Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring's heel."

When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram's wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh,

and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Here is your wife! Take her and go!"

In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit."

So Sarai said to Abram, "Since the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her." Abram did what Sarai told him.

So after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband to be his wife.

Abram said to Sarai, "Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best." Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.

Then the Lord's angel said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.

Then the Lord's angel said to her, "You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your painful groans.

So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "Here I have seen one who sees me!"

Then God said to Abraham, "As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; Sarah will be her name.

I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. Kings of countries will come from her!"

Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.

He said, "Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant's house. Stay the night and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning." "No," they replied, "we'll spend the night in the town square."

"Out of our way!" they cried, and "This man came to live here as a foreigner, and now he dares to judge us! We'll do more harm to you than to them!" They kept pressing in on Lot until they were close enough to break down the door.

Then the two visitors said to Lot, "Who else do you have here? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? Get them out of this place

At dawn the angels hurried Lot along, saying, "Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!"

Look, this town over here is close enough to escape to, and it's just a little one. Let me go there. It's just a little place, isn't it? Then I'll survive."

So that night they made their father drunk with wine, and the older daughter came and had sexual relations with her father. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up.

Abraham said about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.

Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, "Lord, would you really slaughter an innocent nation?

Then in the dream God replied to him, "Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. That is why I have kept you from sinning against me and why I did not allow you to touch her.

But now give back the man's wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray for you; thus you will live. But if you don't give her back, know that you will surely die along with all who belong to you."

When God made me wander from my father's house, I told her, 'This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: Every place we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'"

So she said to Abraham, "Banish that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!"

Early in the morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, and sent her away. So she went wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of Beer Sheba.

But God heard the boy's voice. The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the boy's voice right where he is crying.

Now swear to me right here in God's name that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. Show me, and the land where you are staying, the same loyalty that I have shown you."

Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham replied.

So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you."

Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father?" "What is it, my son?" he replied. "Here is the fire and the wood," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

But the Lord's angel called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered.

Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water.

Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor).

Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up.

Abraham's servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a sip of water from your jug."

"Drink, my lord," she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink.

She quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels.

Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them to her.

The young woman ran and told her mother's household all about these things.

Laban said to him, "Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing out here when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?"

You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.'

Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw water, I'll say, "Give me a little water to drink from your jug."

"Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll give your camels water too.' So I drank, and she also gave the camels water.

Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.' I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the wife of your master's son, just as the Lord has decided."

Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.

But Rebekah's brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go."

So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Do you want to go with this man?" She replied, "I want to go."

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham's servant and his men.

Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man. So Abraham's servant took Rebekah and left.

Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel

and asked Abraham's servant, "Who is that man walking in the field toward us?" "That is my master," the servant replied. So she took her veil and covered herself.

Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent. He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

But the children struggled inside her, and she said, "If it is going to be like this, I'm not so sure I want to be pregnant!" So she asked the Lord,

and the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac replied, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get her."

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, he called his older son Esau and said to him, "My son!" "Here I am!" Esau replied.

Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau,

Then Rebekah took her older son Esau's best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.

Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

He went to his father and said, "My father!" Isaac replied, "Here I am. Which are you, my son?"

Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here and kiss me, my son."

But Isaac replied, "Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your blessing."

When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her younger son Jacob and told him, "Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you.

"Is he well?" Jacob asked. They replied, "He is well. Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was tending them.

When Jacob explained to Rachel that he was a relative of her father and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father.

Laban replied, "I'd rather give her to you than to another man. Stay with me."

So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. But they seemed like only a few days to him because his love for her was so great.

Finally Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. I want to have marital relations with her."

In the evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and Jacob had marital relations with her.

(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

"It is not our custom here," Laban replied, "to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn.

(Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to become pregnant while Rachel remained childless.

When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die!"

She replied, "Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with her so that she can bear children for me and I can have a family through her."

So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her.

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must sleep with me because I have paid for your services with my son's mandrakes." So he had marital relations with her that night.

After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant.

But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me on account of you."

In the dream the angel of God said to me, 'Jacob!' 'Here I am!' I replied.

While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father.

(Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel's saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.

Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord. I cannot stand up in your presence because I am having my period." So he searched thoroughly, but did not find the idols.

When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? Set it here before my relatives and yours, and let them settle the dispute between the two of us!

"Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you," Laban said to Jacob.

He entrusted them to his servants, who divided them into herds. He told his servants, "Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next."

He instructed the servant leading the first herd, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?'

He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.