Bible: Genesis 1-15

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning 1  God 2  created 3  the heavens and the earth. 4 

1:2 Now 5  the earth 6  was without shape and empty, 7  and darkness 8  was over the surface of the watery deep, 9  but the Spirit of God 10  was moving 11  over the surface 12  of the water. 13  1:3 God said, 14 Let there be 15  light.” 16  And there was light! 1:4 God saw 17  that the light was good, 18  so God separated 19  the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called 20  the light “dayand the darkness 21 night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 22 

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse 23  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water 24  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. 25  It was so. 26  1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” 27  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place 28  and let dry ground appear.” 29  It was so. 1:10 God called the dry ground “land 30  and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: 31  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, 32  and 33  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so. 1:12 The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 1:13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights 34  in the expanse 35  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs 36  to indicate seasons and days and years, 1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights 37 the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 38  1:17 God placed the lights 39  in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. 40  God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms 41  of living creatures and let birds fly 42  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 1:21 God created the great sea creatures 43  and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 1:22 God blessed them 44  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 45  1:23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” 46  It was so. 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

1:26 Then God said, “Let us make 47 

humankind 48  in our image, after our likeness, 49  so they may rule 50  over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, 51  and over all the creatures that move 52  on the earth.”

1:27 God created humankind 53  in his own image,

in the image of God he created them, 54 

male and female he created them. 55 

1:28 God blessed 56  them and said 57  to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! 58  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 59  1:29 Then God said, “I now 60  give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 61  1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give 62  every green plant for food.” It was so.

1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! 63  There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 The heavens and the earth 64  were completed with everything that was in them. 65  2:2 By 66  the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, 67  and he ceased 68  on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 2:3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy 69  because on it he ceased all the work that he 70  had been doing in creation. 71 

The Creation of Man and Woman

2:4 This is the account 72  of the heavens and the earth 73  when they were created – when the Lord God 74  made the earth and heavens. 75 

2:5 Now 76  no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field 77  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. 78  2:6 Springs 79  would well up 80  from the earth and water 81  the whole surface of the ground. 82  2:7 The Lord God formed 83  the man from the soil of the ground 84  and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 85  and the man became a living being. 86 

2:8 The Lord God planted an orchard 87  in the east, 88  in Eden; 89  and there he placed the man he had formed. 90  2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, 91  every tree that was pleasing to look at 92  and good for food. (Now 93  the tree of life 94  and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 95  were in the middle of the orchard.)

2:10 Now 96  a river flows 97  from Eden 98  to water the orchard, and from there it divides 99  into four headstreams. 100  2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through 101  the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; 102  pearls 103  and lapis lazuli 104  are also there). 2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through 105  the entire land of Cush. 106  2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. 107  The fourth river is the Euphrates.

2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed 108  him in the orchard in 109  Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 110  2:16 Then the Lord God commanded 111  the man, “You may freely eat 112  fruit 113  from every tree of the orchard, 2:17 but 114  you must not eat 115  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when 116  you eat from it you will surely die.” 117 

2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. 118  I will make a companion 119  for him who corresponds to him.” 120  2:19 The Lord God formed 121  out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would 122  name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 2:20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam 123  no companion who corresponded to him was found. 124  2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, 125  and while he was asleep, 126  he took part of the man’s side 127  and closed up the place with flesh. 128  2:22 Then the Lord God made 129  a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 2:23 Then the man said,

This one at last 130  is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

this one will be called 131 woman,’

for she was taken out of 132  man.” 133 

2:24 That is why 134  a man leaves 135  his father and mother and unites with 136  his wife, and they become a new family. 137  2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, 138  but they were not ashamed. 139 

The Temptation and the Fall

3:1 Now 140  the serpent 141  was more shrewd 142 

than any of the wild animals 143  that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that 144  God 145  said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard? 146  3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat 147  of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, 148  or else you will die.’ 149  3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 150  3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open 151  and you will be like divine beings who know 152  good and evil.” 153 

3:6 When 154  the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, 155  was attractive 156  to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, 157  she took some of its fruit and ate it. 158  She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 159  3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The Judgment Oracles of God at the Fall

3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about 160  in the orchard at the breezy time 161  of the day, and they hid 162  from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 3:9 But the Lord God called to 163  the man and said to him, “Where are you? 164  3:10 The man replied, 165 I heard you moving about 166  in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God 167  said, “Who told you that you were naked? 168  Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? 169  3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave 170  me some fruit 171  from the tree and I ate it.” 3:13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this 172  you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent 173  tricked 174  me, and I ate.”

3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, 175 

“Because you have done this,

cursed 176  are you above all the wild beasts

and all the living creatures of the field!

On your belly you will crawl 177 

and dust you will eat 178  all the days of your life.

3:15 And I will put hostility 179  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; 180 

her offspring will attack 181  your head,

and 182  you 183  will attack her offspring’s heel.” 184 

3:16 To the woman he said,

I will greatly increase 185  your labor pains; 186 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, 187 

but he will dominate 188  you.”

3:17 But to Adam 189  he said,

Because you obeyed 190  your wife

and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,

‘You must not eat from it,’

cursed is the ground 191  thanks to you; 192 

in painful toil you will eat 193  of it all the days of your life.

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain 194  of the field.

3:19 By the sweat of your brow 195  you will eat food

until you return to the ground, 196 

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” 197 

3:20 The man 198  named his wife Eve, 199  because 200  she was the mother of all the living. 201  3:21 The Lord God made garments from skin 202  for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now 203  that the man has become like one of us, 204  knowing 205  good and evil, he must not be allowed 206  to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 3:23 So the Lord God expelled him 207  from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 3:24 When he drove 208  the man out, he placed on the eastern side 209  of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries 210  who used the flame of a whirling sword 211  to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now 212  the man had marital relations with 213  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 214  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 215  a man just as the Lord did! 216  4:2 Then she gave birth 217  to his brother Abel. 218  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 219 

4:3 At the designated time 220  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering 221  to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought 222  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest 223  of them. And the Lord was pleased with 224  Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. 225  So Cain became very angry, 226  and his expression was downcast. 227 

4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true 228  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? 229  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching 230  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” 231 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 232  While they were in the field, Cain attacked 233  his brother 234  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 235  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian? 236  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? 237  The voice 238  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished 239  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate 240  the

ground it will no longer yield 241  its best 242  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer 243  on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment 244  is too great to endure! 245  4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land 246  today, and I must hide from your presence. 247  I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, 248  if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” 249  Then the Lord put a special mark 250  on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 251  4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, 252  east of Eden.

The Beginning of Civilization

4:17 Cain had marital relations 253  with his wife, and she became pregnant 254  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after 255  his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father 256  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first 257  of those who live in tents and keep 258  livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped 259  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man 260  for hurting me.

4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,

then Lamech seventy-seven times! 261 

4:25 And Adam had marital relations 262  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 263  me another child 264  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people 265  began to worship 266  the Lord.

From Adam to Noah

5:1 This is the record 267  of the family line 268  of Adam.

When God created humankind, 269  he made them 270  in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” 271 

5:3 When 272  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived 273  after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had 274  other 275  sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime 276  of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. 277 

5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father 278  of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had 279  other 280  sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.

5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.

5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.

5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.

5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.

5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 281  for 300 years, 282  and he had other 283  sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared 284  because God took 285  him away.

5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other 286  sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.

5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, 287  saying, “This one will bring us comfort 288  from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other 289  sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.

5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he 290  became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

God’s Grief over Humankind’s Wickedness

6:1 When humankind 291  began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born 292  to them, 293  6:2 the sons of God 294  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in 295  humankind indefinitely, 296  since 297  they 298  are mortal. 299  They 300  will remain for 120 more years.” 301 

6:4 The Nephilim 302  were on the earth in those days (and also after this) 303  when the sons of God were having sexual relations with 304  the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. 305  They were the mighty heroes 306  of old, the famous men. 307 

6:5 But the Lord saw 308  that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 309  of the thoughts 310  of their minds 311  was only evil 312  all the time. 313  6:6 The Lord regretted 314  that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. 315  6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, 316  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

6:8 But 317  Noah found favor 318  in the sight of 319  the Lord.

The Judgment of the Flood

6:9 This is the account of Noah. 320 

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless 321 

among his contemporaries. 322  He 323  walked with 324  God. 6:10 Noah had 325  three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6:11 The earth was ruined 326  in the sight of 327  God; the earth was filled with violence. 328  6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed 329  it was ruined, 330  for all living creatures 331  on the earth were sinful. 332  6:13 So God said 333  to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, 334  for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy 335  them and the earth. 6:14 Make 336  for yourself an ark of cypress 337  wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover 338  it with pitch inside and out. 6:15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 339  6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches 340  from the top. 341  Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 6:17 I am about to bring 342  floodwaters 343  on the earth to destroy 344  from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. 345  Everything that is on the earth will die, 6:18 but I will confirm 346  my covenant with you. You will enter 347  the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sonswives with you. 6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, 348  male and female, to keep them alive 349  with you. 6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. 350  6:21 And you must take 351  for yourself every kind of food 352  that is eaten, 353  and gather it together. 354  It will be food for you and for them.

6:22 And Noah did all 355  that God commanded him – he did indeed. 356 

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. 357  7:2 You must take with you seven 358  of every kind of clean animal, 359  the male and its mate, 360  two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven 361  of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, 362  to preserve their offspring 363  on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days 364  I will cause it to rain 365  on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”

7:5 And Noah did all 366  that the Lord commanded him.

7:6 Noah 367  was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed 368  the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sonswives because 369  of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs 370  of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, 371  just as God had commanded him. 372  7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. 373 

7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep 374  burst open and the floodgates of the heavens 375  were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell 376  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sonsthree wives. 377  7:14 They entered, 378  along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. 379  7:15 Pairs 380  of all creatures 381  that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, 382  just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed 383  the earth, and the ark floated 384  on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated 385  the earth so that even 386  all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet 387  above the mountains. 388  7:21 And all living things 389  that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life 390  in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord 391  destroyed 392  every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. 393  They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. 394  7:24 The waters prevailed over 395  the earth for 150 days.

8:1 But God remembered 396  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 397  the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 398  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 399  from the earth, so that they 400  had gone down 401  by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. 402  8:5 The waters kept on receding 403  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 404 

8:6 At the end of forty days, 405  Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 406  8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 407  back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

8:8 Then Noah 408  sent out a dove 409  to see if the waters had receded 410  from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 411  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 412  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 413  and brought it back into the ark. 414  8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 415  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 416  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, 417  but it did not return to him this time. 418 

8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 419  in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that 420  the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 421  was dry.

8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sonswives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out 422  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 423  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth! 424 

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sonswives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.

8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 425  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 426  and said 427  to himself, 428 I will never again curse 429  the ground because of humankind, even though 430  the inclination of their minds 431  is evil from childhood on. 432  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

8:22While the earth continues to exist, 433 

planting time 434  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 435  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 436  9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 437  As I gave you 438  the green plants, I now give 439  you everything.

9:4 But 440  you must not eat meat 441  with its life (that is, 442  its blood) in it. 443  9:5 For your lifeblood 444  I will surely exact punishment, 445  from 446  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 447  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 448  since the man was his relative. 449 

9:6Whoever sheds human blood, 450 

by other humans 451 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image 452 

God 453  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, 454  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 455  9:9 Look! I now confirm 456  my covenant with you and your descendants after you 457  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 458  9:11 I confirm 459  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 460  be wiped out 461  by the waters of a flood; 462  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 463  of the covenant I am making 464  with you 465  and every living creature with you, a covenant 466  for all subsequent 467  generations: 9:13 I will place 468  my rainbow 469  in the clouds, and it will become 470  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 471  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 472  and with all living creatures of all kinds. 473  Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 474  all living things. 475  9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 476  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 477  that are on the earth.”

The Curse of Canaan

9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 478  9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 479 

9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 480  began to plant a vineyard. 481  9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 482  inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 483  saw his father’s nakedness 484  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 485  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 486  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 487  he learned 488  what his youngest son had done 489  to him. 9:25 So he said,

Cursed 490  be Canaan! 491 

The lowest of slaves 492 

he will be to his brothers.”

9:26 He also said,

Worthy of praise is 493  the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 494 

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 495 

May he live 496  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account 497  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 498  were born 499  to them after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth 500  were Gomer, 501  Magog, 502  Madai, 503  Javan, 504  Tubal, 505  Meshech, 506  and Tiras. 507  10:3 The sons of Gomer were 508  Askenaz, 509  Riphath, 510  and Togarmah. 511  10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 512  Tarshish, 513  the Kittim, 514  and the Dodanim. 515  10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 516  Mizraim, 517  Put, 518  and Canaan. 519  10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 520  Havilah, 521  Sabtah, 522  Raamah, 523  and Sabteca. 524  The sons of Raamah were Sheba 525  and Dedan. 526 

10:8 Cush was the father of 527  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 528  before the Lord. 529  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 530  of his kingdom were Babel, 531  Erech, 532  Akkad, 533  and Calneh 534  in the land of Shinar. 535  10:11 From that land he went 536  to Assyria, 537  where he built Nineveh, 538  Rehoboth-Ir, 539  Calah, 540  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 541 

10:13 Mizraim 542  was the father of 543  the Ludites, 544  Anamites, 545  Lehabites, 546  Naphtuhites, 547  10:14 Pathrusites, 548  Casluhites 549  (from whom the Philistines came), 550  and Caphtorites. 551 

10:15 Canaan was the father of 552  Sidon his firstborn, 553  Heth, 554  10:16 the Jebusites, 555  Amorites, 556  Girgashites, 557  10:17 Hivites, 558  Arkites, 559  Sinites, 560  10:18 Arvadites, 561  Zemarites, 562  and Hamathites. 563  Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 564  from Sidon 565  all the way to 566  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 567  Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

10:21 And sons were also born 568  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 569  the father of all the sons of Eber.

10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 570  Asshur, 571  Arphaxad, 572  Lud, 573  and Aram. 574  10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 575  10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 576  Shelah, 577  and Shelah was the father of Eber. 578  10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 579  and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 580  Almodad, 581  Sheleph, 582  Hazarmaveth, 583  Jerah, 584  10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 585  Diklah, 586  10:28 Obal, 587  Abimael, 588  Sheba, 589  10:29 Ophir, 590  Havilah, 591  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 592  Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 593  over the earth after the flood.

The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel

11:1 The whole earth 594  had a common language and a common vocabulary. 595  11:2 When the people 596  moved eastward, 597  they found a plain in Shinar 598  and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 599 Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 600  (They had brick instead of stone and tar 601  instead of mortar.) 602  11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 603  so that 604  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 605  we will be scattered 606  across the face of the entire earth.”

11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 607  had started 608  building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 609  they have begun to do this, then 610  nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 611  11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 612  their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 613 

11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 614  the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 615  Babel 616 because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

The Genealogy of Shem

11:10 This is the account of Shem.


11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 618  sons and daughters. 619 








The Record of Terah

11:27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 621  while his father Terah was still alive. 622  11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 623  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 624  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 625  of Terah was 205 years, and he 626  died in Haran.

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said 627  to Abram, 628 

“Go out 629  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. 630 

12:2 Then I will make you 631  into a great nation, and I will bless you, 632 

and I will make your name great, 633 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 634 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 635 

but the one who treats you lightly 636  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another 637  by your name.”

12:4 So Abram left, 638  just as the Lord had told him to do, 639  and Lot went with him. (Now 640  Abram was 75 years old 641  when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 642  Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 643  in Haran, and they left for 644  the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 645  of Moreh 646  at Shechem. 647  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 648  12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 649  I will give this land.” So Abram 650  built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 651  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 652  12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 653  down to the Negev. 654 

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 655  to stay for a while 656  because the famine was severe. 657  12:11 As he approached 658  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 659  I know that you are a beautiful woman. 660  12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 661  12:13 So tell them 662  you are my sister 663  so that it may go well 664  for me because of you and my life will be spared 665  on account of you.”

12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife 666  was taken 667  into the household of Pharaoh, 668  12:16 and he did treat Abram well 669  on account of her. Abram received 670  sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases 671  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 672  you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her 673  to be my wife? 674  Here is your wife! 675  Take her and go! 676  12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 677  and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 678  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 679  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 680  in livestock, silver, and gold.) 681 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 682  from the Negev as far as Bethel. 683  He returned 684  to the place where he had pitched his tent 685  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 686  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 687 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 688  with Abram, also had 689  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 690  not support them while they were living side by side. 691  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 692  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 693  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 694  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 695 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 696  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 697  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

13:10 Lot looked up and saw 698  the whole region 699  of the Jordan. He noticed 700  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 701  Sodom and Gomorrah) 702  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 703  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 704  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. 705  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 706  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 707  the people 708  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 709 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 710 Look 711  from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants 712  forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. 713  13:17 Get up and 714  walk throughout 715  the land, 716  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 717  by the oaks 718  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time 719  Amraphel king of Shinar, 720  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 721  14:2 went to war 722  against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 723  14:3 These last five kings 724  joined forces 725  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 726  14:4 For twelve years 727  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 728  they rebelled. 729  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 730  the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 731  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 732  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

14:8 Then 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 prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 733  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 734  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 735  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 736  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 737  but some survivors 738  fled to the hills. 739  14:11 The four victorious kings 740  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 741  Lot and his possessions when 742  they left, for Lot 743  was living in Sodom. 744 

14:13 A fugitive 745  came and told Abram the Hebrew. 746  Now Abram was living by the oaks 747  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 748  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 749  with Abram.) 750  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 751  had been taken captive, he mobilized 752  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 753  as far as Dan. 754  14:15 Then, during the night, 755  Abram 756  divided his forces 757  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 758  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 759  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 760  the people.

14:17 After Abram 761  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 762  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 763  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 764  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 765  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

Blessed be Abram by 766  the Most High God,

Creator 767  of heaven and earth. 768 

14:20 Worthy of praise is 769  the Most High God,

who delivered 770  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek 771  a tenth of everything.

14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 772  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 773  14:23 that I will take nothing 774  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 775  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 776  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 777  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 778  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 779 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 780  what will you give me since 781  I continue to be 782  childless, and my heir 783  is 784  Eliezer of Damascus? 785  15:3 Abram added, 786 Since 787  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir! 788 

15:4 But look, 789  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 790  will not be your heir, 791  but instead 792  a son 793  who comes from your own body will be 794  your heir.” 795  15:5 The Lord 796  took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

15:6 Abram believed 797  the Lord, and the Lord 798  considered his response of faith 799  as proof of genuine loyalty. 800 

15:7 The Lord said 801  to him, “I am the Lord 802  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 803  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 804  Abram 805  said, “O sovereign Lord, 806  by what 807  can I know that I am to possess it?

15:9 The Lord 808  said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram 809  took all these for him and then cut them in two 810  and placed each half opposite the other, 811  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, 812  and great terror overwhelmed him. 813  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 814  that your descendants will be strangers 815  in a foreign country. 816  They will be enslaved and oppressed 817  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 818  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 819  you will go to your ancestors 820  in peace and be buried at a good old age. 821  15:16 In the fourth generation 822  your descendants 823  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 824 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 825  passed between the animal parts. 826  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 827  with Abram: “To your descendants I give 828  this land, from the river of Egypt 829  to the great river, the Euphrates River 15:19 the land 830  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 831 

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