In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth. And the earth was waste and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters And God said, Let there be
light: and there was light. And God saw the
light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the
waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so. And God called the
firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second
day.
And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be
gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was
so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the
gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was
good. And God said, Let the earth put forth
grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after
their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass, herbs
yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the
seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a
third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the
firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
and let them be for lights in the firmament of
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
And God made the two great lights; the greater
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he
made the stars also. And God set them in the
firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the night, and
to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a
fourth day.
And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms
of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open
firmament of heaven. And God created the great
sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters
swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God
saw that it was good. And God blessed them,
saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and
let birds multiply on the earth. And there was
evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth living
creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the
earth after their kind: and it was so. And God
made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their
kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God
saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth. And God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every
herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every
tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
for food: and to every beast of the earth, and
to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the
earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for
food: and it was so. And God saw everything that
he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and
there was morning, the sixth day.
And the heavens and the earth were finished, and
all the host of them. And on the seventh day God
finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from
all his work which he had made. And God blessed
the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all
his work which God had created and made.
These are the generations of the heavens and of
the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth
and heaven. And no plant of the field was yet in
the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had
not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the
ground; but there went up a mist from the earth,
and watered the whole face of the ground. And
Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in
Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of
life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to
water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon: that is it
which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
and the gold of that land is good: there is
bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the
second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of
Cush. And the name of the third river is
Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river
is the Euphrates. And Jehovah God took the man,
and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the
man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.
And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every
beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto
the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called
every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the
birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there
was not found a help meet for him. And Jehovah
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:
and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from
the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And the man said, This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken
out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be
one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of
the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit
of the trees of the garden we may eat: but of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye
shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not
surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God,
knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes,
and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the
fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her,
and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves
together, and made themselves aprons. And they
heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the
day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah
God amongst the trees of the garden.
And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said
unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard
thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid
myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou
wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that
thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The
woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat. And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What
is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I
did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the serpent,
Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above
every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt
thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed:
he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply
thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and
thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which
I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground
for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,
till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And
the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all
living. And Jehovah God made for Adam and for
his wife coats of skins, and clothed them.
And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become
as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand,
and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever-
therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which
turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived,
and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of
Jehovah. And again she bare his brother Abel. And
Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of
his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to
his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering
he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth?
and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest
well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth
at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it.
And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to
pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his
brother, and slew him.
And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy
brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper?
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of
thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And now cursed art thou from the ground, which
hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
when thou tillest the ground, it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt
thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto
Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from
the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a
fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that
whosoever findeth me will slay me. And Jehovah
said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken
on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding
him should smite him.
And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah,
and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and
bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after
the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was
born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methushael; and
Methushael begat Lamech. And Lamech took unto
him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other
Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father
of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.
And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the
father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, the forger
of every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and the sister of
Tubal-cain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his
wives:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech:
For I have slain a man for wounding me,
And a young man for bruising me:
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a
son, and called his name Seth. For, said she, God hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son;
and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of
Jehovah.
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In
the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
male and female created he them, and blessed
them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and
begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his
name Seth: and the days of Adam after he begat
Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters.
And all the days that Adam lived were nine
hundred and thirty years: and he died.
And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and
begat Enosh: and Seth lived after he begat Enosh
eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and
twelve years: and he died.
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan.
and Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight
hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and
five years: and he died.
And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat
Mahalalel: and Kenan lived after he begat
Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and
ten years: and he died.
And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and
begat Jared: And Mahalalel lived after he begat
Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred
ninety and five years: and he died.
And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years,
and begat Enoch: and Jared lived after he begat
Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred
sixty and two years: and he died.
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat
Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he
begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Enoch were three hundred
sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God:
and he was not; for God took him.
And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven
years, and begat Lamech: and Methuselah lived
after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons
and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah
were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years,
and begat a son: and he called his name Noah,
saying, This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our
hands, which cometh because of the ground which Jehovah hath
cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah
five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred
seventy and seven years: and he died.
And Noah was five hundred years old: And Noah
begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply
on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them,
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men
that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.
And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with
man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred
and twenty years. The Nephilim were in the earth
in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the
daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty
men that were of old, the men of renown.
And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually. And it repented
Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his
heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom
I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and
creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have
made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of
Jehovah.
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a
righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with
God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and
Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God,
and the earth was filled with violence. And God
saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted
their way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is
come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make
thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt
pitch it within and without with pitch. And this
is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the
breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a
cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set
in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make
it. And I, behold, I do bring the flood of
waters upon this earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of
life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die.
But I will establish my covenant with thee; and
thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy
sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing
of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep
them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle
after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind,
two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
And take thou unto thee of all food that is
eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for
them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God
commanded him, so did he.
And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy
house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this
generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take
to thee seven and seven, the male and his female; and of the beasts that
are not clean two, the male and his female: of
the birds also of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep
seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For
yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and
forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from
off the face of the ground. And Noah did
according unto all that Jehovah commanded him.
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood
of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in,
and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark,
because of the waters of the flood. Of clean
beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything
that creepeth upon the ground, there went in two
and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
And it came to pass after the seven days, that
the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In
the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of
the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and
forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and
Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives
of his sons with them, into the ark; they, and
every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird
after its kind, every bird of every sort. And
they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is
the breath of life. And they that went in, went
in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut
him in. And the flood was forty days upon the
earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up
above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and
increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the
waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly
upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole
heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did
the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth,
both birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth, and every man: all in whose
nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry
land, died. And every living thing was destroyed
that was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping
things, and birds of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth:
and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark.
And the waters prevailed upon the earth a
hundred and fifty days.
And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and
all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass
over the earth, and the waters assuaged; the
fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the
rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters
returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred
and fifty days the waters decreased. And the ark
rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the
mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased
continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of
the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of forty days,
that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to
and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the
waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
but the dove found no rest for the sole of her
foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the
face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her, and
brought her in unto him into the ark. And he
stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the
ark; and the dove came in to him at eventide;
and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the
waters were abated from off the earth. And he
stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not
again unto him any more.
And it came to pass in the six hundred and first
year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were
dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and
looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried.
And in the second month, on the seven and
twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.
And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and
thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring
forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both
birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth;
that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply
upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his
sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
every beast, every creeping thing, and every
bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth
out of the ark.
And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took
of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings
on the altar. And Jehovah smelled the sweet
savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground
any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil
from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as
I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime
and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night
shall not cease.
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be
upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens; With
all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your
hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that
liveth shall be food for you; As the green herb have I given you all.
But flesh with the life thereof, which is
the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely
your blood, the blood of your lives, will I require; At the hand of
every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even at the hand of
every man's brother, will I require the life of man.
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his
blood be shed: For in the image of God made he man.
And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; Bring
forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with
him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my
covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
and with every living creature that is with you,
the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that
go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
And I will establish my covenant with you;
neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood;
neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
And God said, This is the token of the covenant
which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with
you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow
in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the
earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a
cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
and I will remember my covenant, which is
between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters
shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will
look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and
every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the
covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon
the earth.
And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the
ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
These three were the sons of Noah: and of these
was the whole earth overspread.
And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a
vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was
drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent.
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness
of his father, and told his two brethren without.
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it
upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of
their father. And their faces were backward, and they saw not their
father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his
wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him.
And he said,
Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
And he said,
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.
God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.
And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and
fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine
hundred and fifty years: And he died.
Now these are the generations of the sons of
Noah, namely, of Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons
born after the flood.
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and
Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath,
and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah,
and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. Of these were
the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his
tongue, after their families, in their nations.
And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put,
and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and
Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah:
Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he
began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a
mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty
hunter before Jehovah. And the beginning of his
kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of
Shinar. Out of that land he went forth into
Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah,
and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same
is the great city). And Mizraim begat Ludim,
and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and
Pathrusim, and Casluhim (whence went forth the Philistines), and Caphtorim.
And Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, and
Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and
the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite,
and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the
Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the
Canaanite spread abroad. And the border of the
Canaanite was from Sidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou
goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, unto Lasha.
These are the sons of Ham, after their
families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.
And unto Shem, the father of all the children
of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.
The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and
Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram. And the sons of
Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And
Arpachshad begat Shelah; and Shelah begat Eber.
And unto Eber were born two sons: The name of
the one was Peleg. For in his days was the earth divided. And his
brother's name was Joktan. And Joktan begat
Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these
were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling was
from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
These are the sons of Shem, after their
families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
These are the families of the sons of Noah,
after their generations, in their nations: and of these were the nations
divided in the earth after the flood.
And the whole earth was of one language and of
one speech. And it came to pass, as they
journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they
dwelt there. And they said one to another, Come,
let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone,
and slime had they for mortar. And they said,
Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto
heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the
face of the whole earth. And Jehovah came down
to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people,
and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now
nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do.
Come, let us go down, and there confound their
language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city.
Therefore was the name of it called Babel;
because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from
thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a
hundred years old, and begat Arpachshad two years after the flood.
and Shem lived after he begat Arpachshad five
hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and
begat Shelah. and Arpachshad lived after he
begat Shelah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
and Shelah lived after he begat Eber four
hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat
Peleg: and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four
hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred
and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat
Serug: and Reu lived after he begat Serug two
hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two
hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and
begat Terah: and Nahor lived after he begat
Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram,
Nahor, and Haran.
Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah
begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot.
And Haran died before his father Terah in the
land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
And Abram and Nahor took them wives: The name
of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the
daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
And Sarai was barren; She had no child.
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son
of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's
wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into
the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
And the days of Terah were two hundred and five
years: and Terah died in Haran.
Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land
that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and be thou
a blessing; and I will bless them that bless
thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the
families of the earth be blessed. So Abram went,
as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was
seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his
brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the
souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the
land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place
of Shechem, unto the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto
thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto
Jehovah, who appeared unto him. And he removed
from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his
tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he builded
an altar unto Jehovah, and called upon the name of Jehovah.
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the
South.
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram
went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the
land. And it came to pass, when he was come
near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I
know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
and it will come to pass, when the Egyptians
shall see thee, that they will say, This is his wife: and they will kill
me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray
thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and
that my soul may live because of thee. And it
came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld
the woman that she was very fair. And the
princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman was
taken into Pharaoh's house. And he dealt well
with Abram for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and
men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels.
And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with
great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is
this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was
thy wife? why saidst thou, She is my sister, so
that I took her to be my wife? now therefore behold thy wife, take her,
and go thy way. And Pharaoh gave men charge
concerning him: and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all
that he had.
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his
wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South.
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver,
and in gold. And he went on his journeys from
the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the
beginning, between Beth-el and Ai, unto the
place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram
called on the name of Jehovah. And Lot also, who
went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
And the land was not able to bear them, that
they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they
could not dwell together. And there was a strife
between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle:
and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land.
And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife,
I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy
herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole
land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt
take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if thou
take the right hand, then I will go to the left.
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the
Plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before Jehovah
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of
Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. So Lot chose
him all the Plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they
separated themselves the one from the other.
Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot
dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners
against Jehovah exceedingly.
And Jehovah said unto Abram, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where
thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward:
for all the land which thou seest, to thee will
I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will
make thy seed as the dust of the earth: So that if a man can number the
dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of
it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.
And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by
the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto
Jehovah.
And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king
of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal
king of Goiim, that they made war with Bera king
of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and
Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar).
All these joined together in the vale of Siddim
(the same is the Salt Sea). Twelve years they
served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer,
and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in
Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in
Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their
mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
And they returned, and came to En-mishpat (the
same is Kadesh), and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the
Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. And there
went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of
Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar);
and they set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim;
against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal
king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar;
four kings against the five. Now the vale of
Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled,
and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain.
And they took all the goods of Sodom and
Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who
dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
And there came one that had escaped, and told
Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother
of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram.
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken
captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred
and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. And he
divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote
them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
And he brought back all the goods, and also
brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the
people.
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him,
after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that
were with him, at the vale of Shaveh (the same is the King's Vale).
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth
bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram
of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth:
and blessed be God Most High, who hath
delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all.
And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me
the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And
Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah,
God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
that I will not take a thread nor a
shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made
Abram rich: save only that which the young men
have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me, Aner, Eshcol,
and Mamre. Let them take their portion.
After these things the word of Jehovah came unto
Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and
thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, O
Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that
shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no
seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him,
saying, This man shall not be thine heir; But he that shall come forth out
of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he
brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the
stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy
seed be. And he believed in Jehovah; and he
reckoned it to him for righteousness. And he
said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees,
to give thee this land to inherit it. And he
said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three
years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and
a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. And he took
him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over
against the other: but the birds divided he not.
And the birds of prey came down upon the
carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep
fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that
thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve
them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
and also that nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou
shalt be buried in a good old age. And in the
fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the
Amorite is not yet full. And it came to pass,
that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace,
and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram,
saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto
the great river, the river Euphrates: the
Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the
Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite,
and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children:
and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah
hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it
may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the
voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took
Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the
land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived:
and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her
eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be
upon thee: I gave my handmaid into they bosom; and when she saw that she
had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: Jehovah judge between me and
thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy
maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai
dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.
And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain
of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence
camest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the
face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of
Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under
her hands. And the angel of Jehovah said unto
her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for
multitude. And the angel of Jehovah said unto
her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt
call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction.
And he shall be as a wild ass among men;
his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against
him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren.
And she called the name of Jehovah that spake
unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked
after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was
called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called
the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael.
And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when
Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,
Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk
before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make
my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with
him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is
with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram,
but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations
have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding
fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of
thee. And I will establish my covenant between
me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou
shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their
generations. This is my covenant, which ye
shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among
you shall be circumcised. And ye shall be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a
covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is
eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your
generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any
foreigner that is not of thy seed. He that is
born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be
circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting
covenant. And the uncircumcised male who is not
circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from
his people; he hath broken my covenant.
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy
wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
And I will bless her, and moreover I will give
thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother
of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed,
and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred
years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael
might live before thee! And God said, Nay, but
Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac:
and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for
his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have
heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and
will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will
make him a great nation. But my covenant will I
establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in
the next year.
And he left off talking with him, and God went
up from Abraham. And Abraham took Ishmael his
son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with
his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised
the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when
he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old,
when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised,
and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his
house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a
foreigner, were circumcised with him.
And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of
Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo,
three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet
them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,
and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in
thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
let now a little water be fetched, and wash your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I
will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye
shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So
do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into
the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine
meal, knead it, and make cakes. And Abraham ran
unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the
servant; and he hasted to dress it. And he took
butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before
them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife?
And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said,
I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo,
Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which
was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old,
and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the
manner of women. And Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being
old also? And Jehovah said unto Abraham,
Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who
am old? Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At
the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and
Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied,
saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou
didst laugh.
And the men rose up from thence, and looked
toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham
that which I do; seeing that Abraham had surely
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the
end that he may command his children and his household after him, that
they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the
end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and
Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
I will go down now, and see whether they have
done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if
not, I will know.
And the men turned from thence, and went toward
Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah.
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou
consume the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there are fifty righteous within
the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that are therein? That be far from
thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that
so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not
the Judge of all the earth do right? And
Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I
will spare all the place for their sake. And
Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord, who am but dust and ashes:
peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty
righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I
will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said,
Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do
it for the forty's sake. And he said, Oh let
not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty
be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me
to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there.
And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and
I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And
he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.
And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had
left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and
Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them;
and he bowed himself with his face to the earth;
and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I
pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your
feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay;
but we will abide in the street all night. And
he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his
house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they
did eat. But before they lay down, the men of
the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both
young and old, all the people from every quarter;
and they called unto Lot, and said unto him,
Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us,
that we may know them. And Lot went out unto
them to the door, and shut the door after him.
And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so
wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters that
have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye
to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch
as they are come under the shadow of my roof.
And they said, Stand back. And they said, This
one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we
deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man,
even Lot, and drew near to break the door. But
the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and
shut to the door. And they smote the men that
were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so
that they wearied themselves to find the door.
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any
besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou
hast in the city, bring them out of the place:
for we will destroy this place, because the cry
of them is waxed great before Jehovah: and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy
it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his
sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this
place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his
sons-in-law as one that mocked. And when the
morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife,
and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity
of the city. But he lingered; and the men laid
hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of
his two daughters, Jehovah being merciful unto him; and they brought him
forth, and set him without the city. And it
came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said,
Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the
Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord:
behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy
sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed
unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil
overtake me, and I die: behold now, this city
is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither (is
it not a little one?), and my soul shall live.
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee
concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which
thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither;
for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of
the city was called Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came
unto Zoar. Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and
upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven;
and he overthrew those cities, and all the
Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the
ground. But his wife looked back from behind
him, and she became a pillar of salt. And
Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before
Jehovah: and he looked toward Sodom and
Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the
smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the
cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the
midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the
mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar:
and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
And the first-born said unto the younger, Our
father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us
after the manner of all the earth: come, let us
make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve
seed of our father. And they made their father
drink wine that night: and the first-born went in, and lay with her
father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the
first-born said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my
father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and
lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
And they made their father drink wine that
night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when
she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were
both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
And the first-born bare a son, and called his
name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
And the younger, she also bare a son, and
called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon
unto this day.
And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the
land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in
Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She
is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the
night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the
woman whom thou hast taken. For she is a man's wife.
Now Abimelech had not come near her. And he
said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation?
Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister?
And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my
heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this.
And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know
that in the integrity of thy heart thou has done this, and I also withheld
thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is
a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou
restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that
are thine.
And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and
called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. And the
men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called
Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And wherein have
I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a
great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest
thou, that thou hast done this thing? And
Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this
place. And they will slay me for my wife's sake.
And moreover she is indeed my sister, the
daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became
my wife: and it came to pass, when God caused
me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy
kindness which thou shalt show unto me. At every place whither we shall
come, say of me, He is my brother. And
Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and
gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before
thee. Dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto
Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of
silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with
thee. And in respect of all thou art righted.
And Abraham prayed unto God. And God healed
Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants. And they bare children.
For Jehovah had fast closed up all the wombs of
the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and
Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. And
Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of
which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called
the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he
was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his
son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God
hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me.
And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham,
that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his
old age.
And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham
made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian,
whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.
Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this
handmaid and her son. For the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with
my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very
grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be
grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid. In
all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice. For in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. And also of the son of the
handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on
her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away. And she
departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
And the water in the bottle was spent, and she
cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she
went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a
bowshot. For she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And
she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
And God heard the voice of the lad. And the
angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth
thee, Hagar? Fear not. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he
is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy
hand. For I will make him a great nation. And
God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went, and filled
the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
And God was with the lad, and he grew. And he
dwelt in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer.
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And
his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
And it came to pass at that time, that
Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying,
God is with thee in all that thou doest. Now
therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with
me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness
that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein
thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will
swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because
of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done
this thing. Neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but
to-day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and
gave them unto Abimelech. And they two made a covenant.
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by
themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham,
What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
And he said, These seven ewe lambs shalt thou
take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this
well. Wherefore he called that place
Beer-sheba. Because there they sware both of them.
So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And
Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned
into the land of the Philistines. And
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on
the name of Jehovah, the Everlasting God. And
Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
And it came to pass after these things, that God
did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. And he said, Here am I.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son,
whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah. And
offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of. And Abraham rose early in the
morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and
Isaac his son. And he clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up,
and went unto the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto
his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go
yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering,
and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the
knife. And they went both of them together. And
Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he said,
Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood. But where
is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham
said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son. So
they went both of them together.
And they came to the place which God had told
him of. And Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and
bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took
the knife to slay his son. And the angel of
Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he
said, Here I am. And he said, Lay not thy hand
upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou
fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from
me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked,
and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.
And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering
in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the
name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount
of Jehovah it shall be provided. And the angel
of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven,
and said, By myself have I sworn, saith
Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son, that in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall
possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast
obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his
young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham
dwelt at Beer-sheba.
And it came to pass after these things, that it
was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children
unto they brother Nahor. Uz his first-born, and
Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram.
And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph,
and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These
eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she
also bare Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.
And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven
and twenty years. These were the years of the life of Sarah.
And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is
Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and
to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from before
his dead, and spake unto the children of Heth, saying,
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give
me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out
of my sight. And the children of Heth answered
Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord. Thou
art a prince of God among us. In the choice of our sepulchres bury thy
dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou
mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham rose up, and
bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
And he communed with them, saying, If it be your
mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for
me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give
me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field.
For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a
possession of a burying-place. Now Ephron was
sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite
answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that
went in at the gate of his city, saying, Nay,
my lord, hear me. The field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I
give it thee. In the presence of the children of my people give I it thee.
Bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed himself down
before the people of the land. And he spake
unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou
wilt, I pray thee, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it of
me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron
answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord,
hearken unto me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver,
what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead.
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron. And Abraham
weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the
children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money
with the merchant.
So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah,
which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all
the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof
round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a
possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went
in at the gate of his city. And after this,
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before
Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan.
And the field, and the cave that is therein,
were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the
children of Heth.
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in
age. And Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.
And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of
his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand
under my thigh. And I will make thee swear by
Jehovah, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou wilt not
take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I
dwell. But thou shalt go unto my country, and to
my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.
And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the
woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Must I needs bring
thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou
bring not my son thither again. Jehovah, the God
of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my
nativity, and who spake unto me, and who sware unto me, saying, Unto thy
seed will I give this land. He will send his angel before thee, and thou
shalt take a wife for my son from thence. And if
the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from
this my oath. Only thou shalt not bring my son thither again.
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of
Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning this matter.
And the servant took ten camels, of the camels
of his master, and departed, having all goodly things of his master's in
his hand. And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
And he made the camels to kneel down without
the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women
go out to draw water. And he said, O Jehovah,
the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray thee, good speed this day,
and show kindness unto my master Abraham.
Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water.
And the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to
whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink. And
she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same
be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I
know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.
And it came to pass, before he had done
speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son
of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her
shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look
upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. And she went down to the
fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give
me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher.
And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hasted,
and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
And when she had done giving him drink, she
said, I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into
the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for all his
camels. And the man looked stedfastly on her,
holding his peace, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous
or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had
done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight,
and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,
and said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I
pray thee. Is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of
Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bare unto Nahor.
She said moreover unto him, We have both straw
and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And
the man bowed his head, and worshipped Jehovah.
And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my
master Abraham, who hath not forsaken his lovingkindness and his truth
toward my master. As for me, Jehovah hath led me in the way to the house
of my master's brethren.
And the damsel ran, and told her mother's house
according to these words. And Rebekah had a
brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the
fountain. And it came to pass, when he saw the
ring, and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the
words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me. That he
came unto the man. And, behold, he was standing by the camels at the
fountain. And he said, Come in, thou blessed of
Jehovah. Wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared the house,
and room for the camels. And the man came into
the house, and he ungirded the camels. And he gave straw and provender for
the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were
with him. And there was set food before him to
eat. But he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he
said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham's
servant. And Jehovah hath blessed my master
greatly. And he is become great. And he hath given him flocks and herds,
and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and
asses. And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to
my master when she was old. And unto him hath he given all that he hath.
And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt
not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose
land I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my
father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.
And I said unto my master, Peradventure the
woman will not follow me. And he said unto me,
Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper
thy way. And thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my
father's house. Then shalt thou be clear from
my oath, when thou comest to my kindred. And if they give her not to thee,
thou shalt be clear from my oath. And I came
this day unto the fountain, and said, O Jehovah, the God of my master
Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go.
Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water.
And let it come to pass, that the maiden that cometh forth to draw, to
whom I shall say, Give me, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher to
drink. And she shall say to me, Both drink
thou, and I will also draw for thy camels. Let the same be the woman whom
Jehovah hath appointed for my master's son. And
before I had done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with
her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down unto the fountain, and
drew. And I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
And she made haste, and let down her pitcher
from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also.
So I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art
thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare
unto him. And I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her
hands. And I bowed my head, and worshipped
Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me
in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with
my master, tell me. And if not, tell me. That I may turn to the right
hand, or to the left.
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The
thing proceedeth from Jehovah. We cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and
go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as Jehovah hath spoken.
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's
servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto
Jehovah. And the servant brought forth jewels
of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah. He
gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that
were with him, and tarried all night. And they rose up in the morning, and
he said, Send me away unto my master. And her
brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few
days, at the least ten. After that she shall go.
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing
Jehovah hath prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.
And they said, We will call the damsel, and
inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah,
and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and
her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her,
Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and
let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them.
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they
rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah,
and went his way. And Isaac came from the way
of Beer-lahai-roi. For he dwelt in the land of the South.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at
the eventide. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were
camels coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes,
and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel.
And she said unto the servant, What man is this
that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant said, It is my
master. And she took her veil, and covered herself.
And the servant told Isaac all the things that
he had done. And Isaac brought her into his
mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. And he
loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
And Abraham took another wife, and her name was
Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan,
and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons
of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and
Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
But unto the sons of the concubines, that
Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts. And he sent them away from Isaac his son,
while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's
life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years.
And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a
good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to
his people. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons
buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of
Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre. The
field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth. There was Abraham
buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass
after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac
dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi.
Now these are the generations of Ishmael,
Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto
Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of
Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of
Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are
their names, by their villages, and by their encampments. Twelve princes
according to their nations. And these are the
years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. And he
gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is
before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. He abode over against all his
brethren.
And these are the generations of Isaac,
Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac
was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the
Syrian of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.
And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife,
because she was barren. And Jehovah was entreated of him, and Rebekah his
wife conceived. And the children struggled
together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And
she went to inquire of Jehovah. And Jehovah
said unto her,
Two nations are in thy womb,
And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels.
And the one people shall be stronger than the other people.
And the elder shall serve the younger.
And when her days to be delivered were
fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
And the first came forth red, all over like a
hairy garment. And they called his name Esau.
And after that came forth his brother, and his
hand had hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was
threescore years old when she bare them.
And the boys grew. And Esau was a skilful
hunter, a man of the field. And Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his
venison. And Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob
boiled pottage. And Esau came in from the field, and he was faint.
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee,
with that same red pottage. For I am faint. Therefore was his name
called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me first thy
birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am about
to die. And what profit shall the birthright do to me?
And Jacob said, Swear to me first. And he sware
unto him. And he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of
lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. So Esau
despised his birthright.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the
first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto
Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar.
And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said, Go not
down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee,
and will bless thee. For unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all
these lands, and I will establish the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy
father. And I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands. And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept
my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
And the men of the place asked him of his wife.
And he said, She is my sister. For he feared to say, My wife. Lest,
said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah. Because
she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass,
when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines
looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with
Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac,
and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife. And how saidst thou, She is
my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die because of
her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast
done unto us? One of the people might easily have lain with thy wife, and
thou wouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
And Abimelech charged all the people, saying,
He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the
same year a hundredfold. And Jehovah blessed him.
And the man waxed great, and grew more and more
until he became very great. And he had
possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household.
And the Philistines envied him. Now all the
wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his
father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth.
And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us. For
thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac
departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water,
which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. For the
Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he called
their names after the names by which his father had called them.
And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and
found there a well of springing water. And the
herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours.
And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.
And they digged another well, and they strove
for that also. And he called the name of it Sitnah.
And he removed from thence, and digged another
well. And for that they strove not. And he called the name of it Rehoboth.
And he said, For now Jehovah hath made room for us, and we shall be
fruitful in the land.
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
And Jehovah appeared unto him the same night,
and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with
thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's
sake. And he builded an altar there, and called
upon the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's
servants digged a well.
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and
Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host.
And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore are ye come
unto me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
And they said, We saw plainly that Jehovah was
with thee. And we said, Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt
us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee,
that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not
touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have
sent thee away in peace. Thou art now the blessed of Jehovah.
And he made them a feast, and they did eat and
drink. And they rose up betimes in the morning,
and sware one to another. And Isaac sent them away, and they departed from
him in peace. And it came to pass the same day,
that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they
had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
And he called it Shibah. Therefore the name of
the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.
And when Esau was forty years old he took to
wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter
of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of
mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old,
and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder
son, and said unto him, My son. And he said unto him, Here am I.
And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not
the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray
thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and
take me venison. And make me savory food, such
as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat. That my soul may bless thee
before I die.
And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his
son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying,
Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that
I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah before my death.
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according
to that which I command thee. Go now to the
flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats. And I will
make them savory food for thy father, such as he loveth.
And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he
may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death.
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold,
Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
My father peradventure will feel me, and I
shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and
not a blessing. And his mother said unto him,
Upon me be thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
And he went, and fetched, and brought them to
his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
And Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau
her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob
her younger son. And she put the skins of the
kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.
And she gave the savory food and the bread,
which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
And he came unto his father, and said, My
father. And he said, Here am I. Who art thou, my son?
And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy
first-born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee,
sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that
thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy
God sent me good speed. And Isaac said unto
Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou
be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near
unto Isaac his father. And he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's
voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And
he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's
hands. So he blessed him. And he said, Art thou
my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he
said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my
soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat. And he
brought him wine, and he drank. And his father
Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
And he came near, and kissed him. And he
smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said,
See, the smell of my son
Is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed.
And God give thee of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and new wine.
Let peoples serve thee,
And nations bow down to thee.
Be lord over thy brethren,
And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee.
Cursed be every one that curseth thee,
And blessed be every one that blesseth thee.
And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made
an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the
presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his
hunting. And he also made savory food, and
brought it unto his father. And he said unto his father, Let my father
arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art
thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy first-born, Esau.
And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said,
Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have
eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he
shall be blessed. When Esau heard the words of
his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto
his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and
hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is
not he rightly name Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two time. He
took away my birthright. And, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing.
And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold,
I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for
servants. And with grain and new wine have I sustained him. And what then
shall I do for thee, my son? And Esau said unto
his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also,
O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,
Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou
shalt serve thy brother.
And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt break loose,
That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck.
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing
wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of
mourning for my father are at hand. Then will I slay my brother Jacob.
And the words of Esau her elder son were told
to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto
him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself,
purposing to kill thee. Now therefore,
my son, obey my voice. And arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran.
And tarry with him a few days, until thy
brother's fury turn away. Until thy brother's
anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him.
Then I will send, and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be bereaved of
you both in one day?
And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my
life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the
daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good
shall my life do me?
And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and
charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the
daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-aram,
to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father. And take thee a wife from
thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee
fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples.
And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee,
and to thy seed with thee. That thou mayest inherit the land of thy
sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. And
Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of
Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and
sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence. And that as
he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of
the daughters of Canaan. And that Jacob obeyed
his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram.
And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan
pleased not Isaac his father. And Esau went unto
Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of
Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went
toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain
place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took
one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in
that place to sleep. And he dreamed. And
behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.
And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said,
I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The
land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth,
and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the
north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the
families of the earth be blessed. And, behold,
I am with thee, and will keep thee, whithersoever thou goest, and will
bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee, until I have
done that which I have spoken to thee of. And
Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this
place. And I knew it not. And he was afraid,
and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of
God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and
took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar,
and poured oil upon the top of it. And he
called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at
the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If
God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give
me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that
I come again to my father's house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God,
then this stone, which I have set up for a
pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me I will
surely give the tenth unto thee.
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the
land of the children of the east. And he looked,
and behold, a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying
there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. And the stone
upon the well's mouth was great. And thither
were all the flocks gathered. And they rolled the stone from the well's
mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's
mouth in its place. And Jacob said unto them, My
brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.
And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of
Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he said
unto them, Is it well with him? And they said, It is well. And, behold,
Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. And
he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should
be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.
And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks
be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then
we water the sheep. While he was yet speaking
with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep. For she kept them.
And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the
daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his
mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the
well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his
voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he
was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. And she ran and
told her father.
And it came to pass, when Laban heard the
tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced
him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all
these things. And Laban said to him, Surely
thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.
And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my
brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall
thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters. The
name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
And Leah's eyes were tender. But Rachel was
beautiful and well favored. And Jacob loved
Rachel. And he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger
daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I
give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with
me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel.
And they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for
my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
And Laban gathered together all the men of the
place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in
the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And
he went in unto her. And Laban gave Zilpah his
handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid.
And it came to pass in the morning that,
behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done
unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou
beguiled me? And Laban said, It is not so done
in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.
Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give
thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet
seven other years. And jacob did so, and
fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife.
And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah
his handmaid to be her handmaid. And he went in
also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with
him yet seven other years.
And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and he
opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. And
Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she
said, Because Jehovah hath looked upon my affliction. For now my husband
will love me. And she conceived again, and bare
a son: and said, Because Jehovah hath heard that I am hated, he hath
therefore given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon.
And she conceived again, and bare a son. And
said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have
borne him three sons. Therefore was his name called Levi.
And she conceived again, and bare a son. And
she said, This time will I praise Jehovah. Therefore she called his name
Judah. And she left off bearing.
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no
children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me
children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was
kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath
withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And
she said, Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon
my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife:
and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah
conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel
said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me
a son: therefore called she his name Dan. And
Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I
wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed: and she called his name
Naphtali.
When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she
took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.
And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a son.
And Leah said, Fortunate! and she called his
name Gad. And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob
a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I! for
the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name Asher.
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest,
and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah.
Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
And she said unto her, Is it a small matter
that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's
mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night
for thy son's mandrakes. And Jacob came from
the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou
must come in unto m