Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives entered the ark with him before the flood waters arrived.

"Every living, moving creature will be food for you. Just as I gave you green plants before, so now you have everything.

Lot looked around and noticed that the whole Jordan plain as far as Zoar was well-watered like the garden of the LORD or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Before they could lie down, all the men of Sodom and its outskirts, both young and old, surrounded the house.

Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD earlier.

Abraham rose and bowed before the Hittites, the people of the land,

Abraham bowed before the people of the land

Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah's son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder.

"Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink.

When Abraham's servant heard what they had said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

Then prepare some food, just the way I like it, and bring it to me so that I can eat and bless you before I die."

"Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.'

Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies."

May people serve and bow before you; may you be master over your brothers; may your mother's sons bow before you; may anyone who curses you be cursed; and may anyone who blesses you be blessed."

At this, Isaac began to tremble violently. "Who then," he asked, "hunted some game and brought it to me to eat before you arrived, so that I've blessed him? Indeed, he is blessed."

But Laban responded, "It's not the practice of our place to give the younger one in marriage before the firstborn.

Just before she died, Rachel called her son's name Ben-oni, but his father Jacob named him Benjamin.

This is a list of the kings who ruled the territory of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelis.

But then he had another dream, and he proceeded to tell his brothers about that one, too. "I had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven of the stars were bowing down before me!"

Now as soon as they saw him approaching from a distance, before he arrived they plotted together to kill him.

Not only that," Pharaoh continued, "after they had finished devouring the cows, nobody could tell that they had gobbled them up, because they were just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

Before the years of famine arrived, Joseph fathered two sons with Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.

So the men took their gift and twice as much money, got up, took Benjamin with them, and set out for Egypt. Eventually they appeared before Joseph.

"It's enough," Israel replied. "My son Joseph is still alive. I'm going to go see him before I die!"

He brought along five of his brothers to present before Pharaoh.

You have two sons who were born to you in Egypt before I came to be with you, whom I now take as my own. Ephraim and Manasseh are mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.

By doing this, he placed Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel told Joseph, "Pay attention! I'm about to die, but God will be with you. He'll bring you back to the land that belongs to your ancestors.

"Before he died, your father left some instructions. He told us, "Tell Joseph, "Please forgive your brothers' offenses. I beg you, forgive their sins, because they wronged you."' So please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father's God."