Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, "I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Now God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good! The twilight and the dawn were the sixth day.

Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [branching] rivers.

Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.”

Now Yahweh God had formed from the ground every living thing of the field and every bird of the heavens, which he brought in unto the man, that he might see what he should call it, - and, whatsoever the man should call it - any living soul, that, should be the name thereof.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Now Adam had named his wife "Eve," because she was to become the mother of everyone who was living.

And the Lord God said, Now the man has become like one of us, having knowledge of good and evil; and now if he puts out his hand and takes of the fruit of the tree of life, he will go on living for ever.

Now the man had marital relations with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, "I have created a man just as the Lord did!"

And [later] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept the flocks [of sheep and goats], but Cain cultivated the ground.

If you do what is appropriate, you'll be accepted, won't you? But if you don't do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?"

And now you are cursed more than the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch, - Now it happened that he was building a city, so he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”

Now after the population of human beings had increased throughout the earth, and daughters had been born to them,

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness.

So God said to Noah, "I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the earth.

Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”

Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.

Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up.

All the living creatures of the earth will be filled with fear and terror of you from now on, including all the creatures that fly in the sky, everything that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the ocean. They've been assigned to live under your dominion.

"Every living, moving creature will be food for you. Just as I gave you green plants before, so now you have everything.

Now as for you, be productive and multiply; spread out over the land and multiply throughout it."

"Look! I now confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.)

Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.

Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth.

Now, the beginning of his kingdom [was] Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Now, to Shem, father of all the sons of Eber, elder brother of Japheth, to him also, were children born.

Now Arpachshad, begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

Now, Joktan, begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah;

Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.

Now the whole earth [had] one language and the same words.

And Jehovah said, Behold! The people is one and they all have one language. And this they begin to do. And now nothing which they have imagined to do will be restrained from them.

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

Now [in Haran] the Lord had said to Abram,

“Go away from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;

So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.)

And Abram traveled through the land up to the place of Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites [were] in the land at that time.

Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe.

And it happened, when he had come near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look upon.

Say, now, thou my sister, that it shall be well to me because of thee, and my soul shall live by means of thee.

Why did you say, She is my sister? And so I was about to take her to me as wife. Now therefore behold your wife. Take her and go.

Now Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

Now the land was not able to support them [that is, sustain all their grazing and water needs] while they lived near one another, for their possessions were too great for them to stay together.

So there were quarrels between Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen. (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.)

And Abram will say to Lot, Now there shall not be strife between me and between thee, and between my shepherds and between thy shepherds, for we are men brethren.

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."

Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the Lord.

And after Lot was separated from him, Jehovah said to Abram, Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward and southward, and eastward and westward.

Now in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim,

All of these [kings] joined together [as allies] in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Sea of Salt).

Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and subdued all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

Then went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, now called Zoar. And set their men in array to fight with them in the vale of Siddim, that is to say,

Now the Valley of Siddim contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, but the rest fled to the mountains.

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

A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty with Abram.)

And as he returned again from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him, then came the king of Sodom to meet him, unto the vale of Shaveh which now is called King's Dale.

Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.)

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.”

And He brought him outside and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your seed be.

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.

Now as for you, you'll die peacefully, join your ancestors, and be buried at a good old age.

And the fourth generation they shall turn back hither: for the crime of the Amorite has not been completed till now.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, did not bear. And she had a female slave, an Egyptian, and her name was Hagar.

And Sarai will say to Abram, Behold now, Jehovah restrained me from bringing forth; go now to my maid servant; perhaps I shall have children from her. And Abram will listen to the voice of Sarai.

And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be on thee! I have given my maidservant into thy bosom; and now she sees that she has conceived, I am lightly esteemed in her eyes. Jehovah judge between me and thee!

Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

The Angel of the Lord continued,

“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).

(Now Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.

I will give the whole land of Canaan -- the land where you are now residing -- to you and your descendants after you as a permanent possession. I will be their God."

And God said to Abraham, "Now [as for] you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations.

And God said, As for Sarai, your wife, from now her name will be not Sarai, but Sarah.

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."

Now Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised;

Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mamre [in Hebron], while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.

And he will say, Lord, if now I found grace in thine eyes, now thou wilt not pass away from thy servant

Now he shall take a little water, and will wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

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.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, far gone in days, and it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

And Sarah will laugh within her, saying, After it has not been to me till now, and my lord, being old.

Then Yahweh said to Abraham, "What [is] this [that] Sarah laughed, saying, 'Is it indeed true [that] I will bear a child, now [that] I have grown old?'

Is anything impossible for the LORD? At the time set for it, I will return to you about a year from now and Sarah will have a son."

When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)

Now, Yahweh, had said, - Am I going to hide from Abraham what I do,

I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come to Me. And if not, I will know.

Now the [two] men (angelic beings) turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to Jehovah, who am but dust and ashes.

And he will say, Now will it not kindle to the Lord, and I will speak: If thirty shall be found there? And he will say, I will not do, if I shall find thirty there.

And he said, Lo now, I have taken upon me to speak to Jehovah. Perhaps there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.