Genesis

Chapter 1

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep waters, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³ Then God said, "Let there be light.” And there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good. Then God separated between the light and the darkness. ⁵ And God called the light "Day,” and the darkness he called "Night.” Then there was evening, and there was morning, one day.

⁶ Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse "Heavens.” Then there was evening, and there was morning, the second day.

⁹ Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ And God called the dry ground "Land,” and the gathered waters he called "Seas.” And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, "Let the land sprout vegetation on the earth, plants that yield seeds and fruit trees that bear fruit according to their kinds that have their seeds inside them.” And it was so: ¹² So the land produced vegetation, plants that yield seeds, each according to its kind, and trees that bear fruit that has its seeds inside it, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ Then there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate between the day and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. ¹⁵ And let them be as lights in the expanse of the heavens to shine on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ So God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. ¹⁷ And God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ Then there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, which the waters swarm with, each according to its kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² Then God blessed them by saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ Then there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said, "Let the land produce living creatures, each according to its kind, livestock, and creatures that crawl and living creatures of the earth, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ So God made the living creatures of the earth, each according to its kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and every creature that crawls on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every moving creature that moves on the earth.” ²⁷ Then God created mankind in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it. And rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living creature that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, "Behold, I have given to you every plant that yields seeds that is on the surface of the whole earth, and every tree that bears fruit that yields seeds inside it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to every living creature of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to every creature that moves on the earth that has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ Then God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. Then there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Chapter 2

¹ So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their hosts. ² And by the seventh day God had finished his work that he had done, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that God had done.

⁴ These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day when Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens. ⁵ Now every shrub of the fields had not yet appeared on the earth, and every plant of the fields had not yet sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground. ⁶ But mist came up from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground. ⁷ Then Yahweh God formed the man out of dust from the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

⁸ Now Yahweh God had planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And Yahweh God had made every tree to grow from the ground that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ And a river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon. It winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stones are also there. ¹³ And the name of the second river is the Gihon. It winds through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ And the name of the third river is the Tigris. It goes east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ And Yahweh God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and tend it. ¹⁶ Then Yahweh God commanded the man by saying, "From every tree of the garden you may freely eat, ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it you will surely die.”

¹⁸ Then Yahweh God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him.” ¹⁹ Now Yahweh God had formed from the ground every living creature of the fields and every bird of the sky. So he brought them to the man to see what he would call each one, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ And the man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the sky and to all the living creatures of the fields, but a suitable helper was not found for the man.

²¹ So Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and while he was sleeping, then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² Then Yahweh God made the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man. ²³ And the man said,

     "This one now has bones from my bones and flesh from my flesh!

     She will be called 'woman', because it was from a man that she was taken.”

²⁴ For that reason a man will leave his father and his mother, and he will cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

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

Chapter 3

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than all the living creatures of the fields that Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree of the garden'?” ² Then the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden, ³ except from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. God said, 'You must not eat from it and you must not touch it, or else you will die!' “ ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that on the day you eat from it, then your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God in knowing good and evil.” ⁶ And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made aprons for themselves.

⁸ Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, but the man and his wife hid from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ So Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, "I heard your sound in the garden, but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” ¹¹ Then he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹² Then the man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?” And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, so I ate it.”

¹⁴ Then Yahweh God said to the serpent,

     "Because you have done this,

     you are cursed above all the livestock

     and above all the living creatures of the fields!

     You will move on your belly

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

     ¹⁵ I will also put hostility between you and the woman,

     and between your offspring and her offspring.

     He will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.”

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

     "I will greatly multiply your pain and your childbearing;

     in pain you will bear children.

     Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ Then he said to Adam,

     "Since you listened to the voice of your wife

     and you ate from the tree that I commanded you

     by saying, 'You must not eat from it,'

     the ground is cursed because of you;

     by painful toil you will eat from it all the days of your life.

     ¹⁸ And it will produce thorns and thistles for you,

     and you will eat the plants of the fields.

     ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread,

     until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken.

     For you are dust, and to dust you will return.”

²⁰ Then the man called the name of his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living people. ²¹ Then Yahweh God made garments from animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them.

²² Then Yahweh God said, "Behold! The man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. And now he must not be allowed to reach out his hands and also take fruit from the tree of life and eat it and live forever!” ²³ So Yahweh God sent him out of the garden of Eden to work the ground which he had been taken from. ²⁴ And after he drove the man out, then he placed on the east side of the garden of Eden cherubim angels and a flaming sword that was turning in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Chapter 4

¹ Then the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said, "I have obtained a man with Yahweh!” ² Then she continued on to bear his brother Abel. Now Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain became a worker of the ground. ³ And it happened in the course of days that Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground as an offering to Yahweh. ⁴ And Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flocks, and some of their fat. And Yahweh looked favorably on Abel and his offering. ⁵ However he did not look favorably on Cain and his offering. So Cain burned with intense anger and his face fell. ⁶ Then Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you burning with anger? And why is your face fallen? ⁷ If you do right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸ Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And it happened while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

⁹ Then Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?” And he replied, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?” ¹⁰ Then he said, "What have you done?! The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will not continue to yield its strength for you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

¹³ Then Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Behold! Today you are driving me from the surface of the ground, and I will be hidden from your presence and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and it will be everyone who finds me will kill me!” ¹⁵ Then Yahweh replied to him, "For that reason, anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over!” Then Yahweh put a mark on Cain so that everyone who found him would not kill him. ¹⁶ Then Cain went away from the presence of Yahweh and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he was building a city, so he called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. ¹⁸ Then to Enoch was born Irad. Then Irad fathered Mehujael, then Mehujael fathered Methushael, then Methushael fathered Lamech.

¹⁹ Then Lamech took two wives for himself. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. ²⁰ And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and own livestock. ²¹ And the name of his brother was Jubal. He was the father of all who play harps and flutes.

²² And Zillah also bore Tubal Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal Cain was Naamah.

²³ And Lamech said to his wives,

     "Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice. Wives of Lamech, hear my words:

     For I killed a man for my wound, even a young man for my bruise.

     ²⁴ If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech is avenged seventy-seven times!”

²⁵ Then Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she called his name Seth, because she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” ²⁶ And to Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh.

Then people began to call on the name of Yahweh.

Chapter 5

¹ This is the written account of the generations of Adam: On the day God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called their name "mankind," on the day they were created.

³ And Adam lived 130 years, then he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he called his name Seth. ⁴ And Adam's days after he fathered Seth were 800 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁵ So all Adam's days that he lived were 930 years, then he died.

⁶ And Seth lived 105 years, then he fathered Enosh. ⁷ Then after he fathered Enosh, Seth lived 807 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁸ So all Seth's days were 912 years, then he died.

⁹ And Enosh lived 90 years, then he fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ Then after he fathered Kenan, Enosh lived 807 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So all Enosh's days were 905 years, then he died.

¹² And Kenan lived 70 years, then he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³ Then after he fathered Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So all Kenan's days were 910 years, then he died.

¹⁵ And Mahalalel lived 65 years, then he fathered Jared. ¹⁶ Then after he fathered Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So all Mahalalel's days were 895 years, then he died.

¹⁸ And Jared lived 162 years, then he fathered Enoch. ¹⁹ Then after he fathered Enoch, Jared lived 800 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So all Jared's days were 962 years, then he died.

²¹ And Enoch lived 65 years, then he fathered Methuselah. ²² Then after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 more years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²³ So all Enoch's days were 365 years. ²⁴ And Enoch walked with God, then he was not there, because God took him away.

²⁵ And Methuselah lived 187 years, then he fathered Lamech. ²⁶ Then after he fathered Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So all Methuselah's days were 969 years, then he died.

²⁸ And Lamech lived 182 years, then he fathered a son, ²⁹ and he called his name Noah, because he said, "This son will comfort us from our labors and from the toil of our hands because of the ground which Yahweh has cursed." ³⁰ Then after he fathered Noah, Lamech lived 595 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ³¹ So all Lamech's days were 777 years, then he died.

³² And Noah was a son of 500 years, then Noah fathered Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Chapter 6

¹ Now it happened when mankind began to multiply on the surface of the earth and daughters were born to them, ² then the sons of God saw the daughters of mankind that they were beautiful, so they took wives for themselves from any of them that they chose. ³ Then Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with mankind forever, because they are indeed flesh. So their days will be 120 years.”

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God went to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children for them. They were the mighty men who were from long ago, men of renown.

⁵ And Yahweh saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all day long. ⁶ So Yahweh was sorry that he had made mankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. ⁷ Then Yahweh said, "I will wipe away mankind whom I created off the surface of the ground -- both mankind and animals, and creatures that crawl and the birds of the sky -- because I am sorry that I made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

⁹ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man. He was without blemish in his generation. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. ¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth and behold it was corrupt, because all flesh on the earth had corrupted their ways. ¹³ So God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, because the earth is filled with violence because of them, so behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make an ark for yourself out of gopher wood. Make the ark with rooms, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. ¹⁵ And this is how you must make it: the length of the ark must be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark and finish the walls of it to within one cubit from the roof. And put the door of the ark in its side. Make a lower, a second and a third deck. ¹⁷ And behold, I am bringing floodwaters on the earth to destroy all flesh that has the breath of life in it from under the heavens. Everything that is on the earth will die! ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, so you must go into the ark — you and your sons and your wife and the wives of your sons with you. ¹⁹ And from every living creature, from all flesh, you must bring two from each kind into the ark to keep alive with you. They must be male and female. ²⁰ From the birds according to their kinds, and from the animals according to their kinds, from every creature that moves on the ground according to its kind, two from every kind will come to you to keep alive. ²¹ And you must take with you some of every food that is eaten and store it with you, and it will be food for you and for them.” ²² So Noah did that; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Chapter 7

¹ Then Yahweh said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. ² Take with you seven male and female pairs of every clean animal, and a male and female pair of every animal that is not clean, ³ also seven male and female pairs of every bird of the sky, to keep their offspring alive on the surface of the whole earth, ⁴ because in seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe away every living thing that I have made off the surface of the ground." ⁵ Then Noah did all that Yahweh had commanded him.

⁶ Now Noah was a son of 600 years when the flood-waters came on the earth. ⁷ And Noah and his sons and his wife and the wives of his sons went with him into the ark from the presence of the waters of the flood. ⁸ Clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that moves on the ground ⁹ went in pairs to Noah into the ark, male and female pairs, just as God had commanded Noah.

¹⁰ So it was after the seven days, then the waters of the flood came on the earth. ¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the springs of the great deep burst open, and the windows of the heavens were opened, ¹² so that the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³ On that same day Noah and Shem, and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark, ¹⁴ they and every living creature according to its kind, and every livestock according to its kind, and every creature that moves on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every wing. ¹⁵ So pairs of all flesh that have the breath of life in them went to Noah into the ark. ¹⁶ And those that went in were male and female from all flesh; they went in just as God had commanded him. Then Yahweh shut him in.

¹⁷ Then the flood came on the earth for forty days, and the waters increased and lifted the ark so that it rose up off the earth. ¹⁸ So the waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters. ¹⁹ And the waters rose very greatly on the earth, so that all the high mountains that were under the entire heavens were covered. ²⁰ The waters rose fifteen cubits above them, so that the mountains were covered. ²¹ Then all flesh that moved on the earth died, including the birds, and the livestock, and the living creatures, and all the creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. ²² Everything that had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils, everything that lived on dry land, died. ²³ So he wiped away every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including mankind and livestock and creatures that crawl and also the birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth, and only Noah was left and those who were with him in the ark.

²⁴ And the waters prevailed over the earth for 150 days.

Chapter 8

¹ But God remembered Noah and all the living creatures and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. So God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. ² And the springs of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was stopped. ³ Then the waters receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of the 150 days the waters had decreased, ⁴ so that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ Then the waters continued to decrease until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.

⁶ Then it happened at the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made, ⁷ and he sent out a raven, and it kept flying out and returning until the waters dried up from the earth. ⁸ Then he sent out a dove from him to see if the waters had subsided from the surface of the ground. ⁹ But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of its feet, so it returned to him in the ark, because the waters were over the surface of the entire earth. And he reached out his hand and took it and brought it to him into the ark. ¹⁰ Then he waited another seven days and again sent out the dove from the ark. ¹¹ Then the dove returned to him in the evening, and behold there was a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. ¹² Then he waited another seven days, and he sent out the dove, but it did not return to him again.

¹³ So it happened in the 601st year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the waters were drying up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked around, and behold the surface of the ground was becoming dry. ¹⁴ Then in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the land was dry.

¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and the wives of your sons with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living creature that is with you, all flesh, including the birds and the livestock and every creature that moves on the earth, so that they will abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply over the earth." ¹⁸ Then Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and the wives of his sons with him. ¹⁹ Every living thing, every crawling thing and every bird, everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark by their families.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and he took from every clean animal and from every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma, and Yahweh said in his heart, "Never again will I curse the ground because of mankind, though the inclination of mankind's hearts is evil from their youth. And never again will I destroy every living thing as I have done.

     ²² While all of the days of the earth continue, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease."

Chapter 9

¹ Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ² And the fear of you and the dread of you will be on every living creature of the earth, including on every bird of the sky, on everything that moves on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving creature that lives will be food for you. Just as the green plants, I give you everything. ⁴ But you must not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. ⁵ And surely I will demand your blood for your lives. From the hand of every living creature I will demand it. Also, from the hand of mankind -- from the hand of a man regarding his brother -- I will demand the life of the man.

     ⁶ The one shedding the blood of a man, by mankind his blood must be shed,

     because in the image of God he made mankind.

⁷ "And you, be fruitful and multiply. Abound on the earth and multiply on it."

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ "And I, behold I am establishing my covenant with you and with your offspring after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: with the birds, with the livestock, and with every living creature of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark, to every living creature of the earth. ¹¹ And I am establishing my covenant with you that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.''

¹² Then God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for generations forever: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ And it will be when I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ then I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature among all flesh, that never again will waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ So the rainbow will be in the clouds, and I will see it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature, with all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁷ Then God said to Noah, "That is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁸ And the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, and Ham and Japheth; and Ham, he was the father of Canaan. ¹⁹ Those three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was overspread.

²⁰ Now Noah began to be a man of the soil and planted a vineyard. ²¹ Then he drank some of the wine, and he became drunk, and he uncovered himself inside his tent. ²² Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it across the shoulders of the two of them and walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, and their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father's nakedness.

²⁴ Then Noah woke up from his wine, and he learned what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ and he said,

     "Cursed be Canaan!

     He will be a slave of slaves for his brothers." ²⁶ Then he said,

     "Praised be Yahweh, the God of Shem!

     And may Canaan be a slave for him.

     ²⁷ May God enlarge Japheth,

     and may he live in Shem's tents.

     And may Canaan be a slave for him."

²⁸ And after the flood, Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹ So all the days of Noah were 950 years, then he died.

Chapter 10

¹ Now these are the generations of Noah's sons Shem, Ham and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the flood.

² The sons of Japheth were Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

³ And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

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

⁵ From those the coastland peoples spread out into their lands, each with its own language, according to their clans, in their nations.

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

⁷ And the sons of Cush were Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba, and Dedan. ⁸ Cush also fathered Nimrod, who began to be mighty on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. For that reason it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh." ¹⁰ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went to Asshur and he built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, ¹² and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah, which is the great city.

¹³ And Mizraim fathered the Ludim, and the Anamim, and the Lehabim, and the Naphtuhim, ¹⁴ and the Pathrusim, and the Casluhim (whom the Philistim came from), and the Caphtorim.

¹⁵ And Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, then Heth, ¹⁶ and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, and the Girgashites, ¹⁷ and the Hivites, and the Arkites, and the Sinites ¹⁸ and the Arvadites, and the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. And afterward the clans of the Canaanites scattered, ¹⁹ so the borders of the Canaanites were from Sidon then you go toward Gerar as far as Gaza, then you go to Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

²⁰ Those are the sons of Ham according to their clans, according to their languages, in their lands, in their nations.

²¹ And sons were also born to Shem; he was the father of all the sons of Eber and the brother of Japheth the elder. ²² The sons of Shem were Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram.

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

²⁴ And Arpachshad fathered Shelah, then Shelah fathered Eber. ²⁵ Then two sons were born to Eber: the name of the one was Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided. And the name of his brother was Joktan. ²⁶ And Joktan fathered Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, ²⁷ and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, ²⁸ and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, ²⁹ and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All those were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰ And their dwelling was from Mesha, then you go to Sephar, the mountains of the east.

³¹ Those are the sons of Shem according to their clans, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

³² Those are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations. And from those the nations spread out on the earth after the flood.

Chapter 11

¹ Now the whole earth was one language and the same words. ² And it happened as they migrated from the east, then they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ Then they said to each other, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire." And they had bricks for stones, and they had tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, "Come, let us build a city for ourselves and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, so that we are not scattered over the face of the whole earth."

⁵ Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of mankind had built, ⁶ and Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people and they all have one language, so this is what they have begun to do, and now everything that they plan to do will not be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand each other's language." ⁸ Then Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ For that reason they called its name Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth, and from there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem:

Shem was the son of 100 years, then he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. ¹¹ Then after he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

¹² And Arpachshad lived 35 years, then he fathered Shelah. ¹³ Then after he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Shelah lived 30 years, then he fathered Eber. ¹⁵ Then after he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber lived 34 years, then he fathered Peleg. ¹⁷ Then after he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg lived 30 years, then he fathered Reu. ¹⁹ Then after he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu lived 32 years, then he fathered Serug. ²¹ Then after he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

²² And Serug lived 30 years, then he fathered Nahor. ²³ Then after he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor lived 29 years, then he fathered Terah. ²⁵ Then after he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah lived 70 years, then he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.

²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. ²⁸ Later Haran died in the presence of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Kasdim. ²⁹ Then Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. ³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she did not have a child.

³¹ Then Terah took his son Abram and Lot, Haran's son, his son's son, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and they went out together from Ur of the Kasdim to go to the land of Canaan. But they came to Haran, and they settled there. ³² And when Terah's days were 205 years, then Terah died in Haran.

Chapter 12

¹ Then Yahweh said to Abram, "You yourself must go from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ And I will bless those who bless you, but whoever curses you I will curse. And through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."

⁴ Then Abram went, just as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was the son of 75 years when he set out from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot the son of his brother, and all their possessions that they had accumulated and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. And when they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ then Abram passed through the land as far as the place of Shechem, to the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were in the land at that time. ⁷ Then Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your offspring." So he built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.

⁸ Then from there he went on to the mountains to the east of Bethel and pitched his tents, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to Yahweh, and he called on the name of Yahweh. ⁹ Then Abram set out and continued to travel toward the Negev.

¹⁰ Then there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ And it happened that as he was about to enter Egypt, then he said to Sarai his wife, "Behold now, I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance. ¹² So it will happen when the Egyptians see you, then they will say, 'This is his wife!' and they will kill me but let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister, so that it will go well for me for your sake and my life will live because of you."

¹⁴ Then it happened, when Abram came into Egypt, then the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very beautiful. ¹⁵ And when the officials of Pharaoh saw her, then they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. ¹⁶ Then he treated Abram well for her sake, so that he had sheep and cattle, and male donkeys, and male slaves and female slaves, and female donkeys and camels.

¹⁷ But Yahweh struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues on account of Sarai the wife of Abram. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh called for Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to me as a wife? Now then, behold your wife. Take her and go!" ²⁰ Then Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away and his wife and everything that belonged to him.

Chapter 13

¹ Then Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and everything that belonged to him, and Lot with him. ² And Abram was very wealthy in livestock, in silver and in gold. ³ Then from the Negev he went on his journey as far as Bethel, to the place where his tents had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the altar that he had made there at first, and there Abram called on the name of Yahweh.

⁵ Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had sheep and cattle and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them while they stayed together, because their possessions were great so that they were not able to stay together. ⁷ Then there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, "Please do not let there be strife between me and you, or between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, because we are men, brothers. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go right, or if you go to the right, then I will go left."

¹⁰ Then Lot lifted his eyes and saw the entire Plain of the Jordan as you go to Zoar, that all of it was well watered, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the entire Plain of the Jordan, and Lot traveled to the east, and they separated from each other. ¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the plain and moved his tents as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against Yahweh.

¹⁴ Then Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift your eyes now from the place where you are there, and look to the north, and to the south, and to the east and to the west, ¹⁵ because all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your offspring forever. ¹⁶ And I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, which if anyone were able to count the dust of the earth, your offspring could also be counted. ¹⁷ Get up and walk through the land, through its length and through its width, because I am giving it to you." ¹⁸ So Abram moved his tents and went and settled near the terebinth trees of Mamre that were near Hebron, and there he built an altar to Yahweh.

Chapter 14

¹ Now it happened in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of the Goiim, ² they made war against Bera king of Sodom, and against Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. ³ All these joined together in the Siddim Valley, which is now the Salt Sea.

⁴ For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ Then in the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him went and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and they struck the entire territory of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar. ⁸ Then the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went out into the Siddim Valley and arranged themselves for battle ⁹ against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against the five.

¹⁰ Now the Siddim Valley had many tar pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and those who remained fled to the hill country. ¹¹ Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and left. ¹² And they took Lot and his possessions, the son of Abram's brother, when they left, since he was living in Sodom.

¹³ Then someone who escaped came and reported to Abram the Hebrew. And he was living by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner, and they were owners of a covenant with Abram. ¹⁴ And when Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, then he led out his 318 trained men who had been born in his house, and he pursued his enemies as far as Dan. ¹⁵ Then he divided against them during the night, he and his servants, and struck them and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ And he brought back all the possessions, and he also brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, and also the women and the other people.

¹⁷ Then the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley, which is the King's Valley, after he returned from striking Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. ¹⁸ Then Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine. And he was a priest to God Most High, ¹⁹ and he blessed him and said, "May Abram be blessed by God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth! ²⁰ And praised be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand!” Then he gave to him a tenth of everything. ²¹ Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give to me the people, but the possessions take for yourself.” ²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will not take from a thread even to a sandal strap, and I will not take from anything that belongs to you, so that you will not say, 'I made Abram rich.' ²⁴ I will take nothing, except what the young men have eaten and the share of the other men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them take their share.”

Chapter 15

¹ After those things, the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram! I am a shield for you, your reward will be very great.” ² But Abram said, "My Lord, Yahweh, what will you give to me, since I go childless, and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ Then Abram said, "Behold, you have not given a child to me, so that behold, a servant of my house will inherit what is mine!” ⁴ Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "That man will not be your heir, but rather a son who comes from your bowels, he will be your heir.” ⁵ Then he brought him outside and said, "Look now at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, "So will your offspring be.”

⁶ And he trusted in Yahweh, and he counted it to him as righteousness. ⁷ Then he said to him, "I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Kasdim to give to you this land to possess it.” ⁸ Then he said, "My Lord, Yahweh, how will I know that I will possess it?” ⁹ Then he said to him, "Bring to me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old she-goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ So he brought all those to him. Then he cut them in two down the middle and laid the halves opposite to each other, but the birds he did not cut in two. ¹¹ Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹² Then it happened, the sun was setting and a deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, terror, great darkness fell on him. ¹³ Then he said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be strangers in a land * that is not theirs, and they will serve them, and * they will oppress them 400 years. ¹⁴ But also, the nation that they serve I will judge, and after that they will come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ And you, you will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ Then in the fourth generation they will come back here, because the sin of the Amorites will not be complete until then.”

¹⁷ Then it happened, the sun went down and darkness came, and behold, there was a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch that passed between those pieces. ¹⁸ On that day Yahweh cut a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River, ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, ²⁰ and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim, ²¹ and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Chapter 16

¹ Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not born children for him, but she had an Egyptian maidservant, and her name was Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, "Behold, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant. Perhaps I can be built up from her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ So Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar, her Egyptian maidservant, at the end of ten years that Abram had lived in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife for him. ⁴ Then he went to Hagar and she conceived. And she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress was despised in her eyes.

⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong is on you! I myself put my maidservant into your arms, but she sees that she has conceived, and I am despised in her eyes! May Yahweh judge between me and you!” ⁶ Then Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her what is good in your eyes.”

Then Sarai mistreated her, and she fled from her presence. ⁷ Then an angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring beside the road of Shur. ⁸ And he said, "Hagar, maidservant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” And she said, "I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit under her hands.”

¹⁰ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly increase your offspring, so that they can not be counted because of their abundance.”

¹¹ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant, and you will bear a son, and you must call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has listened to your misery. ¹² And he will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in the face of all of his brothers.”

¹³ Then she called the name of Yahweh who had spoken to her, "You are El Roi,” because she said, "Have I really seen here the back of the One who sees me?” ¹⁴ For that reason they call the well Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ Then Hagar bore a son for Abram, and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael. ¹⁶ And Abram was a son of 86 years when Hagar bore Ishmael for Abram.

Chapter 17

¹ Then Abram was a son of 99 years, and Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai. Walk before my face and be without blemish. ² And I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you very greatly.”

³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him saying, ⁴ "I, behold, my covenant with you is that you will be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ So your name will not be called Abram any more, rather your name will be Abraham, because I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ So I will make you very, very fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you. ⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations as an eternal covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ⁸ And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession, and I will be God to them.”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, "And you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you which you must keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹ Indeed you must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² So a son of eight days must be circumcised, every male among you throughout your generations, those born in your house and those bought with money from any sons of foreigners, who are not your offspring. ¹³ They must surely be circumcised, whether those born in your house or those bought with your money. So my covenant will be in your flesh as an eternal covenant. ¹⁴ And as for an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, indeed that person must be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, "Sarai your wife, do not call her name Sarai, rather her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ And I will bless her, and I will also give to you a son from her. Indeed I will bless her and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.“

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face, and he laughed and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a son of 100 years? And will Sarah who is a daughter of 90 years bear a child?“ ¹⁸ Then Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live before your face!” ¹⁹ Then God said, "No, Sarah your wife will bear a son for you, and you must call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his offspring after him.

²⁰ "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful and will multiply him very greatly. He will father twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ However, my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear for you by this time in the next year.” ²² Then he finished speaking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

²³ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born of his house and all those bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, just as God had told him. ²⁴ And Abraham was a son of 99 years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, ²⁵ and Ishmael his son was a son of thirteen years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶ On that very day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. ²⁷ And all the males of his house, those born of his house and those bought with money from sons of foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18

¹ Then Yahweh appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day. ² And he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing nearby him. And when he saw them, then he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them. Then he bowed to the ground, ³ and he said, "My lords, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought, then you can wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will bring a morsel of bread, then you can refresh your hearts before you go away, since you have come to your servant.” And they said, "Very well, do as you have said.”

⁶ Then Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Hurry! Knead three seahs of fine flour, and make loaves.” ⁷ Then Abraham ran to the herd and selected a tender and choice calf. Then he gave it to a servant and he hurried to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and he set it before them. Then he stood by them under the tree and they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, "Behold, in the tent.” ¹⁰ Then he said, "I will surely return to you at the time of life, and behold your wife Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, and it was behind him. ¹¹ And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days; the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed within herself and said, "After I am worn out, will I have pleasure? And my lord is old!“ ¹³ But Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really bear a child when I am old?' ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you, at the time of life, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵ But Sarah denied it by saying, "I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But he said, "No, but you did laugh."

¹⁶ Then the men got up from there and looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them off. ¹⁷ And Yahweh said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I am doing? ¹⁸ And Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁹ For I have known him so that he will command his children and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Yahweh by doing righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh will bring about for Abraham what he said to him.”

²⁰ Then Yahweh said, "Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, ²¹ I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to its outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.“

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, and Abraham was still standing before Yahweh. ²³ Then Abraham approached him and said, "Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are 50 righteous in the city? Will you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do something like that, killing the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous are like the wicked! Far be it from you! Will not the One who judges all the earth do justice?” ²⁶ Then Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom 50 righteous in the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up and said, "Behold please, I have taken it upon myself to speak to my Lord, although I am dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose the 50 righteous lack five? Will you destroy the whole city because of five?” And he said, "I will not destroy it, if I find 45 there.”

²⁹ Then he continued again to speak to him and said, "Suppose 40 are found there?” And he said, "I will not do it for the sake of the 40.”

³⁰ Then he said, "Please do not let my Lord be angry, and let me speak: Suppose 30 are found there?” And he said, "I will not do it, if I find 30 there.”

³¹ Then he said, "Behold please, I have taken it upon myself to speak to my Lord: Suppose 20 are found there?“ And he said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.”

³² Then he said, "Please do not let my Lord be angry, and let me speak just once more: Suppose ten are found there?” And he said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” ³³ Then Yahweh left as soon as he finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Chapter 19

¹ Then the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw them, and he got up to meet them and bowed his face to the ground. ² Then he said, "Behold please, my lords. Please turn aside to the house of your servant and spend the night, and wash your feet, then you can get up early and go on your way.” But they said, "No, rather we will spend the night in the street.” ³ But he urged them strongly, so that they turned aside with him and entered into his house. Then he prepared a feast for them, and he baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ⁴ Before they lay down, then the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young and to the old, all the people from the edges. ⁵ Then they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can know them!” ⁶ Then Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him, ⁷ and he said, "Please, my brothers, do not do evil! ⁸ Behold please, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please let me bring them out to you, and you do to them as is good in your eyes. But do not do anything to these men, because for that reason they have come under the shadow of my rafters.” ⁹ But they said, "Get back!” Then they said, "This one came to sojourn, and now he is judging us! We will treat you worse than them!” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot and came near to break down the door. ¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house to them and shut the door. ¹¹ Then they struck the men who were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the small and to the great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

¹² Then the men said to Lot, "Who else is here with you? Sons-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who is with you in the city, take them out from this place, ¹³ because we are destroying this place. For their outcry before Yahweh is great, so Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.” ¹⁴ Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were to take his daughters, and he said, "Get up, get out of this place, because Yahweh is destroying the city!” But it seemed like he was joking in the eyes of his sons-in-law. ¹⁵ Then when the dawn came, the angels urged Lot by saying, "Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, so that you are not swept away in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ But he lingered, so the men grabbed his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, because of Yahweh's mercy for him, and brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ And it happened when they had brought them out to the outside, then he said, "Flee for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stop anywhere in the plain! Escape to the mountains, so that you are not swept away!” ¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords! ¹⁹ Behold please, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have magnified your mercy that you have shown to me by saving my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because the disaster will overtake me and I will die. ²⁰ Behold please, that town there is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Please let me escape there. Isn't it a little one? Then my life will live.” ²¹ Then he said to him, "Behold, I have also lifted up your face concerning this thing, so I will not overthrow the town that you are talking about. ²² Hurry up, escape there, because I am not able to do a thing until you go there.” For that reason he called the name of the town Zoar.

²³ The sun rose over the land and Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then Yahweh rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of the heavens, ²⁵ and he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground. ²⁶ But his wife from behind him looked back and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh, ²⁸ and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the surface of the land of the plain, and he looked and behold, smoke was rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.

²⁹ So it was when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham, and he sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities which Lot had lived in.

³⁰ Then Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him, because he was afraid to settle in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. ³¹ Then the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old and there is not a man on the earth to come to us as is the way of all the earth. ³² Come on, let us get our father to drink wine, then let us lie with him, so that we will give life to offspring through our father.” ³³ So they got their father to drink wine on that night, and the firstborn went and lay with her father, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁴ Then it happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Behold, last night I lay with my father. Let us get him to drink wine again tonight, then you go lie with him, so that we will give life to offspring through our father.” ³⁵ So on that night also they got their father to drink wine. Then the younger went and lay with him, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁶ So both of the daughters of Lot became pregnant from their father. ³⁷ Then the firstborn bore a son, and she called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ Then the younger, she also bore a son, and she called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.

Chapter 20

¹ Then Abraham traveled from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. ² And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister.” So Abimelech the king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night and said to him, "Behold, you are dead because of the woman whom you have taken, because she is married to a husband!” ⁴ Now Abimelech had not gone near to her, so he said, "My Lord, will you kill a nation even though it is righteous? ⁵ Did not he himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself also said, 'He is my brother'. I did this in the integrity of my heart and in the innocence of my hands!” ⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and indeed I kept you from sinning against me. For that reason I did not allow you to touch her. ⁷ So now you must return the wife of the man, because he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will surely die, you and all who belong to you!”

⁸ So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called for all of his servants, and he told all those things in their ears, and the men were very afraid. ⁹ Then Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you so that you brought a great sin on me and on my kingdom? You have done deeds to me that should not be done!” ¹⁰ Then Abimelech said to Abraham, "What were you looking for when you did this thing?” ¹¹ And Abraham answered, "Because I said, 'Surely there is no fear of God in this place, so they will kill me because of my wife.' ¹² And also she truly is my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. ¹³ And it happened when God caused me to wander from the house of my father, then I said to her, 'This is your kindness that you can do for me: At every place where we go, say about me, "He is my brother.” '“ ¹⁴ Then Abimelech brought flocks and herds and men slaves and women slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵ Then Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before your face. Settle wherever is good in your eyes.” ¹⁶ And to Sarah he said, "Behold, I am giving 1,000 shekels of silver to your brother. Behold, that is for you a covering of the eyes before all who are with you, so that you are vindicated for everything.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his slave women, so that they bore children, ¹⁸ because Yahweh had completely closed up every womb in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

Chapter 21

¹ Then Yahweh visited Sarah just as he had said, and Yahweh did for Sarah just as he had said, ² so that Sarah conceived and bore a son for Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time which God had told him. ³ And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore for him, Isaac. ⁴ And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, a son of eight days, just as God had commanded him.

⁵ And Abraham was a son of 100 years when Isaac his son was born to him. ⁶ And Sarah said, "God has brought laughter to me! Everyone who hears will laugh with me!" ⁷ And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have born a son in his old age!"

⁸ Then the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. ⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born for Abraham, was mocking, ¹⁰ so she said to Abraham, "Drive away that slave woman and her son, because the son of that slave woman will not inherit with my son, with Isaac!" ¹¹ And the matter was very distressing in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed in your eyes because of the boy and because of your slave woman. All that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice, because in Isaac offspring will be called yours. ¹³ And I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, because he is your offspring."

¹⁴ Then Abraham got up early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder. Then with the child he sent her away, and she left and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. ¹⁵ And when the water from the skin was gone, then she threw the child under one of the bushes, ¹⁶ and she went and sat down by herself at a distance, as far away as they shoot a bow, because she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." Then as she sat at a distance, she lifted her voice and sobbed.

¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the boy, so the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has listened to the voice of the boy where he is there. ¹⁸ Get up, lift the boy and hold on to him with your hand, because I will make him into a great nation." ¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ And God was with the boy. And he grew up, and he lived in the wilderness and he became a bow shooter. ²¹ And while he was living in the wilderness of Paran, then his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

²² And it happened at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham saying, "God is with you in all that you do. ²³ So now swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my children or with my descendants. According to the kindness that I have done to you, do to me and to the land which you are sojourning in." ²⁴ And Abraham said, "I swear."

²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that the servants of Abimelech had seized. ²⁶ Then Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing. And also you did not tell me, and also I have not heard about it until today."

²⁷ Then Abraham took sheep and cattle, and he gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant. ²⁸ Then Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock by themselves. ²⁹ So Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart by themselves?" ³⁰ And he said, "Because you must accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand, so that it can be a witness for me that I dug this well." ³¹ For that reason he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.

³² So they cut the covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Then he planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Eternal God. ³⁴ Then Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Chapter 22

¹ Then it happened after those things that God tested Abraham. And he said to him, "Abraham!” And he said, "Behold me.” ² Then he said, "Please take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go yourself to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell to you.”

³ So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and he cut wood for the burnt offering. Then he got up and left for the place that God had told to him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and he saw the place from a distance. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here by yourselves with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there and bow down, then we will come back to you.”

⁶ Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hands the fire and the knife. Then the two of them went on together, ⁷ and Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father?” And he said, "Behold me, my son.” Then he said, "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸ And Abraham said, "God will see for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them went on together.

⁹ Then they came to the place that God had told to him, and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ But an angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, "Behold me.” ¹² Then he said, "Do not reach out your hand against the boy! And do not do anything to him, because now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and behold a ram was behind him, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place "Yahweh-Yireh,” as it is said to this day, "On the mountain of Yahweh it will be seen.”

¹⁵ Then the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said, "I swear by myself, a declaration of Yahweh, that it is because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ that I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the shore of the sea, and your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your Offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you listened to my voice.”

¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham stayed at Beersheba.

²⁰ Then it happened after those things that it was told to Abraham saying, "Behold, Milcah, she too, has born sons for Nahor your brother: ²¹ Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² and Kesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel." ²³ And Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Those are the eight sons Milcah bore for Nahor, the brother of Abraham. ²⁴ And his concubine, and her name was Reumah, and she also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash and Maacah.

Chapter 23

¹ Now the life of Sarah was 127 years; the years of the life of Sarah. ² Then Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ³ Then Abraham got up from beside his dead one and he spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴ "I am a foreigner and a sojourner among you. Give to me property for a burial place among you, so that I can bury my dead from before me.” ⁵ Then the sons of Heth replied to Abraham by saying to him, ⁶ "Listen to us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. Each of us will not refuse from you his burial place to bury your dead.”

⁷ Then Abraham got up and bowed before the people of the land, before the sons of Heth, ⁸ and he said to them, saying, "If it is your will to bury my dead from before me, listen to me and intercede for me with Ephron, the son of Zohar, ⁹ so that he will give to me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field. For full price let him give it to me among you as property for a burial place.” ¹⁰ Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, so Ephron the Hittite responded to Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, for everyone who had come to the gate of his city, by saying, ¹¹ "No, my lord. Listen to me: I give to you the field, and I give to you the cave that is in it. I give it to you before the eyes of the sons of my people. Bury your dead.”

¹² Then Abraham bowed before the people of the land, ¹³ and he spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, "Rather if you would, please listen to me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, then I will bury my dead there.” ¹⁴ Then Ephron answered Abraham by saying to him, ¹⁵ "My lord, listen to me. Land worth 400 shekels of silver - between me and you, what is that? So bury your dead.” ¹⁶ So Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the price that he had mentioned in the ears of the sons of Heth, 400 shekels of silver, the currency among the merchants.

¹⁷ So the field of Ephron that was in Machpelah which was before Mamre, the field and the cave that was in it, and every tree that was in the field that was within all of its surrounding borders, was deeded ¹⁸ to Abraham as his possession before the eyes of the sons of Heth, before everyone who had come to the gate of his city. ¹⁹ Then after that, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ So the field and the cave that was in it were deeded to Abraham as property for a burial place from the sons of Heth.

Chapter 24

¹ Now Abraham was old, advanced in days, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in everything. ² Then Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house who was in charge of everything that belonged to him, "Please put your hand under my thigh, ³ and I will have you swear by Yahweh, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites whom I am living among, ⁴ but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.”

⁵ Then the servant said to him, "Suppose the woman is not willing to come with me to this land? Should I take your son back to the country that you came from?” ⁶ Then Abraham said to him, "Be sure that you do not take my son back there. ⁷ Yahweh, the God of the heavens, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my relatives and who spoke to me and who swore to me saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ But if the woman is not willing to come with you, then you are clear from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there!”

⁹ Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. ¹⁰ Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master and left, and all kinds of good things from his master were in his hand, and he got up and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. ¹¹ Then he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, at the time the women who draw water come out.

¹² Then he said, "Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please cause it to happen before me today that you show kindness toward my master Abraham. ¹³ Behold, I am standing by this spring of water, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ And let it be that the young woman whom I say to her, 'Please let down your jar so that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink and I will also water your camels,' let her be the one you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac. And by her I will know that you have shown kindness toward my master.”

¹⁵ Then it happened before he had finished speaking, then behold Rebekah was coming out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. And her water jar was on her shoulder. ¹⁶ And the young woman was a very beautiful-looking virgin, and a man had not known her. And she went down to the spring, and filled her jar and came up.

¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” ¹⁸ And she said, "Drink, my lord.” Then she hurried and lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ And after she finished giving him a drink, then she said, "I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ Then she hurried and emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw water, and she drew water for all his camels. ²¹ And the man watched her silently to know whether Yahweh had made his journey succeed or not.

²² Then it happened, when the camels had finished drinking, then the man took out a gold nose ring, its weight was a beka, and two gold bracelets for her arms, their weight was ten shekels. ²³ And he said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there a place at the house of your father for us to lodge?” ²⁴ Then she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore for Nahor.” ²⁵ Then she said to him, "Plenty of both straw and fodder are with us. There is also a place to lodge.” ²⁶ Then the man bowed down and prostrated himself before Yahweh, ²⁷ and said, "Praised be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the road to the home of the relatives of my master!”

²⁸ Then the young woman ran and told the household of her mother about those things. ²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother and his name was Laban, and Laban ran to the man outside at the spring. ³⁰ And it was when he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on the arms of his sister, and when he had heard the words of Rebekah his sister saying, 'This is what the man said to me,' then he went to the man, and behold he was standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹ Then he said, "Come, blessed of Yahweh. Why are you standing out here? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³² So the man went to the house. Then he unloaded the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. ³³ Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have spoken my words.” So he said, "Speak.”

³⁴ Then he said, "I am a servant of Abraham. ³⁵ And Yahweh has greatly blessed my master so that he has become great. And he has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men slaves and women slaves, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶ And Sarah, the wife of my master, bore a son for my master after her old age, and he has given to him everything that belongs to him. ³⁷ And my master made me swear by saying, 'You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites whose land I am living in, ³⁸ but rather you must go to the house of my father, and to my clan, and take a wife for my son.' ³⁹ Then I said to my master, 'Suppose the woman will not come with me?' ⁴⁰ And he said to me, 'Yahweh, whom I walk before, will send his angel with you and make your journey succeed, so that you will take a wife for my son from my clan, and from the house of my father. ⁴¹ Then you will be clear from my oath when you go to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, then you will be clear from my oath.'

⁴² "Then today I came to the spring, and I said, 'Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if it is your will, please make my journey succeed that I have come on. ⁴³ Behold, I am standing by this spring of water. And let it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please give me a little water to drink from your jar,” ⁴⁴ and she says to me, "Both you drink and I will also draw water for your camels,” let her be the wife whom Yahweh has chosen for the son of my master.'

⁴⁵ "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, then behold Rebekah was coming out and her jar was on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. Then I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' ⁴⁶ And she hurried and lowered her jar from her and said, 'Drink and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. ⁴⁷ Then I asked her and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, a son of Nahor whom Milcah bore for him.' Then I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms, ⁴⁸ and I bowed down and prostrated myself before Yahweh and I praised Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. ⁴⁹ And now if it is your will to show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, so that I will turn to the right or to the left.”

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing has come from Yahweh; we are not able to tell you bad or good. ⁵¹ Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of the son of your master, as Yahweh has spoken.” ⁵² Then it happened, when the servant of Abraham heard their words, then he bowed down to the ground before Yahweh. ⁵³ Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver and jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah, and he gave valuable things to her brother and to her mother.

⁵⁴ Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and lodged. Then in the morning they got up, and he said, "Send me to my master.” ⁵⁵ But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.” ⁵⁶ But he said to them, "Do not detain me, since Yahweh has made my journey succeed. Send me off so that I will go to my master.” ⁵⁷ Then they said, "Let's call for the young woman and ask her mouth.”

⁵⁸ So they called for Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?” And she said, "I will go.” ⁵⁹ Then they sent off Rebekah their sister and her nurse and the servant of Abraham and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

     "Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads,

     and may your offspring possess the gates of those who hate them!” ⁶¹ Then Rebekah got up and her maids, and they mounted the camels and went with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

⁶² Meanwhile Isaac came from going to Beer Lahai Roi, and he was living in the land of the Negev. ⁶³ And Isaac went to meditate in the field as it was turning toward evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw that behold, camels were coming. ⁶⁴ And Rebekah lifted her eyes and saw Isaac. Then she dismounted from the camel, ⁶⁵ and she said to the servant, "Who is that man in the field who is coming to meet us?” And the servant said, "He is my master.” So she took the veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶ Then the servant reported to Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷ Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rebekah, and she became a wife to him. And Isaac loved her and he was comforted after his mother.

Chapter 25

¹ Then Abraham added and took a wife, and her name was Keturah. ² And she bore for him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, and the Letushim, and the Leummim. ⁴ And the sons of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All of those were the descendants of Keturah.

⁵ And Abraham gave everything that belonged to him to Isaac. ⁶ And to the sons of the concubines who belonged to Abraham, Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still alive he sent them eastward to the land of Kedem, away from Isaac his son.

⁷ And these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham that he lived: 175 years. ⁸ Then Abraham exhaled and died at a good old age, elderly and full, and he was gathered to his people. ⁹ Then Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which was before Mamre, ¹⁰ the field that Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. ¹¹ And it happened after the death of Abraham, then God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

¹² Now these are the generations of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of Sarah, had born for Abraham. ¹³ And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their births: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, ¹⁴ and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedermah. ¹⁶ Those were the sons of Ishmael, and those are their names by their settlements and by their camps, twelve rulers according to their tribes. ¹⁷ And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. Then he exhaled and died, and was gathered to his people. ¹⁸ And they settled from Havilah to Shur that is near Egypt as you go toward Asshur. He fell in the face of all his brothers.

¹⁹ And these are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac, ²⁰ then Isaac was a son of 40 years when he took Rebekah for himself as a wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ And Isaac entreated Yahweh on behalf of his wife because she was barren. So Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² And the children struggled against each other inside her, so she said, "Why is this so? Why am I like this?” And she went to inquire of Yahweh. ²³ And Yahweh said to her,

     "Two nations are inside your womb, and two peoples will be divided from inside your womb.

     And one people will be stronger than the other people, and the older will serve the younger.”

²⁴ Then her days were fulfilled to deliver, and behold, twins were inside her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red, all of him was like a garment of hair, so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ Then after that, his brother came out and his hand was grabbing on to the heel of Esau, so he called his name Jacob. And Isaac was a son of 60 years when she bore them.

²⁷ Then the boys grew up, and Esau became a man who knew hunting, a man of the field, and Jacob was a quiet man who stayed among the tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau, because he liked game meat in his mouth, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Now Jacob was cooking stew, and Esau came in from the field and he was exhausted. ³⁰ Then Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me devour some of that very red stuff because I am exhausted!” For that reason they called his name Edom. ³¹ But Jacob said, "On this day sell your birthright to me.” ³² And Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die! So for what use is that to me, a birthright?” ³³ But Jacob said, "Swear to me on this day!” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave to Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Chapter 26

¹ Then there was a famine in the land, besides the earlier famine that was in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines in Gerar. ² Then Yahweh appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land that I tell you. ³ Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you. For I will give to you and to your offspring all these lands, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to Abraham your father: ⁴ that I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens, and I will give to your offspring all these lands, and through your Offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.''

⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar. ⁷ Then the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, "She is my sister,'' because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife.'' He thought, "The men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah because she is beautiful in appearance.'' ⁸ Then it happened when the days had been long for him there, then Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw that behold, Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his wife. ⁹ So Abimelech called for Isaac and said, "Behold she is really your wife! So how could you say, 'She is my sister'?'' And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'I might die because of her.' '' ¹⁰ Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!'' ¹¹ Then Abimelech ordered all the people by saying, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be killed!''

¹² Then Isaac sowed seeds in that land, and in that year he acquired a hundredfold, and Yahweh blessed him. ¹³ And the man became great, and he continued to become even greater until he was exceedingly great. ¹⁴ And he had possession of flocks and possession of herds and many servants. So the Philistines envied him, ¹⁵ and the Philistines stopped up all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father and filled them with dirt.

¹⁶ Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, because you are more powerful than we are.'' ¹⁷ So Isaac went from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. ¹⁸ Then Isaac again dug out the water wells that they had dug in the days of Abraham his father and that the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham, and he called them names like the names that his father had called them.

¹⁹ Then the servants of Isaac dug in the valley and found a well of living water there. ²⁰ But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac by saying, "The water belongs to us!'' So he called the name of the well Esek, because they disputed with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so he called its name Sitnah. ²² Then he moved from there and he dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he called its name Rehoboth and he said, "Because now Yahweh has made space for us and we will be fruitful in the land.''

²³ Then from there he went up to Beersheba. ²⁴ And Yahweh appeared to him during that night and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, because I am with you. And I will bless you and I will multiply your offspring for the sake of Abraham my servant.'' ²⁵ Then he built an altar there and he called on the name of Yahweh. And he pitched his tents there, and the servants of Isaac dug a well there.

²⁶ Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol the commander of his army. ²⁷ And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and you sent me away from you?'' ²⁸ And they said, "We have clearly seen that Yahweh has been with you, so we said, 'There should be an oath between us' — between us and you. So let us cut a covenant with you, ²⁹ that you will not do evil against us, just as we did not touch you, and just as we did only good to you and sent you away in peace. Now you are blessed by Yahweh.'' ³⁰ Then he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Then they got up early in the morning and swore to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left from him in peace.

³² Then it happened on that day, the servants of Isaac came and told him about the matter of the well that they had been digging and said to him, "We have found water!'' ³³ So he called it Shebah. For that reason the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

³⁴ And Esau was a son of 40 years, and he took a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Chapter 27

¹ Then it happened, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, then he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son.” And he said to him, "Behold me." ² Then he said, "Behold please, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. ³ So now, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out in the field and hunt game for me. ⁴ Then prepare tasty food for me such as I love, and bring it to me so I can eat it, so that my soul can bless you before I die.”

⁵ And Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to Esau his son, then Esau went to the field to hunt game to bring it back. ⁶ Then Rebekah said to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father tell Esau your brother, saying, ⁷ 'Bring game for me and prepare tasty food for me so that I can eat it and I can bless you in the presence of Yahweh, before my death.' ⁸ So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. ⁹ Please go to the flock and bring to me from there two good kids of the goats so that I will prepare from them tasty food for your father such as he loves. ¹⁰ Then you take it to your father and he will eat it, so that he will bless you before his death.”

¹¹ Then Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. ¹² Suppose my father touches me? Then I will be in his eyes as a deceiver, and I will bring a curse on me and not a blessing.” ¹³ But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son. Just listen to my voice and go get them for me.” ¹⁴ So he went and got them and brought them to his mother. Then his mother prepared tasty food such as his father loved. ¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son that were with her in the house and put them on Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the kid goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck.

¹⁷ Then she gave the tasty food and the bread that she had made into her son Jacob's hands, ¹⁸ and he went to his father and said, "My father.” And he said, "Behold me. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹ Then Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit and eat some of my game, so that your soul will bless me.” ²⁰ Then Isaac said to his son, "How is this you were quick to find it, my son?” And he said, "Because Yahweh your God caused it to happen before me."

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come close, so that I can touch you, my son, and know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob went close to Isaac his father, and he touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ So he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother, and he was about to bless him. ²⁴ But he said, "Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, "I am.” ²⁵ Then he said, "Bring the food to me, and I will eat some of my son's game, so that my soul will bless you.” Then he brought it to him and he ate, and he brought wine to him and he drank.

²⁶ Then Isaac his father said to him, "Please come close and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ So he went close and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothes, so he blessed him and said,

     "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed!

     ²⁸ And may God give to you from the dew of the heavens

     and from the fatness of the earth,

     and an abundance of grain and wine.

     ²⁹ May peoples serve you, and may nations bow down to you.

     Be master over your brothers,

     and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.

     May those who curse you be cursed,

     and may those who bless you be blessed.”

³⁰ Then it happened just as Isaac finished blessing Jacob, and it happened scarcely had Jacob just left from the presence of Isaac his father when Esau his brother came in from his hunt. ³¹ Then he too prepared tasty food, and he brought it to his father and said to his father, "Let my father get up and eat from his son's game, so that your soul can bless me.” ³² But Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?” And he said, "I am your son, your firstborn Esau.” ³³ Then Isaac trembled a very great tremble and he said, "Then who was it that hunted game and brought it to me? And I ate from it all just before you came, and I blessed him. Indeed he will be blessed.” ³⁴ When Esau heard the words of his father, then he cried out a great and exceedingly bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me, me too, my father!” ³⁵ And he said, "Your brother came in deceit and took your blessing.” ³⁶ Then he said, "Is it because his name is called Jacob that he has defrauded me these two times? He took my birthright, and behold now he has taken my blessing!”

Then he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” ³⁷ But Isaac responded and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him master over you, and I have given all his brothers to him as servants. And I have sustained him with grain and wine. So then, what can I do for you, my son?” ³⁸ But Esau said to his father, "Is there one blessing that you have, my father? Bless me, me too, my father!” Then Esau lifted his voice and sobbed. ³⁹ Then Isaac his father responded and said to him,

     "Behold, your dwelling will be away from the fatness of the earth

     and away from the dew of heaven from above.

     ⁴⁰ And you will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother.

     But when you become restless, then you will break his yoke off of your neck.”

⁴¹ Then Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing that his father had blessed him with, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of the mourning of my father are near, then I will kill Jacob my brother.” ⁴² But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah, so she sent and called for Jacob her younger son and said to him, "Behold, Esau your brother is consoling himself about you, planning to kill you. ⁴³ So now, my son, listen to my voice and get up, flee for yourself to Laban my brother in Haran! ⁴⁴ And stay with him for a few days until the fury of your brother turns away, ⁴⁵ until the anger of your brother turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I also lose both of you in one day?”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Heth! If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these, from daughters of the land, what would life be to me?”

Chapter 28

¹ Then Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him, and commanded him and said to him, "Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. ² Get up, go to Paddan Aram, to the home of Bethuel the father of your mother, and take a wife for yourself from there, from the daughters of Laban the brother of your mother. ³ And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you so that you become as a multitude of peoples. ⁴ And may he give the blessing of Abraham to you, to you and to your offspring with you, so that you possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean and the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife for himself from there, and that when he blessed him, then he commanded him, saying, "Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan!” ⁷ and that Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and went to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Then Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing in the eyes of Isaac his father. ⁹ So Esau went to Ishmael and he took as a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, in addition to his wives who belonged to him.

¹⁰ And Jacob left from Beersheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ Then he reached a certain place, and he stopped there because the sun had gone. And he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and he lay down in that place. ¹² And he dreamed, and behold, a stairway was set up on the earth and its top reached to the heavens, and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ And behold, Yahweh was standing above it, and he said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your grandfather and the God of Isaac. The land that you are lying on I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ And your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. And through you and through your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁵ And behold, I am with you and I will watch over you in every place that you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob woke up from his sleep and said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, but I did not know it!” ¹⁷ So he was afraid and said, "How awesome this place is! This is nothing other than the house of God, and this is the gateway of heaven!”

¹⁸ Then in the morning Jacob got up early, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and stood it up as a pillar, and he poured oil on its top. ¹⁹ And he called the name of that place Bethel, even though Luz had been the name of the town at first.

²⁰ Then Jacob vowed a vow by saying, "If God will be with me and watch over me on this road that I am walking on and he gives to me bread to eat and clothes to wear, ²¹ and I return in peace to the home of my father, then Yahweh will be God to me, ²² and this stone that I have stood up as a pillar will be the house of God, and all that you give to me I will tithe a tenth to you.”

Chapter 29

¹ Then Jacob lifted his feet and went to the land of the sons of the east. ² And he looked and behold, a well was in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there near it, because from that well the flocks were watered, and the stone over the mouth of the well was large. ³ And all the flocks would be gathered there, then they would roll the stone from over the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

⁴ Then Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, "We are from Haran.” ⁵ Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” And they said, "We know him.” ⁶ Then he said to them, "Are things well for him?” And they said, "Things are well. And behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” ⁷ Then he said, "Behold, the day is still large. It is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go pasture them.” ⁸ But they said, "We can't until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from over the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

⁹ He was still talking with them, then Rachel came with the sheep that belonged to her father, because she was tending them. ¹⁰ Then it happened, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, then Jacob went over and rolled the stone from over the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. ¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted his voice and cried. ¹² Then Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was a son of Rebekah. Then she ran and told her father.

¹³ And it happened, when Laban heard the news about Jacob the son of his sister, then he ran to meet him. Then he hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things, ¹⁴ and Laban said to him, "You are indeed my bone and my flesh!”

Then he stayed with him a month of days. ¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you then serve me for nothing? Tell me, what are your wages?” ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ And the eyes of Leah were delicate, but Rachel was lovely of form and beautiful of appearance. ¹⁸ And Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” ¹⁹ And Laban said, "It is better for me to give her to you than for me to give her to another man. Stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but in his eyes they were like a few days because of his love for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, because my days are completed, then I will go to her.” ²² Then Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. ²³ But it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave to her Zilpah his maidservant, to Leah his daughter, to be a maidservant.

²⁵ Then it happened in the morning that behold she was Leah! So he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? So for what reason have you deceived me?” ²⁶ But Laban said, "It is not done so in our place to give the younger before the firstborn. ²⁷ Fulfill the seven days of this daughter, then we will also give you this one for service that you will serve with me for another seven years.”

²⁸ So Jacob did so, and he fulfilled that daughter's week. Then he gave to him Rachel his daughter as a wife for him. ²⁹ And Laban gave Bilhah his maidservant to Rachel his daughter as a maidservant for her. ³⁰ Then he also went to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served him for another seven years.

³¹ Now Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, so he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³² Then Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, because she said, "Because Yahweh has looked on my misery, surely now my husband will love me.”

³³ Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "Because Yahweh heard that I am hated, then he gave to me this son also.” So she called his name Simeon.

³⁴ Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "This time now my husband will be joined to me, because I have born three sons for him.” For that reason he called his name Levi.

³⁵ Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "This time I will praise Yahweh.” For that reason she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Chapter 30

¹ Now Rachel saw that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so Rachel envied her sister, and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, and if not, I will die!” ² And Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept the fruit of the womb from you?” ³ Then she said, "Behold my servant woman Bilhah. Go to her, so that she will bear children on my knees, and I also will be built up from her.” ⁴ And she gave to him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went to her.

⁵ Then Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob, ⁶ and Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and indeed, he has listened to my voice and given to me a son!” For that reason she called his name Dan.

⁷ Then Bilhah the maidservant of Rachel conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob. ⁸ So Rachel said, *"With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister. Indeed I have prevailed!” And she called his name Naphtali.

⁹ Now Leah saw that she had ceased from bearing children, so she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Then Zilpah the maidservant of Leah bore a son for Jacob, ¹¹ and Leah said, "What good fortune!” So she called his name Gad.

¹² Then Zilpah the maidservant of Leah bore a second son for Jacob, ¹³ and Leah said, "How blessed I am! For women will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.

¹⁴ Then in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found mandrakes in the field, and he brought them to Leah his mother. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give to me some of your son's mandrakes.” ¹⁵ But she said to her, "Is it a small matter you have taken my husband? And would you also take my son's mandrakes?” Then Rachel said, "Therefore he may lie with you for the night for your son's mandrakes.”

¹⁶ Then Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come to me, because I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her during that night, ¹⁷ and God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob. ¹⁸ Then Leah said, "God has given me my reward because I gave my maidservant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

¹⁹ Then Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob. ²⁰ And Leah said, "God has presented me a good present. This time my husband will honor me because I have born six sons for him.” So she called his name Zebulun.

²¹ Then later she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

²² Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. ²³ Then she conceived and bore a son, and she said, "God has taken away my disgrace!” ²⁴ And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May Yahweh add another son to me.”

²⁵ Then it happened, after Rachel bore Joseph, then Jacob said to Laban, "Send me off, so that I may go to my place and to my land. ²⁶ Give me my wives and my children whom I have served you for, so that I may go. For you yourself know the service that I have served you.”

²⁷ Then Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes. I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you.” ²⁸ Then he said, "Name your wages to me, and I will give them.” ²⁹ And he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have been with me. ³⁰ For there was little that was yours before me, and it has prospered to abundance, and Yahweh has blessed you at my feet. But now, when will I also do something for my household?“

³¹ Then he said, "What should I give to you?” And Jacob said, "Do not give anything to me. If you will do this thing for me, I will continue tending your flocks watching over them: ³² I will pass through all your flocks today to remove from there every speckled and spotted lamb and every dark-colored lamb among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled young among the goats. And that will be my wages. ³³ So my righteousness will testify for me in future days when you go over my wages in front of you: any that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and dark-colored among the sheep, it was stolen if it is with me.”

³⁴ And Laban said, "Behold, let it be according to your word.” ³⁵ Then on that day he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, any that had white on it, and all the dark-colored ones among the lambs. Then he gave them into the hand of his sons, ³⁶ and he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob was tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

³⁷ Then Jacob took for himself fresh-cut branches of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was inside the branches. ³⁸ Then he put the branches that he had peeled in the troughs, in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink, in front of the flocks. And they were in heat when they came to drink, ³⁹ and the flocks would mate by the branches, and the flocks would bear streaked, speckled and spotted young. ⁴⁰ Then Jacob set apart the lambs, and he made the faces of the flocks look at the streaked and all the dark-colored animals in the flocks of Laban. And he put flocks for himself by themselves, and he did not put them with the flocks of Laban.

⁴¹ So it happened whenever the strong animals were in heat, then Jacob put the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the flocks so that they would mate by the branches. ⁴² But when the animals were weak, he did not put them in. So it was the weak ones went to Laban, and the strong ones to Jacob, ⁴³ so that the man prospered very greatly, and he owned large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

Chapter 31

¹ Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, that they said, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and it is from our father’s possessions that he has gotten all this wealth.” ² Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed. ³ Then Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” ⁴ Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock ⁵ and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father. ⁷ Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me. ⁸ If he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled young. If he said, ‘The striped will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore striped young. ⁹ In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. ¹⁰ Once at the time of breeding season, I saw in a dream the male goats that were mating with the flock. The male goats were striped, speckled, and spotted. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I said, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² He said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see all the male goats that are breeding with the flock. They are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now rise up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth.’” ¹⁴ Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? ¹⁵ Are we not treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money. ¹⁶ For all the riches that God has taken away from our father are now ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

¹⁷ Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels. ¹⁸ He drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all his property, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram. Then he set out to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. ¹⁹ When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. ²⁰ Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was leaving. ²¹ So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.

²² On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³ So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for a seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” ²⁵ Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead. ^{[1] 26} Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like prisoners of war? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with celebration and with songs, with tambourine and with harps. ²⁸ You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have done foolishly. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ ³⁰ Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father’s house. But why did you steal my gods?” ³¹ Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force I left secretly. ³² Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah’s tent and entered into Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the household gods, put them in a camel’s saddle, and sat upon them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ³⁵ She said to her father, “Do not be angry, my master, that I cannot stand up before you, for I am having my period.” So he searched but did not find his household gods.

³⁶ Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me? ³⁷ For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between us two. ³⁸ For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks. ³⁹ What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. Instead, I bore the loss of it. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep. ⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You have changed my wages ten times. ⁴² Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my oppression and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.”

⁴³ Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the grandchildren are my grandchildren, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴ So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.” ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Saha Dutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ Laban said, “This pile is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ It is also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May Yahweh watch between you and me, when we are out of sight one from another. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take any wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” ⁵¹ Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me. ⁵² This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. ⁵³ May the God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴ Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat a meal. They ate and spent the entire night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

Chapter 32

¹ Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ² When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp,” so he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

³ Jacob sent messengers on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom. ⁴ He commanded them, saying, “This is what you will say to my master Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says: ‘I have been staying with Laban, and have delayed my return until now. ⁵ I have oxen, donkeys, and flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent this message to my master, so that I may find favor in your eyes.’” ⁶ The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” ⁷ Then Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels. ⁸ He said, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.” ⁹ Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will prosper you,’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all your acts of covenant faithfulness and of all the trustworthiness that you have done for your servant. For with only my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. ¹² But you said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper. I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their number.’”

¹³ Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ These he gave into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me and put a space between each of the herds.” ¹⁷ He instructed the first servant, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose animals are these that are in front of you?’ ¹⁸ Then you will say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. They are a gift sent to my master Esau. See, he is also coming after us.’” ¹⁹ Jacob also gave instructions to the second group, the third, and all the men who followed the herds. He said, “You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ You must also say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming after us.’” For he thought, “I will appease him with the gifts that I am sending ahead of me. Then later, when I will see him, perhaps he will receive me.” ²¹ So the gifts went on ahead of him. He himself stayed that night in the camp.

²² Jacob got up during the night, and he took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons. He sent them across the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ²⁴ Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip. Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ The man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ The man said to him, “What is your name?” Jacob said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ The man said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. ³⁰ Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered.” ³¹ The sun rose on Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. ³² That is why to this day the people of Israel do not eat the ligaments of the hip which are at the hip joint, because the man injured those ligaments while dislocating Jacob’s hip.

Chapter 33

¹ Jacob looked up and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. ² Then he put the female servants and their children in front, followed by Leah and her children, and followed by Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³ He himself went on ahead of them. He bowed toward the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. ⁴ Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they wept. ⁵ When Esau looked up, he saw the women and the children. He said, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” ⁶ Then the female servants came forward with their children, and they bowed down. ⁷ Next Leah also and her children came forward and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down. ⁸ Esau said, “What do you mean by all these groups that I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my master.” ⁹ Esau said, “I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” ¹⁰ Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then accept my gift from my hand, for indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. ¹¹ Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus Jacob urged him, and Esau accepted it. ¹² Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way. I will go before you.” ¹³ Jacob said to him, “My master knows that the children are young, and that the sheep and the cattle are nursing their young. If they are driven hard even one day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ Please let my master go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are before me, and at the pace of the children, until I come to my master in Seir.” ¹⁵ Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of my men who are with me.” But Jacob said, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” ¹⁶ So Esau that day started on his way back to Seir. ¹⁷ Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

¹⁸ When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. He camped near the city. ¹⁹ Then he bought the piece of ground where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. ²⁰ There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

Chapter 34

¹ Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went out to meet the young women of the land. ² Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her and lay with her, and he humiliated her. ³ He was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. ⁴ Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get this young woman for me as a wife.” ⁵ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. His sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. ⁶ Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. ⁷ The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of the matter. The men were offended. They were very angry because he had disgraced Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing should not have been done. ⁸ Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem loves your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. ⁹ Intermarry with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. ¹⁰ You will live with us, and the land will be open to you to live and trade in, and to acquire property.” ¹¹ Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me I will give. ¹² Ask me for as great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me, but give me the young woman as a wife.” ¹³ The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, because Shechem had defiled Dinah their sister. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to anyone who is uncircumcised; for that would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ Only on this condition will we agree with you: If you will become circumcised as we are, if every male among you is circumcised. ¹⁶ Then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you do not listen to us and become circumcised, then we will take our sister and we will leave.”

¹⁸ Their words pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man did not delay to do what they said, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter, and because he was the most honored person in all his father’s household. ²⁰ Hamor and Shechem his son went to the gate of their city and spoke with the men of their city, saying, ²¹ “These men are at peace with us, so let them live in the land and trade in it for, really, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. ²² Only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and become one people: If every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised. ²³ Will not their livestock and their property—all their animals be ours? So let us agree with them, and they will live among us.” ²⁴ All the men of the city listened to Hamor and Shechem, his son. Every male was circumcised. ²⁵ On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob (Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers), each took his sword and they attacked the city that was certain of its security, and they killed all the males. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword. They took Dinah from Shechem’s house and went away. ²⁷ The other sons of Jacob came to the dead bodies and looted the city, because the people had defiled their sister. ²⁸ They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and everything in the city and in the surrounding fields with ²⁹ all their wealth. All their children and their wives, they captured. They even took everything that was in the houses. ³⁰ Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, to make me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. If they gather themselves together against me and attack me, then I will be destroyed, I and my household.” ³¹ But Simeon and Levi said, “Should Shechem have dealt with our sister as with a prostitute?”

Chapter 35

¹ God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and stay there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.” ² Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. ³ Then let us depart and go up to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that was near Shechem. ⁵ As they traveled, God made panic to fall on the cities that were around them, so those people did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶ So Jacob arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. ⁷ He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him, when he was fleeing from his brother. ⁸ Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died. She was buried down from Bethel under the oak tree, so it was called Allon Bakuth.

⁹ When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. ¹⁰ God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob. Your name will be Israel.” So God called his name Israel. ¹¹ God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. ¹² The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you. To your descendants after you I also give the land.” ¹³ God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. ¹⁴ Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken to him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering over it and poured oil on it. ¹⁵ Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

¹⁶ They journeyed on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. She had hard labor. ¹⁷ While she was in hardest labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son.” ¹⁸ As she was dying, with her dying breath she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave. It is the marker of Rachel’s grave to this day. ²¹ Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond the watchtower of the flock. ²² While Israel was living in that land, Reuben lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.

Now Jacob had twelve sons. ²³ His sons by Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. ²⁴ His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵ His sons by Bilhah, Rachel’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali. ²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female servant, were Gad and Asher. All these were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram. ²⁷ Jacob came to Isaac, his father, in Mamre in Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived.

²⁸ Isaac lived for one hundred eighty years. ²⁹ Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his ancestors, an old man full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

Chapter 36

¹ These were the descendants of Esau (also called Edom). ² Esau took his wives from the Canaanites. These were his wives: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³ and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth. ⁴ Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. ⁵ Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. ⁶ Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock—all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. ⁷ He did this because their possessions were too many for them to stay together. The land where they had settled could not support them because of their livestock. ⁸ So Esau, also known as Edom, settled in the hill country of Seir.

⁹ These were the descendants of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. ¹⁰ These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Adah, the wife of Esau; Reuel son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. ¹¹ The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹² Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, bore Amalek. These were the grandsons of Adah, Esau’s wife. ¹³ These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. ¹⁴ These were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife, who was the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon. She bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵ These were the clans among Esau’s descendants: the descendants of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the clans descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Adah. ¹⁷ These were the clans from Reuel, Esau’s son: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah. These were the clans descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. ¹⁸ These were the clans of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: Jeush, Jalam, Korah. These are the clans that descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah. ¹⁹ These were the sons of Esau (who was known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

²⁰ These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the clans of the Horites, the inhabitants of Seir in the land of Edom. ²² The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman, and Timna was Lotan’s sister. ²³ These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ²⁴ These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he was pasturing donkeys of Zibeon his father. ²⁵ These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. ²⁶ These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. ²⁷ These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. ²⁸ These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. ²⁹ These were the clans of the Horites: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, Dishan: These were clans of the Horites, according to their clan lists in the land of Seir.

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: ³² Bela son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ³³ When Bela died, then Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place. ³⁴ When Jobab died, Husham who was of the land of the Temanites, reigned in his place. ³⁵ When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. ³⁶ When Hadad died, then Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ³⁷ When Samlah died, then Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place. ³⁸ When Shaul died, then Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place. ³⁹ When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor, died, then Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the granddaughter of Me Zahab.

⁴⁰ These were the names of the heads of clans from Esau’s descendants, according to their clans and their regions, by their names: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, and Iram. These were the clan heads of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Chapter 37

¹ Jacob lived in the land where his father was staying, in the land of Canaan. ² These were the events concerning Jacob. Joseph, who was a young man seventeen years old, was guarding the flock with his brothers. He was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an unfavorable report about them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age. He made him a beautiful garment. ⁴ His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. They hated him and would not speak kindly to him.

⁵ Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told his brothers about it. They hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I dreamed. ⁷ Behold, we were tying bundles of grain in the field and behold, my bundle rose and stood upright, and behold, your bundles came around and bowed down to my bundle.” ⁸ His brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Will you actually rule over us?” They hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. ⁹ He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream: The sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” ¹⁰ He told it to his father just as to his brothers, and his father rebuked him. He said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come to bow down to the ground to you?” ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

¹² His brothers went to tend their father’s flock in Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers tending the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” Joseph said to him, “I am ready.” ¹⁴ He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring me word.” So Jacob sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and Joseph went to Shechem. ¹⁵ A certain man found Joseph. Behold, Joseph was wandering in a field. The man asked him, “What do you seek?” ¹⁶ Joseph said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are tending the flock.” ¹⁷ The man said, “They left this place, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they plotted against him to kill him. ¹⁹ His brothers said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is approaching. ²⁰ Come now, therefore, let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits. We will say, ‘A wild animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ Reuben heard it and rescued him from their hand. He said, “Let us not take his life.” ²² Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to bring him back to his father. ²³ It came about that when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his beautiful garment. ²⁴ They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty with no water in it.

²⁵ They sat down to eat bread. They lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh. They were traveling to carry them down to Egypt. ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands upon him. For he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. ²⁸ The Midianite merchants passed by. His brothers drew Joseph up and lifted him up out of the pit. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites carried Joseph into Egypt.

²⁹ Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. He tore his clothes. ³⁰ He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! And I, where can I go?” ³¹ They slaughtered a goat and then took Joseph’s garment and dipped it into the blood. ³² Then they brought it to their father and said, “We found this. Please see whether it is your son’s clothing or not.” ³³ Jacob recognized it and said, “It is my son’s clothing. A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph has certainly been torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins. He mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “Indeed I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” His father wept for him. ³⁶ The Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard.

Chapter 38

¹ It came about at that time that Judah left his brothers and stayed with a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² He met there a daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua. He took her and he went in to her. ³ She became pregnant and had a son. He was named Er. ⁴ She became pregnant again and had a son. She called his name Onan. ⁵ She again had a son and called his name Shelah. It was at Kezib where she gave birth to him. ⁶ Judah found a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar. ⁷ Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him. ⁸ Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife. Do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a child for your brother.” ⁹ Onan knew that the child would not be his. Whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground so he would not have a child for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him also. ¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah, my son, grows up.” For he feared, “He might also die, just like his brothers.” Tamar left and lived in her father’s house.

¹² After a long time, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ Tamar was told, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ She took off the clothing of her widowhood and covered herself with her veil and wrapped herself. She sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up but she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. ¹⁶ He went to her by the road and said, “Come, please let me lie with you”—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law—and she said, “What will you give me so you can lie with me?” ¹⁷ He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge can I give you?” She replied, “Your seal and cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her and he went in to her, and she became pregnant by him. ¹⁹ She got up and went away. She took off her veil and put on the clothing of her widowhood. ²⁰ Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order that he might receive the pledge back from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. ²¹ Then the Adullamite asked the men of the place, “Where is the cultic prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has not been a cultic prostitute here.” ²² He returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘There has not been a cultic prostitute here.’” ²³ Judah said, “Let her keep the things, that we not be put to shame. Indeed, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”

²⁴ It came about after about three months that it was told to Judah, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed prostitution, and indeed, she is pregnant by it.” Judah said, “Bring her here and let her be burned.” ²⁵ When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law a message, “By the man who owns these I am pregnant.” She said, “Determine please whose these are, the seal and cords and staff.” ²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, since I did not give her as a wife to Shelah, my son.” He did not lie with her again. ²⁷ It came about at the time for her to give birth that, behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ It came about as she was giving birth one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand and said, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But then he drew back his hand, and, behold, his brother came out first. The midwife said, “How you have broken out!” So he was named Perez. ³⁰ Then his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and he was named Zerah.

Chapter 39

¹ Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh who was captain of the guard and an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. ² Yahweh was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ His master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh prospered everything that he did. ⁴ Joseph found favor in his sight. He served Potiphar. Potiphar made Joseph manager over his house, and everything that he possessed, he put under his care. ⁵ It came about from the time that he made him manager over his house and over everything he possessed, that Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The blessing of Yahweh was on everything that Potiphar had in the house and in the field. ⁶ Potiphar put everything that he had under Joseph’s care. He did not have to think about anything except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and attractive. ⁷ It came about after this that his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” ⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not pay attention to what I do in the house, and he has put everything that he owns under my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. He has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” ¹⁰ She spoke to Joseph day after day, but he refused to lie with her or to be with her. ¹¹ It came about one day that he went into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were there in the house. ¹² She caught him by his clothes and said, “Lie with me.” He left his clothing in her hand, fled, and went outside. ¹³ It came about, when she saw that he had left his clothing in her hand and had fled outside, ¹⁴ that she called to the men of her house and told them, “See, Potiphar has brought in a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. ¹⁵ It came about when he heard me scream, that he left his clothing with me, fled, and went outside.” ¹⁶ She set his clothing next to her until his master came home. ¹⁷ She told him this explanation, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us, came in to mock me. ¹⁸ It came about that when I screamed, he left his clothing with me and fled outside.”

¹⁹ It came about that, when his master heard the explanation his wife told him, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became very angry. ²⁰ Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. He was there in the prison. ²¹ But Yahweh was with Joseph and showed covenant faithfulness to him. He gave him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ²² The prison warden gave into Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, Joseph was in charge of it. ²³ The prison warden did not worry about anything that was in his hand, because Yahweh was with him. Whatever he did, Yahweh prospered.

Chapter 40

¹ It came about that after these things, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and king’s baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers. ³ He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he served them. They remained in custody for some time. ⁵ Both of them dreamed a dream—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the prison—each man had his own dream in the same night, and each dream had its own interpretation. ⁶ Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them. Behold, they were sad. ⁷ He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” ⁸ They said to him, “We have both dreamed a dream and no one can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me, please.”

⁹ The chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph. He said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me. ¹⁰ In the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters of grapes ripened. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹² Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. ¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, just as when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ But think of me when it goes well with you, and please show kindness to me. Mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison. ¹⁵ For indeed I was abducted out of the land of the Hebrews. Here also have I done nothing that they should put me in this dungeon.”

¹⁶ When the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream, and, behold, three baskets of bread were on my head. ¹⁷ In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸ Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation. The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree. The birds will eat your flesh off you.” ²⁰ It came about on the third day that it was Pharaoh’s birthday. He made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers, among his servants. ²¹ He restored the chief of the cupbearers to his responsibility, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand again. ²² But he hanged the chief of the bakers, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot about him.

Chapter 41

¹ It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile. ² Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds. ³ Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. ⁴ Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. ⁵ Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good. ⁶ Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. ⁷ The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream. ⁸ It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am thinking about my offenses. ¹⁰ Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me. ¹¹ We dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. ¹² There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream. ¹³ It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he hanged.”

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” ¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor.” ¹⁷ Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile. ¹⁸ Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, and they grazed among the reeds. ¹⁹ Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them. ²⁰ The thin and undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows. ²¹ When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke. ²² I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good. ²³ Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them. ²⁴ The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to me.”

²⁵ Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are the same. ²⁷ The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. ²⁸ That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh. ²⁹ Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt. ³⁰ Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devastate the land. ³¹ The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. ³² That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do it. ³³ Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years. ³⁵ Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. They should preserve it. ³⁶ The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by the famine.”

³⁷ This advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸ Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” ³⁹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You will be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” ⁴¹ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, “Bend the knee.” Pharaoh put him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh called Joseph’s name “Zaphenath-Paneah.” He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly. ⁴⁸ He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it. ⁴⁹ Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting. ⁵⁰ Joseph had two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹ Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” ⁵² He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” ⁵³ The seven years of abundance that was in the land of Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴ The seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he says.” ⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

Chapter 42

¹ Now Jacob became aware that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” ² He said, “See here, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there so we may live and not die.” ³ Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he said, “I fear that harm might come to him.” ⁵ The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶ Now Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke harshly with them. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” ⁸ Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the undefended parts of the land.” ¹⁰ They said to him, “No, my master. Your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹ We are all one man’s sons. We are honest men. Your servants are not spies.” ¹² He said to them, “No, you have come to see the undefended parts of the land.” ¹³ They said, “We your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. See, the youngest is this day with our father, and one brother is no longer alive.” ¹⁴ Joseph said to them, “It is what I said to you; you are spies. ¹⁵ By this you will be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave here, unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of yourselves and let him get your brother. You will remain in prison, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” ¹⁷ He put them all in custody for three days.

¹⁸ Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God. ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in this prison, but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. ²⁰ Bring your youngest brother to me so your words will be verified and you will not die.” So they did so. ²¹ They said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.” ²² Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ but you would not listen? Now, see, his blood is required of us.” ²³ They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. ²⁴ He turned from them and wept. He returned to them and spoke to them. He took Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes. ²⁵ Then Joseph commanded his servants to fill his brothers’ bags with grain, and to put every man’s money back into his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. It was done for them.

²⁶ The brothers loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. ²⁷ As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the opening of his sack. ²⁸ He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back. Look at it; it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” ²⁹ They went to Jacob, their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰ “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us and thought that we were spies in the land. ³¹ We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are not spies. ³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no longer alive, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ ³³ The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine in your houses, and go your way. ³⁴ Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you will trade in the land.’”

³⁵ It came about as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bag of silver was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid. ³⁶ Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children. Joseph is no longer alive, Simeon is gone, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.” ³⁷ Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring Benjamin back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him to you again.” ³⁸ Jacob said, “My son will not go down with you. For his brother is dead and he alone is left. If harm comes to him on the road in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.”

Chapter 43

¹ The famine was severe in the land. ² It came about when they had eaten the grain that they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again; buy us some food.” ³ Judah told him, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ⁵ But if you do not send him, we will not go down. For the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” ⁶ Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?” ⁷ They said, “The man asked details about us and our family. He said, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We answered him according to these questions. How could we have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’” ⁸ Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me. We will rise and go that we may live and not die, both we, you, and also our children. ⁹ I will be a guarantee for him. You will hold me responsible. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. ¹⁰ For if we had not delayed, surely by now we would have come back here a second time.” ¹¹ Their father Israel said to them, “If it be so, now do this. Take some of the best products of the land in your bags. Carry down to the man a gift—some balm and honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double money in your hand. The money that was returned in the opening of your sacks, carry again in your hand. Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take also your brother. Rise and go again to the man. ¹⁴ May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” ¹⁵ The men took this gift, and in their hand they took double the amount of money, along with Benjamin. They got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.” ¹⁷ The steward did as Joseph said. He brought the men to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸ The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time we were brought in, that he may seek an opportunity against us. He might arrest us and take us as slaves, and take our donkeys.” ¹⁹ They approached the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, ²⁰ saying, “My master, we came down the first time to buy food. ²¹ It came about, when we reached the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the opening of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hands. ²² Other money we have also brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” ²³ The steward said, “Peace be to you, do not fear. Your God and the God of your father must have put your money in your sacks. I received your money.” The steward then brought Simeon out to them. ²⁴ The steward took the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave feed to their donkeys. ²⁵ They prepared the gifts for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they had heard that they would eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they brought the gifts which were in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the ground. ²⁷ He asked them about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” ²⁸ They said, “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” They prostrated themselves and bowed down. ²⁹ When he lifted up his eyes he saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁰ Joseph hurried to go out of the room, for he was deeply moved about his brother. He sought somewhere to weep. He went to his room and wept there. ³¹ He washed his face and came out. He controlled himself, saying, “Serve the food.” ³² The servants served Joseph by himself and the brothers by themselves. The Egyptians there ate with him by themselves because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is detestable to the Egyptians. ³³ The brothers sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. The men were astonished together. ³⁴ Joseph sent portions to them from the food in front of him. But Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of his brothers. They drank and were merry with him.

Chapter 44

¹ Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s opening. ² Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s opening of the youngest, and also his money for the grain.” The steward did as Joseph had said. ³ The morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. ⁴ When they were out of the city but were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you returned evil for good? ⁵ Is this not the cup from which my master drinks, and the cup that he uses for divination? You have done evil, this thing that you have done.’” ⁶ The steward overtook them and spoke these words to them. ⁷ They said to him, “Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they would do such a thing. ⁸ Look, the money that we found in our sacks’ openings, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then could we steal out of your master’s house silver or gold? ⁹ With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my master’s slaves.” ¹⁰ The steward said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom the cup is found will be my slave, and you others will be innocent.” ¹¹ Then each man hurried and brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. ¹² The steward searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ Then they tore their clothes. Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴ Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house. He was still there, and they bowed before him to the ground. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, “What is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?” ¹⁶ Judah said, “What can we say to my master? What can we speak? Or how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Look, we are my master’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup was found.” ¹⁷ Joseph said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup was found, that person will be my slave, but as for you others, go up in peace to your father.”

¹⁸ Then Judah came near to him and said, “My master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ We said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. But his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ ²¹ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may see him.’ ²² After that, we said to my master, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father his father would die.’ ²³ Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ ²⁴ Then it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master. ²⁵ Our father said, ‘Go again, buy us some food.’ ²⁶ Then we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down, for we will not be able to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ²⁷ Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ One of them went out from me and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since.” ²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.’ ³⁰ Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the boy’s life, ³¹ it will come about, when he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. ³² For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father and said, ‘If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the guilt to my father forever.’ ³³ Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the evil that would come on my father.”

Chapter 45

¹ Then Joseph could not control himself before all the servants who stood by him. He said loudly, “Everyone must leave me.” So no servant stood by him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² He wept loudly, the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard of it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him, for they were shocked in his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. ⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, master of all his house, and ruler of all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me master of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰ You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, for there are still five years of famine, so that you do not come to poverty, you, your household, and all that you have.”’ ¹² Look, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. ¹³ You will tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and of all that you have seen. You will hurry and bring my father down here.” ¹⁴ He hugged his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ The news of the matter was told in Pharaoh’s house: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh and his servants very much. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Get your father and your households and come to me. I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ ¹⁹ Now you are commanded, ‘Do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives. Get your father and come. ²⁰ Do not be concerned about your possessions, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

²¹ The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. ²² To all of them he gave each man changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. ²³ For his father he sent this: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt; and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other supplies for his father for the journey. ²⁴ So he sent his brothers away and they left. He said to them, “See that you do not quarrel on the journey.” ²⁵ They went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. ²⁶ They told him saying “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart was astonished, for he could not believe what they told him. ²⁷ They told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them. When Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. ²⁸ Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Chapter 46

¹ Israel made his journey with all that he had and went to Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, saying, “Jacob, Jacob.” He said, “Here I am.” ³ He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. ⁴ I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely bring you up again and Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand.” ⁵ Jacob rose up from Beersheba. The sons of Israel transported Jacob their father, their children, and their wives, in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ They took their livestock and their possessions that they had accumulated in the land of Canaan. They came into Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. ⁷ He brought with him to Egypt his sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants.

⁸ These were the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt: Jacob and his sons, Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn; ⁹ the sons of Reuben, Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi; ¹⁰ the sons of Simeon, Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; ¹¹ and the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹² The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Lob, and Shimron; ¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel ¹⁵ These were the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. His sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. ¹⁶ The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel ¹⁸ These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to Leah his daughter. These sons she bore to Jacob—sixteen in all. ¹⁹ The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ In Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. ²¹ The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all. ²³ The son of Dan was Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter—seven in all. ²⁶ All those who went to Egypt with Jacob, who were his descendants, not counting Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six in all. ²⁷ With the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, the members of his family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

²⁸ Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen. ²⁹ Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He saw him, hugged his neck, and wept on his neck a long time. ³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” ³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s house, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, ‘My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ³² The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock. They have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ ³³ It will come about, when Pharaoh calls you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴ that you should say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we, and our forefathers.’ Do this so that you may live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Chapter 47

¹ Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have arrived from the land of Canaan. See, they are in the land of Goshen.” ² He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors.” ⁴ Then they said to Pharaoh, “We come as temporary residents in the land. There is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” ⁵ Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best region, the land of Goshen. If you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” ⁷ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” ⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my travels are a hundred and thirty. The years of my life have been few and painful. They have not been as long as those of my ancestors.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. ¹¹ Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them a territory in the land of Egypt, the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their dependents.

¹³ Now there was no food in all the land; for the famine was severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph gathered all the money that was in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, by selling grain to the inhabitants. Then Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When all the money of the lands of Egypt and Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, “Give us food! Why should we die in your presence because our money is gone?” ¹⁶ Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph. Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, for the flocks, for the herds, and for the donkeys. He fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. ¹⁸ When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my master that our money is all gone, and the herds of cattle are my master’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my master, except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was very severe. In this way, the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ As for the people, he made them slaves from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end. ²² It was only the land of the priests that Joseph did not buy, because the priests were given an allowance. They ate from the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “See, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will plant the land. ²⁴ At the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field and for food for your households and your children.” ²⁵ They said, “You have saved our lives. May we find favor in your eyes. We will be Pharaoh’s servants.” ²⁶ So Joseph made it a statute which is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day, that one-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

²⁷ So Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. His people gained possessions there. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly. ²⁸ Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so the years of Jacob’s life were one hundred forty-seven years. ²⁹ When the time approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh, and show me faithfulness and trustworthiness. Please do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I sleep with my fathers, you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in my forefathers’ burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you have said.” ³¹ Israel said, “Swear to me,” and Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.

Chapter 48

¹ It came about after these things, that one said to Joseph, “Look, your father is sick.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ² When Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph has arrived to see you,” Israel gathered strength and sat up in bed. ³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me ⁴ and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you. I will make of you an assembly of nations. I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’ ⁵ Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. ⁶ The children you have after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. ⁷ But as for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Whose are these?” ⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” Israel said, “Bring them to me, that I may bless them.” ¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of his age, so he could not see. So Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but God has even allowed me to see your children.” ¹² Joseph brought them out from between Israel’s knees, and then he bowed with his face to the earth. ¹³ Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ Israel reached out with his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head. He crossed his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ Israel blessed Joseph, saying,

     “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

     the God who has cared for me to this day,

     ¹⁶ the angel who has protected me from all harm, may he bless these boys.

     May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

     May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.” ¹⁹ His father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. Yet his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰ Israel blessed them that day with these words,

     “The people of Israel will pronounce blessings by your names saying,

     ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh’.”

In this way, Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh. ²¹ Israel said to Joseph, “See, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² To you, as one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Chapter 49

¹ Then Jacob called for his sons, and said:

     “Gather yourselves together,

     that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.

     ² Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob.

     Listen to Israel, your father.

     ³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,

     and the beginning of my strength,

     outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.

     ⁴ Uncontrollable as rushing water,

     you will not have the preeminence,

     because you went up to your father’s bed.

     Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.

     ⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers.

     Weapons of violence are their swords.

     ⁶ O my soul, do not come into their council;

     do not join in their meetings,

     for my heart has too much honor for that.

     For in their anger they killed men.

     It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.

     ⁷ May their anger be cursed,

     for it was fierce—and their fury, for it was cruel.

     I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

     ⁸ Judah, your brothers will praise you.

     Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.

     Your father’s sons will bow down before you.

     ⁹ Judah is a lion’s cub. My son,

     you have gone up from your victims.

     He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness.

     Who would dare to awaken him?

     ¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,

     nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

     until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.

     ¹¹ Binding his donkey to the vine,

     and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

     he has washed his garments in wine,

     and his robe in the blood of grapes.

     ¹² His eyes will be as dark as wine,

     and his teeth as white as milk.

     ¹³ Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea.

     He will be a harbor for ships,

     and his border will extend to Sidon.

     ¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey,

     lying down between the sheepfolds.

     ¹⁵ He sees a good resting place and the pleasant land.

     He will bend his shoulder to the burden

     and become a servant for the task.

     ¹⁶ Dan will judge his people

     as one of the tribes of Israel.

     ¹⁷ Dan will be a snake beside the road,

     a poisonous snake in the path

     that bites the horse’s heels,

     so that his rider falls backward.

     ¹⁸ I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

     ¹⁹ Gad—raiders will attack him,

     but he will attack them at their heels.

         ²⁰ Asher’s food will be rich,

     and he will provide royal delicacies.

         ²¹ Naphtali is a doe let loose;

     he will have beautiful fawns.

     ²² Joseph is a fruitful bough,

     a fruitful bough near a spring,

     whose branches climb over the wall.

     ²³ The archers will attack him

     and shoot at him and harass him.

     ²⁴ But his bow will remain steady,

     and his hands will be skillful

     because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

     because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

     ²⁵ The God of your father will help you

     and the Almighty God will bless you

     with blessings of the sky above,

     blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

     and blessings of the breasts and womb.

     ²⁶ The blessings of your father

     are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains

     or the desirable things of the ancient hills.

     May they be on the head of Joseph,

     even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.

     ²⁷ Benjamin is a hungry wolf.

     In the morning he will devour the prey,

     and in the evening he will divide the plunder.”

²⁸ These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. Each one he blessed with an appropriate blessing. ²⁹ Then he instructed them and said to them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. ³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. ³² The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth.” ³³ When Jacob finished these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.

Chapter 50

¹ Then Joseph was so distressed that he collapsed on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ They took forty days, for that was the full time for embalming. The Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

⁴ When the days of weeping were over, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear, saying, “See, I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. There you will bury me.” Now let me go up and bury my father, and then I will return.’” ⁶ Pharaoh answered, “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ Joseph went up to bury his father. All the officials of Pharaoh went with him—the elders of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, ⁸ with all Joseph’s household and his brothers, and his father’s household. But their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Chariots and horsemen also went with him. It was a very large group of people. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned with very great and grievous sorrow. There Joseph made a seven-day mourning for his father. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.” That is why the place was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. ¹² So his sons did for Jacob just as he had instructed them. ¹³ His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave with the field for a burial place. He had bought it from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned into Egypt, he, along with his brothers, and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds on to anger against us and wants to repay us in full for all the evil we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they commanded the presence of Joseph, saying, “Your father gave instructions before he died, saying, ¹⁷ ‘Tell Joseph this, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin when they did evil to you.”’ Now please forgive the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also went and lay facedown before him. They said, “See, we are your servants.” ¹⁹ But Joseph answered them, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant to harm me, but God meant it for good, to preserve the lives of many people, as you see today. ²¹ So now do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” He comforted them in this way and spoke kindly to their hearts.

²² Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father’s family. He lived one hundred ten years. ²³ Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. He also saw the children of Machir son of Manasseh, who were placed on the knees of Joseph. ²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you and lead you up out of this land to the land which he swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the people of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. At that time you must carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.