And God said, "Let there be light!" And there was light.

And God saw the light, that [it was] good, and God caused [there to be] a separation between the light and between the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, [the] first day.

And God said, "Let there be a vaulted dome in the midst of the waters, and {let it cause a separation between the waters}."

And God said, "Let the waters under heaven be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear." And it was so.

And God said, "Let the earth produce green plants [that will] bear seed--fruit trees bearing fruit {in which there is seed}--according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the vaulted dome of heaven {to separate day from night}, and let them be as signs and for appointed times, and for days and years,

and they shall be as lights in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth." And it [was] so.

And God made two lights, the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night, and the stars.

And God placed them in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth

and to rule over the day and over the night, and to {separate light from darkness}. And God saw that [it was] good.

And God said, "Let the waters swarm [with] swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted dome of heaven.

And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animals according to their kind." And it was so.

And God said, "Let us make humankind in our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth."

Then Cain said to his brother Abel, ["Let us go out into the field."] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Bring out with you all the living things which [are] with you, from all the living creatures--birds, and animals, and everything that creeps on the earth, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Then he said, "Blessed [be] Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave to them.

May God make space for Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave for him."

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

And they said {to each other}, "Come, let us make bricks and {burn them thoroughly}." And they had brick for stone and they had tar for mortar.

And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top [reaches to] the heavens. And let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand {each other's language}."

Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot.

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, {his grandson}, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to Haran, and they settled there.

And Abram went [out] as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram {was seventy-five years old} when he went out from Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot {his nephew}, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and all the persons that they had acquired in Haran, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to the land of Canaan.

and it shall happen [that], if the Egyptians see you, then they will say, 'This [is] his wife,' then they will kill me but let you live.

Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that [was] with him. And Lot [went] with him to the Negev.

And Lot, who went with Abram, also had herds and tents.

And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of the livestock of Abram and the herdsmen of the livestock of Lot. Now at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

Then Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there not be quarreling between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we men [are] brothers.

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, that all of it [was] well-watered land--[this was] before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah--like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt {in the direction of} Zoar.

So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan. And Lot journeyed from the east, and so they separated {from each other}.

Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the plain. And he pitched his tent toward Sodom.

And Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes and look from the place where you [are] to the north, and to the south, and to the east and to the west,

And they took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his possessions, and left. (Now he had been living in Sodom.)

And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his {relative}, and his possessions, and the women and the people as well.

{Nothing besides what} the servants have eaten and the share of the men who went out with me [will I take.] Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."

Let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest under the tree.

And let me bring a piece of bread, then refresh {yourselves}. Afterward you can pass on, {once} you have passed by with your servant." Then they said, "Do so as you have said."

And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if thirty be found there?" And he answered, "I will not do [it] if I find thirty there."

And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" And he answered, "I will not destroy [it] for the sake of the ten."

And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. Then Lot saw [them] and stood up to meet them. And he bowed down [with his] face to the ground.

Before they laid down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people {to the last man}, surrounded the house.

And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where [are] the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them."

But Lot went out to them at the entrance, and he shut the door behind him.

Behold, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please, let me bring them out to you; then do to them as [it seems] good in your eyes. Only to these men do not do [this] thing, since they came under{ my roof} for protection."

But they said, "Step aside!" Then they said, "{This fellow} came to dwell as a foreigner and he acts as a judge! Now we shall do worse to you than them!" And they pressed very hard against the man, against Lot, and they drew near to break the door.

Then the men reached out [with] their hands and brought Lot in to them, into the house, and they shut the door.

Then the men said to Lot, "Who [is] here with you? Bring out from the place [your] sons-in-law, and your sons and your daughters, and all who [are] with you in the city.

Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law [who were] taking his daughters and said, "Get up! Go out from this place, because Yahweh [is going] to destroy the city!" But {it seemed like a joke} in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

And as the dawn came up the angels urged Lot saying, "Get up, take your wife and your two daughters {who are staying with you}, lest you be destroyed with the punishment of the city."

And Lot said to them, "No, please, my lords.

Behold, this city [is] near [enough] to flee there, and it [is a] little [one]. Please, let me flee there. Is it not a little [one]? Then my life shall be saved."

[After] the sun {had risen} upon the earth and Lot had entered Zoar,

So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.

And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

Come, let us give our father wine to drink and let us lie with him that {we may secure descendants through our father}."

And it happened [that], the next day the firstborn said to the younger one, "Look, I laid with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink also tonight, then go and lie with him that {we may secure descendants through our father}."

And the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.

And she went and {she sat a good distance away}, for she said, "Let me not see the child's death." So she sat away from him and lifted up her voice and wept.

that he may sell to me the cave of Machpelah which {belongs to him}, which [is] at the end of his field. At full value let him sell [it] to me in your midst as {a burial site}."

And let it be [that] the girl to whom I shall say, 'Please, offer your jar that I may drink' and [who] says, 'Drink--and I will also water your camels,' she [is the one] you have chosen for your servant, for Isaac. By her I will know that you have shown loyal love to my master."

And the servant ran to meet her. And he said, "Please, let me drink a little of the water from your jar."

And he said, "Blessed [be] Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his loyal love and his faithfulness from my master. I [was] on the way [and] Yahweh led me [to] the house of my master's brother."

Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let it be [that] the young woman who comes out to draw water and to whom I say, "Please give me a little water to drink from your jar,"

let her say to me, "Drink; I will also draw water for your camels," she [is] the woman whom Yahweh has appointed for the son of my master.'

And she hastened and let down her jar {from her shoulder} and said, 'Drink, and I will give a drink to your camels also.' Then I drank and she gave a drink to the camels also.

And I knelt down and worshiped Yahweh, and I praised Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way, to take the daughter of the brother of my master for his son.

Here [is] Rebekah before you. Take [her] and go; let her be a wife for the son of your master as Yahweh has spoken."

And he and the men who [were] with him ate and drank, and they spent the night. And they got up in the morning, and he said, "Let me go to my master."

And her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl remain with us ten days [or so]; after [that] she may go."

And he said to them, "Do not delay me. Now, Yahweh has made my journey successful. Let me go. I must go to my master."

And they said, "Let us call the girl and ask {her opinion}."

And they said, "We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought let there be an oath between us--between us and you--and let us {make} a covenant with you

Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. {Are you really} my son Esau or not?"

Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; Be lord of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those cursing you, and blessed be those blessing you."

He too prepared tasty food and brought [it] to his father. And he said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that you may bless me."

Give [me] my wives and my children for which I have served you, and let me go. For you yourself know my service that I have rendered to you."

Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing all the speckled and spotted sheep from them, along with every dark-colored sheep among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. That shall be my wages.

And she said to her father, "Let there not be anger in the eyes of my lord, for I am not able to rise before you, for the way of women [is] with me. And he searched carefully and did not find the idols.

So now, come, let us {make} a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between me and you."

And moreover, you shall say, 'Look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.'" For he thought, "{Let me appease him} with the gift going before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will {show me favor}."

Then he said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking." But he answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

Then he said, "Let us journey and go [on], and I will go ahead of you."

Let my lord pass on before his servant and I will move along slowly at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace of the children until I come to my lord in Seir."

And Esau said, "Let me leave some of my people with you." But he said, "{What need is there}? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord."

Then Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will do.

"These men [are] at peace with us. Let them dwell in the land and let them trade in it. Now, behold, the land is {broad enough for them}. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give our daughters to them.

Will not their livestock and their property and all their animals [be] ours? Only let us give consent to them so they will live among us."

Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone."

And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, let me send you to them." And he said, "Here I [am]."

And the man said, "They have moved on from here, for I heard [them] saying, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become."

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand shall not be against him, for he [is] our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed.

And he turned aside to her at the roadside and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she [was] his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give to me that you may come in to me?"

And Judah said, "Let her take [them] for herself, lest we be {laughed at}. Behold, I sent this kid, but you could not find her."

And {about three months later} it was told to Judah, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the whore, and now, behold, she has conceived by prostitution." And Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned."

she called to the men of her house and said to them, "Look! He brought a Hebrew man to us to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.