So God made a canopy that separated the water beneath the canopy from the water above it. And that is what happened:

Then God said, "Let the water beneath the sky come together into one area, and let dry ground appear!" And that is what happened:

Then God said, "Let vegetation sprout all over the earth, including seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed!" And that is what happened:

to serve as lights in the sky, and to shine on the earth!" And that is what happened:

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature, each kind of livestock and crawling thing, and each kind of earth's animals!" And that is what happened:

I have given all green plants as food for every wild animal of the earth, every bird that flies, and to every living thing that crawls on the earth." And that is what happened.

After the LORD God formed from the ground every wild animal and every bird that flies, he brought each of them to the man to see what he would call it. Whatever the man called each living creature became its name.

As a result, they both understood what they had done, and they became aware that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

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

The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all the cattle,
And more than any animal of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And dust you shall eat
All the days of your life.

He told the man, "Because you have listened to what your wife said, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you. You'll eat from it through pain-filled labor for the rest of your life.

And Yahweh God said, "Look--the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. {What if} he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?"

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?"

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

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.

And every living being was destroyed that was on the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and fowl of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah alone remained, and what was with him in the ark.

When Noah sobered up and learned what his youngest son had done to him,

The LORD said, "Look! They are one people with the same language for all of them, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Nothing that they have a mind to do will be impossible for them!

Come on, let us descend and mingle their tongue even there, that one understand not what another sayeth."

When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are.

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

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If [you want what is on] the left, then I will go right; if [you want what is on] the right, I will go left."

Someone escaped, arrived, and reported what had happened to Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, whose brothers Eshcol and Aner were allied with Abram.

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?

But Abram said, “Lord God, by what [proof] will I know that I will inherit it?”

So Sarai said to Abram, “See here, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I will obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said.

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.

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."

And Jehovah will say to Abraham, For what did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall truly even I bring forth, and I have become 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 will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.”

What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

Far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won't he?"

What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?" The LORD said, "I won't destroy it if I find 45 there."

Abraham continued to speak to him, asking, "What if 40 are found there?" The LORD replied, "I won't do it for the sake of those 40."

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."

See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don't do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."

Behold now, thy servant found grace in thine eyes, and thou wilt magnify thy kindness, what thou didst by me to make my soul live: and I shall not be able to escape to the mountain so evil over-taking me, and I die.

and He overthrew (demolished, ended) those cities, and the entire valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

Abimelech also asked Abraham, "What could you have been thinking when you did this?"

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

And so it came to pass when the Gods caused me to wander from my fathers house, that I said to her, This, is thy lovingkindness, wherewith thou shalt deal with me, - Into what-soever place we enter, say of me My brother, is he.

The LORD came to Sarah, just as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.

Abraham was very troubled about what was being said about his son,

God said to Abraham, “Do not let it distress you because of Ishmael and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her and do what she asks, for your descendants will be named through Isaac.

God heard the boy's voice, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. He asked her, "What's wrong with you, Hagar? Don't be afraid, because God has heard the voice of the youth where he is.

so Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set aside?"

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?"

And your seed will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth, because you have done what I gave you orders to do.

"Sir, listen to me! The land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what's that between us? You may bury your dead."

So Abraham listened to Ephron [and agreed to his terms]; and he weighed out for Ephron the [amount of] silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

"What if the woman doesn't want to come back with me to this land?" the servant asked. "Shouldn't I have your son go to the land from which you came?"

And he said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, let me do well in what I have undertaken this day, and give your mercy to my master Abraham.

The young woman then ran ahead and informed her mother's household what had happened.

And so it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister's wrists, and as soon as he heard what his sister Rebekah was saying about what the man had spoken to her, he went out to the man who was still standing by the camels at the spring!

A meal was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.”

So Laban said, “Please speak.”

"So I asked my master, "What if the woman won't come back with me?'

And now, say if you will do what is good and right for my master or not, in order that it may be clear to me what I have to do.

Behold, Rebekah before thy face, take and go, and she shall be wife to thy lord's son, according to what Jehovah spake.

When Abraham's servant heard what they had said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

But they said, "We'll call the young lady and see what she has to say about this."

For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

Now this is what happened to Ishmael, whom Sarah's Egyptian servant Hagar bore for Abraham.

And the children strove together within her. Then she said, "If it should go so to pass, what helpeth it that I am with child?" And she went and asked the LORD.

"Look! I'm about to die," Esau replied. "What good is this birthright to me?"

I'm going to do this because Abraham did what I told him to do. He kept my instructions, commands, statutes, and laws."

"What have you done to us?" Abimelech asked. "Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty."

Isaac received a 100-fold return on what he planted that year in the land he received, because the LORD blessed him.

You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have only done what was good to you, sending you away in peace. You are now blessed by the Lord.”

But Rebekah overheard what Isaac said to Esau his son; and when Esau had gone to the open country to hunt for game that he might bring back,

So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I'm about to tell you.

What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing."

"I'm Esau, your firstborn!" Jacob told his father. "I've done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me."

And Isaac saith unto his son, 'What is this thou hast hasted to find, my son?' and he saith, 'That which Jehovah thy God hath caused to come before me.'

When Esau realized what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. "Bless me," he cried, "even me, too, my father!"

In response, Isaac told Esau, "Look! I've predicted that he's going to become your master, and I've assigned all his brothers to be his servants. What then can I do for you, my son?"

Eventually, what Rebekah's older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, "Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.

Son, you'd better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran,

After that happens and he has forgotten what you've done to him, I'll send for you so you can return from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

Rebekah also told herself, "Heth's daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth's daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women, what kind of life would there be left for me?"

Now pay attention! I'm here with you, and I'm going to be watching over you wherever you go. I'm going to bring you back to this land, because I won't ever leave you until I've accomplished what I've promised about you."

He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

Later, Laban asked Jacob, "Should you serve me for free, just because you're my nephew? Let's talk about what your wages should be."

The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! "What have you done to me?" he demanded of Laban. "Didn't I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Why did you deceive me?"

Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” and she named him Gad.

God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob.

give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what service I have done thee."

Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.

And he will say to him, Thou. knewest what I served thee, and what was thy cattle with me.

What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?"

"What do I have to give you?" Laban asked.

In the future, you'll be able to verify my honesty because, when you come to check what I've earned, if you find a goat that's not speckled or spotted or a sheep that's not black, then it will have been stolen by me."

Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.”

And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.

And he said to them, It is clear to me that your father's feeling is no longer what it was to me; but the God of my father has been with me