer by remembering passages like : “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” The God of Jacob never fails.

Anticipating a difficult reunion with Esau, Jacob took the wise approach and sent messengers ahead to inform his brother that he was coming. But instead of committing the whole matter to the Lord, who had protected him from Laban, Jacob adopted a condescending attitude that wasn’t befitting to the man God had chosen to carry on the Abrahamic covenant. Sending the messengers was a good idea, but calling Esau “my lord” and himself “your servant,” and trying to impress Esau with his wealth was only evidence that Jacob wasn’t trusting God to care for him.

A believer who is walking by faith need not fear the enemy or whatever bad news may come. “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD” (). But Jacob was “greatly afraid” () and therefore reverted to his old policy of scheming.

Jacob’s prayer is one of the great prayers recorded in Scripture, and yet it was prayed by a man whose faith was very weak. He was like the father of the demonized child who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (). Every statement in this prayer indicates that Jacob had a profound knowledge of God’s ways and God’s character, and yet he was praying in desperation and not in confidence.

Jacob reminded the Lord of the promises He had made to him at Bethel (), especially that He would do him good and multiply his descendants. God told Jacob that He would be with him and bring him back to Bethel, and that He would accomplish His purposes in and through him. If God allowed Esau and his men to kill Jacob and his family, none of those promises would be fulfilled.

While we don’t want to imitate Jacob’s fear, unbelief, scheming, and his proneness to jump to conclusions, we would do well to pray the way he prayed. He claimed God’s promises, remembered God’s goodness, and rested completely on God’s character and covenant. No matter what circumstances we may face or what fears may grip our hearts, we can trust God to be faithful to His character and His Word. “I will trust and not be afraid” ().

You would think that a prayer with the kind of solid theological content Jacob demonstrated (vv. ) would have brought God’s peace to Jacob’s heart, but it didn’t, and in his restlessness, he decided to act. “I will appease him,” he said (v. ), and put together an expensive gift.

Faith is living without scheming. Before we criticize Jacob, we need to examine our own hearts to see if we’ve ever been guilty of praying piously and then depending on our own schemes and resources. It’s true that “faith without works is dead” (), but Jacob’s gift wasn’t a work of faith, because God didn’t command it. The old saying “the Lord helps those who help themselves” is totally unbiblical. True faith is based on God’s Word (), and whatever we do that isn’t motivated by faith is sin (), no matter how successful it may appear.

God meets us at whatever level He finds us in order to lift us to where He wants us to be. To Abraham the nomad, God came as a traveler (), and to Joshua the general, He came as a soldier (). Jacob had spent most of his adult life wresthng with people—Esau, Isaac, Laban, and even his wives—so God came to him as a wrestler. “With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show yourself shrewd” ().

At Bethel, God had promised to bless Jacob, and from a material point of view, the promise was fulfilled, for Jacob was now a very wealthy man. But there’s much more to the blessing of God than flocks, herds, and servants; there’s also the matter of godly character and spiritual influence.

The new name God gave him was “Israel,” from a Hebrew word that means “to struggle,” but scholars aren’t agreed on what the name signifies. Some translate it “one who wrestles with God” or “God strives” or “let God rule.” The explanation in is that Jacob had gained power because he prevailed. He lost the battle but won the victory! By seeking God’s blessing and finally being weakened and forced to yield, he had become a “God-empowered prince.” Like Paul, who had his own battle to fight, Jacob became strong only when he became weak ().

It was the dawning of a new day for Israel/Jacob (): He had a new name; he had a new walk (he was limping); and he had a new relationship with God that would help him face and solve any problem if only he would exercise faith.

Jacob had lifted up his eyes and seen the angels (, ), and he had even seen God face to face (), but when he saw Esau and his 400 men, he seemed to lose everything he had gained in his struggle with himself and with the Lord. It’s one thing to be blessed on the mountaintop with God and quite something else to carry that blessing down into the valley. Jacob failed himself, his family, and his God in numerous ways. Like each one of us, he was never far from stumbling. Like us, he needed God continuously.

Jacob’s strength was in his limp, for it was a constant reminder that God had conquered him and he could trust the Lord to see him through. As Jacob approached, his brother could have noticed his limp and asked the cause, and that would have been Jacob’s golden opportunity to tell him what God had done for him. But Jacob was preoccupied with his own survival.

You don’t see Esau bowing! Instead, he ran to his brother, fell on his neck, kissed him, and wept with him. All this is evidence that a change had taken place in his heart. Jacob was given an open door to talk with Esau about the past and get family matters straightened out, for, after all, God’s army was hovering near and Jacob didn’t have to be afraid. But instead of confessing his sins and giving witness to God’s grace in his life, Jacob spent the time begging Esau to accept the gifts he had sent. Like his farewell with Laban, Jacob’s meeting with Esau was a truce, not a true reconciliation.

Esau started back to Mount Seir, traveling south, while Jacob moved northwest to Succoth and then further on to Shechem. There’s no record that Jacob ever visited his brother in Mount Seir. It’s likely that after they met at Isaac’s funeral, they never saw each other again ().

The name of the Lord isn’t mentioned once in this chapter, and the wisdom of the Lord is surely absent as well. When we disobey the Lord, we put ourselves and our loved ones in danger. Consider what happened to Abraham in Egypt () and Gerar (.), Lot in Sodom (.), Isaac in Gerar (), Samson in Philistia (; ), Elimelech and Naomi in Moab (), and Peter in the high priest’s courtyard (.).

The silence of Jacob when he heard the tragic news showed neither indifference nor cowardice on his part. Since his sons were in the field with the sheep and cattle and he could do nothing without their help, he was wise to wait. But he didn’t give his sons any direction in planning their response, which escalated far beyond the original offense.

The Canaanites saw the proposal of Jacob’s family as an opportunity to absorb Israel and gradually possess their wealth and their people, but Jacob’s sons used it as a means to weaken the men and get them ready for slaughter. Never suspecting the danger, the men of the city submitted to the surgery.

Simeon and Levi certainly went too far by slaughtering the Canaanites and looting their city in order to avenge their sister, and Jacob never forgot it (). By their deception and ruthless destruction, they ruined Jacob’s testimony before the people of the land.

For several years, Jacob had lingered thirty miles away from Bethel and had paid dearly for his disobedience. But now the Lord spoke to him and told him to move to Bethel and settle down there. Jacob already knew that Bethel was God’s appointed place for him and his family (), but he had been slow to obey.

Many of the problems in the Christian life and in local churches result from incomplete obedience. We know what the Lord wants us to do, we start to do it, and then we stop. When we don’t continue to obey God and accomplish His will, even what we’ve done starts to die. What Jesus said to the church in Sardis, He says to us, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God” ().

Jacob called for a time of cleansing for everybody, and the first thing they had to do was get rid of their idols. Rachel had stolen her father’s household idols (, , ), and Jacob knew that other false gods were hidden in the camp. Worshiping the gods of the pagan nations was always a temptation to the Israelites.

In Scripture, washing the body and changing clothes symbolize making a new beginning. Like dirt, sin is defiling and must be washed away (, ; ; ; ). Our old garments typify the old life with its failures (), but God in His mercy gives us “new garments” so we can make a fresh beginning (; ; ; ; ). Before God gave the law at Mount Sinai, He ordered the people to wash and change clothes, for they were about to enter into a solemn covenant with Him ().

, The Israelite people eventually considered many places to be special because of what God had done for them there, places like Bethel, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem, the Jordan River, and Gilgal. Perhaps we have places that are especially meaningful to us because of spiritual experiences we have had there, but a “holy site” must never take the place of the Holy God. To visit a special location and try to recapture old blessings is to live in the past. Let’s ask God for new blessings and a new revelation of Himself!

, Jacob’s restoration was now complete. He was back in the place of God’s choosing; he had offered himself and his sacrifices to the Lord; the Lord had spoken to him; and the covenant promises had been reaffirmed. He had come from the house of Laban to the house of God, and though he still had much to learn about his walk with the Lord, Jacob was starting to be “Israel” and live like a prince instead of a pauper.

When Jacob’s beloved Rachel learned that she was pregnant, it must have given both of them great joy. She had borne Jacob only one son, Joseph (“adding”); and in naming him, she had expressed her desire for another son (). God answered her prayers and gave her a boy. Jacob now had twelve sons, the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

“Ben-Oni” means “son of my sorrow” or “son of my trouble,” not a very favorable name for a man to carry through life, reminding him that his birth had helped cause his mother’s death. Sorrow would overshadow his every birthday. But Jacob was always ready to rename something, so he called his new son “Benjamin,” which means “son of my right hand,” that is, a son to be honored.

, Were it not for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the town would be remembered primarily for the death of Rachel. Because He came, we have “tidings of great joy” instead of tears of sorrow. Matthew connected Jeremiah’s reference to Rachel with Herod’s murder of the innocent children in Bethlehem (). The birth of Jesus brought joy (“Benjamin”) and also sorrow (“Ben-Oni”).

Reuben’s sin involved much more than the satisfying of a lustful appetite. For a son to take a father’s wife in this manner was a disrespectful declaration that he was now the head of the family.

Those who teach that our dedication to the Lord automatically protects us from troubles and tears need to read this chapter carefully. Certainly God had forgiven Jacob, and certainly Jacob was walking with the Lord in faith and obedience. Nevertheless, he still had his share of trials. If we obey the Lord only for what we get out of it, and not because He is worthy of our love and obedience, then our hearts and motives are wrong. We become the kind of people Satan accused Job of being ().

Following the death of Isaac (, ), Moses recorded a long chapter summarizing the fate of Isaac’s older son, Esau. The account contains many names, but it’s the end of the story as far as Esau is concerned! The Edomites are named in the Old Testament only because they’re a part of the story of Israel. “Esau” and “Edom,” the avowed enemies of the Jews, are mentioned over 200 times in the Bible, but “Jacob” and “Israel” are found over 2,000 times! Esau’s son Eliphaz was the father of Amalek, and the Amalekites were also Israel’s enemies (; ; ; ).

The next chapter () takes up the story, not of Esau, but of Jacob! “This is the history of Jacob” (v. ) is the tenth occasion for a “generation” statement in Genesis, and it introduces the story of Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph. With all their weaknesses and faults, the sons of Jacob will carry on the work of God on earth and fulfill the covenant promises God made to Abraham.

, The history of Joseph can be read on at least three different levels. If we read it simply as literature, we discover a fascinating story involving a doting father, a pampered son, some jealous brothers, a conniving wife, and an international food crisis. It’s no wonder that for centuries creative artists have turned to this story for inspiration.

But is much more than a piece of dramatic literature, for when you penetrate deeper, you discover a story abounding with profound theological implications. The hand of God is evident in every scene, ruling and overruling the decisions people make, and in the end, God builds a hero, saves a family, and creates a nation that will bring blessing to the whole world. Behind this story is the heart of the covenant-making God, who always keeps His promises.

Joseph’s story is also one of the richest illustrations of Jesus Christ found in the Old Testament. Joseph is like Jesus in that he was beloved by his father and obedient to his will; hated and rejected by his own brothers and sold as a slave; falsely accused and unjustly punished; considered dead and gone; yet finally elevated from the place of suffering to a powerful throne, thus saving his people from death.

As a “preferred” son himself, perhaps it was natural for Jacob to have a favorite. Joseph was also the almost-grown son of Rachel, who had died. But Joseph displayed integrity from the start. He worked for his older half-brothers, but he was not like them. The sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali, and the sons of Zilpah were Gad and Asher, and Joseph apparently was their assistant or apprentice, learning how to care for the sheep. Nobody knew it at the time, but Joseph was destined for greater things; yet he got his start as a servant ().

We can’t be sure what the famous tunic (traditionally, “coat of many colors”) really looked like, but surely it was beautiful. Apart from verses and , the only other place this Hebrew word for “colors” is found in the Old Testament is in , describing the garment of a king’s virgin daughter. Joseph’s tunic reached to the ankles and had long sleeves. It was the rich garment of a ruler and not what the well-dressed shepherd needed out in the fields. His brothers’ feelings are understandable, though their reaction (as seen also in their actions in Shechem in ch. ) was excessive.

Joseph’s brothers responded to his preferred status with more than jealousy. Hatred is a terrible sin because it generates other sins: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (). “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now” (). Hatred in the heart is the moral equivalent of murder (). “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” ().

Envy causes inward pain when we see others succeed, and malice produces inward satisfaction when we see others fail. Envy and malice usually generate slander and unwarranted criticism, and when these two sins hide behind the veil of religious zeal and self-righteousness, the poison they produce is even more deadly.

In the Old Testament, you find a good number of divine communications through dreams, both to believers and unbelievers, but this doesn’t seem to be the norm for New Testament Christians today. God communicated through dreams when He directed Joseph, the husband of Mary (; , , ), and God directed Paul to take the gospel into Macedonia () in a night vision, but there is little evidence that God was establishing a pattern of divine guidance through dreams. In Joseph’s case, the dreams (like all of God’s communication) turned out to be exactly true.

Knowing that his sons hated Joseph, why did Jacob send him out to visit them alone and wearing the special garment that had aggravated them so much? One of Jacob’s trusted servants could have performed the same task faster (Joseph got lost) and perhaps just as efficiently. The answer is that the providential hand of God was working to accomplish His divine purposes for Jacob and his family, and ultimately for the whole world.

It’s difficult to understand how these men could sit down and calmly eat a meal while their brother was suffering and begging them to set him free (). However, hearts that have been hardened by hatred and poisoned by thoughts of murder aren’t likely to pay much attention to the cries of their victim. But then, think of what our Lord’s own nation did to him! All of us are potentially capable of doing what Joseph’s brothers did, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” ().

That “he who covers his sins will not prosper” () is God’s unchanging law, but people still think they can defy it and escape the consequences. Among Jacob’s sons, one sin led to another as the men fabricated the evidence that would deceive their father into thinking that Joseph was dead, killed by a wild beast. Jacob would have no problem identifying the special robe, and he would have no way to test the blood. As tragic and treacherous as this deception was, Jacob was reaping what he himself had sown. Years before, he had killed a kid in order to deceive his father (), and now his own sons were following in his footsteps.

Judah got himself into trouble when he separated himself from his brothers and started to make friends with the Canaanites in the land. Like Samson, he saw a woman he liked and took her to be his wife (v. ; ). Both Abraham and Isaac had been careful to see to it that their sons didn’t marry women of the land lest the “chosen seed” of Israel be polluted with idolatry and immorality (, ; ). Joseph’s brothers were doing things that their father disapproved of, but Joseph was still safer with them than with the people of the land. At least their presence reminded Joseph that he was a child of the covenant (see , ; ).

Jacob had used a garment to deceive his father Isaac (), and Judah and his brothers used a garment to deceive Jacob (). Now Tamar used a garment to deceive Judah!

The story of the patriarchs in Genesis reminds us of the grace of God and His sovereignty in human life. The men and women who played a part in this important drama weren’t perfect, and some of them were deliberately disobedient, and yet the Lord used them to accomplish His purposes. This doesn’t mean that God approved of their sins, because their sins were ultimately revealed and judged. But it does mean that God can take the weak things of this world and accomplish His purposes ().

Catalyst

One of the major purposes of Genesis is to record the origin and development of the family of Jacob, the founder of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Israelites went down to Egypt a large family, and four centuries later they came out of Egypt a large nation. Since the tribe of Judah is the royal tribe from which the Messiah would come (), anything related to Judah is vital to the story in Genesis. Without chapter , you’d wonder at finding Tamar and Perez in our Lord’s genealogy (). Perez was an ancestor of King David () and therefore an ancestor of Jesus Christ ().

But this chapter has some practical values as well. For one thing, it shows how dangerous it was for God’s people to be in the land with the Canaanites. There was always the temptation to live like your neighbors instead of like the people of God.

There’s also a dramatic contrast between Judah and Joseph. Joseph refused to compromise himself with Potiphar’s wife (), but Judah casually slept with a strange woman he thought was a prostitute. We also see the continued “harvest” in the family, because of deception. We reap what we sow.

Go to the

We last saw Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and transported to Egypt () for resale. Considered dead back home, he was very much alive and right where God wanted him. When he was at home in Hebron, Joseph’s brothers considered him to be a troublemaker, but in Egypt, he was a source of blessing because God was with him. God promised Abraham that his descendants would bring blessing to other nations (), and Joseph fulfilled that promise in Egypt. Like the blessed man described in , everything he did prospered (; see also ). The immediate circumstances in our lives are not always the best indicator of God’s blessings or guidance.

Joseph was well liked by the people in Potiphar’s house, and in pagan, idol-worshiping Egypt, Joseph was a testimony to the true and living God. He was an honest and faithful worker, and the people he lived with and worked with got the message. God took note of Joseph’s character and conduct and made him a blessing, and unknown to Joseph, God planned to fulfill the dreams He had sent him. “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men” ().

Had he stayed home with his pampering father, Joseph might not have developed the kind of character that comes from hard work and obeying orders. God’s method for building us is to give us a job to do and people to obey. He tests us as servants before He promotes us to being rulers (). Before He allows us to exercise authority, we have to be under authority and learn to obey.

No matter how much people talk about “love” and defend sex outside of marriage, the experience is wrong, cheap, and demeaning. Fornication and adultery change a pure river into a sewer and transform free people into slaves and then animals (; ). What begins as “sweetness” soon turns into poison (). Joseph wasn’t about to sacrifice either his purity or his integrity just to please his master’s wife.

It took a great deal of courage and determination for Joseph to fight this battle day after day, but he succeeded. He explained to her why he wouldn’t cooperate: (1) She was another man’s wife, and that man was his master; (2) he was trusted by his master and didn’t want to violate that trust; (3) even if nobody else found out about it, God would know it and be displeased. All she asked for was a moment of pleasure, but to Joseph, this was a great wickedness against God (v. ).

Self-control is an important factor in building character and preparing us for leadership. “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (). When there are no walls, anything can get in or come out. Joseph exercised self-control, but Samson used his body to gratify his own pleasures; Joseph ended up ruling on a throne, while Samson ended his life buried in a pile of rubble ().

God permitted Joseph to be treated unjustly and put in prison to help build his character and prepare him for the tasks that lay ahead. The prison would be a school where Joseph would learn to wait on the Lord until it was His time to vindicate him and fulfill his dreams. Joseph had time to think and pray and to ponder the meaning of the two dreams God had sent him. He would learn that God’s delays are not God’s denials. Meanwhile, Joseph found ways to be productive, responsible, and to live with integrity. Where we find ourselves should never be the ultimate guide for our actions.

God often removes our “crutches” so we’ll learn to walk by faith and trust Him alone. Two years after Joseph’s help, God would use that “butler” (cupbearer) to help deliver Joseph from prison. Thus Joseph’s request wasn’t wasted. During those two years of waiting, Joseph clung to the dreams God had given him, just the way you and I would cling to His promises. God had promised that people would bow down to Joseph, and he believed God’s promise. He didn’t know how God would accomplish it or when it would happen, but he knew that God was faithful.

As far as the Genesis record is concerned, there are only two instances of Joseph displaying unbelief, and this is the first one. (The second is in when Joseph tried to tell Jacob how to bless the two grandsons.) Knowing that the cupbearer would be released and have access to Pharaoh, Joseph asked him to speak a good word for him and get him out of the prison. Joseph was putting his trust in what a man could do instead of depending on what God could do. He was getting impatient instead of waiting for God’s time.

After his release and restoration, the cupbearer not only said nothing to Pharaoh about Joseph, but also he forgot Joseph completely! So much for turning to people for help instead of waiting on the Lord. “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. . . . Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever” (, , ). Try as we might, we are not going to succeed in changing God’s timetable.

Two years have passed, and Joseph is still working in the prison house, waiting for something to happen. But when things started to happen, events began to move quickly, for God’s time had come to activate His plans for Joseph. If any chapter in Genesis reveals the sovereignty of God, it’s this one. God’s timing in our lives may seem to move agonizingly slowly, but Joseph’s experience reminds us that God can bring about change at lightning speed!

We commend Joseph for his humility and desire to honor the true and living God (see also ; , ). He listened to Pharaoh describe his two dreams and then gave him the interpretation. It was a serious matter, for God had shown the ruler of Egypt what He planned to do for the next fourteen years, and Pharaoh was conscious of this fact. Now that he knew God’s plan, Pharaoh was obligated to do what God wanted him to do.

God moved Pharaoh to choose Joseph. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (). Joseph’s demeanor, his skill at interpreting dreams, and his wisdom in finding a solution to the problem of the famine all impressed Pharaoh and convinced him that Joseph was the man for the job. When God moves on our behalf, the people He uses will often surprise us.

Finally, along with the ring, robe, gold chain, new name, and chariot, Joseph was given a wife, the daughter of one of the priests of the sun god Ra. The priests in Egypt were a powerful caste, and having an Egyptian wife would strengthen Joseph’s relationship with the religious leaders in the land. It is not hard to believe that Joseph taught her about the true and living God so that she, like Ruth, abandoned her false gods and came “under the wings” of Jehovah, the God of Israel (; , ).

Joseph was now thirty years old. Over a period of thirteen years, God enabled Joseph to accomplish some wonderful things. He brought blessing to Potiphar’s house and to the people in the prison. He overcame temptation, and because of that, he endured false accusation and great injustice. Joseph was a man of faith who expected God to work, and he was ready and obedient when the call came. But there was one more achievement that in some ways was greatest of all: He was enabled by God’s grace to wipe out the pains and bad memories of the past and make a new beginning.

It’s a wonderful thing when we can come through times of trial with the kind of attitude Joseph had, burying past hurts and rejoicing in present blessings, being “forgetful” and “fruitful” at the same time. What a tragedy when people remember the painful things others have done to them, and all their lives carry bitterness that robs them of peace and joy. Just as Joseph laid aside his prison clothes and made a new beginning, so we frequently need to “take off” the old hurts and put on a new attitude of faith and love (; ).

Joseph’s conduct as a servant, prisoner, and official was exemplary, but the way he dealt with his brothers and brought them to repentance was a masterpiece of spiritual insight, patience, and love.

, After the promised seven years of plenty, the years of famine came upon the Middle-Eastern world, but thanks to Joseph, there was abundant grain in Egypt. God had sent Joseph ahead (; ) to preserve his family so that one day the nation Israel could give the world Jesus Christ, the “Bread of Life” ().

The trip to Egypt was long (250–300 miles) and dangerous, and a round trip could consume six weeks’ time. Even after arriving in Egypt, the men couldn’t be certain of a friendly reception. As “foreigners” from Canaan, they would be very vulnerable and could even be arrested and enslaved. If that happened to Jacob’s sons, who would care for their families and their aged father?

Perhaps, too, the memory of selling their innocent brother to traders going down to Egypt haunted Jacob’s sons. The brothers had done that evil deed well over twenty years ago and by now were convinced that Joseph was dead (v. ), but they hadn’t forgotten the scene (vv. ). Conscience has a way of digging up the past and arousing doubts and fears within us.

As second ruler of the land, Joseph certainly didn’t participate in each individual grain transaction because he had many important things to do. Furthermore, the food supply was stored in several cities (), and Joseph had commissioners assisting him (). No doubt he provided for the resident Egyptians in a routine manner, while the foreigners had to be screened carefully lest they had plans for invading the land (, ). In the providence of God, Joseph was on hand when his ten brothers arrived to buy grain, and he recognized them.

It must have been difficult for Joseph to control his emotions as he spoke harshly to his brothers, because his natural desire would have been to speak to them in Hebrew and reveal who he was. But that would have ruined everything, for he knew that all eleven brothers had to bow before him. This meant that Benjamin would have to come with them on their next trip. Furthermore, Joseph’s brothers had to be forced to face their sins and come to a place of honest confession, and that would take time.

Why did Joseph select Simeon to be the hostage when Reuben was the firstborn? Probably because he appreciated Reuben’s attempt to rescue him from his brothers, and Simeon was Jacob’s number two son. Simeon was also known to be a cruel man (; ), and perhaps Joseph hoped to teach him a lesson. We don’t know how many family secrets Jacob shared with his favorite son Joseph or what part they played in this decision. tells us: “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.” Joseph was certainly kind to his brothers in spite of the severity of his speech and some of his actions, and what he did was for their good. His motivation was love and his purpose was to bring them to repentance and reconciliation. We need to remember this the next time we think God is treating us unjustly.

Week by week, the family watched their food supply diminish, but knowing their father’s feelings, none of the sons dared to bring up the subject of a second trip to Egypt. The tension in the home must have been unbearable, especially for Benjamin. While Jacob was protecting his preferred son, who was voicing concern for Simeon in Egypt and his family in Canaan? Unwilling to face reality, Jacob was living in a private dream world and making others suffer.

Judah reminded his father that they couldn’t return to Egypt without taking Benjamin along. Jacob tried to put the blame on the boys for even mentioning their youngest brother, again trying to make them feel guilty because of his sorrows. “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me?” (v. ).

Judah wisely sidestepped debating with his father concerning issues that had come up before about matters that couldn’t be changed. Judah offered to become surety for Benjamin to guarantee his safe return home. This generous offer indicates that Judah had experienced a change of heart since the sale of Joseph (, ). Perhaps his experience with Tamar had taught him some lessons (ch. ). Judah made it clear that this was a matter of life and death (, ) and even reminded Jacob of his own words ().

There’s a difference between surrendering to God’s loving providence and bowing to blind fate, and Jacob’s statements show where he stood. “If it must be so . . . . If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!” (vv. , ). This kind of response certainly doesn’t sound like the Jacob of Bethel who claimed the promises of God and had angels caring for him! Nor is it the Jacob who led his family back to Bethel for a new beginning with the Lord. His feelings of grief and despair had almost extinguished his faith.

Jacob sent his sons off with his blessing (v. ), asking that El-Shaddai (God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One) change the heart of “the man” so he would show mercy by releasing Simeon and not hurting Benjamin. But his final statement didn’t give evidence of much faith or hope: “If I am bereaved [of Joseph, Benjamin, and Simeon], I am bereaved!” Perhaps he wanted those pathetic words to echo in his sons’ minds as they journeyed to Egypt.

Seeing his own full brother Benjamin caused Joseph to weep (v. ), so he left the room until he could get control of himself. Joseph’s sensitive heart was a miracle of God’s grace. For years, dead Egyptian idols and the futile worship given to them had surrounded Joseph, yet he had maintained his faith in God, and his heart was tender toward his own people. He could have hardened his heart by nursing grudges, but he preferred to forgive and leave the past with God ().

, This was a time of transition as the brothers moved from fear to peace, for punishment because of the money was no longer an issue; from bondage to freedom, for Simeon had been released; and from anxiety to joy, for Benjamin was not in danger. So Joseph’s brothers ate and drank as if there were no famine in the land, and they rejoiced at the generosity of the ruler at the head table. However, this was a false and transient joy, because the brothers had not yet dealt with their sins. It’s one thing to be relieved and quite something else to be forgiven and reconciled. They needed to ask Joseph’s forgiveness for the way they had abused him, and they owed their father an apology for deceiving him and grieving his heart.

To experience false joy and peace is a perilous thing, and to think that we’re right with God because life is easier and problems less threatening is to court disaster. As it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot, so shall it be in the day when Jesus returns (). People will be self-confident as they carry on their daily activities and cultivate their sins, but judgment will fall, and there will be no escape. Anything short of humble repentance and confession will not bring about reconciliation with God or with one another. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (). Like the wealthy farmer in Christ’s parable, people have false confidence because they think everything is secure for years to come, only to discover that they have left God out of their lives ().

For twenty-two years, Joseph’s brothers had carefully covered their sins. They hadn’t told the truth and apparently had reaped no serious consequences. Furthermore, they weren’t afraid of being exposed, because the only person who could witness against them was Joseph, and they were sure he was dead (v. ). But the truth had to come out, both for their good and the success of God’s plan of salvation for the world.

When the eleven brothers left Joseph’s house, they had every reason to be joyful. They hadn’t been arrested for stealing the grain money, Simeon had been released, Benjamin was safely traveling with them, and they were going home at last.

But their joy was only a mirage. Authentic joy and peace can never be based on lies; they must be founded on truth. To build on lies is to build on the sand and invite certain judgment. Apart from righteousness, there can be no real peace, but only a fragile truce that eventually erupts into war. “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (). God’s way may be narrower and harder, but it leads to peace.

The phrase “Judah and his brothers” alerts us that Judah was now the spokesman for the family. True, it was Judah who suggested they sell Joseph (, ), and it was Judah who unwittingly committed incest with his daughter-in-law (ch. ), but by the grace of God, people can change and make new beginnings. Let’s remember Judah for his courageous and compassionate speech and not for his foolish sins.

In his opening words, Judah made it clear that he wouldn’t even try to defend himself and his brothers, for what could he say? It’s when guilty sinners’ mouths are shut and they stop defending themselves that God can show them mercy (). The words “God is punishing us for our sins” don’t refer only to the discovery of the grain money or to the silver cup. The statement also refers to their hidden sins, the way they had treated Joseph and their father years before. On their first visit to Egypt, they had expressed this feeling of guilt and had moved Joseph to tears ().

This poignant speech certainly revealed Judah’s concern for both his aged father and his youngest brother. In fact, Judah almost begged to become Joseph’s slave! “Please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord” (). It was indeed a new Judah who stood before Joseph, a man whom Joseph knew could be trusted. The time had now come for Joseph to reveal himself to his brothers.

We need to remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the Surety for those who have trusted Him (). He has assumed the responsibility for us to make sure that we will come to the Father (). Jesus is bringing “many sons to glory” (), and He will see to it that each of them arrives safely. Judah was willing to take Benjamin’s place and separate himself from his father, but Jesus actually took our place and died for us on the cross, crying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (). He is our Surety and He cannot fail.

Since this was an official meeting, other Egyptian officers were present, but now that he was about to settle a long-standing family matter, Joseph wanted his brothers all to himself. His interpreter, and perhaps other officials present, would understand their conversation in Hebrew, and everybody would be able to witness the brothers’ tears and expressions of love. It was time for family privacy.

Since Joseph could see his brothers’ mixed responses of fear and bewilderment, he encouraged them with words that came from a loving and forgiving heart. Yes, they had done wrong and were guilty, yet he told them not to dwell on their sins but on what God had done for all of them. God overruled the brothers’ hateful attitude and cruel actions and worked it all out for good. (See Joseph’s words in , which is the Old Testament version of .) His brothers were responsible for Joseph’s sufferings, but God used them to accomplish His divine purposes.

Catalyst

The story of Joseph and his brothers encourages us to recognize the sovereignty of God in the affairs of life and to trust His promises no matter how dark the day may be. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand” (). God sent Joseph to Egypt so that Jacob’s family could be preserved and the nation of Israel be born and ultimately give the Word of God and the Savior to the world. Without realizing it, Joseph’s brothers were helping the Lord fulfill His covenant with Abraham ().

Reconciliation was possible only because Joseph had suffered and triumphed, and it’s a beautiful picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for sinners in His death on the cross and His resurrection. Like Jesus, Joseph went from suffering to glory, from the prison to the throne, and was able to share his wealth and glory with others. In his defense before the Jewish council, Stephen took pains to point out that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers “the second time” (). This too is a picture of Christ’s experience with His own people Israel: They rejected Him when He came the first time (; ), but they will recognize Him and receive Him when He comes the second time, and they will weep and repent ().

Go to the

“After that his brothers talked with him” is a simple sentence that speaks volumes in what it doesn’t report. When Joseph was a teenager at home, his brothers so hated him that they couldn’t even speak to him (), but now that they’ve been reconciled and forgiven, communication is possible. We have every reason to believe that they apologized for the way they treated him, and certainly they updated Joseph on the family news, especially news about their father. The reconciliation of estranged brothers and sisters ought to lead to restored fellowship and joyful communion ().

Knowing human nature in general and his brothers in particular, Joseph gave them one final admonition: “Do not become troubled along the way.” During their first meeting with Joseph, Reuben had already expressed the Hebrew equivalent of “I told you so” (, ), and Joseph didn’t want that to happen again. The matter had been settled once and for all and there was no need to discuss it or to try to fix the blame or measure the guilt. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” ().

“Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them” literally means his heart “grew cold” or “grew numb.” He almost had a heart attack! The news was too good to believe, but he couldn’t deny the presence of the carts that Joseph had sent and the extra animals to carry the burdens and draw the carts. His spirit revived as he contemplated seeing Joseph and having his united family around him until he died. He was 130 years old when he went to Egypt () and died at 147 (), which means he had seventeen years in which to enjoy the family, especially Joseph and the two grandchildren he had never seen before.

The sovereign God had overruled the plots of sinners and accomplished His will for Jacob, Joseph, and his brothers. For the next four centuries, the Israelites would be in Egypt, first as honored guests and then as suffering slaves, but through it all, God would mold them into the nation they needed to be in order to do what He wanted them to do.

Jacob and his family left Hebron () and traveled for about a week until they came to Beersheba, the southernmost town in Canaan (, ). Beersheba was a very special place to Jacob, for there Abraham had dug a well () and there Abraham lived after offering Isaac on Mount Moriah (). Isaac had also lived at Beersheba (, , ), and it was from the home in Beersheba that Jacob left for Laban’s house to find a wife. At Beersheba, God had appeared to Hagar () and to Isaac (, ), and now he would appear to Jacob.

The Lord came to Jacob at night and assured him that it was safe for him and his family to relocate. “Jacob, Jacob!” reminds us of “Abraham, Abraham” (), “Samuel, Samuel” (), “Martha, Martha” (see ), and “Saul, Saul” (). It’s encouraging to know that the Lord knows our names and our personal needs (, , ).

God would go with Jacob to Egypt and be with him to bless him, just as he had been with Joseph and blessed him (, ). Although Jacob would die in Egypt, God promised that both he and eventually his family-turned-nation would return to the Promised Land. Jacob had nothing to fear, because the Lord would keep the promises He had made to him at Bethel ().

In typical Semitic fashion, the males are named in this list but not the females, except for Jacob’s daughter Dinah (v. ). “Daughters” in verse might refer to daughters-in-law, since we know of no other daughters born to Jacob. It must have encouraged Jacob to see how God had multiplied his descendants, protected them, provided for them, and kept them together for this important move. Some of the family may not have realized it, but they were a very special people to the Lord because He had important work for them to do in the years ahead. That little band of migrants would eventually bring blessing to the whole world ().

That Jacob chose Judah to scout a location in which the family could settle indicates that he trusted his son, which suggests that the men had told their father everything and were in his good graces again. Now Jacob could see the hand of God in all that had happened. In spite of his past failures, Judah now proved himself faithful, and his descendants were eventually named the royal tribe ().

Joseph was careful to brief his family on what it meant to be a shepherd in Egypt (see , ). The fact that Jacob’s sons had brought their flocks and herds along indicated clearly that they were planning to stay in Egypt and continue their occupation. Knowing that the Egyptians were prejudiced against shepherds, Joseph’s emphasis was on the herds of cattle and not the flocks of sheep. However, they didn’t lie about their occupation but were honest and aboveboard in all their dealings with Pharaoh.

We can’t help but admire Joseph in the way he handled the relocation of his family and their presentation to Pharaoh. He was surely a gifted administrator. In a land devoted to the worship of numerous gods and goddesses, it was important that Joseph’s family bear witness by their conduct to the true and living God. Peter called this “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” ().

By the time the famine ended and farming could begin again, Pharaoh possessed all the money in Egypt and owned all the people and all their property, except the land of the priests, and the farmers had to pay a fifth of the harvest to Pharaoh as an annual tax. Not only had Joseph saved the nation from starvation, but also he had set up an economic system that enabled Pharaoh to control everything.

Pharaoh was a pagan ruler who worshiped a multitude of false gods, and yet the Lord worked in his heart and used him to care for Jacob and his family (). Too many Christian believers today think that God can use only His own people in places of authority, but He can work His will even through unbelieving leaders like Pharaoh, Cyrus (.; ), Nebuchadnezzar (; ), and Augustus Caesar (.).

Jacob’s desire was that his funeral would be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshiping Egyptian but a believer in the true and living God. When you stop to think that your funeral and burial are the last public testimonies you will ever give, it makes you want to plan carefully. Making your last will and testament is important, but don’t neglect your last witness and testimony.

Let’s follow the example of Jacob and carefully plan our funeral to the glory of God. Joseph not only promised to fulfill his father’s wishes, but later he also asked his brothers to make the same promise to him that he made to their father ().

For the fifth time in the Book of Genesis, we meet a reversal of the birth order. God had chosen Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau; and Joseph, not Reuben; and now He would choose Ephraim over Manasseh. Joseph was upset with what his father did and tried to change his hands, but Jacob was guided by God and knew what he was doing. (This is the only recorded instance of Joseph being displeased with his father or anybody else.)

, When Jacob spoke his will and shared his wealth among his children, Joseph received an unexpected gift that day: a piece of land that Jacob had taken in battle from the Amorites. This is the only evidence we have that Jacob was an accomplished warrior. This victory may have occurred during the painful Shechem affair (). This location appears in the New Testament when Jesus met the woman of Sychar there and led her to saving faith (). Being now the firstborn, Joseph was eligible for a double portion of the blessing (), and indicates that in the future kingdom, Joseph will have two portions of land.

Jacob’s last words are a revelation of human character and conduct as well as of divine purposes. Three of the sons learned that their past conduct had cost them their future inheritance (vv. ), for we always reap what we sow. But something else was true: Jacob’s prophetic words must have given great encouragement to his descendants during their difficult time of suffering in Egypt, as well as during their unhappy years wandering in the wilderness. Jacob assured each tribe of a future place in the Promised Land, and that meant a great deal to them.

In Jacob’s “last witness and testimony” we see a beautiful revelation of the gracious Lord who had cared for His servant for so many years. There’s also a revelation of the Messiah, who had been promised to Jacob’s people. In these words of Jacob, you meet Shiloh (v. ), salvation (Yeshua, v. ), the Mighty God, the Shepherd, and the Stone of Israel (v. ), and the Almighty (v. ), all of which point to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As Genesis draws to a close, Jacob gathers his sons for his final words of instruction and blessing. He addresses each of his sons with perceptive and prophetic comments. He foreshadows the way in which his sons will together form the nation that will bear the special name God had given him—Israel.

Jacob’s family, the future Israel

• Leah’s sons

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Zebulun

Isaachar

• Bilhah’s sons

Dan

Naphtali

• Zilpah’s sons

Gad

Asher

• Rachel’s sons

Joseph

Ephraim (half-tribe)

Manasseh (half-tribe)

Benjamin

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, Jacob spoke directly to Reuben, his eldest son, but what he had to say wasn’t very complimentary. An old sin he’d committed finally caught up with Reuben (; ), and he lost his privileges as the firstborn son. Jacob gave that blessing to Joseph and his two sons (, ). As Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben should have been a strong man with dignity, who brought honor to his father and family, but he turned out to be a weak man who disgraced his family by defiling his father’s bed.

Catalyst

Jacob had nothing more to say. So he drew himself into the bed, lay down, and went to sleep with his sons standing around him and his God waiting for him. He left behind the nucleus of a great nation and the testimony of what a great God can do with an imperfect man who sought to live by faith. He exchanged his nomadic tent for a home in the heavenly city ().

When old people die, those who love them feel the loss deeply. The longer you have someone in your life that you really love, the deeper the roots go into your heart and the more wrenching is the experience of having those roots pulled up. Yes, grief is a normal part of life, and believers don’t grieve “like people who have no hope” (). But death is still an enemy, and when he slinks in and robs us of someone dear, we feel the pain for a long time.

Jacob had prepared both himself and his family for his death, and this is a good example for us to follow. He had privately instructed Joseph concerning his burial () and then had repeated the instructions to all the sons publicly (). There could be no disagreements about the matter, because everything had been settled in advance. It’s strange how many people insist on detailed preparation for a vacation or a business trip but ignore making careful preparation for the last and most important journey of all. Jacob told his sons where he wanted to be buried, and he put Joseph in charge of carrying out his wishes. Previous instruction plus a dependable person in charge kept everything running smoothly.

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Jacob paraded the sins of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, but he said nothing about Judah’s suggestion that the brothers sell Joseph as a slave (, ). Jacob realized now that what Judah did at least saved Joseph’s life and got him to Egypt, where God had a work for him to do. Jacob also said nothing about Judah’s sin with Tamar (ch. ). When Jacob and the family moved to Egypt, it was Judah whom Jacob sent ahead to make things ready (). Judah had made some mistakes, but he had also made some things right with his father and his family, and that was the difference between him and his three elder brothers.

Of Leah’s six sons, three lost God’s best blessings because of their sins: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. They remind us that purity and self-control are essential to godly character. Zebulun and Issachar were “everyday people” whose tribes served others but weren’t especially known for their exploits. We need farmers and merchants if the machinery of life is to run smoothly. Finally, only one son—Judah—was preeminent among his brothers, the royal tribe that conquered enemies and produced kings, including the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

The exclamation “I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!” suggests that Jacob was in communion with the Lord while he was speaking to his sons. Was he asking God for special strength to finish what he had to say? Or was he announcing that the Lord would soon call him into eternity? The word translated “salvation” is yeshua, which gives us the name Joshua, “Jehovah is salvation.” The Greek form is “Jesus.”

Jacob used the word “bless” at least six times in this speech to and about Joseph. He compared Joseph to a fruitful bough (or bough of a fruit tree), drawing water from a well () and growing over the wall. It was Joseph who was taken from home and lived in Egypt, and the word “fruitful” points to his son Ephraim (), founder of a tribe that grew greatly and expanded its territory (). Neither Joseph nor his sons could be hemmed in!

Jacob had already referred to the Lord as “the God who has fed me [shepherded me; looked after me]” (). Since Jacob himself was a shepherd, he knew what was involved in caring for sheep. The concept of God as the Shepherd is found often in Scripture (.; ; ; ; ) and culminates in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep ().

The Stone [Rock] is another familiar image of the God of Israel (, , , ; ; ) and also points to Christ (; ; ; ; ). When you think of a stone, you think of strength, stability, and security; and God provided all of that and more to Jacob during his difficult earthly pilgrimage.

, God had blessed Abraham richly (), and Abraham had shared his wealth with Isaac (), who in turn gave it to Jacob. But Jacob’s hard work had generated even more wealth. Thus, from generation to generation, the wealth increased because of the blessing of the Lord, like filling the land up to the very mountains. But the number of heirs had also increased, and now there were twelve sons. But Joseph was the firstborn, and his two sons would share the inheritance of their father.

Jacob may not have had much to say about Benjamin. But Moses called this tribe “beloved of the LORD” () and promised them constant protection from God. In fact, the phrase is literally “dwells between His shoulders,” which suggests either being carried on His back or over His heart. When the nation divided after Solomon’s death, the tribe of Benjamin remained faithful to the Davidic line and stayed with Judah. Together they formed the southern kingdom of Judah.

Jacob’s long and difficult life was over. He had made his last journey, given his last blessing, and shared his last request. His work was done, and he breathed his last and died. With only his staff, he had crossed over Jordan many years before; and now he had his staff with him () as he crossed to the other side. He was a pilgrim to the very end. How will your life give evidence of God’s faithfulness throughout your journey on earth?

, As an adviser to Pharaoh, Joseph had to get permission to leave the country, and he also had to assure Pharaoh that he and his family would return. In quoting his father’s words (v. ), Joseph was careful not to mention that Jacob specifically requested not to be buried in Egypt (, ).

The period of mourning at Canaan made a great impression on the local residents. Joseph selected a threshing floor for the week-long observance, because threshing floors were outside the city, elevated, and offered a large clear space for many people to gather at one time.

When death invades a family, and you’ve done all you can to honor the deceased and comfort the sorrowing, there comes a time when you have to return to life with its duties. This doesn’t mean we forget the deceased, but it does mean that we put our grief into perspective and get back to the business of living. After all, the best way to honor the dead is to take care of the living.

After all that Joseph had done to encourage them, it was cruel of his brothers to say, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” (We often suspect in others what we would do ourselves if we had the opportunity!) When you doubt God’s Word, you soon begin to question God’s love, and then you give up all hope for the future, because faith, hope, and love go together. But it all begins with faith: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” ().

What the brothers should have done was to sit down and calmly review all that Joseph had said to them and done for them. In many tangible ways, Joseph had demonstrated his love and forgiveness and had given them every reason to believe that their past sins were over and forgotten. They really had nothing to fear.

Joseph didn’t minimize their sins, for he said, “you meant evil against me.” He knew that there had been evil in their hearts, but he also knew that God had overruled their evil deeds to accomplish His good purposes. This reminds us of what happened on the cross. Peter said, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (, ). Out of the greatest sin ever committed by humankind, God brought the greatest blessing that ever came to humankind.

As God’s children through faith in Christ, let’s rejoice that our sins are forgiven and forgotten, buried in the depths of the sea (), cast behind God’s back (), blotted out and remembered no more (; ; ; ). Let’s believe what God says! The old life has been buried and we can walk in newness of life (; ).

, “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones” (). God’s promises to Abraham () were passed along to Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob shared them with Joseph (). Faith isn’t a shallow emotion that we work up by ourselves, or an optimistic “hope-so” attitude of “faith in faith.” True faith is grounded on the infallible Word of God, and because God said it, we believe it and act upon it.

Joseph’s coffin in Egypt was a constant reminder to the Jewish people to have faith in God. When their situation changed in Egypt and the Israelites found themselves slaves instead of resident aliens (.), they could look at Joseph’s temporary burial place and be encouraged. During their wilderness wanderings, as they carried Joseph’s remains from place to place, he ministered to them and urged them to trust God and never give up.

is the record of four key events:

Creation

The Fall

The Flood

The judgment at Babel

is the record of the lives of four key men:

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

Joseph

Go to the

Genesis 1

1:1 []

1:1

1:2

1:2 ,

1:2 Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

1:3 ,

1:3

1:3 []

1:5 ; ; ; ;

1:6

1:7

1:9

1:9 , ; ;

1:11

1:14 ;

1:14

1:16

1:17

1:18

1:21

1:22

1:26 []

1:26

1:26 Syriac reads all the wild animals of.

1:27

1:28 ,

1:28

1:29

1:30

1:31 []

Genesis 2

2:1

2:2 ;

2:3 []

2:4

2:4 Hebrew toledoth, literally generations

2:5 ,

2:5

2:7 ,

2:7

2:8

2:8 ,

2:8

2:9

2:9 []

2:11

2:12

2:14

2:14 Or Tigris

2:17 , , ,

2:17 ,

2:17

2:18 ,

2:19 ,

2:19

2:21

2:22

2:23

2:23 ,

2:24

2:25 ,

2:25

Genesis 3

3:1

3:2 ,

3:3 ,

3:4 []

3:6

3:7

3:8

3:10

3:12 []

3:13

3:14

3:15

3:16

3:17

3:18

3:19

3:19 ;

3:19

3:20

3:23 ;

3:24 ,

3:24

Genesis 4

4:2 ,

4:3

4:4

4:8 []

4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate add “Let us go out to the field.”

4:9

4:10

4:11

4:14

4:14 , ,

4:15

4:15 ,

4:15 Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read Not so.

4:16 ;

4:16

4:17

4:19 ;

4:24

4:25

4:26

4:26 Greek Enos

Genesis 5

5:1 ;

5:2

5:2 ;

5:3 ,

5:3

5:4

5:4 ;

5:5 []

5:6

5:9 Hebrew Qenan

5:18 ,

5:22 ; ; ;

5:24

5:29

5:29 ;

5:32 ;

5:32

Genesis 6

6:1

6:2 ,

6:3 [, ]

6:3

6:3 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read abide.

6:4 ,

6:5

6:5 Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Vulgate reads God; Septuagint reads LORD God.

6:6 ,

6:6

6:7 ,

6:8

6:9

6:9 ,

6:10 ;

6:11

6:12 ; ,

6:12

6:13

6:17

6:18 ;

6:18 , ,

6:19 , , ,

6:20 ,

6:22 ; ,

6:22 , ,

6:22 []

Genesis 7

7:1

7:2

7:4

7:4 ,

7:5

7:6 ,

7:7

7:11

7:12 ,

7:14

7:15 , ;

7:16 ,

7:17 , ;

7:18

7:21 , , ;

7:22

7:22 Septuagint and Vulgate omit of the spirit.

7:23

7:24 ,

Genesis 8

8:1

8:1 ;

8:2

8:3

8:6

8:16

8:17 , ; ,

8:20

8:21 ,

8:21 ; , ,

8:21 ;

8:21 ,

8:22

8:22 ,

Genesis 9

9:1 , ; ; , ;

9:1 Compare

9:2

9:3 ; , ,

9:3 ,

9:3

9:4 ,

9:5

9:5 ,

9:5

9:6

9:6 ,

9:7 ,

9:9

9:9 Literally seed

9:10

9:11

9:12 , ;

9:13

9:15 ,

9:16 ,

9:18 ;

9:19

9:20 , ;

9:21

9:23

9:25

9:26 ;

9:27 ;

9:27 , ;

Genesis 10

10:1 , ,

10:2

10:3 Spelled Diphath in

10:4 Spelled Rodanim in Samaritan Pentateuch and

10:5

10:6

10:6 Or Phut

10:8

10:9

10:10

10:11

10:14

10:15

10:16 ;

10:19

10:22

10:23 Called Meshech in Septuagint and

10:24

10:24 Following Masoretic Text, Vulgate, and Targum; Septuagint reads Arphaxad begot Cainan, and Cainan begot Salah (compare , ).

10:25

10:28 Spelled Ebal in

10:32

10:32 ;

Genesis 11

11:2 ;

11:4 ;

11:4

11:5

11:6

11:7

11:8 []

11:8 ,

11:9

11:10

11:12

11:16

11:20

11:24

11:26

11:27 ;

11:29 ;

11:29 , ;

11:30 ,

11:31

Genesis 12

12:1 ,

12:1

12:2

12:2 ;

12:2

12:3

12:3 ; []

12:3

12:5

12:6

12:6 ,

12:6 Hebrew Alon Moreh

12:7 ;

12:7 ; ; ; ;

12:7 , ;

12:8 ; ;

12:9 , ; ;

12:9 Hebrew Negev

12:10

12:11 ; ;

12:12 ;

12:13 ;

12:13

12:13 Literally my soul

12:16

12:17

12:18 , ;

12:20 []

Genesis 13

13:1 ; ,

13:1

13:1 Hebrew Negev

13:2 ;

13:3 ,

13:4 , ;

13:4

13:6

13:7

13:7 ; ,

13:8

13:9 ;

13:9 ,

13:9 []

13:10

13:10 ,

13:10

13:12 , ,

13:12 ;

13:13 ,

13:13 ;

13:14

13:15

13:15 Literally seed, and so throughout the book

13:16

13:18

13:18 ;

13:18 ; ,

13:18 Hebrew Alon Mamre

Genesis 14

14:1 ;

14:1 Hebrew goyim

14:2

14:2 ;

14:3

14:4

14:5

14:6 ,

14:7

14:9 Hebrew goyim

14:10

14:10 ,

14:11 ,

14:12 ;

14:12

14:13 ;

14:13

14:13 ; ,

14:13 Hebrew Alon Mamre

14:14

14:14 ;

14:14 ; ;

14:14

14:15 ,

14:16

14:17

14:18

14:19

14:20

14:22 , ,

14:22

14:23

Genesis 15

15:1

15:1 ;

15:1

15:2

15:3

15:4

15:5

15:6 , ,

15:6 ;

15:7

15:7 ,

15:8

15:10

15:12 ;

15:13

15:14

15:15

15:15 ;

15:15

15:16

15:17 ,

15:18

15:18 ;

Genesis 16

16:1 ; ,

16:1 ;

16:1

16:2

16:2 ,

16:2

16:3 ,

16:4 [, ]

16:5

16:6

16:7 , ; , ;

16:7 ;

16:7

16:9 []

16:10

16:11 ,

16:12

16:13

16:14

16:14 Literally Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me

16:15

Genesis 17

17:1 ;

17:1

17:2

17:2 ; ; ;

17:4 [, , ]

17:5

17:6 ;

17:6

17:7 []

17:7 ;

17:8

17:8 ;

17:8

17:9

17:10

17:11 ,

17:12

17:14

17:16

17:16 ;

17:17 ; ;

17:18

17:19 ; ; []

17:19

17:20

17:20 ,

17:21

17:27

Genesis 18

18:1 ;

18:1 Hebrew Alon Mamre

18:2

18:4 ; ;

18:5 , ; ,

18:5

18:5 ;

18:8

18:9

18:10

18:11

18:11 Literally the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah

18:12

18:14

18:14 ;

18:16

18:17

18:18 [, ; ]

18:19 [, ; , ]

18:20 ;

18:20

18:21

18:21 ;

18:22 ;

18:23 []

18:23

18:25 ,

18:25 , ;

18:26

18:27 []

18:32

Genesis 19

19:1 , ,

19:1

19:2 []

19:2 ;

19:2

19:3

19:5

19:6

19:8

19:9 ,

19:9

19:11 ,

19:12 ,

19:13

19:14

19:14 , , ,

19:14

19:15

19:16

19:17

19:17 Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read they.

19:18

19:21 ,

19:22

19:22 ;

19:24

19:25

19:26

19:27

19:28 ;

19:29 ;

19:30 ,

19:31 , ; ,

19:32 []

19:37

19:38

Genesis 20

20:1

20:1 ; ,

20:1 ,

20:2 ;

20:2

20:3

20:4

20:5

20:6 ,

20:6

20:7

20:7 ,

20:9 ;

20:9

20:11

20:11 ;

20:12

20:13 ,

20:13 ;

20:14

20:15 ; ;

20:16

20:16 Literally it is a covering of the eyes for you

20:17

20:18

Genesis 21

21:1

21:1 [, ]

21:2 ,

21:2 ; ,

21:3 ,

21:4

21:4 ,

21:5 ,

21:6

21:7 ,

21:9 , ,

21:9 []

21:10 ;

21:11

21:12 ; ; [, ];

21:13 ; ; ;

21:14

21:17

21:18 ; ;

21:19

21:20 ; , ,

21:20

21:21

21:22 , ;

21:22

21:23

21:25 , ,

21:27 ;

21:29

21:30 ,

21:31 ;

21:31 Literally Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven

21:33 ; ; ;

21:33 ;

Genesis 22

22:1

22:2 ,

22:2

22:2 ;

22:5 []

22:5 Or young man

22:6

22:8 ,

22:8

22:9 []

22:11 ; , ;

22:12

22:12 ,

22:14 Hebrew YHWH Yireh

22:16

22:17 ; ,

22:17 ;

22:17

22:18 ; ; ; [, ]; , , ,

22:18 ; , ;

22:19

22:20 ;

22:21

22:23

22:23 Spelled Rebecca in

Genesis 23

23:2 ; ;

23:2 ;

23:3 ;

23:4 []

23:4 ,

23:6 ; ;

23:9

23:10 ; ,

23:11

23:15

23:16 ,

23:17 ; ;

23:20 ,

Genesis 24

24:1 ;

24:1 ; ;

24:2

24:2 ;

24:2

24:3 ,

24:3

24:4

24:7 ;

24:7 ; ; ;

24:7 , ;

24:7 Literally seed

24:8

24:10 ,

24:10 , ; ; ;

24:11

24:12 ,

24:12

24:13

24:14 ,

24:15

24:15 ;

24:15 ,

24:16 ; ;

24:18 [, ]

24:21 , ,

24:22 ,

24:24 ;

24:26

24:27

24:27 ,

24:29 ,

24:31

24:32

24:33

24:35 ;

24:36

24:36 ;

24:37

24:38

24:39

24:40

24:40 , ;

24:41

24:42

24:43

24:45

24:48 ,

24:48 ;

24:49

24:50

24:50 ,

24:51

24:52 ,

24:53 ; ;

24:53

24:54 , ;

24:59

24:60

24:60 ;

24:62 ;

24:63

24:64

24:67 ;

24:67 , ;

Genesis 25

25:1 ,

25:2 ,

25:5 ,

25:6

25:8 ; ,

25:8 ; ; ,

25:9 ;

25:9 , ;

25:10

25:11

25:12 , ;

25:13

25:15 Masoretic Text reads Hadad.

25:16

25:17 ;

25:18

25:19 ,

25:19

25:20 ; , ,

25:20

25:21

25:22 ; ;

25:23 , ;

25:23

25:25 , ,

25:25 Literally Hairy

25:26

25:26 Literally Supplanter

25:27 ,

25:27

25:28 , , ,

25:28

25:30 Literally Red

25:32 ,

25:33

25:34

25:34 ,

Genesis 26

26:1

26:1 ,

26:2 ; ; ;

26:2

26:3

26:3 ,

26:3

26:3 ; ;

26:3

26:4 ;

26:4 ; ;

26:5 ,

26:7 ; , ,

26:7

26:7 ; ;

26:10

26:11

26:12 ,

26:12 ; , ;

26:13 []

26:14

26:15 ,

26:16

26:18

26:20

26:20 Literally Quarrel

26:21 Literally Enmity

26:22 ; ;

26:22 Literally Spaciousness

26:24

26:24 , ;

26:24

26:24 ,

26:25 , ; , ; ;

26:25

26:26

26:27

26:28 ,

26:29

26:30

26:31

26:33 ;

26:33 Literally Oath or Seven

26:33 Literally Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven

26:34 ;

26:35 ; ,

Genesis 27

27:1

27:2 []

27:3 ,

27:4

27:8 ,

27:9

27:10 ;

27:11

27:12 ,

27:12

27:13

27:14

27:15

27:19

27:21

27:23

27:25 , , ,

27:27

27:28

27:28 ,

27:28

27:28 ;

27:29 ;

27:29 , ;

27:29 ,

27:31

27:33 ; ,

27:34 []

27:36 ,

27:37

27:37 ,

27:38

27:39

27:40 ;

27:40

27:41 ; ; , ,

27:41 ,

27:41

27:42

27:43 ; ; ,

27:44

27:46 , ;

27:46

Genesis 28

28:1

28:2

28:2 ; ;

28:3 ; ;

28:3 ,

28:4 , ;

28:4 ; ;

28:8 ; , ;

28:9 ,

28:9

28:10

28:10 , ; ;

28:12 ;

28:12

28:13 ;

28:13

28:13 , ; ;

28:14 ;

28:14 ,

28:14 ; ; ;

28:15 , ;

28:15

28:15 ;

28:15 ; ,

28:15

28:16

28:18 ,

28:18

28:19 ,

28:19 Literally House of God

28:20

28:21

28:22 ,

28:22

Genesis 29

29:1

29:2 ,

29:4 ;

29:5 , ;

29:6

29:6 ,

29:9

29:10

29:11 ; ,

29:12 ; , ;

29:12

29:13

29:14 ;

29:15 ;

29:17 , ;

29:18

29:20

29:21

29:22 ,

29:24 ,

29:25

29:27

29:29

29:30

29:30 ;

29:31

29:32

29:32 Literally See, a Son

29:33 Literally Heard

29:34 Literally Attached

29:35

29:35 Literally Praise

Genesis 30

30:1 , ;

30:1

30:1 []

30:2

30:3

30:3 ,

30:4 ,

30:6

30:6 Literally Judge

30:8 Literally My Wresthng

30:9

30:11 Following Qere, Syriac, and Targum; Kethib, Septuagint, and Vulgate read in fortune.

30:11 Literally Troop or Fortune

30:13

30:13 Literally Happy

30:14

30:15 [, ]

30:18 Literally Wages

30:20 Literally Dwelling

30:21

30:22 ,

30:22

30:23

30:24

30:24 Literally He Will Add

30:25 ,

30:25

30:26 , ,

30:27 ;

30:28 ; ,

30:29 ,

30:30 []

30:32

30:33

30:35

30:37

30:43 ;

30:43 ; ; ,

Genesis 31

31:1

31:2

31:3 , , ;

31:3

31:5 ,

31:5

31:6 ;

31:7 ;

31:7

31:8

31:9 ,

31:11 ; , ; ;

31:12

31:13 ; , ,

31:13 ;

31:14

31:15 , , ,

31:18 ; ;

31:19

31:21

31:23

31:24 ; ;

31:24 ; ,

31:26

31:28

31:29 ; , , ,

31:29

31:30 ;

31:31 ; ,

31:32

31:35

31:39

31:41 ,

31:41

31:42 ,

31:42

31:44 , ;

31:44

31:45 ;

31:47 Literally, in Aramaic, Heap of Witness

31:47 Literally, in Hebrew, Heap of Witness

31:48

31:49 ;

31:49 Literally Watch

31:53

31:55 , ; ,

31:55

Genesis 32

32:1

32:2

32:2 Literally Double Camp

32:3 ; ,

32:3 ;

32:4

32:5

32:5 ,

32:6

32:7 ;

32:9 []

32:9 ;

32:9 ,

32:10

32:11 ,

32:11

32:12

32:13

32:20 []

32:22

32:24

32:25

32:26

32:28

32:28 ,

32:28 ;

32:28 Literally Prince with God

32:29 ,

32:29

32:30

32:30 Literally Face of God

32:31 Same as Peniel, verse

Genesis 33

33:1

33:3 ;

33:4

33:4 ,

33:5

33:8

33:10

33:11 ;

33:11

33:14 ;

33:15

33:17

33:17 Literally Booths

33:18

33:19

33:20

33:20 Literally God, the God of Israel

Genesis 34

34:1

34:2

34:4

34:5

34:7

34:12 ,

34:13

34:14

34:19

34:20 ,

34:24 ,

34:25 , ; ;

34:26 ,

34:30

Genesis 35

35:1 ;

35:1

35:2

35:2 , ,

35:2 ,

35:3 ,

35:3 , ; ,

35:4

35:5 ;

35:6 , ;

35:7

35:7 Literally God of the House of God

35:8

35:8 Literally Terebinth of Weeping

35:9

35:10

35:11

35:11 ,

35:11 , , ; ;

35:12 ; ; , ; ;

35:13 ;

35:14 , ;

35:15

35:17

35:18 Literally Son of My Sorrow

35:18 Literally Son of the Right Hand

35:19

35:20

35:21

35:22

35:23

35:27 ; ;

35:27

35:27 Literally Town of Arba

35:29 ; ;

35:29 ;

Genesis 36

36:1

36:2 ;

36:2

36:3

36:4

36:7 ,

36:7 ;

36:8

36:8 ,

36:10

36:11 Spelled Zephi in

36:12

36:16 Samaritan Pentateuch omits Chief Korah.

36:20

36:22 Spelled Homam in

36:23 Spelled Alian in

36:23 Spelled Shephi in

36:24

36:24 Following Masoretic Text and Vulgate (hot springs); Septuagint reads Jamin; Targum reads mighty men; Talmud interprets as mules.

36:26 Hebrew Dishan

36:26 Spelled Hamran in

36:27 Spelled Jaakan in

36:28

36:31

36:37

36:39 Spelled Hadad in Samaritan Pentateuch, Syriac, and

36:39 Spelled Pai in

36:40 Spelled Aliah in

Genesis 37

37:1 ; ; ;

37:2

37:3

37:3 ,

37:4 ;

37:7 , ; ;

37:9 ;

37:10

37:11

37:12

37:14 ; , ;

37:16

37:17

37:18

37:20

37:21

37:23

37:25

37:25 , ; , ;

37:25

37:26

37:27

37:28 ; ,

37:28

37:29

37:30 ,

37:31 ,

37:33

37:34

37:35

37:35 ; ; ; ,

37:36

37:36 Masoretic Text reads Medanites.

Genesis 38

38:1

38:2

38:3

38:4

38:5

38:6

38:7

38:8 ,

38:9

38:10

38:11 ,

38:11

38:12

38:13 ,

38:14

38:14 ,

38:17

38:18 ;

38:19

38:24

38:24 ;

38:25 ;

38:26

38:26 ,

38:29

38:29 Literally Breach or Breakthrough

38:30

Genesis 39

39:1 ;

39:1

39:1 ;

39:2

39:3

39:4 ; ;

39:4 , ; , ;

39:5 ;

39:6

39:7

39:9 ,

39:9

39:10

39:12

39:14 ;

39:17

39:19 ,

39:20

39:20 , ;

39:21 ,

39:22 ; ,

39:23 ,

39:23 Literally his hand

Genesis 40

40:1

40:2

40:3 , , ;

40:5 ;

40:7

40:8

40:8 [, , , , ]

40:12 ; ,

40:12 ;

40:13

40:14

40:15

40:18

40:19

40:20

40:20 ,

40:21

40:22

40:23 ,

Genesis 41

41:1

41:6

41:8 , ; ,

41:8 ,

41:8

41:9 , ,

41:10 ,

41:10

41:11

41:12 ;

41:12

41:13 ,

41:14

41:14 []

41:14

41:15

41:16

41:16 , ,

41:17

41:24

41:25 , ,

41:27

41:28 [, ]

41:29

41:30 ,

41:30

41:32

41:34 []

41:35

41:36 ,

41:37

41:38

41:40

41:41

41:42

41:42 ,

41:42 , ,

41:43

41:45

41:46

41:49

41:50 ;

41:51

41:51 Literally Making Forgetful

41:52 ; ;

41:52 Literally Fruitfulness

41:54

41:55

41:56

41:56 Literally all that was in them

41:57

41:57 , ;

Genesis 42

42:1

42:2

42:4

42:5

42:6 ,

42:6 ;

42:7 ,

42:9

42:13 ; ;

42:15 ;

42:17 , ,

42:18

42:20 ; ;

42:21

42:22 , ,

42:22 ,

42:24 ; ,

42:24 , ; ,

42:25

42:25 [, , ]

42:27 ,

42:30

42:33 , ,

42:34 ; ,

42:34

42:35 , ,

42:36

42:36 [, ]

42:38 ; ; ,

42:38 ;

Genesis 43

43:1 , ; ; ,

43:2 ;

43:3 ; ;

43:8 ;

43:9 ;

43:11 ; ; ,

43:11

43:12 , ; ,

43:14 ; ; ;

43:14

43:15 ; ,

43:16 ; ;

43:18

43:20 ,

43:21 ,

43:23

43:24 ; ;

43:26 , ; ;

43:27 ; , ; ;

43:28 ,

43:29 ,

43:29

43:30

43:30 ; , , ;

43:31

43:32

43:33 ;

43:34 ;

Genesis 44

44:1

44:4

44:8

44:9

44:13

44:14 ,

44:16 []

44:16

44:17

44:18

44:20 ; ;

44:20

44:21 ,

44:23 ,

44:25

44:27 ; ;

44:28

44:29 , ;

44:30 [; ]

44:32

44:33

Genesis 45

45:1

45:2 ;

45:3

45:4 ;

45:5 , ;

45:6 ; ,

45:7 ;

45:8 []

45:8

45:8 ;

45:10 , ; ,

45:11

45:12

45:13

45:15

45:18 ;

45:21 ;

45:22

45:26

45:27

Genesis 46

46:1 , ; , ;

46:1 , ; ; ;

46:2 ; ;

46:3 ;

46:3

46:4 ; ;

46:4 ; , ,

46:4

46:5

46:6

46:8

46:8 ,

46:9

46:10

46:10 Spelled Nemuel in

46:10 Called Jarib in

46:10 Called Zerah in

46:11 ,

46:12 ;

46:12 , ,

46:12

46:13 Spelled Puah in

46:13 Same as Jashub in and

46:14

46:15 ;

46:16 Spelled Zephon in Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and

46:16 Called Ozni in

46:16 Spelled Arod in

46:17

46:18 ;

46:18

46:19

46:20 , ;

46:21 ;

46:21

46:21 Called Hupham in

46:23 Called Shuham in

46:24

46:24 Spelled Jahziel in

46:24 Spelled Shallum in

46:25 ,

46:25

46:26

46:27

46:28

46:29

46:29 ,

46:30 ,

46:31

46:32

46:33 ,

46:34

46:34 ; ;

46:34

Genesis 47

47:1

47:1 ; ;

47:2

47:3

47:3 ,

47:4

47:6 ; , ;

47:6

47:7 ; ,

47:9 [, ]

47:9

47:9 []

47:9 ; , ; , ;

47:10

47:11 ;

47:11 ,

47:12 ;

47:13

47:14 ;

47:15

47:19

47:20

47:21 Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and Vulgate read made the people virtual slaves.

47:22

47:25

47:26

47:27

47:27 ; ; ;

47:29

47:30

47:30 ;

47:31

Genesis 48

48:1 , ; ;

48:3 ;

48:3 , ; ,

48:4

48:5 ;

48:7 , , ,

48:9 ;

48:10

48:10 ; ;

48:11

48:14

48:15 []

48:15 ;

48:16 , ; ;

48:16

48:16 ,

48:17

48:19

48:19 ,

48:20 ,

48:21 ; ;

48:22

Genesis 49

49:1 ,

49:1 ;

49:3

49:4

49:6 ,

49:6

49:7 , ;

49:8

49:9 []

49:9 ;

49:10 ; ; ; ;

49:10

49:10 ;

49:13 ,

49:13

49:14

49:15

49:16

49:17

49:18

49:19

49:20

49:21

49:23 ,

49:24

49:24 ,

49:24 ;

49:24 [; ]

49:24

49:25 ; ; ; ;

49:25 ;

49:25

49:26

49:27 ,

49:27

49:29 ; ;

49:29

49:29 ;

49:30

49:31 , ;

49:31 ;

Genesis 50

50:1 ,

50:1

50:2

50:3

50:4

50:5

50:10

50:11 Literally Mourning of Egypt

50:13

50:15 []

50:17 []

50:17

50:18 ; ;

50:19

50:20

50:20 []

50:21 []

50:23

50:23 ;

50:23

50:24 ,

50:24 ; ;

50:25

50:25 ;

50:25

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