But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.

but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself.

Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.

But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.

and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country.

Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.

But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

“No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”

Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.

All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.

And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.”

But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him,

But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.

But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.

But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords!

Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;

But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife;

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.

now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.”

But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.”

But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.”

but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’

Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.

Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.

But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.”

but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.

But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.

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

But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”

So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water,

that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’”

But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”

Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?”

“By your sword you shall live,
And your brother you shall serve;
But it shall come about when you become restless,
That you will break his yoke from your neck.”

He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.

When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.

But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.”

But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.

For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?”

And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.

Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels;

God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’

Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.

She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.”