'Years' in the Bible

Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;

When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

After he became the father of Seth, Adam lived eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters.

So Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years in all, and he died.

When Seth was a hundred and five years old, he became the father of Enosh.

Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after the birth of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.

So Seth lived nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

When Enosh was ninety years old, he became the father of Kenan.

Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after the birth of Kenan and had other sons and daughters.

So Enosh lived nine hundred and five years, and he died.

When Kenan was seventy years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.

Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after the birth of Mahalalel and had other sons and daughters.

So Kenan lived nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

When Mahalalel was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Jared.

Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after the birth of Jared and had other sons and daughters.

So Mahalalel lived eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

When Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old, he became the father of Enoch.

Jared lived eight hundred years after the birth of Enoch and had other sons and daughters.

So Jared lived nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah.

Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters.

So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

When Methuselah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old, he became the father of Lamech.

Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after the birth of Lamech and had other sons and daughters.

So Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

When Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old, he became the father of a son.

Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after the birth of Noah and had other sons and daughters.

So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

After Noah was five hundred years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years.”

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood (deluge) of water came on the earth [covering all of the land].

Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.

So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

These are the records of the generations of Shem [from whom Abraham descended]. Shem was a hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood.

And Shem lived five hundred years after Arpachshad was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah.

Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after Shelah was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber.

Shelah lived four hundred and three years after Eber was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg.

And Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after Peleg was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu.

And Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after Reu was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug.

And Reu lived two hundred and seven years after Serug was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor.

And Serug lived two hundred years after Nahor was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah.

And Nahor lived a hundred and nineteen years after Terah was born, and he had other sons and daughters.

After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram and Nahor and Haran [his firstborn].

Terah lived two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

So Abram departed [in faithful obedience] as the Lord had directed him; and Lot [his nephew] left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer [the most powerful king in the invading confederacy], but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

So God said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

God said to Abram, “Know for sure that your descendants will be strangers [living temporarily] in a land (Egypt) that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

After Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian [maid], and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife.

Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,“I am God Almighty;Walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me].

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.

And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; she was past [the age of] childbearing.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.

Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; this was the length of the life of Sarah.

Now Abraham was old, [well] advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

The days of Abraham’s life were a hundred and seventy-five years.

Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years; then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people [who had preceded him in death].

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean (Syrian) of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean.

Afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob (one who grabs by the heel, supplanter). Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite as his wives;

Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you [as a hired workman] for seven years [in return] for [the privilege of marrying] Rachel your younger daughter.”

So Jacob served [Laban] for seven years for [the right to marry] Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

But in the morning [when Jacob awoke], it was Leah [who was with him]! And he said to Laban, “What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work for you [for seven years] for Rachel? Why have you deceived and betrayed me [like this]?”

Finish the week [of the wedding feast] for Leah; then we will give you Rachel also, and in return you shall work for me for seven more years.”

So Jacob consummated his marriage and lived with Rachel [as his wife], and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not lost their young, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for [my share of] your flocks, and you have changed my wages ten times.

Now the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.

These are the generations of Jacob.Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers [Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher]; the boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s [secondary] wives; and Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile.

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the [two] dreams are one [and the same].

The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years; and also the seven thin ears, dried up and scorched by the east wind, they are seven years of famine and hunger.

Listen very carefully: seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt;

but afterward seven years of famine and hunger will come, and [there will be such desperate need that] all the great abundance [of the previous years] will be forgotten in the land of Egypt [as if it never happened], and famine and destitution will ravage and destroy the land.

Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers and officials over the land, and set aside one-fifth [of the produce] of the [entire] land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance.

Let them gather [as a tax] all [of the fifth of] the food of these good years that are coming, and store up grain under the direction and authority of Pharaoh, and let them guard the food [in fortified granaries] in the cities.

That food shall be put [in storage] as a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine and hunger which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land (people) will not be ravaged during the famine.”

Now Joseph [had been in Egypt thirteen years and] was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph departed from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt [performing his duties].

In the seven abundant years the earth produced handfuls [for each seed planted].

And Joseph gathered all the [surplus] food of the seven [good] years in the land of Egypt and stored [enormous quantities of] the food in the cities. He stored away in every city the food [collected] from its own surrounding fields.

Now two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.

When the seven years of plenty came to an end in the land of Egypt,

the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said [they would]; the famine was in all the [surrounding] lands, but in the land of Egypt there was bread (food).

For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five more years in which there will be no plowing and harvesting.

There I will provide for you and sustain you, so that you and your household and all that are yours may not become impoverished, for there are still five years of famine to come.”’

Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, and they have not reached the years that my fathers lived during the days of their pilgrimage.”

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was a hundred and forty-seven years.

Now Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Now it happened after a long time [about forty years] that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel (Jacob) groaned and sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out. And their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.