Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die."

So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found.

The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, 'You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'"

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you."

But to Adam he said, "Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field.

But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock -- even the fattest of them. And the Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering,

but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.

Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it."

But the Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground!

But the Lord said to him, "All right then, if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much." Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down.

But the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.

But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.

but I will confirm my covenant with you. You will enter the ark -- you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over the earth and the waters receded.

He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, but it did not return to him this time.

But you must not eat meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it."

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building.

But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name."

When the Egyptians see you they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will keep you alive.

But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

But the land could not support them while they were living side by side. Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live alongside one another.

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go to the left, then I'll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I'll go to the left."

Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain and pitched his tents next to Sodom.

For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, but some survivors fled to the hills.

But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow

But Abram said, "O sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?"

But look, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir."

But Abram said, "O sovereign Lord, by what can I know that I am to possess it?"

So Abram took all these for him and then cut them in two and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds in half.

But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward they will come out with many possessions.

But as for you, you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.

Then Sarai said to Abram, "You have brought this wrong on me! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the Lord judge between you and me!"

But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year."

Then Sarah lied, saying, "I did not laugh," because she was afraid. But the Lord said, "No! You did laugh."

The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.

Then Abraham asked, "Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord (although I am but dust and ashes),

But he urged them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate.

Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. He said, "Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them.

But Lot said to them, "No, please, Lord!

Your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because this disaster will overtake me and I'll die.

But Lot's wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt.

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.

So they made their father drunk that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up.

But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else's wife."

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."

What's more, she is indeed my sister, my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter. She became my wife.

But Sarah noticed the son of Hagar the Egyptian -- the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham -- mocking.

But God said to Abraham, "Do not be upset about the boy or your slave wife. Do all that Sarah is telling you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted.

But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too."

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.

But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech's servants had seized.

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.

"Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead."

But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!"

but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.'

But I said to my master, 'What if the woman does not want to go with me?'

Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way."

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

But he said to them, "Don't detain me -- the Lord has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return to my master."

But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac.

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,

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents.

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

But Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

But Jacob said, "Swear an oath to me now." So Esau swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.

His servants dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it Sitnah.

so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord."

"But Esau my brother is a hairy man," Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, "and I have smooth skin!

But Isaac asked his son, "How in the world did you find it so quickly, my son?" "Because the Lord your God brought it to me," he replied.

So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's."

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

You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck."

Then Jacob woke up and thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!"

Leah's eyes were tender, but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.)

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.

Then Rachel said, "I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won." So she named him Naphtali.

But Leah replied, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes too?" "All right," Rachel said, "he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

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."

Indeed, you had little before I arrived, but now your possessions have increased many times over. The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?"

So Laban asked, "What should I give you?" "You don't need to give me a thing," Jacob replied, "but if you agree to this one condition, I will continue to care for your flocks and protect them:

But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible.

Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban's flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban's flocks.

But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban and the stronger animals to Jacob.

There he said to them, "I can tell that your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me.

but your father has humiliated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm.

If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wage,' then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, 'The streaked animals will be your wage,' then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring.

Hasn't he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for us!

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, "Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob."

I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, 'Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.'

So Laban entered Jacob's tent, and Leah's tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's.

(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.