Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"

The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."

The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with the LORD's help."

The LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."

and he named him Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed."

Lamech lived after he became the father of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and fathered sons and daughters.

Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.

The LORD said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.

Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.

went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.

In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship;

They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.

Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made,

but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship.

The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.

It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried.

God spoke to Noah, saying,

Noah went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.

Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.

All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.

Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.

Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

And Sarai was barren. She had no child.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go out from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

It happened, when he had come near to enter Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way."

Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives.

Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the LORD.

The LORD said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and those who remained fled to the hills.

One who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew. Now he lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were allies of Abram.

Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."

The LORD brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He said to Abram, "So shall your seed be."

He said, "Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?"

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.

He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not go away from your servant.

Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Then Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

and he said, "See now, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, stay all night, wash your feet, and you will rise up early, and go on your way." They said, "No, but we will stay in the street all night."

See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."

They said, "Stand back." They said, "This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge. Now will we deal worse with you, than with them." They pressed hard on the man Lot, and drew near to break the door.

See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can't escape to the mountain, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die.

See now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape there (isn't it a little one?), and my soul will live."

They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger went and lay with him. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she got up.

Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?

God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her.

Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."

Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner."

Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing. Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today."

He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,

"No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."

Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, 'Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,' and she will say, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,'?let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

I came this day to the spring, and said, 'The LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go?

Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."

Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.

Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob.

Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth.

He left that place, and dug another well. They did not argue over that one. He called it Rehoboth. He said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."

They said, "We saw plainly that the LORD was with you. We said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you,