Genesis 1-20

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Creation

1 ^(A)In the beginning ^(B)God ^(C)created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was ^[a](D)formless and void, and ^(E)darkness was over the ^[b]surface of the deep, and ^(F)the Spirit of God ^(G)was ^[c]moving over the ^[d]surface of the waters. ³ Then ^(H)God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was ^(I)good; and God ^(J)separated the light from the darkness. ^5 (K)God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And ^(L)there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be ^[e]an ^(M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ God made the ^[f]expanse, and separated ^(N)the waters which were below the ^[g]expanse from the waters ^(O)which were above the ^[h]expanse; and it was so. ⁸ God called the ^[i]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

⁹ Then God said, “^(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let ^(Q)the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land earth, and the ^(R)gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth sprout ^[j](S)vegetation, ^[k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after ^[l]their kind ^[m]with seed in them”; and it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth ^[n]vegetation, ^[o]plants yielding seed after ^[p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit ^[q]with seed in them, after ^[r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. ¹³ There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be ^[s](T)lights in the ^[t](U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for ^(V)signs and for ^(W)seasons and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for ^[u]lights in the ^[v]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ God made the two ^[w]great lights, the ^(X)greater ^[x]light ^[y]to govern the day, and the lesser ^[z]light ^[aa]to govern the night; He made ^(Y)the stars also. ^17 (Z)God placed them in the ^[ab]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and ^[ac]to ^(AA)govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters ^[ad]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth ^[ae]in the open ^[af]expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ God created ^(AB)the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

^24 (AC)Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after ^[ag]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after ^[ah]their kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ God made the ^(AD)beasts of the earth after ^[ai]their kind, and the cattle after ^[aj]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let ^(AE)Us make ^(AF)man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them ^(AG)rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the ^[ak]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man ^(AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; ^(AI)male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “^(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the ^[al]sky and over every living thing that ^[am]moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, ^(AK)I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the ^[an]surface of all the earth, and every tree ^[ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; ³⁰ and ^(AL)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the ^[ap]sky and to every thing that ^[aq]moves on the earth ^[ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. ³¹ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very ^(AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Creation of Man and Woman

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all ^(AN)their hosts. ² By ^(AO)the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and ^(AP)He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created ^[as]and made.

^4 [at](AQ)This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in ^(AR)the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. ^5 (AS)Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, ^(AT)for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to ^[au]cultivate the ground. ⁶ But a ^[av]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole ^[aw]surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed man of ^(AU)dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and ^(AV)man became a living ^[ax]being. ⁸ The Lord God planted a ^(AW)garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow ^(AX)every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; ^(AY)the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ Now a ^(AZ)river ^[ay]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four ^[az]rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon; it ^[ba]flows around the whole land of ^(BA)Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon; it ^[bb]flows around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is ^[bc](BB)Tigris; it ^[bd]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the ^[be](BC)Euphrates.

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. ¹⁶ The Lord God ^(BD)commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; ¹⁷ but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not ^[bf]eat, for in the day that you eat from it ^(BE)you will surely die.”

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; ^(BF)I will make him a helper ^[bg]suitable for him.” ^19 (BG)Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the ^[bh]sky, and ^(BH)brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the ^[bi]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for ^[bj]Adam there was not found ^(BI)a helper ^[bk]suitable for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a ^(BJ)deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. ²² The Lord God ^[bl]fashioned into a woman ^(BK)the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. ²³ The man said,

^24 (BM)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. ^25 (BN)And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

The Fall of Man

3 Now ^(BO)the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[bq]any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “^(BP)From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ^4 (BQ)The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and ^(BR)you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ^6 (BS)When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they ^(BT)knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves ^[br]loin coverings.

⁸ They heard the sound of ^(BU)the Lord God walking in the garden in the ^[bs]cool of the day, ^(BV)and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “^(BW)Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “^(BX)I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ^12 (BY)The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “^(BZ)The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

²⁰ Now the man called his wife’s name ^[bx](CK)Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of ^(CL)Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from ^(CM)the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So ^(CN)He drove the man out; and at the ^(CO)east of the garden of Eden He stationed the ^(CP)cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to ^(CQ)the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

4 Now the man ^[by]had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to ^[bz]Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a ^[ca]manchild with the help of the Lord.” ² Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And ^(CR)Abel was ^(CS)a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ So it came about ^[cb]in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. ^4 (CT)Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And ^(CU)the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; ⁵ but ^(CV)for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So ^(CW)Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “^(CX)Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ^7 (CY)If you do well, ^[cc]will not your countenance be lifted up? ^(CZ)And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, ^(DA)but you must master it.” ⁸ Cain ^[cd]told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and ^(DB)killed him.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “^(DC)Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ He said, “What have you done? ^(DD)The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. ¹¹ Now ^(DE)you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ^12 (DF)When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; ^(DG)you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! ¹⁴ Behold, You have ^(DH)driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and ^(DI)I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and ^(DJ)whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him ^(DK)sevenfold.” And the Lord ^[ce](DL)appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.

¹⁶ Then Cain went out from the presence ^(DM)of the Lord, and ^[cf]settled in the land of ^[cg]Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain ^[ch]had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. ¹⁸ Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad ^[ci]became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael ^[cj]became the father of Methushael, and Methushael ^[ck]became the father of Lamech. ¹⁹ Lamech took to himself ^(DN)two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

^25 (DQ)Adam ^[cm]had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him ^[cn]Seth, for, she said, “God ^[co]has appointed me another ^[cp]offspring in place of Abel, ^(DR)for Cain killed him.” ²⁶ To Seth, to him also ^(DS)a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began ^(DT)to call ^[cq]upon the name of the Lord.

Descendants of Adam

5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him ^(DU)in the likeness of God. ² He created them ^(DV)male and female, and He ^(DW)blessed them and named them ^[cr]Man in the day when they were created.

³ When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he ^[cs]became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. ⁴ Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

⁶ Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh. ⁷ Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁸ So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹² Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. ²² Then Enoch ^(DX)walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ^24 (DY)Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God ^(DZ)took him.

²⁵ Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. ²⁹ Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will ^[ct]give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from ^(EA)the ground which the Lord has cursed.” ³⁰ Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. ³¹ So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² Noah was ^(EB)five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The Corruption of Mankind

6 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were ^[cu]beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “^(EC)My Spirit shall not ^[cv]strive with man forever, ^[cw](ED)because he also is flesh; ^[cx]nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ⁴ The ^(EE)Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that ^(EF)every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ^6 (EG)The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was ^(EH)grieved ^[cy]in His heart. ⁷ The Lord said, “^(EI)I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the ^[cz]sky; for ^(EJ)I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But ^(EK)Noah ^(EL)found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

⁹ These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a ^(EM)righteous man, ^[da](EN)blameless in his ^[db]time; Noah ^(EO)walked with God. ¹⁰ Noah ^[dc]became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was ^(EP)corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was ^(EQ)filled with violence. ¹² God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for ^(ER)all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

¹³ Then God said to Noah, “^(ES)The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall ^[dd]cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred ^[de]cubits, its breadth fifty ^[df]cubits, and its height thirty ^[dg]cubits. ¹⁶ You shall make a ^[dh]window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from ^[di]the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ Behold, ^(ET)I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. ¹⁸ But I will establish ^(EU)My covenant with you; and ^(EV)you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ^19 (EW)And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ^20 (EX)Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. ²¹ As for you, take for yourself some of all ^(EY)food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” ^22 (EZ)Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

The Flood

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be ^(FA)righteous before Me in this ^[dj]time. ² You shall take ^[dk]with you of every ^(FB)clean animal ^[dl]by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; ³ also of the birds of the ^[dm]sky, ^[dn]by sevens, male and female, to keep ^[do]offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For after ^(FC)seven more days, I will send rain on the earth ^(FD)forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land ^(FE)every living thing that I have made.” ^5 (FF)Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.

⁶ Now Noah was ^(FG)six hundred years old when the flood of water ^[dp]came upon the earth. ⁷ Then ^(FH)Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. ^8 (FI)Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ there went into the ark to Noah ^[dq]by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ It came about after ^(FJ)the seven days, that the water of the flood ^[dr]came upon the earth. ¹¹ In the ^(FK)six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all ^(FL)the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the ^[ds]floodgates of the sky were opened. ^12 (FM)The rain ^[dt]fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On the very same day ^(FN)Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after ^[du]their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, ^[dv]all sorts of birds. ¹⁵ So they went into the ark to Noah, ^(FO)by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. ¹⁶ Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.

¹⁷ Then the flood ^[dw]came upon the earth for ^(FP)forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. ¹⁸ The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark ^[dx]floated on the ^[dy]surface of the water. ¹⁹ The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains ^[dz]everywhere under the heavens were covered. ²⁰ The water prevailed fifteen ^[ea]cubits higher, ^(FQ)and the mountains were covered. ^21 (FR)All flesh that ^[eb]moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; ²² of all that was on the dry land, all ^(FS)in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. ²³ Thus He blotted out ^[ec]every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the ^[ed]sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only ^(FT)Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. ^24 (FU)The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

The Flood Subsides

8 But ^(FV)God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and ^(FW)God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. ² Also ^(FX)the fountains of the deep and the ^[ee]floodgates of the sky were closed, and ^(FY)the rain from the sky was restrained; ³ and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end ^(FZ)of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased. ⁴ In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, ^(GA)the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

⁶ Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the ^(GB)window of the ark which he had made; ⁷ and he sent out a raven, and it ^[ef]flew here and there until the water was dried up ^[eg]from the earth. ⁸ Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; ⁹ but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the ^[eh]surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. ¹⁰ So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. ¹¹ The dove came to him toward ^[ei]evening, and behold, in her ^[ej]beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. ¹² Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out ^(GC)the dove; but she did not return to him again.

¹³ Now it came about in the ^(GD)six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up ^[ek]from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the ^[el]surface of the ground was dried up. ¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. ¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may ^[em](GE)breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out ^[en]by their families from the ark.

²⁰ Then Noah built ^(GF)an altar to the Lord, and took of every ^(GG)clean animal and of every clean bird and offered ^(GH)burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ The Lord ^(GI)smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said ^[eo]to Himself, “I will never again ^(GJ)curse the ground on account of man, for ^(GK)the ^[ep]intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; ^(GL)and I will never again ^[eq]destroy every living thing, as I have done.

Covenant of the Rainbow

9 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “^(GO)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. ² The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the ^[er]sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. ³ Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, ^(GP)as I gave the green plant. ⁴ Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, ^(GQ)its blood. ⁵ Surely I will require ^[es](GR)your lifeblood; ^[et](GS)from every beast I will require it. And ^[eu]from every man, ^[ev]from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ “Now behold, ^(GW)I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your ^[ex]descendants after you; ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall ^(GX)never again be cut off by the water of the flood, ^(GY)neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² God said, “This is ^(GZ)the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for ^[ey]all successive generations; ¹³ I set My ^(HA)bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵ and ^(HB)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and ^(HC)never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the ^(HD)everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

¹⁸ Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and ^(HE)Ham was the father of Canaan. ¹⁹ These three were the sons of Noah, and ^(HF)from these the whole earth was ^[ez]populated.

²⁰ Then Noah began ^[fa]farming and planted a vineyard. ²¹ He drank of the wine and ^(HG)became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, ^(HH)saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were ^[fb]turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. ²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. ²⁵ So he said,

²⁶ He also said,

²⁸ Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. ²⁹ So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Descendants of Noah

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

^2 (HM)The sons of Japheth were ^(HN)Gomer and Magog and ^(HO)Madai and ^(HP)Javan and Tubal and ^(HQ)Meshech and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer were ^(HR)Ashkenaz and ^[ff]Riphath and ^(HS)Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Javan were Elishah and ^(HT)Tarshish, Kittim and ^[fg]Dodanim. ⁵ From these the coastlands of the nations ^[fh]were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

^6 (HU)The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. ⁷ The sons of Cush were ^(HV)Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and ^(HW)Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were ^(HX)Sheba and ^(HY)Dedan. ⁸ Now Cush ^[fi]became the father of Nimrod; he ^[fj]became a mighty one on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” ¹⁰ The beginning of his kingdom was ^[fk](HZ)Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of ^(IA)Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went forth ^(IB)into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, ¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. ¹³ Mizraim ^[fl]became the father of ^(IC)Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim ¹⁴ and ^(ID)Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.

¹⁵ Canaan ^[fm]became the father of ^(IE)Sidon, his firstborn, and ^(IF)Heth ¹⁶ and ^(IG)the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite ¹⁷ and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite ¹⁸ and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. ^19 (IH)The territory of the Canaanite ^[fn]extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward ^(II)Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.

²¹ Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the ^[fo]older brother of Japheth, children were born. ^22 (IJ)The sons of Shem were ^(IK)Elam and Asshur and ^(IL)Arpachshad and ^(IM)Lud and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram were ^(IN)Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. ²⁴ Arpachshad ^[fp]became the father of ^(IO)Shelah; and Shelah ^[fq]became the father of Eber. ^25 (IP)Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was ^[fr]Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁶ Joktan ^[fs]became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah ²⁷ and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah ²⁸ and ^[ft]Obal and Abimael and Sheba ²⁹ and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰ Now their ^[fu]settlement ^[fv]extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. ³¹ These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and ^(IQ)out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion

11 Now the whole earth ^[fw]used the same language and ^[fx]the same words. ² It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land ^(IR)of Shinar and ^[fy]settled there. ³ They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used ^(IS)tar for mortar. ⁴ They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top ^(IT)will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves ^(IU)a name, otherwise we ^(IV)will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” ^5 (IW)The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have ^[fz](IX)the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be ^[ga]impossible for them. ⁷ Come, ^(IY)let Us go down and there ^(IZ)confuse their ^[gb]language, so that they will not understand one another’s ^[gc]speech.” ⁸ So the Lord ^(JA)scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called ^[gd](JB)Babel, because there the Lord confused the ^[ge]language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

Descendants of Shem

^10 (JC)These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and ^[gf]became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; ¹¹ and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹² Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; ¹³ and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; ¹⁵ and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; ¹⁷ and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; ¹⁹ and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; ²¹ and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters.

²² Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; ²³ and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of ^(JD)Terah; ²⁵ and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ Terah lived seventy years, and became ^(JE)the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

²⁷ Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and ^(JF)Haran became the father of ^(JG)Lot. ²⁸ Haran died ^[gg]in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in ^(JH)Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹ Abram and ^(JI)Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was ^(JJ)Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was ^(JK)Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah ^[gh]and Iscah. ^30 (JL)Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out ^[gi]together from ^(JM)Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and ^[gj]settled there. ³² The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

Abram Journeys to Egypt

12 Now ^(JN)the Lord said to Abram,

⁴ So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and ^(JT)Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their ^(JU)possessions which they had accumulated, and ^(JV)the ^[go]persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they ^[gp]set out for the land of Canaan; ^(JW)thus they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as the site of ^(JX)Shechem, to the ^[gq]oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. ⁷ The Lord ^(JY)appeared to Abram and said, “^(JZ)To your ^[gr]descendants I will give this land.” So he built ^(KA)an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. ⁸ Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with ^(KB)Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and ^(KC)called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ Abram journeyed on, continuing toward ^(KD)the ^[gs]Negev.

¹⁰ Now there was ^(KE)a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was ^(KF)severe in the land. ¹¹ It came about when he ^[gt]came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a ^[gu](KG)beautiful woman; ^12 (KH)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are ^(KI)my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that ^[gv](KJ)I may live on account of you.” ¹⁴ It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians ^[gw]saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and ^(KK)the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(KL)he treated Abram well for her sake; and ^[gx](KM)gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord ^(KN)struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “^(KO)What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, ^[gy]here is your wife, take her and go.” ²⁰ Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they ^[gz]escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

Abram and Lot

13 So Abram went up from Egypt to ^(KP)the ^[ha]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

² Now Abram was ^(KQ)very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. ³ He went ^[hb]on his journeys from the ^[hc]Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, ^(KR)between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the ^(KS)altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵ Now ^(KT)Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ And ^(KU)the land could not ^[hd]sustain them ^[he]while dwelling together, ^(KV)for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. ^7 (KW)And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now ^(KX)the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

^8 (KY)So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the ^[hf](KZ)valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord ^(LA)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like ^(LB)the garden of the Lord, ^(LC)like the land of Egypt as you go to ^(LD)Zoar. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the ^[hg]valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. ¹² Abram ^[hh]settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot ^[hi]settled in ^(LE)the cities of the ^[hj]valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now ^(LF)the men of Sodom were wicked ^[hk]exceedingly and ^(LG)sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “^(LH)Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, ^(LI)northward and southward and eastward and westward; ^15 (LJ)for all the land which you see, ^(LK)I will give it to you and to your ^[hl]descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your ^[hm]descendants ^(LL)as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your ^[hn]descendants can also be numbered. ¹⁷ Arise, ^(LM)walk about the land through its length and breadth; for ^(LN)I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the ^[ho](LO)oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built ^(LP)an altar to the Lord.

War of the Kings

14 And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of ^(LQ)Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of ^(LR)Elam, and Tidal king of ^[hp]Goiim, ² that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of ^(LS)Admah, and Shemeber king of ^(LT)Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, ^(LU)Zoar). ³ All these ^[hq]came as allies to ^(LV)the valley of Siddim (that is, ^(LW)the Salt Sea). ⁴ Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and ^[hr]defeated the ^(LX)Rephaim in ^(LY)Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in ^[hs](LZ)Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the ^(MA)Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as ^(MB)El-paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, ^(MC)Kadesh), and ^[ht]conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in ^(MD)Hazazon-tamar. ⁸ And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in ^(ME)the valley of Siddim, ⁹ against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of ^[hu]Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and ^(MF)the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell ^[hv]into them. But those who survived fled to the ^(MG)hill country. ¹¹ Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. ¹² They also took Lot, ^(MH)Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, ^(MI)for he was living in Sodom.

¹³ Then ^[hw]a fugitive came and told Abram the ^(MJ)Hebrew. Now he was ^[hx]living by the ^[hy](MK)oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were ^[hz](ML)allies with Abram. ¹⁴ When Abram heard that ^(MM)his ^[ia]relative had been taken captive, he ^[ib]led out his trained men, ^(MN)born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as ^(MO)Dan. ^15 (MP)He divided ^[ic]his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and ^[id]defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is ^[ie]north of ^(MQ)Damascus. ¹⁶ He ^(MR)brought back all the goods, and also brought back ^(MS)his ^[if]relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

God’s Promise to Abram

¹⁷ Then after his return from the ^[ig]defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, ^(MT)the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, ^(MU)the King’s Valley). ¹⁸ And ^(MV)Melchizedek king of Salem brought out ^(MW)bread and wine; now he was a ^(MX)priest of ^[ih]God Most High. ¹⁹ He blessed him and said,

^(MZ)He gave him a tenth of all. ²¹ The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the ^[il]people to me and take the goods for yourself.” ²² Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have ^[im]sworn to the Lord ^[in](NA)God Most High, ^[io](NB)possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that ^(NC)I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ^24 [ip]I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, ^(ND)Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”

Abram Promised a Son

15 After these things ^(NE)the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

² Abram said, “O Lord ^[ir]God, what will You give me, since I ^[is]am childless, and the ^[it]heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “^[iu]Since You have given no ^[iv]offspring to me, ^[iw]one ^(NI)born in my house is my heir.” ⁴ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; ^(NJ)but one who will come forth from your own ^[ix]body, he shall be your heir.” ⁵ And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and ^(NK)count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “^(NL)So shall your ^[iy]descendants be.” ^6 (NM)Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. ⁷ And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of ^(NN)Ur of the Chaldeans, to ^(NO)give you this land to ^[iz]possess it.” ⁸ He said, “O Lord ^[ja]God, ^(NP)how may I know that I will ^[jb]possess it?” ⁹ So He said to him, “^[jc]Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ Then he ^[jd]brought all these to Him and ^(NQ)cut them ^[je]in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he ^(NR)did not cut the birds. ¹¹ The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹² Now when the sun was going down, ^(NS)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, ^[jf]terror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ God said to Abram, “Know for certain that ^(NT)your ^[jg]descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, ^[jh]where ^(NU)they will be enslaved and oppressed ^(NV)four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out ^(NW)with ^[ji]many possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, ^(NX)you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ Then in ^(NY)the fourth generation they will return here, for ^(NZ)the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which ^(OA)passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,

^19 (OD)the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite ²⁰ and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim ²¹ and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Sarai and Hagar

16 Now ^(OE)Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had ^(OF)an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. ^(OG)Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will ^[jk]obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ After Abram had ^[jl]lived ^(OH)ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. ⁴ He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “^(OI)May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your ^[jm]arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her ^[jn]sight. ^(OJ)May the Lord judge between ^[jo]you and me.” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your ^[jp]power; do to her what is good in your ^[jq]sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and ^(OK)she fled from her presence.

⁷ Now ^(OL)the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to ^(OM)Shur. ⁸ He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, ^(ON)where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself ^[jr]to her authority.” ¹⁰ Moreover, the ^(OO)angel of the Lord said to her, “^(OP)I will greatly multiply your ^[js]descendants so that ^[jt]they will be too many to count.” ¹¹ The angel of the Lord said to her further,

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “^[jy]You are ^[jz]a God who sees”; for she said, “^(OT)Have I even ^[ka]remained alive here after seeing Him?” ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called ^[kb]Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between ^(OU)Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was ^(OV)eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to ^[kc]him.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, ^(OW)the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

³ Abram ^(PB)fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and ^(PF)kings will come forth from you. ⁷ I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your ^[ki]descendants after you throughout their generations for an ^(PG)everlasting covenant, ^(PH)to be God to you and ^(PI)to your ^[kj]descendants after you. ^8 (PJ)I will give to you and to your ^[kk]descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and ^(PK)I will be their God.”

⁹ God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, ^(PL)you shall keep My covenant, you and your ^[kl]descendants after you throughout their generations. ^10 (PM)This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your ^[km]descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ And ^(PN)you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² And every male among you who is ^(PO)eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your ^[kn]descendants. ¹³ A servant who is born in your house or ^(PP)who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be ^(PQ)cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but ^[ko]Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and indeed I will give you ^(PR)a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; ^(PS)kings of peoples will ^[kp]come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham ^(PT)fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And ^(PU)will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” ¹⁹ But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you ^(PV)a son, and you shall call his name ^[kq]Isaac; and ^(PW)I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his ^[kr]descendants after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and ^(PX)will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. ^(PY)He shall ^[ks]become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a ^(PZ)great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with ^(QA)Isaac, whom ^(QB)Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” ²² When He finished talking with him, ^(QC)God went up from Abraham.

²³ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were ^(QD)born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, ^(QE)as God had said to him. ²⁴ Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when ^(QF)he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵ And ^(QG)Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶ In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. ²⁷ All the men of his household, who were ^(QH)born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Birth of Isaac Promised

18 Now ^(QI)the Lord appeared to him by the ^[kt](QJ)oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. ² When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three ^(QK)men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, ³ and said, “^[ku]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not ^[kv]pass Your servant by. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought and ^(QL)wash your feet, and ^[kw]rest yourselves under the tree; ⁵ and I will ^[kx](QM)bring a piece of bread, that you may ^[ky]refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have ^[kz]visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” ⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “^[la]Quickly, prepare three ^[lb]measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” ⁷ Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and ^[lc]choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree ^[ld]as they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰ He said, “^(QN)I will surely return to you ^[le]at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹ Now ^(QO)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was ^(QP)past ^[lf]childbearing. ¹² Sarah laughed ^[lg]to herself, saying, “^(QQ)After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my ^(QR)lord being old also?” ¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed ^[lh]bear a child, when I am so old?’ ^14 (QS)Is anything too ^[li]difficult for the Lord? At the ^(QT)appointed time I will return to you, ^[lj]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵ Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

¹⁶ Then ^(QU)the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. ^17 (QV)The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham ^(QW)what I am about to do, ¹⁸ since Abraham will surely become a great and ^[lk]mighty nation, and in him ^(QX)all the nations of the earth will be blessed? ¹⁹ For I have ^[ll](QY)chosen him, so that he may ^(QZ)command his children and his household after him to ^(RA)keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham ^(RB)what He has spoken about him.” ²⁰ And the Lord said, “^(RC)The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. ²¹ I will ^(RD)go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²² Then ^(RE)the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ^(RF)the Lord. ²³ Abraham came near and said, “^(RG)Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not ^[lm]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do ^[ln]such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ^(RH)the Judge of all the earth ^[lo]deal justly?” ²⁶ So the Lord said, “^(RI)If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ^[lp]spare the whole place on their account.” ²⁷ And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ^[lq]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but ^(RJ)dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ And he said, “Now behold, I have ^[lr]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” ³² Then he said, “^(RK)Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” ³³ As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham ^(RL)the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

The Doom of Sodom

19 Now the ^(RM)two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When ^(RN)Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and ^[ls]bowed down with his face to the ground. ² And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” ³ Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; ^(RO)and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ⁴ Before they lay down, ^(RP)the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people ^[lt]from every quarter; ⁵ and they called to Lot and said to him, “^(RQ)Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may ^[lu]have relations with them.” ⁶ But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. ⁸ Now behold, ^(RR)I have two daughters who have not ^[lv]had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them ^[lw]whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the ^[lx]shelter of my roof.” ⁹ But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in ^[ly]as an alien, and already ^(RS)he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against ^[lz]Lot and came near to break the door. ¹⁰ But ^(RT)the men reached out their ^[ma]hands and brought Lot into the house ^[mb]with them, and shut the door. ^11 (RU)They ^[mc]struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

¹² Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; ¹³ for we are about to destroy this place, because ^(RV)their outcry has become so great before the Lord that ^(RW)the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” ¹⁴ Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who ^[md]were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, ^(RX)get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” ^(RY)But he appeared to his sons-in-law ^[me]to be jesting.

¹⁵ When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the ^[mf]punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ But he hesitated. So the men ^(RZ)seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the ^[mg]hands of his two daughters, for ^(SA)the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. ¹⁷ When they had brought them outside, ^[mh]one said, “^(SB)Escape for your life! ^(SC)Do not look behind you, and do not stay ^[mi]anywhere in the ^(SD)valley; escape to ^(SE)the ^[mj]mountains, or you will be swept away.” ¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! ¹⁹ Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the ^[mk]mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; ²⁰ now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) ^[ml]that my life may be saved.” ²¹ He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this ^[mm]request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called ^[mn](SF)Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord ^(SG)rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, ²⁵ and ^(SH)He overthrew those cities, and all the ^[mo]valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But his wife, from behind him, ^(SI)looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to ^(SJ)the place where he had stood before the Lord; ²⁸ and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the ^[mp]valley, and he saw, and behold, ^(SK)the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a ^[mq]furnace.

²⁹ Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the ^[mr]valley, that ^(SL)God remembered Abraham, and ^(SM)sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.

Lot Is Debased

³⁰ Lot went up from Zoar, and ^[ms](SN)stayed in the ^[mt]mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to ^[mu]stay in Zoar; and he ^[mv]stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. ³¹ Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man ^[mw]on earth to ^(SO)come in to us after the manner of the earth. ³² Come, ^(SP)let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve ^[mx]our family through our father.” ³³ So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁴ On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve ^[my]our family through our father.” ³⁵ So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁶ Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn bore a son, and called his name ^(SQ)Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the ^[mz]sons of ^(SR)Ammon to this day.

Abraham’s Treachery

20 Now Abraham journeyed from ^(SS)there toward the land of ^(ST)the ^[na]Negev, and ^[nb]settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in ^(SU)Gerar. ² Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “^(SV)She is my sister.” So ^(SW)Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ^3 (SX)But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, ^(SY)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is ^[nc]married.” ⁴ Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, ^(SZ)will You slay a nation, even though ^[nd]blameless?