From Adam to Abraham

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, ² Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, ³ Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; ⁴ Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁵ The sons of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tuval, Meshech and Tiras.

⁶ The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Diphath and Togarmah.

⁷ The sons of Javan:

Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Rodanim.

⁸ The sons of Ham:

Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.

⁹ The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Sabteca.

The sons of Raama:

Sheba and Dedan.

¹⁰ Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first mighty warrior on the earth.

¹¹ Mizraim fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹² Pathrusim, Casluhim—from whom the Philistines came—and Caphtorim.

¹³ Canaan fathered Zidon his firstborn, Heth, ¹⁴ and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁵ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁶ the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites.

¹⁷ The sons of Shem:

Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud;

Aram: Uz, Chul, Geter and Meshech.

¹⁸ Arpachshad fathered Shelah

and Shelah fathered Eber.

¹⁹ To Eber were born two sons:

the name of the one was Peleg^[a]—for in his days the earth was divided—

and his brother’s name was Joktan.

²⁰ Joktan fathered:

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah; ²¹ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²² Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, ²³ Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

²⁴ Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,

²⁵ Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah,

²⁷ Abram—that is Abraham.

Abraham’s Descendants

²⁸ The sons of Abraham:

Isaac and Ishmael.

²⁹ These are their descendants:

the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, ³¹ Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

³² The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine:

she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.

The sons of Jokshan:

Sheba and Dedan.

³³ The sons of Midian:

Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah.

All these were the sons of Keturah.

³⁴ Abraham also fathered Isaac.

The sons of Isaac:

Esau and Israel.

³⁵ The sons of Esau:

Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam and Korah.

³⁶ The sons of Eliphaz:

Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna and Amalek.

³⁷ The sons of Reuel:

Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah.

³⁸ The sons of Seir:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.

³⁹ The sons of Lotan:

Hori and Homam.

Lotan’s sister was Timna.

⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal:

Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi and Onam.

The sons of Zibeon:

Aiah and Anah.

⁴¹ The sons of Anah:

Dishon.

The sons of Dishon:

Hamran, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran.

⁴² The sons of Etzer:

Bilhan, Zaavan, Jaakan.

The sons of Dishan:

Uz and Aran.

Edom’s Rulers

⁴³ Now these were the kings who ruled in the land of Edom, before any king ruled over Bnei-Yisrael:

Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city was Dinhabah.

⁴⁴ When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah ruled in his place.

⁴⁵ When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites ruled in his place.

⁴⁶ When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, ruled in his place—the name of his city was Avith.

⁴⁷ When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah ruled in his place.

⁴⁸ When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth-on-the-River ruled in his place.

⁴⁹ When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor ruled in his place.

⁵⁰ When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad ruled in his place—the name of his city was Pai, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab. ⁵¹ Then Hadad died.

So the tribal chiefs of Edom were: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth ⁵² chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon ⁵³ chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴ chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

Israel and Judah’s Descendants

2 These are the sons of Israel:

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ² Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

³ The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan and Shelah—the three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite woman. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Adonai, so He put him to death. ⁴ Then Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵ The sons of Perez:

Hezron and Hamul.

⁶ The sons of Zerah:

Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara, five in all.

⁷ The sons of Carmi:

Achar, the troubler of Israel who violated the ban of devoted things.

⁸ The sons of Ethan: Azariah.

⁹ The sons of Hezron who were born to him:

Jerahmeel, Ram and Chelubai.

¹⁰ Ram fathered Amminadab;

Amminadab fathered Nahshon, the leader of the children of Judah.

¹¹ Nahshon fathered Salma;

Salma fathered Boaz.

¹² Boaz fathered Obed;

Obed fathered Jesse.

¹³ Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab was second, Shimea third, ¹⁴ Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem sixth, and David seventh. ¹⁶ Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab and Asahel. ¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, “Take courage! For just as you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome!”

Conspiracy to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, the Judean leaders formed a conspiracy. They bound themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this plot. ¹⁴ They went to the ruling kohanim and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ So now you and the Sanhedrin serve notice to the commander to bring him down to you—like you are about to investigate his case more thoroughly. But we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush. He went into the headquarters and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has a message for him.”

¹⁸ So the centurion took him and led him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.”

¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, stepped aside, and began asking him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?”

²⁰ And he said, “The Judean leaders have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow—as if they are about to investigate more thoroughly about him. ²¹ But do not give in to them, for more than forty of them have bound themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Even now, they are ready and waiting for your consent.”

²² So the commander dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me about these things.”

Escorted to Caesarea

²³ Calling two of his centurions, he said, “At the third hour of the night,^[a] prepare two hundred soldiers, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, to proceed as far as Caesarea. ²⁴ Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, so that he might be brought safely to Felix the governor.”

²⁵ He wrote a letter to this effect:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias,

To the Most Excellent Governor Felix:

Greetings!

²⁷ This man was seized by the Judean leaders and was about to be killed by them, when I came on the scene with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman citizen. ²⁸ Desiring to know the charge of which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. ²⁹ I found that he was accused concerning issues of their law, but charged with nothing worthy of death or imprisonment. ³⁰ When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately, also ordering his accusers to state before you what they have against him.”

³¹ So the soldiers, in keeping with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² On the next day, they returned to headquarters, leaving the horsemen to go on with him. ³³ When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him. ³⁴ Upon reading the letter, the governor asked what province he was from. When he learned that Paul was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers have arrived also.” Then he gave orders for Paul to be guarded in Herod’s Praetorium.

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Psalm 3

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