v1 In the beginning, God created the sky and the earth. v2 The earth had no shape. It was empty. The waters were dark. God’s spirit moved over the waters. v3 And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light. v4 God saw that the light was good. God separated light and darkness. v5 God called the light ‘day’ and he called the darkness ‘night’. And there was evening and there was morning. It was the first day.

v6 After that, God said, ‘Let there be a space in the middle of the waters. Let it divide the waters into two parts.’ v7 And God made a space. There were waters above the space and there were waters under the space. And it was so. v8 God called the space ‘sky’. And there was evening and there was morning. It was the second day.

v9 After that God said, ‘Let the waters that are under the sky come together into one place. Let dry land appear.’ And it was so. v10 God called the dry land ‘earth’. He called the waters that came together ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.

v11 And God said, ‘Let the earth produce grass. Let it produce plants that have seeds. Let it produce trees that have fruit with seeds. Let them be many different kinds.’ And it was so. v12 The earth produced grass. It produced plants that have seeds. It produced trees that have fruit with seeds. They were many different kinds. And God saw that it was good. v13 And there was evening and there was morning. It was the third day.

v14 After that, God said, ‘Let there be lights in the sky. Let them separate day and night. They will mark seasons and days and years. v15 And let these lights in the sky give light to the earth.’ And it was so. v16 And God made the two great lights. The larger light ruled the day and the smaller light ruled the night. God made the stars too. v17 God put the lights in the sky so that they gave light to the earth. v18 He put them there so that they ruled over the day and over the night. He put them there so that they separated light and darkness. And God saw that it was good. v19 And there was evening and there was morning. It was the fourth day.

v20 After that, God said, ‘Let the waters produce many living animals. And let birds fly in the sky above the earth.’ v21 So God created large animals in the sea. He created every animal that moves in the water. They were many different kinds. He also created every bird that has wings. And God saw that it was good. v22 God promised good things to them. He said, ‘Have large families. Increase so that you fill the seas and the skies.’ v23 And there was evening and there was morning. It was the fifth day.

v24 After that, God said, ‘Let the earth produce living animals. Let them be many different kinds. Let the earth produce tame animals. Let it produce animals that crawl. Let it produce wild animals. Let them be many different kinds.’ And it was so. v25 And God made the wild animals on the earth. He made the tame animals. He made everything that crawls on the ground. They were many different kinds. And God saw that it was good.

v26 Then God said, ‘Let us make people who are images of us. Let them be similar to us. Let them rule over the fish of the sea. Let them rule over the birds of the air. Let them rule over the animals. Let them rule over the whole earth. Let them rule over every crawling animal that crawls on the earth.’ v27 So God created people who were images of himself. He created them as images of God. He created man and woman. v28 God promised good things to them. He said, ‘Have large families. Increase so that you fill the earth. Rule over the earth. Rule over the fish in the sea. Rule over the birds that fly in the air. Rule over every living animal that moves on the earth.’

v29 God said, ‘Look. I have given to you every plant in the whole earth that produces seeds. I have given to you every tree that produces fruit with seeds. They are your food. v30 I have given all the green plants to the animals on the earth. I have given them to the birds that fly in the air. I have given them to the animals that crawl on the earth. I have given them to everything that is alive. The plants are their food.’ And it was so.

v31 God saw everything that he had made. It was truly very good. And there was evening and there was morning. It was the sixth day.

v1 So the sky and the earth were complete. Everything that was in them was complete. v2 On the seventh day, God had finished his work that he had done. He rested on the seventh day, after all the work that he had done. v3 So God made the seventh day a special day. He made it special, because on that day he rested after his work. When he had created everything, he rested.

v4 This is the story of the sky and the earth, which God had created. v5 When the *Lord God made the earth and the sky, no green plants were on the earth. No crops were growing. The *Lord God had not yet sent rain to the earth. Also, there were still no people and so nobody farmed the ground. v6 Then a mist rose out of the earth and it watered all the ground. v7 And the *Lord God made a man out of dust from the earth. He blew the breath of life into him. The man became a living person.

v8 The *Lord God planted a garden in Eden. It was in the east. God put into the garden the man whom he had made. v9 God made trees to grow out of the ground. These trees were pleasant to look at and their fruit was good to eat. The tree of life was in the middle of the garden. There was also the tree that makes one able to distinguish good things and evil things.

v10 A river flowed out of Eden and it watered the garden. The river divided there into 4 rivers. v11 The first river is called Pishon. It flows through the region that is called Havilah. There is gold there v12 and that gold is good. There are also spice and onyx. v13 The second river is called Gihon. It flows through all the region that is called Cush. v14 The third river is called Tigris, which flows to the east of Assyria. The fourth river is called Euphrates.

v15 The *Lord God took the man and he put him in the garden in Eden. He told him to farm the garden and to look after it. v16 The *Lord God *commanded the man. He said, ‘Eat freely the fruit of all the other trees that are in the garden. v17 But do not eat the fruit of the tree that makes you able to distinguish good things and evil things. If you eat that fruit, you will certainly die.’

v18 After that, the *Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man is alone. I will make a helper for him. His helper shall be suitable for him.’

v19 Now the *Lord God had made out of the ground every animal on the earth. He had made every bird that flies in the air. He brought them to the man so that the man would name them. Whatever name the man gave, that was the name of each living animal. v20 Adam gave names to all the tame animals. He gave names to all the birds that fly in the air. He gave names to all the wild animals. But none of them was a helper who was suitable for Adam.

v21 So the *Lord God made Adam sleep heavily. While Adam slept, God took a bone out of Adam’s body. Then he closed the place in his body. v22 The *Lord God changed the bone that he had taken from Adam. He made the bone become a woman. He brought her to Adam.

v23 Then Adam said,

          ‘This at last is my bone

                      and it is part of my body.

          I shall call her “woman”

                      because she came out of man.’

v24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and he and his wife join. Then the two people become one body.

v25 Adam and his wife were both naked. And they did not think that it was wrong.

v1 The snake was the cleverest wild animal that the *Lord God had made. The snake said to the woman, ‘Is it true that God said, “Do not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden”?’ v2 The woman said to the snake, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. v3 But God said, “You must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you touch it then you will die.” ’ v4 But the snake said to the woman, ‘You will not die. v5 When you eat it, you will distinguish things clearly. God knows this. You will be like God and you will distinguish good things and evil things.’

v6 Then the woman saw that the fruit was good to eat. She saw that it was lovely to look at. She also thought that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit and she ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband and he ate it. v7 Then they distinguished things clearly. They realised that they were naked. So they sewed leaves together and they made clothes for themselves.

v8 In the evening, it was cool. Then the *Lord God walked in the garden. Adam and Eve heard him and they hid themselves away from him among the trees.

v9 But the *Lord God called to Adam. He said to him, ‘Where are you?’ v10 Adam said, ‘I heard you as you walked in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked. Therefore I hid myself.’ v11 God said, ‘Nobody told you that you were naked! Have you eaten the fruit that I *commanded you not to eat?’ v12 Adam replied, ‘You gave the woman to me as a companion. She gave the fruit of the tree to me and I ate it.’ v13 Then the *Lord God said to the woman, ‘What have you done?’ The woman replied, ‘The snake tempted me and I ate.’

v14 The *Lord God said to the snake,

          ‘Because you have done this,

                      I will separate you from all tame animals and from all wild animals.

          You shall move on your stomach

                      and you shall eat dust for your whole life.

v15    I will make you and the woman enemies.

                      Your *descendants and her *descendants will be enemies.

          One *descendant of the woman will hurt your head

                      and you will hurt his foot.’

v16 God said to the woman,

          ‘You will have much pain when you have children.

                      You will have pain when your children are born.

          You will desire your husband’s love, but he will rule over you.’

v17 And God said to Adam,

          ‘You listened to the words that your wife said.

                      I *commanded you not to eat the fruit of that tree, but you ate it.

          Therefore, the ground will produce little because of you.

                      You will work hard for your whole life in order to eat.

v18    When you eat the products of the earth,

                      the ground will produce thorns and thistles for you.

v19    By hard labour you will eat your food until you die.

                      Then you will return to the ground.

          I made you out of the dust on the ground.

                      You are dust and you will become dust again.’

v20 Adam’s wife was the mother of everyone who is alive. Therefore, Adam called her Eve. v21 And the *Lord God made clothes out of skins for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve wore them. v22 Then the *Lord God said, ‘The man has become like us. He distinguishes good things and evil things. Now he might reach out his hand and he might pick the fruit from the tree of life. He might eat it. Then he would live for ever.’ v23 And so the *Lord God sent Adam out of the garden that was in Eden. He sent him out to farm the ground. God had made Adam out of that ground. v24 God made Adam go out. God put the cherubim at the east of the garden in Eden. The cherubim had a sword. It was a flame, which turned in every direction. They guarded the way to the tree of life.

v1 Adam had sex with his wife Eve and she became *pregnant. Her son Cain was born. She said, ‘I have gained a man by the *Lord’s help.’ v2 Later, Cain’s brother Abel was born. Abel looked after sheep and Cain worked on the soil.

v3 After a long time, Cain brought an *offering to the *Lord. It was some of the products of the earth. v4 And Abel brought pieces of meat with fat. They were from his young sheep that were born before the other sheep. Abel and his *offering pleased the *Lord. v5 But Cain and his *offering did not please him. So Cain was very angry and his face was sad. v6 The *Lord said to Cain, ‘You should not be angry and your face should not be sad. v7 If you do well, I will accept you. If you do not do well, you could soon do an evil deed. The devil wants you, but you must overcome him.’

v8 Cain said to Abel his brother, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel. He killed him. v9 Then the *Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ Cain replied, ‘I do not know. I am not my brother’s keeper.’ v10 And the *Lord said, ‘You have done a very evil deed. I can see your brother’s blood on the ground. v11 So I cause evil things for you. I make you go out from the earth. That is the earth where your brother’s blood remains. v12 Now, when you farm the soil, it will not produce its crops for you. You will run away from people and you will wander on the earth.’

v13 Cain said to the *Lord, ‘My punishment is too severe. v14 Today you send me away from this country. I will not be able to see your face. I will run away from people and I will wander on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me.’ v15 Then the *Lord said to Cain, ‘No. If anyone kills Cain, I will punish that person 7 times more severely.’ And the *Lord put a mark on Cain. So anyone who met Cain would see the mark. And he would not kill Cain. v16 Then Cain went away from the *Lord. He lived in the region that is called Nod. It is east of Eden.

v17 Cain had sex with his wife and she became *pregnant. Her son Enoch was born. Cain built a city. He called the city Enoch because of his son’s name. v18 Enoch was the father of Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael. Methushael was the father of Lamech. v19 Lamech had 2 wives. One was called Adah and the other wife was called Zillah. v20 Adah had a son who was called Jabal. Jabal’s family lived in tents and they looked after cows. v21 Jabal’s brother was called Jubal. Jubal was the father of all those who make music by harps and flutes. v22 Zillah had a son who was called Tubal-cain. Tubal-cain made tools out of copper and iron. Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah.

v23 Lamech said to his wives,

          ‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice.

                      My wives, listen to the words that I say.

          I kill a man if he hurts me.

                      I kill a boy if he strikes me.

v24    If any person kills Cain, God will punish that person 7 times more severely.

                      But when a person hurts me, Lamech, I punish him 77 times more severely.’

v25 Adam had sex with his wife again. Her son was born and she called him Seth. She said, ‘God has given me another child instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.’ v26 Seth also had a son. He called him Enosh. At that time men began to pray to the *Lord.

v1 These are Adam’s *descendants. When God created man, he made man similar to God. v2 He created them as man and woman. He promised good things to them. He called them ‘Man’ when he created them.

v3 Adam lived for 130 years and then he became the father of a son. His son was similar to himself. His son was an image of himself. Adam called his son Seth. v4 After Seth’s birth, Adam lived for 800 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v5 Adam’s life was 930 years and then he died.

v6 Seth lived for 105 years and then he became the father of Enosh. v7 After Enosh’s birth, Seth lived for 807 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v8 Seth’s life was 912 years and then he died.

v9 Enosh lived for 90 years and then he became the father of Kenan. v10 After Kenan’s birth, Enosh lived for 815 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v11 Enosh’s life was 905 years and then he died.

v12 Kenan lived for 70 years and then he became the father of Mahalalel. v13 After Mahalalel’s birth, Kenan lived for 840 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v14 Kenan’s life was 910 years and then he died.

v15 Mahalalel lived for 65 years and then he became the father of Jared. v16 After Jared’s birth, Mahalalel lived for 830 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v17 Mahalalel’s life was 895 years and then he died.

v18 Jared lived for 162 years and then he became the father of Enoch. v19 After Enoch’s birth, Jared lived for 800 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v20 Jared’s life was 962 years and then he died.

v21 Enoch lived for 65 years and then he became the father of Methuselah. v22 After Methuselah’s birth, Enoch walked with God for 300 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v23 Enoch’s life was 365 years. v24 Enoch walked with God. Then he was no more, because God took him.

v25 Methuselah lived for 187 years and then he became the father of Lamech. v26 After Lamech’s birth, Methuselah lived for 782 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v27 Methuselah’s life was 969 years and then he died.

v28 Lamech lived for 182 years and then he became the father of a son. v29 Lamech called his son Noah. He said, ‘The *Lord has made the ground produce little. But this son shall bring rest to us after our labour. He will bring rest to us after the hard work of our hands.’ v30 After Noah’s birth, Lamech lived for 595 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters. v31 Lamech’s life was 777 years and then he died. v32 Noah lived for 500 years and then he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

v1 At that time, men began to increase on the earth. Many daughters were born for them. v2 Then the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. They chose some of them and they married them. v3 Then the *Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not always remain with men, because they are human. They shall live for 120 years.’

v4 There were giant people on the earth in those days and also afterwards. The sons of God had sex with the daughters of men. Children were born for them. These children became the strong men who lived in old times. They were famous men.

v5 The *Lord saw the men who were on the earth. He saw that they were very wicked. He saw that men always thought in evil ways. And he saw that men always desired evil things. v6 And the *Lord was sorry that he had made men on the earth. He was extremely sad. v7 So the *Lord said, ‘I will kill men, whom I have created. I will remove them from the earth. I will kill men and animals and birds. I will kill all that crawl on the ground. I am sorry that I made them.’ v8 But Noah pleased the *Lord.

v9 This is the story of Noah. Noah was a good man. There was no blame on him, among all those who were alive at that time. Noah walked with God. v10 Noah had 3 sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

v11 The earth was evil in God’s sight. All the people who were on the earth often attacked each other. v12 God looked at the earth. And he saw that it was evil. All the people who were on the earth lived in an evil way.

v13 And God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to kill all people. People who are on the earth attack each other. I will kill men and I will destroy the earth too. v14 Make an *ark out of gopher wood for yourself. Make rooms in the *ark. Cover the *ark with bitumen. Cover both the inside of it and the outside of it. v15 This is how you must make it. Its length must be 150 metres. Its width must be 25 metres. Its height must be 15 metres. v16 Make a roof for the *ark. Finish the roof to half a metre at the top. Make a door in the side of the *ark. Make a lower deck, a middle deck and an upper deck.’

v17 And God continued, ‘I will bring a flood of water on the earth. It will kill all animals that breathe under the sky. All that lives will die. Everything that is on the earth will die. v18 But I will make a firm agreement with you. You will enter the *ark with your sons. You will take your wife and your sons’ wives. v19 Take pairs of every kind of living animal. Take them into the *ark so as to keep them alive with you. Each pair shall be one male and one female. v20 Take pairs of every kind of bird. Take pairs of every kind of animal. Take pairs of everything that crawls. Keep them all alive. v21 Take with you every sort of food that you can eat. Store it. It shall be food for you and for the animals.’

v22 Noah did this. He did everything that God *commanded him.

v1 Then the *Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the *ark and take all your family with you. I have seen you as a good person among those who are alive now. v2 Take with you 7 pairs of each kind of clean animal. Take males and females. Take one male and one female of each kind of animal that is not clean. v3 Take 7 pairs of the birds, males and females. So you will keep birds of every kind alive on the earth. v4 In 7 days, I will send rain on the earth. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. I will kill every living animal that is on the earth. I will kill all those that I have made.’

v5 And Noah did everything that the *Lord told him to do.

v6 Noah had lived for 600 years when the flood came on the earth. v7 Noah went into the *ark in order to escape from the water. He took his sons with him. And he took his wife and his sons’ wives. v8 He took pairs of clean animals. And he took pairs of animals that were not clean. He took pairs of birds. He took pairs of everything that crawls on the ground. v9 They were male and female. They went into the *ark with Noah. This was exactly as God *commanded. v10 After 7 days, the flood came. The water of the flood came on the earth.

v11 When Noah had lived for 600 years, the water came. In month 2, on day 17, the water came. The water rose up from the deep seas and heavy rain fell from the sky. v12 And it rained on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

v13 On the same day, Noah entered the *ark. His 3 sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, also went in. Noah’s wife went in with Noah. And his 3 sons’ wives went in also. v14 Clean animals of every kind went in. Animals of every kind that were not clean went in. Animals of all kinds that crawl on the ground went in. Birds of every sort went in. v15 They went into the *ark with Noah. They were pairs of every kind that breathes. v16 Males and females of all living animals went in as God had *commanded Noah. And the *Lord shut him in.

v17 The flood continued on the earth for 40 days. The water became deeper and it lifted the *ark. The *ark rose high above the earth. v18 The water became deeper on the earth. The *ark floated on the top of the water. v19 The water was so deep on the earth that it covered all the high mountains under the whole sky. v20 The water covered the mountains so that they were under 7 metres of water. v21 All living animals that moved on the earth died. All birds died. All clean animals died. All animals that were not clean died. All the many animals on the earth died. And every man died. v22 Everything that was alive on the dry land died. v23 God killed every living animal that was on the surface of the ground. He killed people and animals. He killed everything that crawls. He killed the birds. God removed them from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the *ark were left. v24 And the water covered the earth for 150 days.

v1 But God remembered Noah. And God remembered all the animals that were with Noah in the *ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth. Then the water decreased. v2 God stopped the water so that it did not rise up from the deep places. He stopped the rain so that it did not come down from the sky. v3 The water continued to move off the earth. After 150 days, the water had gone. v4 In month 7, on day 17, the *ark stopped on mount Ararat. v5 The water continued to decrease until month 10. On the first day of month 10, Noah saw the mountain tops.

v6 After 40 days, Noah opened the window of the *ark, which he had made. v7 He sent out a raven (a bird). The raven flew about until the water disappeared from the earth. v8 And Noah sent out a dove (a different kind of bird). Noah needed to know whether the water had disappeared from the earth. v9 But the dove found no place to land. It returned to the *ark, because the water still covered all the earth. Noah reached out his hand to the dove and he brought the dove back into the *ark.

v10 Noah waited for 7 days. Then he again sent out the dove from the *ark. v11 The dove came back to Noah in the evening. It had in its mouth a fresh leaf, which it had picked from a tree. Then Noah knew that the water had disappeared from the earth. v12 He again waited for 7 days. Then he sent out the dove. It did not return again.

v13 When Noah had lived for 601 years, the water disappeared from the earth. On the first day of the first month, it disappeared. Noah took off the cover of the *ark. He looked out. He saw that there was no water on the ground. v14 In month 2, on day 27, the earth was dry.

v15 Then God said to Noah, v16 ‘Go out of the *ark. Take your wife with you. Take your sons and your sons’ wives. v17 Bring out with you all living animals that are with you. Bring out the birds and the animals. Bring out every animal that crawls on the earth. Then they will have large families. They will increase so that they will fill the earth.’

v18 So Noah went out. His sons went with him. And Noah’s wife and his sons’ wives went with them. v19 Every animal went out of the *ark. Every crawling animal and every bird went out. Everything that moves on the earth went out from the *ark. Each family went out together.

v20 Then Noah built an *altar for the *Lord. He took one of every kind of clean animal. He took one of every kind of clean bird. He burned them on the *altar. They were an *offering to the *Lord. v21 When the *Lord smelled the smell, he was pleased. And the *Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again make the ground produce little. Although men are evil, I will not do that. Every thought and wish in men’s hearts is always evil. This is so even when they are young. I will never again kill every living animal as I have done. v22 While the earth remains, people will sow seeds. And they will gather crops. There will be cold and there will be heat. There will be summer and there will be winter. There will be day and there will be night. These things will never end.’

v1 And God promised good things to Noah and to his sons. He said to them, ‘Have large families. Increase so that you fill the earth. v2 Every animal that is on the earth will be afraid of you. Every bird that flies in the air will be afraid of you. All animals that crawl will be afraid of you. All the fish in the sea will be afraid of you. I have given them all to you. v3 All that moves and lives shall be food for you. I gave the green plants to you as food. Now I give everything to you. v4 But you must not eat meat while it is alive. You must not eat it while the blood is in it. v5 If you spill blood, I will require a punishment. Every animal or man who kills a person must die. If anyone kills his brother, he must die. v6 If anyone kills a man, a man shall kill him. This is because God made men as images of himself. v7 And you must have large families and you must increase. Have many children and fill the earth.’

v8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons, v9 ‘Look. I make my firm agreement with you. I make it with your family who will come after you. v10 I make it with every animal that is with you. I make it with the birds. I make it with the clean animals that are on the earth. I make it with the animals that are not clean. I make it with everything that came out of the *ark. v11 I make my firm agreement with you. Never in the future will I kill all that is alive by a flood. Never in the future will a flood destroy the earth.’

v12 And God said, ‘This is the sign of the firm agreement that I have made between me and you. I have also made it between me and every animal that is with you. This firm agreement will last for all ages. v13 I put my rainbow in the cloud. It shall be a sign of the firm agreement that is between me and the earth. v14 When I bring clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds. v15 Then I will remember my firm agreement, which is between me and you and every animal of all kinds. The water will never in the future become a flood so as to kill all animals. v16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will look at it. And I will remember the firm agreement that will last for all ages. That is the firm agreement that is between me and all living animals of all kinds.’

v17 God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the firm agreement that I have made. It is a firm agreement between me and all living animals that are on the earth.’

v18 Noah’s sons who went out from the *ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. v19 These three were Noah’s sons. The families of these sons became the inhabitants of the whole earth.

v20 Noah began to farm. He planted vines and he made wine. v21 He drank too much wine and therefore he slept. Then he lay in his tent and he was naked. v22 Ham, who was Canaan’s father, saw his naked father Noah. He went out of the tent. Then he told his two brothers what he had seen. v23 Then Shem and Japheth took a coat and they laid it on their shoulders. They backed into the tent. Then they covered their naked father with the coat. They turned their faces away. Therefore, they did not see their father while he was naked. v24 Noah woke from the effect of the wine. Then he knew what his youngest son had done to him.

v25 Noah said,

          ‘God shall bring evil things to Canaan.

                      Canaan shall be his brothers’ servant.’

v26 Noah also said,

          ‘Praise the *Lord, who is Shem’s God.

                      Canaan shall be his servant.

v27    Let God make Japheth’s family be large.

                      Let Japheth live in Shem’s tents.

                      Let Canaan be Japheth’s servant.’

v28 After the flood, Noah lived for 350 years. v29 Noah’s life was 950 years and then he died.

v1 These are the *descendants of Noah’s sons. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. After the flood, they became the fathers of sons.

v2 Japheth’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. v3 Gomer’s sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. v4 Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. v5 The people who live along the coast spread from these families. These are Japheth’s sons. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.

v6 Ham’s sons were Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. v7 Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. Raamah’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. v8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. Nimrod was the first strong man on the earth. v9 He was a great hunter by the *Lord’s strength. Therefore people say, ‘Like Nimrod, who is a great hunter by the *Lord’s strength.’ v10 Nimrod was the king of Babel, Erech and Accad. All these cities are in the country that is called Shinar. v11 From Shinar Nimrod went into Assyria. He built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen. v12 Resen is a great city and it is between Nineveh and Calah. v13 Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, v14 Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim. The *Philistines were Casluhim’s *descendants.

v15 Canaan became the father of Sidon and Heth. Sidon was Canaan’s oldest son. v16 Canaan was also the father of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, v17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, v18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites. Later the *Canaanite families scattered. v19 And the *Canaanites’ land stretched from Sidon to Gaza. (Gaza is on the way to Gerar.) It also stretched to Lasha. (Lasha is on the way to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.) v20 These are Ham’s sons in their families. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.

v21 Shem also was the father of children. Shem was the father of all the children of Eber. He was Japheth’s older brother. v22 Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram. v23 Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash. v24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber. v25 For Eber, two sons were born. One was called Peleg, because the earth divided during his life. Peleg’s brother was called Joktan. v26–29 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons. v30 Their country stretched to Mesha. (Mesha is on the way to Sephar.) And it stretched to the hill country that is in the east. v31 These are Shem’s sons with their languages, their countries and their nations.

v32 These are the families of Noah’s sons. These are their families and their nations. From these people the nations spread over the earth after the flood.

v1 All the people who were on the earth had one language. They all had one set of words. v2 And men travelled from the east into the country that is called Shinar. There they found a plain and they lived in it. v3 And they said to each other, ‘Let us make bricks. Let us burn them well.’ They used bricks instead of stones. And they used bitumen between the bricks in order to join them.

v4 Then they said, ‘Let us build a city for ourselves. Let us build a very tall building. Its top will reach heaven. We will make ourselves famous. And we will not scatter over the whole surface of the earth.’ v5 So the men built the city and the tall building. The *Lord came down from heaven in order to see the city and the building.

v6 And the *Lord said, ‘Look! They are one nation. They have one language. This is only the beginning of the things that they will do. Whatever they propose to do, they will be able to do it. v7 Let us go down to the earth. We will confuse their language so that they will not understand each other’s words.’

v8 So the *Lord made the people stop building the city. He made them scatter from there. And they scattered over the whole surface of the earth. v9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the *Lord confused the language of all the earth. And the *Lord scattered them over the whole surface of the earth.

v10 These are Shem’s *descendants. When Shem was 100 years of age, he became the father of Arpachshad. That was 2 years after the end of the flood. v11 After Arpachshad’s birth, Shem lived for 500 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v12 Arpachshad lived for 35 years and then he became the father of Shelah. v13 After Shelah’s birth, Arpachshad lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v14 Shelah lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Eber. v15 After Eber’s birth, Shelah lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v16 Eber lived for 34 years and then he became the father of Peleg. v17 After Peleg’s birth, Eber lived for 430 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v18 Peleg lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Reu. v19 After Reu’s birth, Peleg lived for 209 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v20 Reu lived for 32 years and then he became the father of Serug. v21 After Serug’s birth, Reu lived for 207 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v22 Serug lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Nahor. v23 After Nahor’s birth, Serug lived for 200 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v24 Nahor lived for 29 years and then he became the father of Terah. v25 After Terah’s birth, Nahor lived for 119 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.

v26 Terah lived for 70 years and then he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

v27 These are the *descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot. v28 Haran died in the country where he was born. He died in Ur, which is a city in Chaldea. He died while his father Terah was still alive. v29 And Abram and Nahor married wives. Abram’s wife was called Sarai. Nahor’s wife was called Milcah. Milcah was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and of Iscah. v30 And Sarai had no child.

v31 Terah went away from Ur, which was a city in Chaldea. He took his son Abram. He took his grandson Lot, who was Haran’s son. He took Sarai, who was the wife of his son Abram. They set out together to go into the country that is called *Canaan. But when they arrived at Haran, they stopped there. v32 Terah lived for 205 years and he died in Haran.

v1 The *Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country. Leave your home. Leave your father’s house. Go to the country that I will show to you. v2 And I will make you become a great nation. I will bring many good things to you. I will make your name famous. You will bring good things to people. v3 I will be kind to those who are kind to you. I will do evil things to those who do evil things to you. All the families that are on the earth shall receive good things because of you.’

v4 So Abram went, as the *Lord *commanded him. Lot went with him. Abram’s age was 75 years when he left Haran. v5 And Abram took Sarai his wife. He took Lot, who was his brother’s son. He took all their possessions that they had gathered. He took all his relatives who had been born in Haran. They set off together. And they went to the country that is called *Canaan.

When they came to *Canaan, v6 Abram went through the region. He came to the big tree at Moreh. It was near to the town that is called Shechem. At that time the *Canaanites lived in that country. v7 Then the *Lord appeared to Abram. He said, ‘I will give this land to your *descendants who will live after you.’ So Abram built there an *altar to the *Lord, who had appeared to him. v8 From there he went to the mountain that is to the east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was on the west of him. Ai was east of him. He built an *altar there for the *Lord. And he prayed to the *Lord. v9 After that, Abram travelled further toward the Negeb.

v10 There was not enough food in the country and so Abram went to Egypt. He stayed there, because the *famine was very bad in *Canaan.

v11 Before Abram entered Egypt, he spoke to Sarai his wife. He said, ‘I know that you are a beautiful woman. v12 The inhabitants of Egypt will see you. They will say, “This is his wife.” Then they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. v13 Say that you are my sister. So they will not hurt me because of you. They will not kill me in order to take you.’ v14 Then Abram entered Egypt. The inhabitants of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful. v15 When the princes of *Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to *Pharaoh. And they took the woman into *Pharaoh’s house. v16 *Pharaoh loved Sarai and therefore he was kind to Abram. *Pharaoh gave to Abram sheep, cows, *donkeys, servants, maids and camels.

v17 But the *Lord made *Pharaoh and his family very ill. He did this because of Sarai, who was Abram’s wife. v18 So *Pharaoh called Abram. He said, ‘You have done an evil thing to me. You should have told me that she was your wife. v19 You should not have said, “She is my sister.” Because you said that, I took her as my wife. Now here is your wife. Take her and go away.’ v20 And *Pharaoh *commanded his men to guard Abram. And the men sent Abram away. Abram took his wife and everything that he had.

v1 So Abram left Egypt. He took his wife. He took everything that he had. And Lot went with him. They went into the Negeb.

v2 Abram was very rich. He had many animals. He had much silver and gold. v3 From the Negeb he went further. He went to Bethel, where his tent had been at the beginning. He stopped between Bethel and Ai. v4 He stopped at the place where he had made an *altar before. There Abram prayed to the *Lord.

v5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had sheep and cows and tents. v6 The land could not provide enough food for both of them if they lived together. Their possessions were so many that they could not live together. v7 Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants fought against each other. These were the servants who looked after the animals. At that time the *Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the country.

v8 Then Abram said to Lot, ‘You and I must not fight against each other. Your servants and my servants must not fight against each other. We are relatives. v9 The whole country is in front of you. Separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left.’

v10 And Lot looked. He saw that there was plenty of water in the valley of the river Jordan. It was like the *Lord’s garden. The region round Zoar was like Egypt. The *Lord had not yet destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. v11 Lot chose for himself all the valley of the river Jordan. So Lot travelled to the east. Abram and Lot separated from each other. v12 Abram lived in *Canaan. Lot lived among the cities that were in the valley. After that, Lot moved his tent near to Sodom. v13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked. They did many things that the *Lord had forbidden.

v14 After Lot separated from Abram, the *Lord spoke to Abram. The *Lord said, ‘Look at the things that are round you. Look from the place where you are. Look towards the north. Look towards the south. Look towards the east. Look towards the west. v15 I will give to you all the land that you see. I will give it to you and to your *descendants for all ages. v16 I will make your *descendants as the dust that is on the earth. Nobody can count the dust on the earth and nobody will be able to count your *descendants. v17 Get up and walk through the whole country. I will give all of it to you.’

v18 So Abram moved his tent. He went to the big trees at Mamre and he stayed there. Mamre is also called Hebron. At Mamre he built an *altar so that he could make *offerings to the *Lord.

v1 At this time there were 4 kings. One was Amraphel and he was the king of Shinar. Another king was Arioch and he was the king of Ellasar. Another one was Chedor-laomer and he was the king of Elam. The other king was Tidal and he was the king of Goiim. v2 These 4 kings fought in a war against 5 kings. One out of these 5 kings was Bera and he was the king of Sodom. Another one was Birsha and he was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was Shinab and he was the king of Admah. Another one was Shemeber and he was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. v3 These 5 kings joined their armies together in the valley that is called Siddim. That is the valley where the Salt Sea is.

v4 For 12 years, Chedor-laomer had ruled over these 5 kings. In year 13, they refused to obey him. v5 In year 14, Chedor-laomer came. And the kings who were with him came. They overcame the Rephaim people who lived in Ashteroth-karnaim. They overcame the Zuzim people who lived in Ham. They overcame the Emim people who lived in Shaveh-kiriathaim. v6 And they overcame the Horites who lived in Mount Seir as far as El-paran. That is at the edge of the desert. v7 Then the 4 kings turned back and they came to Enmishpat. That is also called Kadesh. There they destroyed all the region where the *descendants of Amalek lived. They also overcame the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

v8 Then the 5 kings went out. One was the king of Sodom. Another one was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was the king of Admah. Another one was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. They fought in the valley that is called Siddim. v9 They fought against the 4 kings. One out of these 4 kings was Chedor-laomer, king of Elam. Another one was Tidal, king of Goiim. Another one was Amraphel, king of Shinar. The last one was Arioch, king of Ellasar. So 4 kings fought against 5 kings.

v10 Now in the valley that is called Siddim there were many deep holes. People had made these holes when they took bitumen from the ground. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away and they hid in the holes. Other people ran away to the hills. v11 So the enemy took all the goods in Sodom and in Gomorrah. They took all the food that people had stored. v12 They also took Lot, who lived in Sodom. And they took all Lot’s goods. Lot was the son of Abram’s brother. The enemy took all these things and they went away.

v13 Then one person who had escaped came to Abram. He told Abram the *Hebrew what had happened. Abram the *Hebrew was near the big trees that belonged to Mamre. Mamre was an Amorite and he was the brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These people were Abram’s friends.

v14 So Abram heard that the enemy had made his relative Lot a prisoner. Abram had trained 318 men who were born in his house. He led these men and they followed the enemy as far as the place that is called Dan. v15 There Abram divided his men into two groups. Abram and his servants attacked the enemy at night. They defeated them and they pursued them to Hobah. Hobah is north of Damascus. v16 Then Abram brought back all the goods. He also brought back his relative Lot with his goods. And he brought back all the women and the people.

v17 So Abram defeated Chedor-laomer. And he defeated the kings who were with him. Then he returned. The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram. He met him at the valley called Shaveh, which is also called the King’s Valley. v18 And Melchizedek also met Abram. He was the king of Salem and he was a priest of the great God. He produced bread and wine. v19 And he blessed Abram. He said,

          ‘I pray that the great God will be kind to Abram.

                      He is the God who made the heaven and the earth.

v20    Praise the great God,

                      because he has delivered your enemies to you!’

And Abram gave to Melchizedek a part of the goods that he had brought back. He gave to him one thing out of every 10 things.

v21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me, but take the goods for yourself.’ v22 But Abram spoke to the king of Sodom. He said, ‘I have made a firm promise to the great *Lord God, who made the heaven and the earth. v23 I promised that I will not take anything from you. I will not take anything that belongs to you. I will not take the smallest thing. I will not even take the string of a shoe. Otherwise, you might say, “I have made Abram rich.” v24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten. And I will take the share of the men who went with me. And let Aner, Eshcol and Mamre take their share.’

v1 After these things the *Lord appeared to Abram. The *Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am protecting you. I will reward you very greatly.’ v2 But Abram said, ‘*Lord God, your gifts are no advantage to me, because I still have no child. When I die, my possessions will belong to Eliezer of Damascus.’ v3 And Abram said, ‘You have not given a child to me. A man who is my servant will own my possessions.’

v4 Then the *Lord said to him, ‘This man shall not have your possessions. Your own son shall have your possessions.’ v5 And the *Lord led Abram out of the tent. He said, ‘Look towards heaven. Count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then the *Lord said to him, ‘So shall your *descendants be.’ v6 Then Abram believed the *Lord. Therefore the *Lord considered that Abram was *righteous.

v7 And the *Lord said to Abram, ‘I am the *Lord. I brought you from Ur in Chaldea. I have given this country to you so that you may possess it.’ v8 But Abram said, ‘*Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it?’ v9 The *Lord said to him, ‘Bring to me a young cow that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a female goat that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a male sheep that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a dove (a bird) and a young dove.’ v10 And Abram brought all these. He cut each of these into two pieces. He laid the two halves of each one opposite each other. But he did not cut the birds into pieces. v11 Some wild birds that eat meat flew down. They tried to land on the dead animals. Abram scared them so that they flew away.

v12 When the sun set, Abram slept. He felt fear and there was great darkness. v13 Then the *Lord said to Abram, ‘Be certain about what I tell you. Your *descendants will live in a country that does not belong to them. They will be slaves there. They will have to work hard for 400 years. v14 But I will punish the nation that they serve. Afterwards your *descendants shall come out of that country. They shall take with them many possessions. v15 You yourself shall die in peace and then you shall be with your fathers. When people shall bury you, you will be very old. v16 And your *descendants shall come back to this country. The sons of the sons of the sons of your sons shall come back. But before they come back the Amorites must do still more evil things.’

v17 The sun set and the sky was dark. Then a pot appeared, which contained fire. It produced smoke. Also a branch appeared, which burned with flames. They both moved between the pieces of meat. v18 On that day the *Lord made a firm agreement with Abram. The *Lord said, ‘I give this country to your *descendants. I give all the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, which is called Euphrates. v19 I give the Kenites’ land and the Kenizzites’ land. I give the Kadmonites’ land v20 and the Hittites’ land. I give the Perizzites’ land and the Rephaim people’s land. v21 I give the Amorites’ land and the *Canaanites’ land. I give the Girgashites’ land and the Jebusites’ land.’

v1 Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, had no children. She had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar. v2 Sarai said to Abram, ‘The *Lord has made me unable to produce children. Lie with my maid and have sex with her. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram did what Sarai suggested. v3 Abram had then lived for 10 years in the country that is called *Canaan.

So Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, took her maid Hagar, the Egyptian. Sarai gave Hagar to Abram her husband so that Hagar could be his wife. v4 And Abram had sex with Hagar and she became *pregnant. When Hagar knew this, she did not respect Sarai. v5 And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Hagar does not respect me. I pray that the blame for this will be on you! I gave my maid to you to have sex with you. As soon as she became *pregnant, she did not respect me. I want the *Lord to be a judge. I pray that he will blame either you or me!’ v6 But Abram said to Sarai, ‘You may control your own maid. Do to her whatever you decide to do.’ Then Sarai was cruel to Hagar, and Hagar ran away from Sarai.