God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.

God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

Evening came and then morning: the third day.

Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.

The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive.

Noah was 600 years old when the flood came and water covered the earth.

Seven days later the waters of the flood came on the earth.

The ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

When the dove came to him at evening, there was a plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the water on the earth’s surface had gone down.

“Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.

So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came out.

All wildlife, all livestock, every bird, and every creature that crawls on the earth came out of the ark by their groups.

and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark.

Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

Pathrusim, Casluhim (the Philistines came from them), and Caphtorim.

They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the men were building.

Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim

All of these came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea).

In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,

Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they defeated all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.

One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram.

I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield;
your reward will be very great.

Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”

She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.”

I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”

I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.”

They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!”

Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t had sexual relations with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”

“Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as a foreigner, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door.

Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.”

So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”

The Lord came to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”

Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. So in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham:

Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city.

The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from?”

Now the girl was very beautiful, a young woman who had not known a man intimately. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up.

Laban said, “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord. Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.

But I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman will not come back with me?’

“Today when I came to the spring, I prayed: Lord, God of my master Abraham, if only You will make my journey successful!

And the Lord said to her:

Two nations are in your womb;
two people will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.

When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.

The first one came out red-looking, covered with hair like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.

After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted.

Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you.”

On that same day Isaac’s slaves came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, “We have found water!”

Take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me.

Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in,

‘Bring me the game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’

When he came to his father, he said, “My father.”

And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me.”

Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not?”

So Jacob came closer to his father Isaac. When he touched him, he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

Then he said, “Serve me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank.

Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.”

So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothes, he blessed him and said:

Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.

He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. Then he said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”

Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!”

But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”

When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The Lord has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”

In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.”

He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between the two of us.”

Please rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children.

Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at Shechem in the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city.

Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.

Jacob’s other sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled.

When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.

So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.

God also said to him:

I am God Almighty.
Be fruitful and multiply.
A nation, indeed an assembly of nations,
will come from you,
and kings will descend from you.

Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on.

Then they sat down to eat a meal. They looked up, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.