The LORD God commanded the man: "You may freely eat from every tree of the garden,

So the man exclaimed, "At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. This one will be called "Woman,' because she was taken from Man."

"We may eat from the trees of the garden," the woman answered the Shining One,

The man answered, "The woman whom you provided for me gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate some of it."

Then the LORD God asked the woman, "What did you do?" "The Shining One misled me," the woman answered, "so I ate."

Later, the LORD asked Cain, "Where's your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he answered. "Am I my brother's guardian?"

"What did you do?" God asked. "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

"My punishment is too great to bear," Cain told the LORD.

"You're driving me from the soil today. I'll be hidden from you, and I'll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive. In the future, whoever finds me will kill me."

Lamech told his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to what I have to say: You wives of Lamech, hear what I'm announcing! I've killed a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

Later on, after Adam had sexual relations with his wife, she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, because "God granted me another offspring to replace Abel, since Cain murdered him."

whom he named Noah, because he said, "May this one comfort us from our work, from pain that is caused by our manual labor, and from the ground that the LORD has cursed."

So the LORD said, "My Spirit won't remain with human beings forever, because they're truly mortal. Their lifespan will be 120 years."

So the LORD said, "I will annihilate these human beings whom I've created from the earth, including people, animals, crawling things, and flying creatures, because I'm grieving that I made them."

So God announced to Noah, "I've decided to destroy every living thing on earth, because it has become filled with violence due to them. Look! I'm about to annihilate them, along with the earth.

"For my part, I'm about to flood the earth with water and destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

However, I will establish my own covenant with you, and you are to enter the ark you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

You are to bring two of every living thing into the ark so they may remain alive with you. They are to be male and female.

From birds according to their species, from domestic animals according to their species, and from everything that crawls on the ground according to their species two of everything will come to you so they may remain alive.

Bring out with you every living creature including the flying creatures, animals, and everything that crawls on the ground so they may disperse throughout the land, be fruitful, and multiply throughout the earth."

"Pay attention! I'm establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants after you,

I will establish my covenant with you: No living beings will ever be cut off again by flood waters, and there will never again be a flood that destroys the earth."

God also said, "Here's the symbol that represents the covenant that I'm making between me and you and every living being with you, for all future generations:

I've set my rainbow in the sky to symbolize the covenant between me and the earth.

I'll remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature, so that water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings.

God also told Noah, "This is the symbol of the covenant that I've established between me and everything that lives on the earth."

He also said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.

May God make room for Japheth; may God live in Shem's tents, and may Canaan serve him."

The LORD told Abram, "You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father's house and go to the land that I'm going to show you.

When he was about to enter Egypt, he told his wife Sarai, "Look, I'm aware that you're a beautiful woman.

When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "She is his wife.' Then they'll kill me, but allow you to live.

Please say that you are my sister, so things will go well for me for your sake. That way, you'll be saving my life."

Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, "What have you done to me! Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?

Why did you say, "She is my sister,' so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!"

So Abram told Lot, "Please, let's not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.

because I'm going to give you and your descendants all of the land that you see forever!

Get up! Walk throughout the length and breadth of the land, because I'm going to give it to you."

The king of Sodom told Abram, "Return the people to me, and you take the possessions for yourself."

I will take nothing except what my warriors have eaten. But as for what belongs to the men who were allied with me, including Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their share."

But Abram replied, "Lord GOD, what can you give me since I continue to be childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus?

Look!" Abram said, "You haven't given me any offspring, so a servant born in my house is going to be my heir."

The LORD responded, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: "I'm giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River

So Sarai told Abram, "You are well aware that the LORD has prevented me from giving birth to a child. Go have sex with my servant, so that I may possibly bear a son through her."

Then Sarai told Abram, "My suffering is your fault! I gave you my servant so you could have sex with her, and when she discovered that she was pregnant, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"

"Hagar, servant of Sarai," he asked, "Where are you coming from and where are you going?" She answered, "I am running away from my mistress Sarai."

So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are "God who sees,' because I have truly seen the one who looks after me."

That's why the spring was called, "The Well of the Living One who Looks after Me." It was between Kadesh and Bered.

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless.

I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers."

I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you.

I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you.

God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation.

Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised.

You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you.

The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."

But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants.

Now as to Isaac, I'll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year."

"My lords," he told them, "if I have found favor with you, please don't leave your servant.

I'll bring some food for you, and after that you may continue your journey, since you have come to visit your servant." So they replied, "Okay! Do what you've proposed."

That's why Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "After I'm so old and my husband is old, too, am I going to have sex?"

The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and think, "Am I really going to bear a child, since I'm so old?'

"Should I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do," the LORD asked,

Indeed, I've made myself known to him in order that he may encourage his sons and his household that is born after him to keep the way of the LORD, and to do what is right and just, so that the LORD may bring about for Abraham what he has promised."

I'm going down to see whether they've acted according to the protests that have reached me. If not, I wish to know."

Abraham answered, "Look, even though I am only dust and ashes, I've ventured to speak to my LORD.

Abraham then asked, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak. What if 30 are found there?" The LORD answered, "I won't do it for the sake of those 30."

"Look," Abraham said, "I've presumed to speak to my LORD" so what if 20 are found there?" "For the sake of those 20," the LORD responded, "I won't destroy it."

Finally, Abraham inquired, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten I won't destroy it."

and said, "Look, my lords! Please come inside your servant's house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and be on your way." But they responded, "No, we would rather spend the night in the town square."

and said, "I urge you, my brothers, don't do such a wicked thing.

Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish, only don't do anything to these men, because they're here under my protection."

"No! Please, my lords!" Lot pleaded with them.

"Your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me your gracious love in how you have dealt with me by keeping me alive. I cannot escape to the hills, because I'm afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I'll die.

Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it's a small one. Let me escape there! It's a small one, isn't it? That way I'll stay alive!"

The next day the firstborn told the younger one, "Look! I had sex with my father last night. Let's make him drink wine tonight again as well. Then you have sex with him, too. That way we'll preserve our father's lineage."

because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister," King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.

Didn't he say to me, "She's my sister'? And she also said, "He's my brother.' I did this with pure intentions and clean hands."

Then God replied to him in the dream, "I know that you did this with pure intentions, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I didn't allow you to touch her.

Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You've done things to me that ought not to have been done."

"I thought that there's no fear of God in this place," Abraham replied, "and that they would kill me because of my wife.

Besides, she really is my sister she's my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter so she could become my wife.

When God caused me to journey from my father's house, I asked her to do me this favor and say, "He's my brother.'"

and said, "Look! My land is available to you, so settle wherever you please."

Now Sarah had said, "God has caused me to laugh, and all who hear about it will laugh with me."

She also said, "Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? Yet I have given birth to a son in my husband's old age!"

she told Abraham, "Throw out this slave girl, along with her son, because this slave's son will never be a co-heir with my son Isaac!"

Therefore swear an oath here by God that you won't deal falsely with me, my sons, or my descendants. Just as I've dealt graciously with you, won't you do so with me and with the land in which you live as a foreigner?"

"I don't know who did this thing," Abimelech replied. "You didn't report this to me, and I didn't hear about it until today."

He replied, "You are to accept from me these seven ewe lambs as a witness that I have dug this well."

Abraham ordered his two servants, "Both of you are to stay here with the donkey. Now as for the youth and me, we'll go up there, we'll worship, and then we'll return to you."

Isaac addressed his father Abraham: "My father!" "I'm here, my son," Abraham replied. Isaac asked, "The fire and the wood are here, but where's the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

"Don't lay your hand on the youth!" he said. "Don't do anything to him, because I've just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me."

Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command."

"I am an alien and an outsider among you. Give me a cemetery among you where I can bury my dead away from my presence."

and addressed them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and make a request of Zohar's son Ephron on my behalf.

Give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, at the end of his field. He should sell it to me in your presence at full price for a burial site."

"No, sir. Listen to me! I'll give you the field, and I'll give you the cave that's in it. I give it to you publicly, in the sight of my people. Bury your dead."