In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.

Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”

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

The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

“And I will put enmity (open hostility)
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;
He shall [fatally] bruise your head,
And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

So God said, “Let the earth sprout [tender] vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind, whose seed is in them upon the earth”; and it was so.

then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

Now [in Haran] the Lord had said to Abram,

“Go away from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;

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

And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.”

God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth;
In pain you will give birth to children;
Yet your desire and longing will be for your husband,
And he will rule [with authority] over you and be responsible for you.”

And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you,
And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you.
And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.”

So God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.

So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”

Now the whole earth spoke one language and used the same words (vocabulary).

Now the man Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of the Lord.”

Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die [because of your disobedience].”

These are the records of the generations (family history) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man [one who was just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God.

This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is, days of creation] that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens—

So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants).

So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done.

And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,

“I am God Almighty;
Walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me].

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden;

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 reward [for obedience] shall be very great.”

Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;

Then to Adam the Lord God said, “Because you have listened [attentively] to the voice of your wife, and have eaten [fruit] from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’;

The ground is [now] under a curse because of you;
In sorrow and toil you shall eat [the fruit] of it
All the days of your life.

And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever”—

“Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully],
By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed,
For in the image of God
He made man.

to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

Then Abram believed in (affirmed, trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord; and He counted (credited) it to him as righteousness (doing right in regard to God and man).

“The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes,
And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mamre [in Hebron], while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.

“By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread
Until you return to the ground,
For from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!

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

Melchizedek king of Salem (ancient Jerusalem) brought out bread and wine [for them]; he was the priest of God Most High.

The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all the cattle,
And more than any animal of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And dust you shall eat
All the days of your life.

Then God said, “Let the waters swarm and abundantly produce living creatures, and let birds soar above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at Sodom’s [city] gate. Seeing them, Lot got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you [abundantly],
And make your name great (exalted, distinguished);
And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];

There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).

God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness.

For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil.”

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive [as they are this day].

And the Lord God planted a garden (oasis) in the east, in Eden (delight, land of happiness); and He put the man whom He had formed (created) there.

And God said, “Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse].”

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years.”

This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of [the descendants of] Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness].

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds”; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].

And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is righteous and just, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him.”

Now Jacob left Beersheba [never to see his mother again] and traveled toward Haran.

And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

On the same day the Lord made a covenant (promise, pledge) with Abram, saying,

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

So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

When Seth was a hundred and five years old, he became the father of Enosh.

Then 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.”

But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that same day all the fountains of the great deep [subterranean waters] burst open, and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened.

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma [a soothing, satisfying scent] and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent (strong inclination, desire) of man’s heart is wicked from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals of the earth along with you, of everything that comes out of the ark—every living creature of the earth.

God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].

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

So God drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He [permanently] stationed the cherubim and the sword with the flashing blade which turned round and round [in every direction] to protect and guard the way (entrance, access) to the tree of life.

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

And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].

And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.

If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”

And the Lord said, “The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.

and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

And [in that garden] the Lord God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables.

Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain attacked Abel his brother and killed him.

So Jacob was left alone, and a Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak.

And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael [my firstborn] might live before You!”

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

When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah.

When the sun had gone down and a [deep] darkness had come, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch which passed between the [divided] pieces [of the animals].

Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and fowls and everything that crawls on the ground,

Pharaoh’s princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken [for the purpose of marriage] into Pharaoh’s house (harem).

But the dove found no place on which to rest the sole of her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were [still] on the face of the entire earth. So he reached out his hand and took the dove, and brought her into the ark.

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight [children] Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!”

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

But the Lord punished Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Therefore Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

Now at that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do;

but a mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground—

Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and also room to lodge.”

Now look, this town [in the distance] is near enough for us to flee to, and it is small [with only a few people]. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) so that my life will be saved.”

So Seth lived nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal unfairly with me [by breaking any agreements we have] or with my son or with my descendants, but as I have treated you with kindness, you shall do the same to me and to the land in which you have sojourned (temporarily lived).”

“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you shall eat the plants of the field.

Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after the birth of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.

I will go down now, and see whether they have acted [as vilely and wickedly] as the outcry which has come to Me [indicates]; and if not, I will know.”

Now Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

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

and [Nimrod built] Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; all these [combined to form] the great city [Nineveh].

The gold of that land is good; bdellium (a fragrant, valuable resin) and the onyx stone are found there.

And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

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

they came [motivated by God] into the ark with Noah two by two, the male and the female, just as God had commanded Noah.

Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after Shelah was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction.

Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, gave birth to Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg.

Now may God give you of the dew of heaven [to water your land],
And of the fatness (fertility) of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;

Now when the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren.

And the angel said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also; I will not destroy this town of which you have spoken.

He waited another seven days and again sent the dove out from the ark.

Arise, walk (make a thorough reconnaissance) around in the land, through its length and its width, for I will give it to you.”

This is the way you are to make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits (450’ x 75’ x 45’).

So Jacob consummated his marriage and lived with Rachel [as his wife], and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him on his way, with his wife and all that he had.

When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber.

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

and I will [compassionately] remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again will the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

The first [river] is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Now the [two] men (angelic beings) turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

The dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in her beak, was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water level had subsided from the earth.

The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives [search my possessions and] point out whatever you find that belongs to you and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

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

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. Ham would become the father of Canaan.

And Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after Peleg was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

and Pathrusim and Casluhim—from whom came the Philistines—and Caphtorim.

Mizraim [the ancestor of the Egyptians] became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim

Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after the birth of Kenan and had other sons and daughters.

When Enosh was ninety years old, he became the father of Kenan.

And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.

But I will establish My covenant (solemn promise, formal agreement) with you; and you shall come into the ark—you and your [three] sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

And God said to Noah, “This [rainbow] is the sign of the covenant (solemn pledge, binding agreement) which I have established between Me and all living things on the earth.”

The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the entire land of Cush [in Mesopotamia].

May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be lord and master over your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
And may those who bless you be blessed.”

Now these are the records of the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram (Abraham), Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord.

As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation.

Isaac said to them, “Why have you [people] come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”

The third river is named Hiddekel (Tigris); it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

And after the seven days [God released the rain and] the floodwaters came on the earth.

When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah.

When the rainbow is in the clouds and I look at it, I will [solemnly] remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Shelah lived four hundred and three years after Eber was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

But My covenant [My promise, My solemn pledge], I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

Then Abraham said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry [with me], and I will speak only this once; suppose ten [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

It shall come about, when I bring clouds over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the clouds,

Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah,
Hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech,
Listen to what I say;
For I have killed a man [merely] for wounding me,
And a boy [only] for striking (bruising) me.

Abraham spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose [only] forty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty [who are righteous].”

And Nahor lived a hundred and nineteen years after Terah was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth

Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the [great] terebinth (oak) tree of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time.

He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he was uncovered and lay exposed inside his tent.

and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,

[the land of] the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites

These are the three sons of Noah, and from these [men] the whole earth was populated and scattered with inhabitants.

These are Shem’s descendants according to their constituent groups (families), according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

I will make your descendants [as numerous] as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the [grains of] dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he came out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

And he said, “Now behold, I have decided to speak to the Lord [again]. Suppose [only] twenty [righteous people] are found there?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

You shall make a window [for light and ventilation] for the ark, and finish it to at least a cubit (eighteen inches) from the top—and set the [entry] door of the ark in its side; and you shall make it with lower, second and third decks.

Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove, but she did not return to him again.

When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu.

And Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after Reu was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy all life under the heavens in which there is the breath and spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die.

And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Listen: I know that you are a beautiful woman;

Now in the six hundred and first year [of Noah’s life], on the first day of the first month, the waters were drying up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and the surface of the ground was drying.

These are the records of the generations (descendants) of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and the sons born to them after the flood:

After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram and Nahor and Haran [his firstborn].

Bring out with you every living thing from all flesh—birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth—that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug.

Hurry and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything [to punish Sodom] until you arrive there.” For this reason the town was named Zoar (few, small).

and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram;

And God spoke to Noah, saying,

and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite

Therefore that place was called Beersheba (Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), because there the two of them swore an oath.

They said, “We see clearly that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘There should now be an oath between us [with a curse for the one who breaks it], that is, between you and us, and let us make a covenant (binding agreement, solemn promise) with you,

Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Laban asked, “What shall I give you?” Jacob replied, “You shall not give me anything. But if you will do this one thing for me [which I now propose], I will again pasture and keep your flock:

The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as one goes to Gerar, as far as Gaza; and as one goes to Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

Jacob said, “Swear [an oath] to me today [that you are selling it to me for this food]”; so he swore [an oath] to him, and sold him his birthright.

When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast].”

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

When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor.

And Reu lived two hundred and seven years after Serug was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

It rained on the earth for forty days and forty nights.

So Enosh lived nine hundred and five years, and he died.

Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

These are the descendants of Ham according to their constituent groups, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, the smith (craftsman) and teacher of every artisan in instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man at the well.

And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.

And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there.

Abraham answered, “Now behold, I who am but dust [in origin] and ashes have decided to speak to the Lord.

On the twenty-seventh day of the second month the land was [entirely] dry.

Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had acquired, and the people (servants) which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

Now the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

Therefore the name of the city was Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth; and from that place the Lord scattered and dispersed them over the surface of all the earth.

So Noah did this; according to all that God commanded him, that is what he did.

Two sons were born to Eber; the name of one was Peleg (division), for [the inhabitants of] the earth were divided in his days; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me [to acquire you], but they will let you live.

Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

His brother’s name was Jubal; he became the father of all those [musicians] who play the lyre and flute.

Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber.

Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber [including the Hebrews], the older brother of Japheth, children were born.

He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not denied His lovingkindness and His truth to my master. As for me, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brothers.”

When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and when he heard Rebekah his sister, saying, “The man said this to me,” he went to Eliezer and found him standing by the camels at the spring.

From these, [the people of] the coastlands of the nations were separated and spread into their lands, every one according to his own language, according to their constituent groups (families), and into their nations:

He created them male and female, and blessed them and named them Mankind at the time they were created.

Of fowls and birds according to their kind, of animals according to their kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind—two of every kind shall come to you to keep them alive.

the sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras;

So they went into the ark with Noah, two by two of all living beings in which there was the breath and spirit of life.

Suppose there are fifty righteous [people] within the city; will You really sweep it away and not spare it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?

But Sarai was barren; she did not have a child.

Abraham said, “You are to accept these seven ewe lambs from me as a witness for me, that I dug this well.”

They said one to another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly [in a kiln, to harden and strengthen them].” So they used brick for stone [as building material], and they used tar (bitumen, asphalt) for mortar.

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

Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai (later called Sarah), and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. In this way Esau scorned his birthright.

When Kenan was seventy years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.

Esau said, “Look, I am about to die [if I do not eat soon]; so of what use is this birthright to me?”

Esau replied, “Is he not rightly named Jacob (the supplanter)? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing. Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad.

Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after the birth of Mahalalel and had other sons and daughters.

The flood [the great downpour of rain] was forty days and nights on the earth; and the waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it floated [high] above the land.

Then Abram broke camp and moved his tent, and came and settled by the [grove of the great] terebinths (oak trees) of Mamre [the Amorite], which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to [honor] the Lord.

Every animal, every crawling thing, every bird—and whatever moves on the land—went out by families (types, groupings) from the ark.

She conceived again and gave birth to a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me [as a companion], for I have given him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.

the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah;

And God finished speaking with him and went up from Abraham.

and Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

they and every animal according to its kind, all the livestock according to their kinds, every moving thing that crawls on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every winged thing of every sort.

The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, from the land of my family and my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you [to guide you], and you will take a wife from there for my son [and bring her here].

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

So Kenan lived nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters.

Now Isaac loved [and favored] Esau, because he enjoyed eating his game, but Rebekah loved [and favored] Jacob.

And Serug lived two hundred years after Nahor was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

When Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old, he became the father of Enoch.

So Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock.

Then Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the river [Euphrates] reigned as his successor.

If five of the fifty righteous are lacking, will You destroy the entire city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find [at least] forty-five [righteous people] there, I will not destroy it.”

Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after the birth of Jared and had other sons and daughters.

When Mahalalel was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Jared.

Also take with you every kind of food that is edible, and you shall collect and store it; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

And Shem lived five hundred years after Arpachshad was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

All living beings that moved on the earth perished—birds and cattle (domestic animals), [wild] animals, all things that swarm and crawl on the earth, and all mankind.

So they made a covenant at Beersheba; then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.

the sons of Aram [ancestor of the Syrians]: Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash.

When Noah awoke from his wine [induced stupor], he knew what his younger son [Ham] had done to him.

Those which entered, male and female of all flesh (creatures), entered as God had commanded Noah; and the Lord closed the door behind him.

So Mahalalel lived eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

And Melchizedek blessed Abram and said,

“Blessed (joyful, favored) be Abram by God Most High,
Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth;

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

And Laban said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have made the house ready and have prepared a place for the camels?”

The waters prevailed so greatly and were so mighty and overwhelming on the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered.

Ham, the father of Canaan, saw [by accident] the nakedness of his father, and [to his father’s shame] told his two brothers outside.

The waters continued to decrease until the tenth month; on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen.

So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the entire earth; and they stopped building the city.

“May God enlarge [the land of] Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.”

Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev (the South country of Judah).

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

So Noah went out, and his wife and his sons and their wives with him [after being in the ark one year and ten days].

Then Isaac trembled violently, and he said, “Then who was the one [who was just here] who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. Yes, and he [in fact] shall be (shall remain) blessed.”

The waters became mighty and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.

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

“If Cain is avenged sevenfold [as the Lord said he would be],
Then Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold.”

and Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

and Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and dressed him in [official] vestments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.

Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound [of stones], and they ate [a ceremonial meal together] there on the mound [of stones].

Now their territory extended from Mesha as one goes toward Sephar, to the hill country of the east.

God destroyed (blotted out, wiped away) every living thing that was on the surface of the earth; man and animals and the crawling things and the birds of the heavens were destroyed from the land. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods (spoils of battle) for yourself.”

the sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah; Sheba and Dedan.

At the end of [another] forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made;

When Methuselah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old, he became the father of Lamech.

When these words of her elder son Esau were repeated to Rebekah, she sent for Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Listen carefully, your brother Esau is comforting himself concerning you by planning to kill you.

And Abraham lived [as a resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for many days.

“As for you, be fruitful and multiply;
Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

As soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his own place.

[In fact] the waters became fifteen cubits higher [than the highest ground], and the mountains were covered.

My master made me swear [an oath], saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live;

“Now behold, I am establishing My covenant (binding agreement, solemn promise) with you and with your descendants after you

He named the second [son] Ephraim (fruitfulness), for “God has caused me to be fruitful and very successful in the land of my suffering.”

He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.

He named him Noah, saying, “This one shall bring us rest and comfort from our work and from the [dreadful] toil of our hands because of the ground which the Lord cursed.”

Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” Then Esau [no longer able to restrain himself] raised his voice and wept [loudly].

Although you have searched through all my possessions, what have you found of your household goods? Put it here before my relatives and your relatives, so that they may decide [who has done right] between the two of us.

Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha (stone monument of testimony in Aramaic), but Jacob called it Galeed.

and the waters receded steadily from the earth. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had diminished.

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

Laban answered Jacob, “These women [that you married] are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, these flocks are [from] my flocks, and all that you see [here] is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children to whom they have given birth?

But you shall live by your sword,
And serve your brother;
However it shall come to pass when you break loose [from your anger and hatred],
That you will tear his yoke off your neck [and you will be free of him].”

For in seven days I am going to cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy (blot out, wipe away) every living thing that I have made from the surface of the earth.”

please look, I am standing by the spring of water; now let it be that when the maiden [whom You have chosen for Isaac] comes out to draw [water], and to whom I say, “Please, give me a little water to drink from your jar”;

Also the fountains of the deep [subterranean waters] and the windows of the heavens were closed, the [pouring] rain from the sky was restrained,

The waters covered [all of] the earth for a hundred and fifty days (five months).

Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were purchased with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin the very same day, as God had said to him.

Cain knew his wife [one of Adam’s descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son.

In the seven abundant years the earth produced handfuls [for each seed planted].

These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not lost their young, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother to his son [as a wife].

Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had [violently] seized [from him],

Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark to escape the flood waters.

When Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old, he became the father of a son.

Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the water level had fallen below the surface of the land.

Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe.

no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground,

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood (deluge) of water came on the earth [covering all of the land].

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

He said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk [habitually and obediently], will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house;

So Jared lived nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

Now these are the records of the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac.

Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s anger subsides.

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household what had happened.

Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

And Noah began to farm and cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard.