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GENESIS

1

The Beginning 

1 In the beginning, Alahim created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth didn’t have any shape. And it was empty. There was darkness over the surface of the waves. At that time, the Spirit of Alahim was hovering over the waters.

 

3 Alahim said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. 4 Alahim saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. 5 Alahim called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one.

 

6 Alahim said, “Let there be a huge space between the waters. Let it separate water from water.” 7 And that’s exactly what happened. Alahim made the huge space between the waters. He separated the water under the space from the water above it. 8 Alahim called the huge space “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day two.

 

9 Alahim said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear.” And that’s exactly what happened. 10 Alahim called the dry ground “land.” He called all the water that was gathered together “seas.” And Alahim saw that it was good.

 

11 Then Alahim said, “Let the land produce plants. Let them produce their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that grow fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds.” And that’s exactly what happened. 12 So the land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. And the land produced trees that grew fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. Alahim saw that it was good. 13 There was evening, and there was morning. It was day three.

 

14 Alahim said, “Let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let the lights set the times for the set-apart celebrations and the days and the years. 15 Let them be lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth.” And that’s exactly what happened. 16 Alahim made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. 17 Alahim put the lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. 18 He put them there to rule over the day and the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. Alahim saw that it was good. 19 There was evening, and there was morning. It was day four.

 

20 Alahim said, “Let the seas be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky.” 21 So Alahim created the great sea creatures. He created every kind of living thing that fills the seas and moves about in them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And Alahim saw that it was good. 22 Alahim blessed them. He said, “Have little ones so that there will be many of you. Fill the water in the seas. Let there be more and more birds on the earth.” 23 There was evening, and there was morning. It was day five.

 

24 Alahim said, “Let the land produce every kind of living creature. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals.” And that’s exactly what happened. 25 Alahim made every kind of wild animal. He made every kind of livestock. He made every kind of creature that moves along the ground. And Alahim saw that it was good.

 

26 Then Alahim said, “Let us make human beings so that they are like us. Let them rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the livestock and all the wild animals. And let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 

27 So Alahim created human beings in his own likeness. He created them to be like himself. He created them as male and female. 28 Alahim blessed them. He said to them, “Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.”

29 Then Alahim said, “I am giving you every plant on the face of the whole earth that produces its own seeds. I am giving you every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. All of them will be given to you for food. 30 I am giving every green plant as food for all the land animals and for all the birds in the sky. I am also giving the plants to all the creatures that move along the ground. I am giving them to every living thing that breathes.” And that’s exactly what happened.

 

31 Alahim saw everything he had made. And it was very good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day six.

 

2

1 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.

 

2 By the seventh day Alahim had finished the work he had been doing. So on that day he rested from all his work. 3 Alahim blessed the seventh day and made it set-apart. He blessed it because on that day he rested from all the work he had done.

 

Adam and Eve

4 Here is the story of the heavens and the earth when they were created. Yahuah Alahim made the earth and the heavens.

 

5 At that time, bushes had not yet appeared on the earth. Plants had not started to grow. Yahuah Alahim had not sent rain on the earth. And there was no one to farm the land. 6 But streams came from the earth. They watered the entire surface of the ground. 7 Then Yahuah Alahim formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. Alahim breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person.

 

8 Yahuah Alahim had planted a garden in the east in Eden. He put in the garden the man he had formed. 9 Yahuah Alahim made every kind of tree grow out of the ground. The trees were pleasing to look at. Their fruit was good to eat. There were two trees in the middle of the garden. One of them had fruit that let people live forever. The other had fruit that let people tell the difference between good and evil.

 

10 A river watered the garden. It flowed out of Eden. From there the river separated into four other rivers. 11 The name of the first river is the Pishon. It winds through the whole land of Havilah. Gold is found there. 12 The gold of that land is good. Onyx and sweet-smelling resin are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It winds through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is called the Euphrates.

 

15 Yahuah Alahim put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to farm its land and take care of it. 16 Yahuah Alahim gave the man a command. He said, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden. 17 But you must not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you will certainly die.”

 

18 Yahuah Alahim said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

 

19 Yahuah Alahim had formed all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals.

 

But Adam didn’t find a helper that was just right for him. 21 So Yahuah Alahim caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, Yahuah Alahim took out one of the man’s ribs. Then Yahuah Alahim closed the opening in the man’s side. 22 Then Yahuah Alahim made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And Yahuah Alahim brought her to the man.

 

23 The man said,

“Her bones have come from my bones.

Her body has come from my body.

She will be named ‘woman,’

because she was taken out of a man.”

 

24 That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife. The two of them become one.

 

25 Adam and his wife were both naked. They didn’t feel any shame.

 

3

Adam and Eve Fall Into Sin

1 The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals Yahuah Alahim had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did Alahim really say, ‘You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”

 

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But Alahim did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’ ”

 

4 “You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “Alahim knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like Alahim, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.”

 

6 The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. 7 Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed together fig leaves and made clothes for themselves.

 

8 Then the man and his wife heard Yahuah Alahim walking in the garden. It was during the coolest time of the day. They hid from Yahuah Alahim among the trees of the garden. 9 But Yahuah Alahim called out to the man. “Where are you?” he asked.

 

10 “I heard you in the garden,” the man answered. “I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid.”

 

11 Yahuah Alahim said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?”

 

12 The man said, “It’s the fault of the woman you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. And I ate it.”

 

13 Then Yahuah Alahim said to the woman, “What have you done?”

 

The woman said, “The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.”

 

14 So Yahuah Alahim spoke to the serpent. He said, “Because you have done this,

 

“You are set apart from all livestock

    and all wild animals.

    I am putting a curse on you.

You will crawl on your belly.

    You will eat dust

    all the days of your life.

 

15 I will make you and the woman hate each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. Her son will crush your head. And you will bite his heel.”

 

16 Yahuah Alahim said to the woman,

“I will increase your pain when you give birth.

    You will be in great pain when you have children.

You will long for your husband.

    And he will rule over you.”

 

17 Yahuah Alahim said to Adam, “You listened to your wife’s suggestion. You ate fruit from the tree I warned you about. I said, ‘You must not eat its fruit.’

 

“So I am putting a curse on the ground because of what you did. All the days of your life you will have to work hard. It will be painful for you to get food from the ground. 18 You will eat plants from the field,

even though the ground produces thorns and prickly weeds.

19 You will have to work hard and sweat a lot

    to produce the food you eat.

You were made out of the ground.

    You will return to it when you die.

You are dust, and you will return to dust.”

 

20 Adam named his wife Eve. She would become the mother of every living person.

 

21 Yahuah Alahim made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear. 22 Yahuah Alahim said, “Just like one of us, the man can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live forever.” 23 So Yahuah Alahim drove the man out of the Garden of Eden. He sent the man to farm the ground he had been made from. 24 Yahuah Alahim drove him out and then placed angels on the east side of the garden. He also placed there a flaming sword that flashed back and forth. The angels and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life.

 

4

Cain and Abel

1 Adam loved his wife Eve and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With Yahuah’s help I have had a baby boy.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

 

Abel took care of sheep. Cain farmed the land. 3 After some time, Cain gathered some things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to Yahuah. 4 And Abel also brought an offering. He brought the fattest parts of some animals from his flock. They were the first animals born to their mothers. Yahuah was pleased with Abel and his offering. 5 But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was sad.

 

6 Then Yahuah said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? 7 Do what is right and then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It desires to control you. But you must rule over it.”

 

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went out. There Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

 

9 Then Yahuah said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

 

“I don’t know,” Cain replied. “Am I supposed to take care of my brother?”

 

10 Yahuah said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11 So I am putting a curse on you. I am driving you away from this ground. It has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you farm the land, it will not produce its crops for you anymore. You will be a restless person who wanders around on the earth.”

 

13 Cain said to Yahuah, “You are punishing me more than I can take. 14 Today you are driving me away from the land. I will be hidden from you. I’ll be a restless person who wanders around on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me.”

 

15 But Yahuah said to him, “No. Anyone who kills you will be paid back seven times.” Yahuah put a mark on Cain. Then anyone who found him wouldn’t kill him. 16 So Cain went away from Yahuah. He lived in the land of Nod. It was east of Eden.

 

17 Cain loved his wife and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time Cain was building a city. He named it after his son Enoch. 18 Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael. And Methushael was the father of Lamech.

 

19 Lamech married two women. One was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of people who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of everyone who plays stringed instruments and wind instruments. 22 Zillah also had a son. His name was Tubal-Cain. He made all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

 

23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me!

    You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man because he wounded me.

I have killed a young man because he hurt me.

24 Anyone who would have killed Cain would have been paid back seven times. But anyone who hurts me will be paid back 77 times.”

 

25 Adam slept with his wife again. She gave birth to a son and named him Seth. She said, “Alahim has given me another child. He will take the place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son and named him Enosh.

 

Then people began to call on the name of Yahuah.

 

5

The Family Line of Adam

1 Here is the written story of Adam’s family line.

 

When Alahim created human beings, he made them to be like him. 2 He created them as male and female, and he blessed them. He called them “human beings” when they were created.

 

3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was like him. He named him Seth. 4 Adam lived 800 years after Seth was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 5 Adam lived a total of 930 years. And then he died.

 

6 Seth lived 105 years. Then he became the father of Enosh. 7 Seth lived 807 years after Enosh was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 8 Seth lived a total of 912 years. And then he died.

 

9 Enosh lived 90 years. Then he became the father of Kenan. 10 Enosh lived 815 years after Kenan was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 11 Enosh lived a total of 905 years. And then he died.

 

12 Kenan lived 70 years. Then he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived 840 years after Mahalalel was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 14 Kenan lived a total of 910 years. And then he died.

 

15 Mahalalel lived 65 years. Then he became the father of Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after Jared was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 17 Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years. And then he died.

 

18 Jared lived 162 years. Then he became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived 800 years after Enoch was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 20 Jared lived a total of 962 years. And then he died.

 

21 Enoch lived 65 years. Then he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked faithfully with Alahim 300 years after Methuselah was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with Alahim. And then he couldn’t be found, because Alahim took him from this life.

 

25 Methuselah lived 187 years. Then he became the father of Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived 782 years after Lamech was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 27 Methuselah lived a total of 969 years. And then he died.

 

28 Lamech lived 182 years. Then he had a son 29 and named him Noah. Lamech said, “He will comfort us when we are working. He’ll comfort us when our hands work so hard they hurt. We have to work hard because Yahuah put a curse on the ground.” 30 Lamech lived 595 years after Noah was born. He also had other sons and daughters. 31 Lamech lived a total of 777 years. And then he died.

 

32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

 

6

The Sins of Everyone on Earth

1 There began to be many human beings on the earth. And daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of Alahim saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful. So they married any of them they chose. 3 Then Yahuah said, “My Spirit will not struggle with human beings forever. They will have only 120 years to live.”

 

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days. That was when the sons of Alahim went to the daughters of human beings. Children were born to them. The Nephilim were famous heroes who lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the earth later on.

 

5 Yahuah saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things. 6 Yahuah was very sad that he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain. 7 So Yahuah said, “I created human beings, but I will wipe them out. I will also destroy the animals, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground. I am very sad that I have made human beings.” 8 But Yahuah was very pleased with Noah.

 

Noah and the Flood

9 Here is the story of Noah’s family line.

Noah was a godly man. He was without blame among the people of his time. He walked faithfully with Alahim. 10 Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

 

11 The earth was very sinful in Alahim’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things. 12 Alahim saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives. 13 So Alahim said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out. 15 Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 450 feet long. It has to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way around that is a foot and a half high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring a flood on the earth. It will destroy all life under the sky. It will destroy every living creature that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark. Your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will enter it with you. 19 Bring a male and a female of every living thing into the ark. They will be kept alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird will come to you. Two of every kind of animal will also come to you. And so will two of every kind of creature that moves along the ground. All of them will be kept alive with you. 21 Take every kind of food that you will need. Store it away as food for you and them.”

 

22 Noah did everything just as Alahim commanded him.

 

7

1 Then Yahuah said to Noah, “Go into the ark with your whole family. I know that you are a godly man among the people of today. 2 Take seven pairs of every kind of ‘clean’ animal with you. Take a male and a female of each kind. Take one pair of every kind of animal that is not ‘clean.’ Take a male and a female of each kind. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. Take a male and a female of each kind. Then every kind will be kept alive. They can spread out again over the whole earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. I will destroy from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

 

5 Noah did everything Yahuah commanded him to do. 6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood came on the earth. 7 He and his sons entered the ark. His wife and his sons’ wives went with them. They entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Male and female pairs of “clean” animals and pairs of animals that were not “clean” came to Noah. So did male and female pairs of birds and of all the creatures that move along the ground. 9 All of them came to Noah and entered the ark. Everything happened just as Alahim had commanded Noah. 10 After seven days the flood came on the earth.

 

11 Noah was 600 years old. It was the 17th day of the second month of the year. On that day all of the springs at the bottom of the oceans burst open. Alahim opened the windows of the sky. 12 Rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

 

13 On that same day Noah entered the ark together with his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah’s wife and the wives of his three sons also entered it. 14 They had every kind of wild animal with them. They had every kind of livestock, creature that moves along the ground, and bird that flies. 15 Pairs of all living creatures that breathe came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing. Everything happened just as Alahim had commanded Noah. Then Yahuah shut him in.

 

17 For 40 days the flood kept coming on the earth. As the waters rose higher, they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose higher and higher on the earth. And the ark floated on the water. 19 The waters rose on the earth until all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 20 The waters continued to rise until they covered the mountains by more than 20 feet. 21 Every living thing that moved on land died. The birds, the livestock and the wild animals died. All of the creatures that fill the earth also died. And so did every human being. 22 Every breathing thing on dry land died. 23 Every living thing on earth was wiped out. People and animals were destroyed. The creatures that move along the ground and the birds in the sky were wiped out. Everything on earth was destroyed. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left.

 

24 The waters flooded the earth for 150 days.

 

 

 

8 

1 But Alahim showed concern for Noah. He also showed concern for all the wild animals and livestock that were with Noah in the ark. So Alahim sent a wind to sweep over the earth. And the waters began to go down. 2 The springs at the bottom of the oceans had been closed. The windows of the sky had also been closed. And the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water on the earth continued to go down. At the end of the 150 days the water had gone down. 4 On the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to go down until the tenth month. On the first day of that month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.

 

6 After 40 days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark. 7 He sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the water on the earth had dried up. 8 Then Noah sent out a dove. He wanted to see if the water on the surface of the ground had gone down. 9 But the dove couldn’t find any place to rest. Water still covered the whole surface of the earth. So the dove returned to Noah in the ark. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove in. He brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again from the ark. 11 In the evening the dove returned to him. There in its beak was a freshly picked olive leaf! So Noah knew that the water on the earth had gone down. 12 He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again. But this time it didn’t return to him.

 

13 It was the first day of the first month of Noah’s 601st year. The water on the earth had dried up. Then Noah removed the covering from the ark. He saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the 27th day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

 

15 Then Alahim said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark. Bring your wife and your sons and their wives with you. 17 Bring out every kind of living thing that is with you. Bring the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground. Then they can multiply on the earth. They can have little ones and the number of them can increase.”

 

18 So Noah came out of the ark. His sons and his wife and his sons’ wives were with him. 19 All the animals came out of the ark. The creatures that move along the ground also came out. So did all the birds. Everything that moves on land came out of the ark, one kind after another.

 

20 Then Noah built an altar to honor Yahuah. He took some of the “clean” animals and birds. He sacrificed them on the altar as burnt offerings. 21 The smell of the offerings pleased Yahuah. He said to himself, “I will never put a curse on the ground again because of human beings. I will not do it even though their hearts are always directed toward evil. Their thoughts are evil from the time they are young. I will never destroy all living things again, as I have just done.

22 “As long as the earth lasts,

    there will always be a time to plant

    and a time to gather the crops.

As long as the earth lasts,

    there will always be cold and heat.

There will always be summer and winter,

    day and night.”

 

9

Alahim Makes a Covenant With Noah

1 Then Alahim blessed Noah and his sons. He said to them, “Have children so that there are many of you. Fill the earth. 2 All the land animals will be afraid of you. All the birds in the sky will be afraid of you. Every creature that moves along the ground will be afraid of you. So will every fish in the seas. Every living thing is put under your control. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. I have already given you the green plants for food. Now I am giving you everything.

 

4 “But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it. 5 I will certainly hold someone accountable if you are murdered. I will even hold animals accountable if they kill you. I will also hold anyone accountable who murders another person.

6 “Anyone who murders a human being

    will be killed by a human being.

That is because I have made human beings

    so that they are like me.

 

7 Have children so that there will be many of you. Multiply and become many on the earth.”

 

8 Then Alahim spoke to Noah and to his sons who were with him. He said, 9 “I am now making my covenant with you and with all your children who will be born after you. 10 I am making it also with every living creature that was with you in the ark. I am making my covenant with the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals. I am making it with all the creatures that came out of the ark with you. In fact, I am making it with every living thing on earth. 11 Here is my covenant I am making with you. The waters of a flood will never again destroy all life. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”

 

12 Alahim continued, “My covenant is between me and you and every living creature with you. It is a covenant for all time to come. Here is the sign of the covenant I am making. 13 I have put my rainbow in the clouds. It will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Sometimes when I bring clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in them. 15 Then I will remember my covenant between me and you and every kind of living creature. The waters will never again become a flood to destroy all life. 16 When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it. I will remember that my covenant will last forever. It is a covenant between me and every kind of living creature on earth.” 17 So Alahim said to Noah, “The rainbow is the sign of my covenant. I have made my covenant between me and all life on earth.”

 

The Sons of Noah

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 The people who were scattered over the earth came from Noah’s three sons.

 

20 Noah was a man who farmed the land. He decided to plant a field that produced grapes for making wine. 21 When he drank some of the wine, it made him drunk. Then he lay down inside his tent without any clothes on. 22 Ham saw his father naked. Then Ham, the father of Canaan, went outside and told his two brothers. 23 But Shem and Japheth picked up a piece of clothing and laid it across their shoulders. Then they walked backward into the tent. They covered their father’s body. They turned their faces away because they didn’t want to see their father naked.

 

24 Then Noah woke up from his sleep that was caused by the wine. He found out what his youngest son had done to him. 25 He said,

 

“May a curse be put on Canaan!

    He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.”

 

26 Noah also said,

 

“May Yahuah, the Alahim of Shem, be praised.

    May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27 May Alahim add land to Japheth’s territory.

    May Japheth live in the tents of Shem.

    And may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

 

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years. And then he died.

 

10

A List of Nations

1 Here is the story of Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were Noah’s sons. After the flood, they also had sons.

 

The Sons of Japheth

2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. 5 From these people came the families who lived near the Mediterranean Sea. Each tribe and nation then spread out into its own territory and had its own language.

The Sons of Ham

6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

 

8 Cush was the father of Nimrod. Nimrod became a mighty hero on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter in Yahuah’s eyes. That’s why people sometimes compare others with Nimrod. They say, “They are like Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter in Yahuah’s eyes.” 10 The first capital cities of Nimrod’s kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh. These cities were in the land of Babylon. 11 From that land he went to Assyria. There he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir and Calah. 12 He also built Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah. Nineveh is the most famous city.

 

13 Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Kasluhites and Caphtorites. The Philistines came from the Kasluhites. 15 Canaan was the father of Sidon. Sidon was his oldest son. Canaan was also the father of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites and Girgashites. 17 And he was the father of the Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.

 

Later the Canaanite tribes scattered. 19 The borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar all the way to Gaza. Then they continued toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim all the way to Lasha.

 

20 These are the sons of Ham. They are listed by their tribes and languages in their territories and nations.

 

The Sons of Shem

21 Sons were also born to Shem, Japheth’s younger brother. All the sons of Eber belonged to Shem’s family line. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek. 24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah. Shelah was the father of Eber. 25 Eber had two sons.

 

One was named Peleg. That’s because the earth was divided up in his time. His brother was named Joktan. 26 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. They were all sons of Joktan.

 

30 The area where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar. It was in the eastern hill country. 31 These are the sons of Shem. They are listed by their tribes and languages in their territories and nations. 32 These are the tribes of Noah’s sons. They are listed by their family lines within their nations. From them the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

​

11

The Tower of Babel

1 The whole world had only one language, and everyone spoke it. 2 They moved to the east and found a broad valley in Babylon. There they made their home.

 

3 They said to one another, “Come on! Let’s make bricks and bake them well.” They used bricks instead of stones. They used tar to hold the bricks together. 4 Then they said, “Come on! Let’s build a city for ourselves. Let’s build a tower that reaches to the sky. We’ll make a name for ourselves. Then we won’t be scattered over the whole earth.”

 

5 But Yahuah came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 He said, “All these people are united and speak the same language. That is why they can do all this. Now they will be able to do anything they plan. 7 Come on! Let us go down and mix up their language. Then they will not be able to understand one another.”

 

8 So Yahuah scattered them from there over the whole earth. And they stopped building the city. 9 There Yahuah mixed up the language of the whole world. That’s why the city was called Babel. From there Yahuah scattered them over the whole earth.

 

The Family Line of Shem

10 Here is the story of Shem’s family line. It was two years after the flood. When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 After Arphaxad was born, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. 12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 13 After Shelah was born, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

 

26 After Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

 

The Family Line of Abram

27 Here is the story of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died in the city of Ur in Babylonia, the land where he was born. Haran died while his father Terah was still alive. 29 Abram and Nahor both got married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai. The name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran. Haran was the father of Milkah and Iscah. 30 But Sarai wasn’t able to have children.

 

31 Terah left Ur in Babylon. He took with him his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. Terah also took his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram. All of them left together to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they made their home there. 32 Terah lived for 205 years. And then he died in Harran.

 

12

Alahim Chooses Abram

1 Yahuah had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation.

    And I will bless you.

I will make your name great.

    You will be a blessing to others.

3 I will bless those who bless you.

    I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. All nations on earth

    will be blessed because of you.”

 

4 So Abram went, just as Yahuah had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all the people and possessions they had acquired in Harran. They started out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived there.

 

6 Abram traveled through the land. He went as far as the large tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were living in the land. 7 Yahuah appeared to Abram at Shechem. He said, “I will give this land to your family who comes after you.” So Abram built an altar there to honor Yahuah, who had appeared to him.

 

8 From there, Abram went on toward the hills east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built an altar there and called on the name of Yahuah. 9 Then Abram left and continued south toward the Negev Desert.

 

Abram Goes to Egypt

10 At that time there was not enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he spoke to his wife Sarai. He said, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 The people of Egypt will see you and say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me. But they will let you live. 13 Tell them you are my sister. Then I’ll be treated well and my life will be spared because of you.”

 

14 Abram arrived in Egypt. The Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. So she was taken into his palace. 16 Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. So Abram gained more sheep and cattle and male and female donkeys. He also gained more male and female servants and some camels.

 

17 But Yahuah sent terrible sicknesses on Pharaoh and everyone in his palace. Yahuah did it because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh sent for Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say she was your sister? That’s why I took her to be my wife. Now then, here’s your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men about Abram. They sent him on his way. So he left with his wife and everything he had.

 

13

Abram and Lot Separate

1 Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev Desert. He took his wife and everything he had. Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very rich. He had a lot of livestock and silver and gold.

 

3 Abram left the Negev Desert. He went from place to place until he came to Bethel. Then he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier. 4 There he called on the name of Yahuah at the altar he had built.

 

5 Lot was moving around with Abram. Lot also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land didn’t have enough food for both Abram and Lot. They had large herds and many servants, so they weren’t able to stay together. 7 The people who took care of Abram’s herds and those who took care of Lot’s herds began to argue. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

 

8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not argue with each other. The people taking care of your herds and those taking care of mine shouldn’t argue with one another either. After all, we’re part of the same family. 9 Isn’t the whole land in front of you? Let’s separate. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right. If you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

 

10 Lot looked around. He saw that the whole Jordan River valley toward the town of Zoar had plenty of water. It was like the garden of Yahuah, like the land of Egypt. This was before Yahuah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 11 So Lot chose the whole Jordan River valley for himself. Then he started out toward the east. The two men separated. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan. Lot lived among the cities of the Jordan River valley. He set up his tents near Sodom. 13 The people of Sodom were evil. They were sinning greatly against Yahuah.

 

14 Yahuah spoke to Abram after Lot had left him. He said, “Look around from where you are. Look north and south, east and west. 15 I will give you all the land you see. I will give it forever to you and your family who comes after you. 16 I will make them like the dust of the earth. Can dust be counted? If it can, then your family can be counted. 17 Go! Walk through the land. See how long and wide it is. I am giving it to you.”

 

18 So Abram went to live near the large trees of Mamre at Hebron. There he pitched his tents and built an altar to honor Yahuah.

 

14

Abram Saves Lot

1 Amraphel was the king of Babylon. Arioch was the king of Ellasar. Kedorlaomer was the king of Elam. And Tidal was the king of Goyim. 2 They went to war against five other kings. They were Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela. Bela was also called Zoar. 3 These five kings all gathered their armies together in the Valley of Siddim. It was also called the valley of the Dead Sea. 4 For 12 years Kedorlaomer had ruled over them. But in the 13th year they opposed him.

 

5 So in the 14th year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who helped him went to war. They won the battle against the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim. They also won the battle against the Zuzites in Ham and the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim. 6 They did the same thing to the Horites in the hill country of Seir. They marched all the way to El Paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat. En Mishpat was also called Kadesh. They took over the whole territory of the Amalekites. They also won the battle against the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar.

 

8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim and Bela marched out. Bela was also called Zoar. They lined up their armies for battle in the Valley of Siddim. 9 They got ready to fight against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Babylonia, and Arioch king of Ellasar. There were four kings against five. 10 The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away from the battle. Some of their men fell into the pits, but the rest escaped to the hills. 11 The four kings took all the things that belonged to Sodom and Gomorrah. They also took all their food and then left. 12 They carried away Abram’s nephew Lot and the things he owned. Lot was living in Sodom at that time.

 

13 A man escaped and came to report everything to Abram. Abram was a Hebrew. He was living near the large trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre was a brother of Eshkol and Aner. All of them helped Abram. 14 Abram heard that Lot had been captured. So he called out his 318 trained men. All of them were sons of his servants. Abram and his men chased their enemies as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram separated his men into groups. They attacked their enemies and drove them away. They chased them north of Damascus as far as Hobah. 16 Abram took back everything the kings had taken. He brought back his nephew Lot and the things Lot owned. He also brought back the women and the other people.

 

17 After Abram won the battle over Kedorlaomer and the kings who helped him, he returned home. The king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh. It was also called the King’s Valley.

 

18 Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem. He brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of the Most High Alahim. 19 He gave a blessing to Abram. He said,

 

“May the Most High Alahim bless Abram. May the Creator of heaven and earth bless him. 20 Give praise to the Most High Alahim. He gave your enemies into your hand.”

 

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people. Keep everything else for yourself.”

 

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to make a promise to Yahuah. He is the Most High Alahim. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. 23 I’ve said I will not accept anything that belongs to you. I will not take even a thread or the strap of a sandal. You will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I’ll accept only what my men have eaten and what belongs to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. These three men went with me. Let them have their share.”

 

15

Alahim Makes a Covenant With Abram

1 Some time later, Abram had a vision. Yahuah said to him,

 

“Abram, do not be afraid.

    I am like a shield to you.

    I am your very great reward.”

 

2 But Abram said, “Master and King, what can you give me? I still don’t have any children. My servant Eliezer comes from Damascus. When I die, he will get everything I own.” 3 Abram continued, “You haven’t given me any children. So this servant of mine will get everything I own.”

 

4 Then a message from Yahuah came to Abram. Yahuah said, “When you die, what you have will not go to this man. You will have a son of your own. He will get everything you have.” 5 Yahuah took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can.” Then he said to him, “That’s how many children will be born into your family.”

 

6 Abram believed Yahuah. Yahuah was pleased with Abram because he believed. So Abram’s belief made him right with Yahuah.

 

7 He also said to Abram, “I am Yahuah. I brought you out of Ur in the land of Babylon. I will give you this land to have as your very own.”

 

8 But Abram said, “Master and King, how can I know I will have this land as my own?”

 

9 So Yahuah said to him, “Bring me a young cow, a goat and a ram. Each must be three years old. Bring a dove and a young pigeon along with them.”

 

10 Abram brought all of them to Yahuah. Abram cut them in two and placed the halves opposite each other. But he didn’t cut the birds in half. 11 Then large birds came down to eat the dead bodies of the animals and birds. But Abram chased the large birds away.

 

12 As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. A thick and scary darkness covered him. 13 Then Yahuah said to him, “You can be sure of what I am about to tell you. For 400 years, your family who comes after you will be strangers in another country. They will become slaves there and will be treated badly. 14 But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. After that, they will leave with many possessions. 15 But you will die in peace. You will join the members of your family who have already died. And you will be buried when you are very old. 16 Your children’s grandchildren will come back here. That’s because the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached the point where I must punish them.”

 

17 The sun set and it became dark. Then a burning torch and a pot filled with smoking coals appeared. They passed between the pieces of the animals that had been cut in two. 18 On that day Yahuah made a covenant with Abram. He said, “I am giving this land to your family who comes after you. It reaches from the River of Egypt to the great Euphrates River. 19 It includes the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites and Rephaites. 21 The Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites also live there.”

 

16

Hagar and Ishmael

1 Abram’s wife Sarai had never had any children by him. But she had a female slave from Egypt named Hagar. 2 So she said to Abram, “Yahuah has kept me from having children. Go and sleep with my slave. Maybe I can have a family through her.”

 

Abram agreed to what Sarai had said. 3 His wife Sarai gave him her slave Hagar to be his wife. That was after he had been living in Canaan for ten years. 4 Then he slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant.

 

When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to look down on the woman who owned her. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “It’s your fault that I’m suffering like this. I put my slave in your arms. Now that she knows she’s pregnant, she looks down on me. May Yahuah judge between you and me. May he decide which of us is right.”

 

6 “Your slave belongs to you,” Abram said. “Do with her what you think is best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar badly. So Hagar ran away from her.

 

7 The angel of Yahuah found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was beside the road to Shur. 8 The angel said, “Hagar, you are Sarai’s slave. Where have you come from? Where are you going?”

 

“I’m running away from my owner Sarai,” she answered. 9 Then the angel of Yahuah told her, “Go back to the woman who owns you. Obey her.” 10 The angel continued, “I will give you and your family many children. There will be more of them than anyone can count.”

 

11 The angel of Yahuah also said to her,

“You are now pregnant

    and will have a son.

You will name him Ishmael,

    because Yahuah has heard about your suffering.

12 He will be like a wild donkey.

    He will use his power against everyone,

    and everyone will be against him.

    He will not get along with any of his family.”

 

13 She gave a name to Yahuah who spoke to her. She called him “You are the Alahim who sees me.” That’s because she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That’s why the well was named Beer Lahai Roi. It’s still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

 

15 So Hagar had a son by Abram and Abram gave him the name Ishmael. 16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar had Ishmael by him.

 

17

The Covenant of Circumcision

1 When Abram was 99 years old, Yahuah appeared to him. He said, “I am the Mighty Alahim. Walk faithfully with me. Live in a way that pleases me. 2 I will now act on my covenant between me and you. I will greatly increase the number of your children after you.”

 

3 Abram fell with his face to the ground. Alahim said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. 5 You will not be called Abram anymore. Your name will be Abraham, because I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will greatly increase the number of your children after you. Nations and kings will come from you. 7 I will make my covenant with you last forever. It will be between me and you and your family after you for all time to come. I will be your Alahim. And I will be the Alahim of all your family after you. 8 You are now living in Canaan as an outsider. But I will give you the whole land of Canaan. You will own it forever and so will all your family after you. And I will be their Alahim.”

 

9 Then Alahim said to Abraham, “You must keep my covenant. You and your family after you must keep it for all time to come. 10 Here is my covenant that you and your family after you must keep. You and every male among you must be circumcised. 11 That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 It must be done for all time to come. Every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. That includes those who are born into your own family or outside it. It also includes those bought with money from a stranger. 13 So any male born into your family or bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will last forever. Your body will have the mark of my covenant on it. 14 Any male who has not been circumcised will be separated from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

 

15 Alahim also said to Abraham, “Do not continue to call your wife by the name Sarai. Her name will be Sarah. 16 I will give her my blessing. You can be sure that I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

 

17 Abraham fell with his face to the ground. He laughed and said to himself, “Can a 100-year-old man have a son? Can Sarah have a child at the age of 90?” 18 Abraham said to Alahim, “I really wish Ishmael could receive your blessing!”

 

19 Then Alahim said, “Yes, I will bless Ishmael. But your wife Sarah will have a son by you. And you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him. That covenant will last forever. It will be for Isaac and his family after him. 20 I have heard what you said about Ishmael. I will surely bless him. I will make his family very large. He will be the father of 12 rulers. And I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac. By this time next year, Sarah will have a son by you.” 22 When Alahim had finished speaking with Abraham, Alahim left him.

 

23 On that same day Abraham circumcised his son Ishmael. He also circumcised every male who was born into his family or bought with his money. He did exactly as Alahim had told him. 24 Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. 25 His son Ishmael was 13. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household was circumcised along with him. That included those born into his family or bought from a stranger.

 

18

Three Men Visit Abraham

1 Yahuah appeared to Abraham near the large trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. It was the hottest time of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. So he quickly left the entrance to his tent to greet them. He bowed low to the ground.

 

3 He said, “My lord, if you are pleased with me, don’t pass me by. 4 Let me get you some water. Then all of you can wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat to give you strength. Then you can go on your way. I want to do this for you now that you have come to me.”

 

“All right,” they answered. “Do as you say.”

 

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick!” he said. “Get about 36 pounds of the finest flour. Prepare it and bake some bread.”

 

7 Then he ran over to the herd. He picked out a choice, tender calf. He gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then he brought some butter and milk and the calf that had been prepared. He served them to the three men. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

 

9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“Over there in the tent,” he said. 10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old. Sarah was too old to have a baby. 12 So she laughed to herself. She thought, “I’m worn out, and my husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby?”

 

13 Then Yahuah said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Will I really have a baby, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid. So she lied and said, “I didn’t laugh.” But Yahuah said, “Yes, you laughed.”

 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 The men got up to leave. They looked down toward Sodom. Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then Yahuah said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 He will certainly become a great and powerful nation. All nations on earth will be blessed because of him. 19 I have chosen him. He must direct his children to live in the way that pleases me. And he must direct the members of his family after him to do the same. So he must guide all of them in doing what is right and fair. Then I, Yahuah, will do for Abraham what I have promised him.”

 

20 Yahuah also said, “The cries against Sodom and Gomorrah are very great. Their sin is so bad 21 that I will go down and see for myself. I want to see if what they have done is as bad as the cries that have reached me. If it is not, then I will know.” 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom. But Abraham remained standing in front of Yahuah. 23 Then Abraham came up to him. He said, “Will you sweep away godly people along with those who are evil? 24 What if there are 50 godly people in the city? Will you really sweep it away? Won’t you spare the place because of the 50 godly people in it? 25 You would never kill godly people along with those who are evil, would you? Would you treat them all alike? You would never do anything like that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?”

 

26 Yahuah said, “If I find 50 godly people in the city of Sodom, I will spare it. I will spare the whole place because of them.”

 

27 Then Abraham spoke up again. He said, “I have been very bold to speak to Yahuah. After all, I’m only dust and ashes. 28 What if the number of godly people is five fewer than 50? Will you destroy the whole city because there are five fewer people?”

 

“If I find 45 there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” 29 Once again Abraham spoke to him. He asked, “What if only 40 are found there?” He said, “If there are 40, I will not do it.” 30 Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me. Let me speak. What if only 30 can be found there?” He answered, “If I find 30, I will not do it.” 31 Abraham said, “I have been very bold to speak to Yahuah. What if only 20 can be found there?” He said, “If I find 20, I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me. Let me speak just one more time. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “If I find ten, I will not destroy it.” 33 When Yahuah had finished speaking with Abraham, he left. And Abraham returned home.

 

19

Yahuah Destroys Sodom and Gomorrah

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting near the gate of the city. When Lot saw the angels, he got up to greet them. He bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please come to my house. You can wash your feet and spend the night there. Then you can go on your way early in the morning.”

“No,” they answered. “We’ll spend the night in the town square.”

 

3 But Lot wouldn’t give up. So they went with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them. He baked bread without using yeast. And they ate. 4 Before Lot and his guests had gone to bed, all the men came from every part of the city of Sodom. Young and old men alike surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot. They said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us. We want to have sex with them.”

 

6 Lot went outside to meet them. He shut the door behind him. 7 He said, “No, my friends. Don’t do such an evil thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters that no man has ever slept with. I’ll bring them out to you now. Then do to them what you want to. But don’t do anything to these men. I’ve brought them inside so they can be safe.”

 

9 “Get out of our way!” the men of Sodom replied to Lot. “You came here as an outsider. Now you want to act like a judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept trying to force Lot to open the door. Then they moved forward to break it down.

 

10 But the angels inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they made the men who were at the door of the house blind. They blinded both young and old men so that they couldn’t find the door.

 

12 The two angels said to Lot, “Do you have any other family members here? Do you have sons-in-law, sons, daughters or any other relatives in the city? Get them out of here! 13 We are going to destroy this place. Many have cried out to Yahuah against the people of this city. So he has sent us to destroy it.”

 

14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law. They had promised to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry up! Get out of this place! Yahuah is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15 The sun was coming up. So the angels tried to get Lot to leave. They said, “Hurry up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out! If you don’t, you will be swept away when the city is destroyed.”

 

16 Lot didn’t move right away. So the men grabbed him by the hand. They also took hold of the hands of his wife and two daughters. They led all of them safely out of the city. Yahuah had mercy on them. 17 As soon as the angels had brought them out, one of them spoke. He said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back! Don’t stop anywhere in the valley! Run to the mountains! If you don’t, you will be swept away!”

 

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords! Please! 19 You have done me a big favor. You have been very kind to me by sparing my life. But I can’t run to the mountains. I won’t be able to escape this horrible thing that’s going to happen. And then I’ll die. 20 Look, here’s a town near enough to run to. It’s small. Let me run to it. It’s very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

 

21 Yahuah said to Lot, “All right. I will also give you what you are asking for. I will not destroy the town you are talking about. 22 But run there quickly. I can’t do anything until you reach it.” The town was named Zoar. Zoar means Small.

 

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then Yahuah sent down burning sulfur. It came down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah. It came from Yahuah. It came out of the sky. 25 Yahuah destroyed these cities and the whole valley. All the people who were living in the cities were wiped out. So were the plants in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar made out of salt.

 

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up. He returned to the place where he had stood in front of Yahuah. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley. He saw thick smoke rising from the land. It looked like smoke from a furnace.

29 So when Alahim destroyed the cities of the valley, he showed concern for Abraham. He brought Lot out safely when he destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.

 

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar. They went to live in the mountains because Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he and his daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter spoke to the younger one. She said, “Our father is old. People all over the earth have men to marry and have children with. We do not. 32 So let’s get our father to drink wine. Then we can sleep with him. We can use our father to continue our family line.”

 

33 That night they got their father to drink wine. Then the older daughter went in and slept with him. He wasn’t aware when she lay down or when she got up.

 

34 The next day the older daughter spoke to the younger one again. She said, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight. Then you go in and sleep with him. We can use our father to continue our family line.” 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also. Then the younger daughter slept with him. Again he wasn’t aware when she lay down or when she got up.

 

36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son. She named him Moab. He’s the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son. She named him Ben-Ammi. He’s the father of the Ammonites of today.

 

20

Abraham and Abimelek

1 Abraham moved south into the Negev Desert. He lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar. 2 There Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She’s my sister.” Then Abimelek, the king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. 3 So Alahim appeared to Abimelek in a dream one night. He said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken. She is already married.” 4 But Abimelek hadn’t gone near her. So he said, “Lord, will you destroy a nation that hasn’t done anything wrong? 5 Didn’t Abraham say to me, ‘She’s my sister’? And didn’t she also say, ‘He’s my brother’? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.”

 

6 Then Alahim spoke to him in the dream. He said, “Yes, I know you had no idea you were doing anything wrong. So I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife to him. He is a prophet. So he will pray for you, and you will live. But what if you do not return her? Then you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”

 

8 Early the next morning Abimelek sent for all his officials. When he told them everything that had happened, they were really afraid. 9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in. Abimelek said, “What have you done to us? Have I done something wrong to you? Why have you brought so much guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” 10 Abimelek also asked Abraham, “Why did you do this?”

 

11 Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is no respect for Alahim in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister. She’s the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. 13 Alahim had me wander away from my father’s house. So I said to her, ‘Here is how you can show your love to me. Everywhere we go, say about me, “He’s my brother.” ’ ”

 

14 Then Abimelek gave Abraham sheep and cattle and male and female slaves. He also returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 Abimelek said, “Here is my land. Live anywhere you want to.”

 

16 He said to Sarah, “I’m giving your brother 25 pounds of silver. This will show everyone with you that I am sorry for what I did to you. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

​

17 Then Abraham prayed to Alahim, and Alahim healed Abimelek. He also healed his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again. 18 Yahuah had kept all the women in Abimelek’s house from having children. He had done it because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

21

Isaac Is Born

1 Yahuah was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. Yahuah did for Sarah what he had promised to do. 2 Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time Alahim had promised. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. He did it exactly as Alahim had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “Alahim has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would breast-feed children? But I’ve had a son by him when he is old.”

 

Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away

8 Isaac grew. The time came for his mother to stop breast-feeding him. On that day Abraham prepared a big celebration. 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was the son Hagar had by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian slave. 10 Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman! Get rid of her son! That woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. All of it belongs to my son Isaac.”

 

11 What Sarah said upset Abraham very much. After all, Ishmael was his son. 12 But Alahim said to Abraham, “Do not be so upset about the boy and your slave Hagar. Listen to what Sarah tells you, because your family line will continue through Isaac. 13 I will also make the son of your slave into a nation. I will do it because he is your child.”

 

14 Early the next morning Abraham got some food and a bottle of water. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He gave the food and water to Hagar, placing them on her shoulders. Then he sent her away with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

 

15 When the water in the bottle was gone, she put the boy under a bush. 16 Then she sat down about as far away as a person can shoot an arrow. She thought, “I can’t stand to watch the boy die.” As she sat there, she began to sob.

 

17 Alahim heard the boy crying. Then the angel of Alahim called out to Hagar from heaven. He said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. Alahim has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift up the boy and take him by the hand. I will make him into a great nation.”

 

19 Then Alahim opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the boy a drink.

 

20 Alahim was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and learned to shoot a bow and arrow. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

 

The Agreement at Beersheba

22 At that time Abimelek and his army commander, Phicol, spoke to Abraham. They said to Abraham, “Alahim is with you in everything you do. 23 Now make a promise to me here while Alahim is watching. Give me your word that you will treat me fairly. Promise that you will treat my children and their children the same way. I’ve been kind to you. Now you be kind to me and the country where you are living as an outsider.” 24 Abraham said, “I give you my word that I’ll do it.” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek that his servants had taken over a well of water. 26 But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You didn’t tell me. And today is the first time I heard about it.” 27 So Abraham gave Abimelek sheep and cattle. The two men came to an agreement. 28 Then Abraham picked out seven female lambs from his flock. 29 Abimelek asked Abraham, “What’s the meaning of these seven female lambs? Why have you picked them out and set them apart?” 30 Abraham replied, “Accept the seven lambs from me. They will be a witness that I dug this well.”

 

31 So that place was named Beersheba. That’s because there the two men came to an agreement. 32 After the agreement had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek went back to the land of the Philistines. His army commander, Phicol, went with him. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of Yahuah, the Alahim who lives forever. 34 Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

 

22

Alahim Tests Abraham

1 Some time later Alahim tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

2 Then Alahim said, “Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to the place called Moriah. Give your son to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on the mountain I will show you.”

 

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He cut enough wood for the burnt offering. Then he started out for the place Alahim had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham saw the place a long way off. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there and worship. Then we’ll come back to you.”

6 Abraham had his son Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering. He himself carried the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said. “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “Alahim himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together.

9 They reached the place Alahim had shown Abraham. There Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac. Abraham placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand. He picked up the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of Yahuah called out to him from heaven. He said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

​

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not harm him. Now I know that you would do anything for Alahim. You have not held back from me your son, your only son.”

 

13 Abraham looked around. There in a bush he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram. He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham named that place Yahuah Will Provide. To this day people say, “It will be provided on the mountain of Yahuah.”

 

15 The angel of Yahuah called out to Abraham from heaven a second time. 16 He said, “I am giving you my word that I will bless you. I will bless you because of what you have done,” announces Yahuah. “You have not held back your son, your only son. 17 So I will certainly bless you. I will make the children born into your family as many as the stars in the sky. I will make them as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They will take over the cities of their enemies. 18 All nations on earth will be blessed because of your children. All these things will happen because you have obeyed me.”

 

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants. They started out together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

 

Nahor’s Sons

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah has become a mother. She has had sons by your brother Nahor. 21 Uz was born first. Then came his brother Buz. Kemuel was born next. He became the father of Aram. 22 Milkah’s other sons are Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.”

 

23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah had the eight sons by Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 Nahor had a concubine named Reumah. She also had sons. They were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

 

23

Sarah Dies

1 Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. It’s in the land of Canaan. Sarah’s death made Abraham very sad. He went to the place where her body was lying. There he wept over her.

 

3 Then Abraham got up from beside his wife’s body. He said to the Hittites, 4 “I’m an outsider. I’m a stranger among you. Sell me some property where I can bury those in my family who die. Then I can bury my wife.”

 

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your wife in the best place we have to bury our dead. None of us will refuse to sell you a place to bury her.”

 

7 Then Abraham bowed down in front of the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife, then listen to me. Speak to Zohar’s son Ephron for me. 9 Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah. It belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price. I want it as a place to bury my dead wife among you.”

 

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting there among his people. He replied to Abraham. All of the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city heard him. 11 “No, sir,” Ephron said. “Listen to me. I will give you the field. I’ll also give you the cave that’s in the field. I will give it to you in front of my people. Bury your wife.”

 

12 Again Abraham bowed down in front of the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron so they could hear him. He said, “Please listen to me. I’ll pay the price of the field. Accept it from me. Then I can bury my wife there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Sir, listen to me. The land is worth ten pounds of silver. But what’s that between the two of us? Bury your wife.”

 

16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s offer. He weighed out for Ephron the price he had named. The Hittites there had heard the amount. The price was ten pounds of silver. Abraham measured it by the weights that were used by merchants.

 

17 So Ephron sold his field to Abraham. The field was in Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham bought the field and the cave that was in it. He also bought all the trees that were inside the borders of the field. Everything was sold 18 to Abraham as his property. He bought it in front of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Then Abraham buried his wife Sarah. He buried her in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan. Mamre is at Hebron. 20 So the field and the cave that was in it were sold to Abraham by the Hittites. The property became a place to bury those who died in his family.

 

24

Abraham’s Servant Finds a Wife for Isaac

1 By that time Abraham was very old. Yahuah had blessed Abraham in every way. 2 The best servant in his house was in charge of everything Abraham had. Abraham said to him, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 Yahuah is the Alahim of heaven and the Alahim of earth. I want you to make a promise to me in his name. I’m living among the people of Canaan. But I want you to promise me that you won’t get a wife for my son from their daughters. 4 Instead, promise me that you will go to my country and to my own relatives. Get a wife for my son Isaac from there.”

 

5 The servant asked Abraham, “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me to this land? Then should I take your son back to the country you came from?”

​

6 “Make sure you don’t take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “Yahuah, the Alahim of heaven, took me away from my father’s family. He brought me out of my own land. He made me a promise. He said, ‘I will give this land to your family after you.’ Yahuah will send his angel ahead of you. So you will be able to get a wife for my son from there. 8 The woman may not want to come back with you. If she doesn’t, you will be free from your promise. But don’t take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under Abraham’s thigh. He promised to do what his master wanted.

 

10 The servant chose ten of his master’s camels and left. He loaded the camels with all kinds of good things from his master. He started out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He stopped near the well outside the town. There he made the camels get down on their knees. It was almost evening, the time when women go out to get water.

 

12 Then he prayed, “Lord, you are the Alahim of my master Abraham. Make me successful today. Be kind to my master Abraham. 13 I’m standing beside this spring. The daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out here to get water. 14 I will speak to a young woman. I’ll say to her, ‘Please lower your jar so I can have a drink.’ Suppose she says, ‘Have a drink of water, and I’ll get some for your camels too.’ Then let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. That’s how I’ll know you have been kind to my master.”

 

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out. She was carrying a jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Milkah’s son Bethuel. Milkah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The young woman was very beautiful. No man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring. She filled her jar and came up again.

 

17 The servant hurried to meet her. He said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

 

18 “Have a drink, sir,” she said. She quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

 

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll get water for your camels too. I’ll keep doing it until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the stone tub. Then she ran back to the well to get more water. She got enough for all his camels. 21 The man didn’t say a word. He watched her closely. He wanted to learn whether Yahuah had given him success on the journey he had made.

 

22 The camels finished drinking. Then the man took out a gold nose ring. It weighed about a fifth of an ounce. He also took out two gold bracelets. They weighed about four ounces. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? And please tell me something else. Is there room in your father’s house for us? Can we spend the night there?”

 

24 She answered, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel. He’s the son Milkah had by Nahor.” 25 She continued, “We have plenty of straw and feed for your camels. We also have room for you to spend the night.”

 

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped Yahuah. 27 He said, “I praise Yahuah, the Alahim of my master Abraham. Yahuah hasn’t stopped being kind and faithful to my master. Yahuah has led me on this journey. He has brought me to the house of my master’s relatives.”

 

28 The young woman ran home. She told her mother’s family what had happened. 29 Rebekah had a brother named Laban. He hurried out to the spring to meet the man. 30 Laban had seen the nose ring. He had seen the bracelets on his sister’s arms. And he had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said to her. So Laban went out to the man. He found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Yahuah has given you his blessing,” he said. “So come with me. Why are you standing out here? I’ve prepared my house for you. I also have a place for the camels.”

 

32 So the man went to the house. The camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought for the camels. And water was brought for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was placed in front of him. But he said, “I won’t eat until I’ve told you what I have to say.”

“Then tell us,” Laban said.

 

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 Yahuah has blessed my master greatly, and he has become rich. Yahuah has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold. He has also given him male and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah had a son by him when she was old. He has given that son everything he owns. 37 My master made me promise him. He said, ‘I’m living in the land of the people of Canaan. But promise me that you won’t get a wife for my son from their daughters. 38 Instead, go to my father’s family and to my own relatives. Get a wife for my son there.’

 

39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman won’t come back with me?’

 

40 “He replied, ‘I have walked faithfully with Yahuah. He will send his angel with you. He will give you success on your journey. So you will be able to get a wife for my son. She will be from my own relatives and from my father’s family. 41 When you go to my relatives, suppose they refuse to give her to you. Then you will be free from the promise you made to me.’

 

42 “Today I came to the spring. I said, ‘Lord, you are the Alahim of my master Abraham. Please make me successful on this journey I’ve made. 43 I’m standing beside this spring. A young woman will come out to get water. I’ll say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 44 Suppose she says, “Have a drink of water, and I’ll get some for your camels too.” Then let her be the one Yahuah has chosen for my master’s son.’

 

45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out. She was carrying a jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and got water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

 

46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder. She said, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll get water for your camels too.’ So I drank. She also got water for the camels.

 

47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

 

“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel. He’s the son Milkah had by Nahor.’

 

“Then I put the ring in her nose. I put the bracelets on her arms. 48 And I bowed down and worshiped Yahuah. I praised Yahuah, the Alahim of my master Abraham. He had led me on the right road. He had led me to get for my master’s son the granddaughter of my master’s brother. 49 Now will you be kind and faithful to my master? If you will, tell me. And if you won’t, tell me. Then I’ll know which way to turn.”

 

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “Yahuah has done all of this. We can’t say anything to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah. Take her and go. Let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as Yahuah has said.”

 

52 Abraham’s servant heard what they said. So he bowed down to Yahuah with his face to the ground. 53 He brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing. He gave all of them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother. 54 Then Abraham’s servant and the men who were with him ate and drank. They spent the night there.

 

When they got up the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”

 

55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman stay with us ten days or so. Then you can go.”

 

56 But he said to them, “Don’t make me wait. Yahuah has given me success on my journey. Send me on my way so I can go to my master.”

 

57 Then they said, “Let’s get Rebekah and ask her about it.” 58 So they sent for her and asked, “Will you go with this man?”

“Yes, I’ll go,” she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way with Abraham’s servant and his men. They also sent Rebekah’s servant with her. 60 And they gave Rebekah their blessing. They said to her,

 

“Dear sister, may your family grow

    by thousands and thousands.

May they take over

    the cities of their enemies.”

 

61 Then Rebekah and her female servants got ready. They got on their camels to go back with the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and left.

 

62 By that time Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi. He was living in the Negev Desert. 63 One evening he went out to the field. He wanted to spend some time thinking. When he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel. 65 She asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

 

“He’s my master,” the servant answered. So she covered her face with her veil.

 

66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done. 67 Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah. And he married Rebekah. She became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother died.

 

25

Abraham Dies

1 Abraham had married another woman. Her name was Keturah. 2 She had Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah by Abraham. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The children of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All of them were members of Keturah’s family line.

 

5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines. Then he sent them away from his son Isaac. He sent them to the land of the east.

 

7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years. 8 He took his last breath and died when he was very old. He had lived a very long time. Then he joined the members of his family who had already died. 9 Abraham’s sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him. They put his body in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre. It was in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 Abraham had bought the field from the Hittites. He was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham died, Alahim blessed his son Isaac. At that time Isaac was living near Beer Lahai Roi.

 

The Sons of Ishmael

12 Here is the story of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah’s slave from Egypt.

 

13 Here are the names of the sons of Ishmael. They are listed in the order they were born. Nebaioth was Ishmael’s oldest son. Then came Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 All of them were Ishmael’s sons. They were rulers of 12 tribes. They all lived in their own settlements and camps.

 

17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he took his last breath and died. He joined the members of his family who had already died. 18 His children settled in the area between Havilah and Shur. It was near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. Ishmael’s children weren’t friendly toward any of the tribes related to them.

 

Jacob and Esau

19 Here is the story of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham was the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. She was the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean from Paddan Aram. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean.

21 Rebekah couldn’t have children. So Isaac prayed to Yahuah for her. And Yahuah answered his prayer. His wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies struggled with each other inside her. She said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to ask Yahuah what she should do.

23 Yahuah said to her,

“Two nations are in your body. Two tribes that are now inside you will be separated.

One nation will be stronger than the other.

    The older son will serve the younger one.”

 

24 The time came for Rebekah to have her babies. There were twin boys in her body. 25 The first one to come out was red. His whole body was covered with hair. So they named him Esau. 26 Then his brother came out. His hand was holding onto Esau’s heel. So he was named Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah had them.

 

27 The boys grew up. Esau became a skillful hunter. He liked the open country. But Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac liked the meat of wild animals. So Esau was his favorite son. But Rebekah’s favorite was Jacob.

 

29 One day Jacob was cooking some stew. Esau came in from the open country. He was very hungry. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick! I’m very hungry! Let me have some of that red stew!” That’s why he was also named Edom.

 

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me the rights that belong to you as the oldest son in the family.”

32 “Look, I’m dying of hunger,” Esau said. “What good are those rights to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “First promise to sell me your rights.” So Esau promised to do it. He sold Jacob all the rights that belonged to him as the oldest son.

 

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. Esau ate and drank. Then he got up and left.

 

So Esau didn’t value the rights that belonged to him as the oldest son.

 

26

Isaac and Abimelek

1 There was very little food in the land. The same thing had been true earlier, in Abraham’s time. Isaac went to Abimelek in Gerar. Abimelek was the king of the Philistines. 2 Yahuah appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay there for a while. I will be with you and give you my blessing. I will give all these lands to you and your children after you. And I will keep my word that I gave to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. And I will give them all these lands. All nations on earth will be blessed because of your children. 5 I will do all these things because Abraham obeyed me. He did everything I required. He kept my commands, my rules and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

 

7 The men of that place asked him about his wife. He said, “She’s my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She’s my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me because of Rebekah. She’s a beautiful woman.”

 

8 Isaac had been there a long time. One day Abimelek, the king of the Philistines, looked down from a window. He saw Isaac hugging and kissing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek sent for Isaac. He said, “She’s really your wife, isn’t she? Why did you say she was your sister?”

 

Isaac answered him, “I thought I might lose my life because of her.” 10 Then Abimelek said, “What have you done to us? What if one of the men slept with your wife? Then you would have made us guilty.” 11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people. He said, “Anyone who harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

 

12 Isaac planted crops in that land. That same year he gathered 100 times more than he planted. That was because Yahuah blessed him. 13 Isaac became rich. His wealth continued to grow until he became very rich. 14 He had many flocks and herds and servants. Isaac had so much that the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So they stopped up all the wells the servants of his father Abraham had dug. They filled them with dirt. 16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us. You have become too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac moved away from there. He camped in the Valley of Gerar, where he made his home. 18 Isaac opened up the wells again. They had been dug in the time of his father Abraham. The Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham died. Isaac gave the wells the same names his father had given them.

 

19 Isaac’s servants dug wells in the valley. There they discovered fresh water. 20 But the people of Gerar who took care of their own herds argued with the people who took care of Isaac’s herds. “The water is ours!” the people of Gerar said. So Isaac named the well Esek. That’s because they argued with him. 21 Then Isaac’s servants dug another well. They argued about that one too. So he named it Sitnah. 22 Isaac moved on from there and dug another well. But no one argued about that one. So he named it Rehoboth. He said, “Now Yahuah has given us room. Now we will be successful in the land.”

 

23 From there Isaac went up to Beersheba. 24 That night Yahuah appeared to him. He said, “I am the Alahim of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I will bless you. I will increase the number of your children because of my servant Abraham.”

 

25 Isaac built an altar there and worshiped Yahuah. There he set up his tent. And there his servants dug a well.

 

26 During that time, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar. His personal adviser, Ahuzzath, had come with him. So had his army commander, Phicol. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You were angry with me and sent me away.”

 

28 They answered, “We saw clearly that Yahuah was with you. So we said, ‘There should be an agreement between us and you.’ We want to make a peace treaty with you. 29 Give us your word that you won’t harm us. We didn’t harm you. We always treated you well. We sent you away peacefully. And now Yahuah has blessed you.”

 

30 Then Isaac had a feast prepared for them. They ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men made a treaty with each other. Then Isaac sent the men of Gerar on their way. And they left peacefully.

 

32 That day Isaac’s servants came to him. They told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 So he named it Shibah. To this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.

 

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was 40 years old, he got married to Judith. She was the daughter of Beeri the Hittite. Esau also married Basemath. She was the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 Isaac and Rebekah became very upset because Esau had married Hittite women.

 

27

1 Isaac had become old. His eyes were so weak he couldn’t see anymore. One day he called for his older son Esau. He said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I’m an old man now. And I don’t know when I’ll die. 3 Now then, get your weapons. Get your bow and arrows. Go out to the open country. Hunt some wild animals for me. 4 Prepare for me the kind of tasty food I like. Bring it to me to eat. Then I’ll give you my blessing before I die.”

 

5 Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. Esau left for the open country. He went to hunt for a wild animal and bring it back. 6 Then Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I heard your father speaking to your brother Esau. 7 He said, ‘Bring me a wild animal. Prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I’ll give you my blessing before I die. Yahuah will be my witness.’ ” 8 Rebekah continued, “My son, listen carefully. Do what I tell you. 9 Go out to the flock. Bring me two of the finest young goats. I will prepare tasty food for your father. I’ll make it just the way he likes it. 10 I want you to take it to your father to eat. Then he’ll give you his blessing before he dies.”

 

11 Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau’s body is covered with hair. But my skin is smooth. 12 What if my father touches me? He would know I was trying to trick him. He would curse me instead of giving me a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse be on me. Just do what I say. Go and get the goats for me.”

 

14 So he went and got the goats. He brought them to his mother. And she prepared some tasty food. She made it just the way his father liked it. 15 The clothes of her older son Esau were in her house. She took Esau’s best clothes and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She covered his hands with the skins of the goats. She also covered the smooth part of his neck with them. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

 

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”

 

“Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who is it?”

 

19 Jacob said to his father, “I’m your oldest son Esau. I’ve done as you told me. Please sit up. Eat some of my wild meat. Then give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” 

“Yahuah your Alahim gave me success,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son. I want to know whether you really are my son Esau.”

 

22 Jacob went close to his father. Isaac touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob. But the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 Isaac didn’t recognize Jacob. Jacob’s hands were covered with hair like those of his brother Esau. So Isaac blessed him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” Jacob replied.

25 Isaac said, “My son, bring me some of your wild meat to eat. Then I’ll give you my blessing.”

 

Jacob brought it to him. So Isaac ate. Jacob also brought some wine. And Isaac drank. 26 Then Jacob’s father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son. Kiss me.” 27 So Jacob went to him and kissed him. When Isaac smelled the clothes, he gave Jacob his blessing. He said,

 

“It really is the smell of my son.

    It’s like the smell of a field

    that Yahuah has blessed.

28 May Alahim give you dew from heaven.

    May he give you the richness of the earth.

    May he give you plenty of grain and fresh wine. 29 May nations serve you.

    May they bow down to you.

Rule over your brothers.

    May the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed.

    And may those who bless you be blessed.”

 

30 When Isaac finished blessing him, Jacob left his father. Just then his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food. He brought it to his father. Then Esau said to him, “My father, please sit up. Eat some of my wild meat. Then give me your blessing.”

 

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I’m your son,” he answered. “I’m Esau, your oldest son.” 33 Isaac began to shake all over. He said, “Then who hunted a wild animal and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came. I gave him my blessing. And he will certainly be blessed!”

 

34 Esau heard his father’s words. Then he yelled loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, “Bless me! Bless me too, my father!” 35 But Isaac said, “Your brother came and tricked me. He took your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Isn’t Jacob just the right name for him? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me. First, he took my rights as the oldest son. And now he’s taken my blessing!” Then Esau asked, “Haven’t you saved any blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered Esau, “I’ve made him ruler over you. I’ve made all his relatives serve him. And I’ve provided him with grain and fresh wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

 

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept loudly. 39 His father Isaac answered him,

“You will live far away from the fruit of the earth. You will live far away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by using the sword. And you will serve your brother. But you will grow restless. Then you will throw off the heavy load he has caused you to carry.”

 

41 Esau was angry with Jacob. He was angry because of the blessing his father had given to Jacob. He said to himself, “The days of sorrow over my father’s death are near. Then I’ll kill my brother Jacob.”

 

42 Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said. So she sent for her younger son Jacob. She said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to get back at you by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say. Run away at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him until your brother’s anger calms down. 45 When he forgets what you did to him, I’ll let you know. Then you can come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

 

46 Then Rebekah spoke to Isaac. She said, “I’m sick of living because of Esau’s Hittite wives. Suppose Jacob also marries a Hittite woman. If he does, my life won’t be worth living.”

 

28

1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “Don’t get married to a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram. Go to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Find a wife for yourself there. Take her from among the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban. 3 May the Mighty Alahim bless you. May he give you children. May he make your family larger until you become a community of nations. 4 May he give you and your children after you the blessing he gave to Abraham. Then you can take over the land where you now live as an outsider. It’s the land Alahim gave to Abraham.” 5 Isaac sent Jacob on his way. Jacob went to Paddan Aram. He went to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean. Laban was Rebekah’s brother. And Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

 

6 Esau found out that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram. Isaac wanted him to get a wife from there. Esau heard that when Isaac blessed Jacob, he commanded him, “Don’t get married to a woman from Canaan.” 7 Esau also learned that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Then Esau realized how much his father Isaac disliked Canaanite women. 9 So he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael. Esau added her to the wives he already had.

 

Jacob Has a Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beersheba and started out for Harran. 11 He reached a certain place and stopped for the night. The sun had already set. He took one of the stones there and placed it under his head. Then he lay down to sleep. 12 In a dream he saw a stairway standing on the earth. Its top reached to heaven. The angels of Alahim were going up and coming down on it. 13 Yahuah stood beside the stairway. He said, “I am Yahuah. I am the Alahim of your grandfather Abraham and the Alahim of Isaac. I will give you and your children after you the land you are lying on. 14 They will be like the dust of the earth that can’t be counted. They will spread out to the west and to the east. They will spread out to the north and to the south. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you and your children after you. 15 I am with you. I will watch over you everywhere you go. And I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

​

16 Jacob woke up from his sleep. Then he thought, “Yahuah is surely in this place. And I didn’t even know it.” 17 Jacob was afraid. He said, “How set-apart this place is! This must be the house of Alahim. This is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head. He set it up as a sacred stone. And he poured olive oil on top of it. 19 He named that place Bethel. But the city used to be called Luz.

 

20 Then Jacob made a promise. He said, “May Alahim be with me. May he watch over me on this journey I’m taking. May he give me food to eat and clothes to wear. 21 May he do as he has promised so that I can return safely to my father’s home. Then you, Lord, will be my Alahim. 22 This stone I’ve set up as a sacred stone will be Alahim’s house. And I’ll give you a tenth of everything you give me.”

 

29

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

1 Then Jacob continued on his journey. He came to the land where the eastern tribes lived. 2 There he saw a well in the open country. Three flocks of sheep were lying near it. The flocks were given water from the well. The stone over the opening of the well was large. 3 All the flocks would gather there. The shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s opening. They would give water to the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the opening of the well.

 

4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My friends, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied. 5 He said to them, “Do you know Nahor’s grandson Laban?”

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, “How is he?”

“He’s fine,” they said. “Here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high in the sky. It’s not time for the flocks to be brought together. Give water to the sheep and take them back to the grasslands.”

8 “We can’t,” they replied. “We have to wait until all the flocks are brought together. The stone has to be rolled away from the opening of the well. Then we’ll give water to the sheep.”

 

9 He was still talking with them when Rachel came with her father’s sheep. It was her job to take care of the flock. 10 Rachel was the daughter of Laban, Jacob’s uncle. When Jacob saw Rachel with Laban’s sheep, he went over to the well. He rolled the stone away from the opening. He gave water to his uncle’s sheep. 11 Jacob kissed Rachel. Then he began to cry because he was so happy. 12 He had told Rachel he was a relative of her father. He had also said he was Rebekah’s son. Rachel ran and told her father what Jacob had said.

 

13 As soon as Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he hurried to meet him. Laban hugged Jacob and kissed him. Then Laban brought him to his home. There Jacob told him everything. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

 

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Jacob stayed with Laban for a whole month. 15 Then Laban said to him, “You are one of my relatives. But is that any reason for you to work for me for nothing? Tell me what your pay should be.”

 

16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah. And the name of the younger one was Rachel. 17 Leah was plain, but Rachel was beautiful. She had a nice figure. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel. He said to Laban, “I’ll work for you for seven years so I can marry your younger daughter Rachel.”

19 Laban said, “It’s better for me to give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob worked for seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like only a few days to him because he loved her so much.

 

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. I’ve completed my time. I want to sleep with her.”

 

22 So Laban brought all the people of the place together and had a feast prepared. 23 But when evening came, he gave his daughter Leah to Jacob. And Jacob slept with her. 24 Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter as her servant.

25 When Jacob woke up the next morning, there was Leah next to him! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked for you so I could marry Rachel, didn’t I? Why did you trick me?”

 

26 Laban replied, “It isn’t our practice here to give the younger daughter to be married before the older one. 27 Complete this daughter’s wedding week. Then we’ll give you the younger one also. But you will have to work for another seven years.”

 

28 So Jacob completed the week with Leah. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel also. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. And he worked for Laban for another seven years.

 

Jacob Becomes the Father of Many Children

31 Yahuah saw that Jacob didn’t love Leah as much as he loved Rachel. So he let Leah have children. But Rachel wasn’t able to have children. 32 Leah became pregnant. She had a son. She named him Reuben. She said, “Yahuah has seen me suffer. Surely my husband will love me now.”

 

33 She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “Yahuah heard that Jacob doesn’t love me very much. That’s why Yahuah gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

 

34 She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “Now at last my husband will value me. I have had three sons by him.” So the boy was named Levi.

 

35 She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “This time I’ll praise Yahuah.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

 

30 

Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children by Jacob. So she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

 

2 Jacob became angry with her. He said, “Do you think I’m Alahim? He’s the one who has kept you from having children.”

 

3 Then she said, “Here’s my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she can have children for me. Then I too can have a family through her.”

 

4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her. 5 And Bilhah became pregnant. She had a son by him. 6 Then Rachel said, “Alahim has stood up for my rights. He has listened to my prayer and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

 

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again. She had a second son by Jacob. 8 Then Rachel said, “I’ve had a great struggle with my sister. Now I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali.

 

9 Leah saw that she had stopped having children. So she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah had a son by Jacob. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

 

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah had a second son by Jacob. 13 Then Leah said, “I’m so happy! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

 

14 While the wheat harvest was being gathered, Reuben went out into the fields. He found some mandrake plants. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

 

15 But Leah said to her, “Isn’t it enough that you took my husband away? Are you going to take my son’s mandrakes too?”

Rachel said, “All right. Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you give me your son’s mandrakes.”

16 Jacob came in from the fields that evening. Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me tonight,” she said. “I’ve traded my son’s mandrakes for that time with you.” So he slept with her that night.

 

17 Alahim listened to Leah. She became pregnant and had a fifth son by Jacob. 18 Then Leah said, “Alahim has rewarded me because I gave my female servant to my husband.” So she named the boy Issachar.

 

19 Leah became pregnant again. She had a sixth son by Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “Alahim has given me a priceless gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor. I’ve had six sons by him.” So she named the boy Zebulun.

 

21 Some time later she had a daughter. She named her Dinah.

 

22 Then Alahim listened to Rachel. He showed concern for her. He made it possible for her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and had a son. Then she said, “Alahim has taken away my shame.” 24 She said, “May Yahuah give me another son.” So she named him Joseph.

 

Jacob Becomes the Owner of Large Flocks

25 After Rachel had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban. He said, “Send me on my way. I want to go back to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and children. I worked for you to get them. So I’ll be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

 

27 But Laban said to him, “If you are pleased with me, stay here. I’ve discovered that Yahuah has blessed me because of you.” 28 He continued, “Name your pay. I’ll give it to you.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you. You know that your livestock has done better under my care. 30 You had only a little before I came. But that little has become a lot. Yahuah has blessed you everywhere I’ve been. But when can I do something for my own family?”

31 “What should I give you?” Laban asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. 

​

“Just do one thing for me. Then I’ll go on taking care of your flocks and watching over them. 32 Let me go through all your flocks today. Let me remove every speckled or spotted sheep. Let me remove every dark-colored lamb. Let me remove every speckled or spotted goat. They will be my pay. 33 My honesty will be a witness about me in days to come. It will be a witness every time you check on what you have paid me. Suppose I have a goat that doesn’t have speckles or spots. Or suppose I have a lamb that isn’t dark colored. Then it will be considered stolen.”

 

34 “I agree,” said Laban. “Let’s do what you have said.” 35 That same day Laban removed all the male goats that had stripes or spots. He removed all the female goats that had speckles or spots. They were the ones that had white on them. He also removed all the dark-colored lambs. He had his sons take care of them. 36 Then he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob. But Jacob continued to take care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

 

37 Jacob took freshly cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees. He made white stripes on the branches by peeling off their bark. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the stone tubs where the animals drank water. He placed them there so they would be right in front of the flocks when they came to drink. The flocks were ready to mate when they came to drink. 39 So they mated in front of the branches. And the flocks gave birth to striped, speckled or spotted little ones. 40 Jacob put the little ones of the flock to one side by themselves. But he made the older ones face the striped and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. In that way, he made separate flocks for himself. He didn’t put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Every time the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the branches in the stone tubs. He would place them in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches. 42 But if the animals were weak, he wouldn’t place the branches there. So the weak animals went to Laban. And the strong ones went to Jacob. 43 That’s how Jacob became very rich. He became the owner of large flocks. He also had many male and female servants. And he had many camels and donkeys.

31

Jacob Runs Away From Laban

1 Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.

 

3 Then Yahuah spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He told them to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s feelings toward me have changed. But the Alahim of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength. 7 But your father has cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. In spite of everything that’s happened, Alahim hasn’t let him harm me. 8 Sometimes Laban would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with speckles. At other times he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with stripes. 9 So Alahim has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

 

10 “Once during the mating season I had a dream. In my dream I looked and saw male goats mating with the flock. The goats had stripes, speckles or spots. 11 The angel of Alahim said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 He said, ‘Look around you. See the male goats mating with the flock. All of them have stripes, speckles or spots. That’s because I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the Alahim of Bethel. That is where you poured olive oil on a sacred stone. There you made a promise to me. Now leave this land. Go back to your own land.’ ”

 

14 Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share of our father’s property? 

15 Doesn’t our father think of us as outsiders? First he sold us. Now he has used up what he was paid for us. 16 All the wealth Alahim took away from our father really belongs to us and our children. So do what Alahim has told you to do.”

 

17 Then Jacob put his children and wives on camels. 18 He drove all his livestock ahead of him. He also took with him everything he had acquired in Paddan Aram. He left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

 

19 Laban had gone to clip the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the statues of the family gods that belonged to her father. 20 And that’s not all. Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean. He didn’t tell him he was running away. 21 So Jacob ran off with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River. And he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

 

Laban Chases Jacob

22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away. 23 He took his relatives with him and went after Jacob. Seven days later he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then Alahim came to Laban, the Aramean, in a dream at night. He said to him, “Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.”

 

25 Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. 27 Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps. 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you. But last night the Alahim of your father spoke to me. He said, ‘Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.’ 30 Now you have run away. You longed to go back to your father’s home. But why did you have to steal the statues of my gods?”

 

31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has the statues of your gods, that person will not remain alive. While our relatives are watching, look for yourself. See if there’s anything of yours here with me. If you find anything belonging to you, take it.” But Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the statues.

 

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent. He went into the tent of their two female servants. But he didn’t find anything. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Rachel was the one who had taken the statues of Laban’s family gods. She had put them inside her camel’s saddle. She was sitting on them. Laban searched the whole tent. But he didn’t find anything.

 

35 Rachel said to her father, “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t get up for you right now. But don’t be angry with me. I’m having my monthly period.” So he searched everywhere but couldn’t find the statues of his gods.

 

36 Jacob was very angry with Laban. “What is my crime?” he asked. “What have I done to you that you hunt me down like this? 37 You have searched through all my things. What have you found that belongs to your family? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine. Let them decide between the two of us.

 

38 “I’ve been with you for 20 years now. The little ones of your sheep and goats were not dead when they were born. I haven’t eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I didn’t bring you animals torn apart by wild beasts. I made up for the loss myself. Also, you made me pay for anything stolen by day or night. 40 And what was my life like? The heat burned me in the daytime. And it was so cold at night that I froze. I couldn’t sleep. 41 That’s what it was like for the 20 years I was living with you. I worked for 14 years to marry your two daughters. I worked for six years to get my share of your flocks. You changed my pay ten times. 42 But the Alahim of my father was with me. He is the Alahim of Abraham and the Alahim Isaac worshiped. If he hadn’t been with me, you would surely have sent me away without anything to show for all my work. But Alahim has seen my hard times. He has seen all the work my hands have done. So last night he warned you.”

 

43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had? 44 Come now. Let’s make a formal agreement, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”

 

45 So Jacob set up a stone as a way to remember. 46 He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it. 47 Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.

 

48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May Yahuah keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that Alahim is a witness between you and me.”

 

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this pile of stones. And here is this stone I’ve set up. I’ve set them up between you and me. 52 This pile is a witness. And this stone is a witness. They are witnesses that I won’t go past this pile to harm you. And they are witnesses that you won’t go past this pile and this stone to harm me. 53 The Alahim of Abraham and Nahor is also the Alahim of their father. May their Alahim decide which of us is right.”

 

So Jacob made a promise using the name of the Alahim his father Isaac worshiped. 54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country. And he invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

 

55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He gave them his blessing. Then he left and returned home.

 

32

Jacob Gets Ready to Meet Esau

1 Jacob also went on his way. The angels of Alahim met him. 2 Jacob saw them. He said, “This is the army of Alahim!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

 

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir. It was also called the country of Edom. 4 Jacob told the messengers what to do. He said, “Here’s what you must tell my master Esau. ‘Your servant Jacob says, “I’ve been staying with Laban. I’ve remained there until now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats. I also have male and female servants. Now I’m sending this message to you. I hope I can please you.” ’ ”

 

6 The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, “We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.” 7 Jacob was very worried and afraid. So he separated the people with him into two groups. He also separated the flocks and herds and camels. 8 He thought, “Esau might come and attack one group. If he does, the group that’s left can escape.”

 

9 Then Jacob prayed, “You are the Alahim of my grandfather Abraham. You are the Alahim of my father Isaac. Lord, you are the one who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.’ 10 You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I’m not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I’ve become two camps. 11 Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I’m afraid he’ll come and attack me and the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.’ ”

 

13 Jacob spent the night there. He chose a gift for his brother Esau from what he had with him. 14 He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15 He chose 30 female camels with their little ones. He chose 40 cows and ten bulls. And he chose 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put each herd by itself. Then he put his servants in charge of them. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me. Keep some space between the herds.”

 

17 Jacob spoke to his servant who was leading the way. He said, “My brother Esau will meet you. He’ll ask, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? And who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 Then say to Esau, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift to you from him. And Jacob is coming behind us.’ ”

 

19 He also spoke to the second and third servants. He told them and all the others who followed the herds what to do. He said, “Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 Make sure you say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” Jacob was thinking, “I’ll make peace with him with these gifts I’m sending on ahead. When I see him later, maybe he’ll welcome me.” 21 So Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him. But he himself spent the night in the camp.

 

Jacob Wrestles With Alahim

22 That night Jacob got up. He took his two wives, his two female servants and his 11 sons and sent them across the Jabbok River. 23 After they had crossed the stream, he sent over everything he owned. 24 So Jacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him until morning. 25 The man saw that he couldn’t win. So he touched the inside of Jacob’s hip. As Jacob wrestled with the man, Jacob’s hip was twisted. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go. It is morning.”

 

But Jacob replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with Alahim and with people. And you have won.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there. 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel. He said, “I saw Alahim face to face. But I’m still alive!”

 

31 The sun rose above Jacob as he passed by Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. 32 That’s why the Israelites don’t eat the meat attached to the inside of an animal’s hip. They don’t eat it to this day. It’s because the inside of Jacob’s hip was touched.

 

33

Jacob Meets Esau

1 Jacob looked and saw Esau coming with his 400 men! So Jacob separated the children. He put them with Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the servants and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. And he put Rachel and Joseph last. 3 He himself went on ahead. As he came near his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times.

 

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob. He hugged him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him, and they cried for joy. 5 Then Esau looked around and saw the women and children. “Who are these people with you?” he asked.

 

Jacob answered, “They are the children Alahim has so kindly given to me.” 6 Then the female servants and their children came near and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel. They bowed down too. 8 Esau asked, “Why did you send all those herds I saw?”

 

“I hoped I could do something to please you,” Jacob replied.

9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” 10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I’ve pleased you, accept this gift from me. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of Alahim. You have welcomed me so kindly. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you. Alahim has given me so much. I have everything I need.” Jacob wouldn’t give in. So Esau accepted it. 12 Then Esau said, “Let’s be on our way. I’ll go with you.”

 

13 But Jacob said to him, “You know that the children are young. You also know that I have to take care of the cows and female sheep that are feeding their little ones. If the animals are driven hard for just one day, all of them will die. 14 So you go on ahead of me. I’ll move along only as fast as the flocks and herds and the children can go. I’ll go slowly until I come to you in Seir.” 15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“Why do that?” Jacob asked. “I just hope I’ve pleased you.” 16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 But Jacob went to Sukkoth. There he built a place for himself. He also made shelters for his livestock. That’s why the place is named Sukkoth.

 

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan. He camped where he could see the city. 19 For 100 pieces of silver he bought a piece of land. He got it from Hamor’s sons. Hamor was the father of Shechem. Jacob set up his tent on that piece of land. 20 He also set up an altar there. He named it El Elohe Israel.

 

34

Simeon and Levi Kill the Men of Shechem

1 Dinah was the daughter Leah had by Jacob. Dinah went out to visit the women of the land. 2 Hamor, the Hivite, was the ruler of that area. When his son Shechem saw Dinah, he took her and raped her. 3 Then he longed for Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her. 4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me that young woman. I want her to be my wife.”

5 Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been raped. His sons were in the fields with his livestock. So he did nothing about it until they came home.

 

6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and very angry. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob’s daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.

 

8 But Hamor said to Jacob and his sons, “My son Shechem wants your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. 9 Let your people and ours get married to each other. Give us your daughters as our wives. You can have our daughters as your wives. 10 You can live among us. Here is the land. Live in it. Trade in it. Buy property in it.”

 

11 Then Shechem spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. He said, “I want to please you. I’ll give you anything you ask for. 12 Make the price for the bride as high as you want to. I’ll pay you whatever you ask. Just give me the young woman. I want to marry her.”

 

13 Their sister Dinah had been raped. So Jacob’s sons lied to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do it. We can’t give our sister to a man who isn’t circumcised. That would bring shame on us. 15 We’ll agree, but only on one condition. You will have to become like us. You will have to circumcise all your males. 16 Then we’ll give you our daughters as your wives. And we’ll take your daughters as our wives. We’ll live among you and become one big family with you. 17 But if you won’t agree to be circumcised, then we’ll take our sister and go.”

 

18 Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man was the most honored of all his father’s family. He didn’t lose any time in doing what Dinah’s father and brothers had said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20 Hamor and his son Shechem went to the city gate. They spoke to the other men there. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land. Let them trade in it. The land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters. And they can marry ours. 22 But they will agree to live with us as one big family only on one condition. All our males must be circumcised, just as they are. 23 Won’t their livestock and their property belong to us? Won’t all their animals become ours? So let’s say yes to them. Then they’ll live among us.”

 

24 All the men who went out through the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. So every male in the city was circumcised.

 

25 Three days later, all of them were still in pain. Then Simeon and Levi took their swords. They were Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers. They attacked the city when the people didn’t expect it. They killed every male. 26 They also used their swords to kill Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s other sons found the dead bodies. They robbed the city where their sister had been raped. 28 They took the flocks and herds and donkeys. They took everything in the city and in the fields. 29 They carried everything away. And they took all the women and children. They took away everything in the houses.

 

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me. Now I’m like a very bad smell to the Canaanites and Perizzites who live in this land. There aren’t many of us. They may join together against me and attack me. Then I and my family will be destroyed.”

 

31 But they replied, “Should Shechem have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

 

35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

1 Then Alahim said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to honor me. That’s where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”

2 So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone with him. He said, “Get rid of the statues of false gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure by washing and changing your clothes. 3 Come, let’s go up to Bethel. There I’ll build an altar to honor Alahim. He answered me when I was in trouble. He’s been with me everywhere I’ve gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the statues of false gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried those things under the oak tree at Shechem. 5 Then Jacob and everyone with him started out. The terror of Alahim fell on the towns all around them. So no one chased them.

 

6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz. Luz is also called Bethel. It’s in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar at Luz. He named the place El Bethel. There Alahim made himself known to Jacob when he was running away from his brother. 8 Rebekah’s attendant Deborah died. They buried her body under the oak tree outside Bethel. So it was called Allon Bakuth.

 

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, Alahim appeared to him again. And Alahim blessed him. 10 Alahim said to him, “Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. 11 Alahim said to him, “I am the Mighty Alahim. Have children so that there will be many of you. You will become the father of a nation and a community of nations. Your later family will include kings. 12 I am giving you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give it to your children after you.” 13 Then Alahim left him at the place where he had talked with him.

 

14 Jacob set up a sacred stone at the place where Alahim had talked with him. He poured out a drink offering on it. He also poured olive oil on it. 15 Jacob named the place Bethel. That’s where Alahim had talked with him.

 

Rachel and Isaac Die

16 They moved on from Bethel. Ephrath wasn’t very far away when Rachel began to have a baby. She was having a very hard time of it. 17 The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to Rachel, “Don’t be afraid. You have another son.” 18 But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.

 

19 So Rachel died. She was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a stone marker over her tomb. To this day, the stone marks the place where Rachel was buried.

 

21 Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben’s father. And Israel heard about it.

 

Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.

23 Leah was the mother of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son. Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Rachel’s female servant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Leah’s female servant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.

 

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Mamre is near Kiriath Arba, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The place is also called Hebron. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 Then he took his last breath and died. He was very old when he joined the members of his family who had already died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

 

36

The Family Line of Esau

36 Here is the story of the family line of Esau. Esau was also called Edom. 2 Esau got his wives from among the women of Canaan. He married Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. He also married Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. 3 And he married Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.

4 Adah had Eliphaz by Esau. Basemath had Reuel. 5 Oholibamah had Jeush, Jalam and Korah. All of them were Esau’s sons. They were born in Canaan.

 

6 Esau moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob. Esau took with him his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the people who lived with him. He also took his livestock and all his other animals. He took everything he had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob and Esau owned so much that they couldn’t remain together. There wasn’t enough land for both of them. They had too much livestock. 8 So Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir. Esau was also called Edom.

 

9 Here is the story of the family line of Esau. He’s the father of the people of Edom. They live in the hill country of Seir. 10 Here are the names of Esau’s sons. They are Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. 12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna. She had Amalek by Eliphaz. They were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah. 13 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. They were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 14 Esau’s wife Oholibamah was the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon. She had Jeush, Jalam and Korah by Esau. 15 Here are the chiefs among Esau’s sons. Eliphaz was Esau’s oldest son. The sons of Eliphaz were Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam and Amalek. They were the chiefs in Edom who were sons of Eliphaz. They were Adah’s grandsons. 17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel were Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. They were the chiefs in Edom who were sons of Reuel. They were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah were Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. They were the chiefs who were sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah. She was Anah’s daughter. 19 That was the family line of Esau. And these were the chiefs. Esau was also called Edom. 20 Seir, the Horite, had sons living in the same area. They were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister. 23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. He was the Anah who discovered the hot springs of water in the desert. He found them while he was taking care of the donkeys that belonged to his father Zibeon. 25 The children of Anah were Dishon and Oholibamah. Oholibamah was the daughter of Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29 The Horite chiefs were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. They were the Horite chiefs in the land of Seir. They are listed tribe by tribe.

 

The Rulers of Edom

31 Before Israel had a king, there were kings who ruled in Edom. 32 Bela became the king of Edom. Bela was the son of Beor. Bela’s city was called Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab became the next king. Jobab was the son of Zerah from Bozrah. 34 When Jobab died, Husham became the next king. Husham was from the land of the Temanites. 35 When Husham died, Hadad became the next king. Hadad was the son of Bedad. Hadad had won the battle over Midian in the country of Moab. Hadad’s city was called Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah became the next king. Samlah was from Masrekah. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul became the next king. Shaul was from Rehoboth on the river. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan became the next king. Baal-Hanan was the son of Akbor. 39 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad became the next king. Hadad’s city was called Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel. She was Matred’s daughter. Matred was the daughter of Me-Zahab. 40 Here are the chiefs in the family line of Esau. They are listed by name as chiefs in charge of their tribes and territories. They are Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. They were the chiefs of Edom. They ruled over their settlements in the land where they lived.

That’s the end of the story of the family line of Esau. He was the father of the people of Edom.

 

37

Joseph Has Two Dreams

1 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed.

 

2 Here is the story of the family line of Jacob.

Joseph was a young man. He was 17 years old. He was taking care of the flocks with some of his brothers. They were the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father Jacob. Joseph brought their father a bad report about his brothers.

 

3 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe. 4 Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn’t even speak one kind word to him.

 

5 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had. 7 We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”

 

8 His brothers said to him, “Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said.

 

9 Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said. “I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.”

 

10 He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. He said, “What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will we really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.

Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers

12 Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I’m going to send you to them.”

 

“All right,” Joseph replied.

 

14 So Israel said to him, “Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me.” So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley.

 

Joseph arrived at Shechem. 15 A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, “What are you looking for?”

 

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?”

 

17 “They’ve moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”

 

So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.

 

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. 20 “Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.”

 

21 Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t spill any of his blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don’t harm him yourselves.” Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back to his father.

 

23 When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. 24 And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat their meal. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, lotion and myrrh. They were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

 

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we’ve done? 27 Come. Let’s sell him to these traders. Let’s not harm him ourselves. After all, he’s our brother. He’s our own flesh and blood.” Judah’s brothers agreed with him.

 

28 The traders from Midian came by. Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for eight ounces of silver. Then the traders took him to Egypt.

 

29 Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn’t there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Now what should I do?”

 

31 Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the robe back to their father. They said, “We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.”

 

33 Jacob recognized it. He said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces.”

 

34 Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days. 35 All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, “I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father mourned for him.

 

36 But the traders from Midian sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

 

 

38

Judah and Tamar

1 At that time, Judah left his brothers. He went down to stay with a man named Hirah from the town of Adullam. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a man from Canaan. His name was Shua. Judah married her and slept with her. 3 She became pregnant and had a son. They named him Er. 4 She became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Onan. 5 She had still another son. She named him Shelah. He was born at Kezib.

 

6 Judah got a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar. 7 But Judah’s oldest son Er was evil in Yahuah’s eyes. So Yahuah put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. After all, you are her brother-in-law. So carry out your duty to her. Provide children for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the children wouldn’t belong to him. So every time he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground. He did it so he wouldn’t provide children for his brother. 10 What he did was evil in Yahuah’s eyes. So Yahuah put him to death also.

 

11 Then Judah spoke to his daughter-in-law Tamar. He said, “Live as a widow in your father’s home. Wait there until my son Shelah grows up.” Judah was thinking, “Shelah might die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s home.

 

12 After a long time Judah’s wife died. She was the daughter of Shua. When Judah got over his sadness, he went up to Timnah. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. Men were clipping the wool from Judah’s sheep at Timnah. 13 Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to clip the wool from his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s clothes. She covered her face with a veil so people wouldn’t know who she was. Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim. Enaim is on the road to Timnah. Tamar knew that Shelah had grown up. But she hadn’t been given to him as his wife.

 

15 Judah saw her. He thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face with a veil. 16 He didn’t realize that she was his daughter-in-law. He went over to her by the side of the road. He said, “Come. Let me sleep with you.”

“What will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.

17 “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something that belongs to you?” she asked. “I’ll keep it until you send the goat.”

18 He said, “What should I give you?”

“Give me your official seal and the string that it hangs from,” she answered. “And give me your walking stick.” So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her. And she became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil. She put on her widow’s clothes again.

 

20 Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat he had promised. He wanted to get back what he had given to the woman. But his friend Hirah couldn’t find her. 21 He asked the men who lived at Enaim, “Where’s the temple prostitute? She used to sit beside the road here.”

“There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here,” they said.

 

22 So Hirah went back to Judah. He said, “I couldn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there didn’t know anything about her. They said, ‘There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here.’ ” 23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has. I don’t want people making fun of us. After all, I did send her this young goat. We can’t help it if you couldn’t find her.”

 

24 About three months later people brought word to Judah. They said, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of being a prostitute. Now she’s pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out! Have her burned to death!”

 

25 As Tamar was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. She said, “I am pregnant by the man who owns these.” She continued, “Do you recognize this seal and string and walking stick? Do you know who they belong to?” 26 Judah recognized them. He said, “She’s a better person than I am. I should have given her to my son Shelah, but I didn’t.” Judah never slept with Tamar again.

 

27 The time came for Tamar to have her baby. There were twin boys inside her. 28 As the babies were being born, one of them stuck out his hand. So the woman helping Tamar took a bright red thread. The woman tied it on the baby’s wrist. She said, “This one came out first.” 29 But he pulled his hand back, and his brother came out first instead. She said, “Just look at how you have forced your way out!” So he was called Perez. 30 Then his brother, who had the red thread on his wrist, came out. So he was named Zerah.

 

39

Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar

1 Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard. 2 Yahuah was with Joseph. He gave him great success. Joseph lived in Potiphar’s house. 3 Joseph’s master saw that Yahuah was with him. He saw that Yahuah made Joseph successful in everything he did. 4 So Potiphar was pleased with Joseph and made him his attendant. He put Joseph in charge of his house. He trusted Joseph to take care of everything he owned. 5 From that time on, Yahuah blessed Potiphar’s family and servants because of Joseph. He blessed everything Potiphar had in his house and field. 6 So Joseph took good care of everything Potiphar owned. With Joseph in charge, Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything except the food he ate.

 

Joseph was strong and handsome. 7 After a while, his master’s wife noticed Joseph. She said to him, “Come to bed with me!”

 

8 But he refused. “My master has put me in charge,” he told her. “Now he doesn’t have to worry about anything in the house. He trusts me to take care of everything he owns. 9 No one in this house is in a higher position than I am. My master hasn’t held anything back from me, except you. You are his wife. So how could I do an evil thing like that? How could I sin against Alahim?” 10 She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he told her he wouldn’t go to bed with her. He didn’t even want to be with her.

 

11 One day Joseph went into the house to take care of his duties. None of the family servants was inside. 12 Potiphar’s wife grabbed him by his coat. “Come to bed with me!” she said. But he left his coat in her hand. And he ran out of the house.

 

13 She saw that he had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house. 14 So she called her servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew slave has been brought here to make fun of us! He came in here to force me to have sex with him. But I screamed for help. 15 He heard my scream. So he left his coat beside me and ran out of the house.”

 

16 She kept Joseph’s coat with her until Potiphar came home. 17 Then she told him her story. She said, “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to rape me. 18 But I screamed for help. So he left his coat beside me and ran out of the house.”

 

19 Potiphar’s wife told him, “That’s how your slave treated me.” When Joseph’s master heard her story, he became very angry. 20 So he put Joseph in prison. It was the place where the king’s prisoners were kept.

 

While Joseph was there in the prison, 21 Yahuah was with him. He was kind to him. So the man running the prison was pleased with Joseph. 22 He put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. He made him responsible for everything done there. 23 The man who ran the prison didn’t pay attention to anything in Joseph’s care. That’s because Yahuah was with Joseph. He gave Joseph success in everything he did.

 

 

40

The Wine Taster and the Baker

1 Some time later, the Egyptian king’s baker and wine taster did something their master didn’t like. 2 So Pharaoh became angry with his two officials, the chief wine taster and the chief baker. 3 He put them in prison in the house of the captain of the palace guard. It was the same prison where Joseph was kept. 4 The captain put Joseph in charge of those men. So Joseph took care of them.

 

Some time passed while they were in prison. 5 Then each of the two men had a dream. The men were the Egyptian king’s baker and wine taster. They were being held in prison. Both of them had dreams the same night. Each of their dreams had its own meaning.

 

6 Joseph came to them the next morning. He saw that they were sad. 7 They were Pharaoh’s officials, and they were in prison with Joseph in his master’s house. So he asked them, “Why do you look so sad today?”

 

8 “We both had dreams,” they answered. “But no one can tell us what they mean.” Then Joseph said to them, “Only Alahim knows what dreams mean. Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief wine taster told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me. 10 There were three branches on the vine. As soon as it budded, it flowered. And bunches of ripe grapes grew on it. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand. I took the grapes. I squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup. Then I put the cup in his hand.”

12 “Here’s what your dream means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will let you out of prison. He’ll give your job back to you. And you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand. That’s what you used to do when you were his wine taster. 14 But when everything is going well with you, remember me. Do me a favor. Speak to Pharaoh about me. Get me out of this prison. 15 I was taken away from the land of the Hebrews by force. Even here I haven’t done anything to be put in prison for.”

16 The chief baker saw that Joseph had given a positive meaning to the wine taster’s dream. So he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too. There were three baskets of bread on my head. 17 All kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh were in the top basket. But the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

 

18 “Here’s what your dream means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will cut your head off. Then he will stick a pole through your body and set the pole up. The birds will eat your flesh.”

 

20 The third day was Pharaoh’s birthday. He had a feast prepared for all his officials. He brought the chief wine taster and the chief baker out of prison. He did it in front of his officials. 21 He gave the chief wine taster’s job back to him. Once again the wine taster put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh had a pole stuck through the chief baker’s body. Then he had the pole set up. Everything happened just as Joseph had told them when he explained their dreams.

 

23 But the chief wine taster didn’t remember Joseph. In fact, he forgot all about him.

41

Pharaoh Has Two Dreams

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream. In his dream, he was standing by the Nile River. 2 Seven cows came up out of the river. They looked healthy and fat. They were eating some of the tall grass growing along the river. 3 After them, seven other cows came up out of the Nile. They looked ugly and skinny. They were standing beside the other cows on the riverbank. 4 The ugly, skinny cows ate up the seven cows that looked healthy and fat. Then Pharaoh woke up.

 

5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream. In that dream, seven heads of grain were growing on one stem. They were healthy and good. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain came up. They were thin and dried up by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up. It had been a dream.

 

8 In the morning he was worried. So he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams. But no one could tell him what they meant.

 

9 Then the chief wine taster spoke up. He said to Pharaoh, “Now I remember that I’ve done something wrong. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants. He put me and the chief baker in prison. We were in the house of the captain of the palace guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night. Each dream had its own meaning. 12 A young Hebrew servant was there with us. He was a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams. And he explained them to us. He told each of us the meaning of our dreams. 13 Things turned out exactly as he said they would. I was given back my job. The other man had a pole stuck through his body.”

 

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of the prison. Joseph shaved and changed his clothes. Then he came to Pharaoh.

 

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream. No one can tell me what it means. But I’ve heard that when you hear a dream you can explain it.”

​

16 “I can’t do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh. “But Alahim will give Pharaoh the answer he wants.”

 

17 Then Pharaoh told Joseph what he had dreamed. He said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 18 Seven cows came up out of the river. They were fat and looked healthy. They were eating the tall grass growing along the river. 19 After them, seven other cows came up. They were bony and very ugly and thin. I had never seen such ugly cows in the whole land of Egypt. 20 The thin, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But no one could tell that the thin cows had eaten the fat cows. That’s because the thin cows looked just as ugly as they had before. Then I woke up.

22 “In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain. They were full and good. They were all growing on one stem. 23 After them, seven other heads of grain came up. They were weak and thin and dried up by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told my dream to the magicians. But none of them could explain it to me.”

 

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams have the same meaning. Alahim has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good heads of grain are seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven thin, ugly cows that came up later are seven years. So are the seven worthless heads of grain dried up by the east wind. They are seven years when there won’t be enough food.

 

28 “It’s just as I said to Pharaoh. Alahim has shown Pharaoh what he’s about to do. 29 Seven years with plenty of food are coming to the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years when there won’t be enough food will follow them. Then everyone will forget about all the food Egypt had. Terrible hunger will destroy the land. 31 There won’t be anything left to remind people of the years when there was plenty of food in the land. That’s how bad the hunger that follows will be. 32 Alahim gave the dream to Pharaoh in two forms. That’s because the matter has been firmly decided by Alahim. And it’s because Alahim will do it soon.

 

33 “So Pharaoh should look for a wise and understanding man. He should put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should appoint officials to be in charge of the land. They should take a fifth of the harvest in Egypt during the seven years when there’s plenty of food. 35 They should collect all the extra food of the good years that are coming. Pharaoh should give them authority to store up the grain. They should keep it in the cities for food. 36 The grain should be stored up for the country to use later. It will be needed during the seven years when there isn’t enough food in Egypt. Then the country won’t be destroyed just because it doesn’t have enough food.”

 

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh said to them, “The spirit of Alahim is in this man. We can’t find anyone else like him, can we?”

 

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Alahim has made all this known to you. No one is as wise and understanding as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my palace. All my people must obey your orders. I will be greater than you only because I’m the one who sits on the throne.”

 

Joseph Is Put in Charge of Egypt

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I’m putting you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took from his finger the ring he used to give his official stamp. He put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes made out of fine linen. He put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck. 43 He also had him ride in a chariot. Joseph was now next in command after Pharaoh. People went in front of Joseph and shouted, “Get down on your knees!” By doing all these things, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

 

44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. But unless you give an order, no one will do anything in the whole land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave Joseph a wife. She was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On. Joseph traveled all over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He left Pharaoh’s palace and traveled all over Egypt. 47 During the seven years there was plenty of food. The land produced more than the people needed. 48 Joseph collected all the extra food produced in those seven years in Egypt. He stored it in the cities. In each city he stored up the food grown in the fields around it. 49 Joseph stored up huge amounts of grain. There was as much of it as sand by the sea. There was so much grain it couldn’t be measured. So Joseph stopped keeping records of it.

​

50 Before the years when there wasn’t enough food, two sons were born to Joseph. He had them by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On. 51 Joseph named his first son Manasseh. That’s because he said, “Alahim has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s whole family.” 52 He named the second son Ephraim. That’s because he said, “Alahim has given me children in the land where I’ve suffered so much.”

 

53 The seven years when there was plenty of food in Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years when there wasn’t enough food began. It happened just as Joseph had said it would. There wasn’t enough food in any of the other lands. But in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the people of Egypt began to get hungry, they cried out to Pharaoh for food. He told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you.”

 

56 There wasn’t enough food anywhere in the country. So Joseph opened the storerooms. He sold grain to the Egyptians because people were very hungry all over Egypt. 57 People from all over the world came to Egypt. They came to buy grain from Joseph. That’s because people were very hungry everywhere.

 

42

Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt

42 Jacob found out that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at one another?” 2 He continued, “I’ve heard there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there. Buy some for us. Then we’ll live and not die.”

 

3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain there. 4 But Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them. He was afraid Benjamin might be harmed. 5 Israel’s sons were among the people who went to buy grain. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was the governor of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all its people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended to be a stranger. He spoke to them in a mean way. “Where do you come from?” he asked.

 

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We’ve come to buy food.”

 

8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered his dreams about them. So he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”

 

10 “No, sir,” they answered. “We’ve come to buy food. 11 All of us are the sons of one man. We’re honest men. We aren’t spies.”

 

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”

 

13 But they replied, “We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one man. He lives in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is now with our father. And one brother is gone.”

 

14 Joseph said to them, “I still say you are spies! 15 So I’m going to test you. And here’s the test. You can be sure that you won’t leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. You can be just as sure of this as you are sure that Pharaoh lives. I give you my word that you won’t leave here unless your brother comes. 16 Send one of you back to get your brother. The rest of you will be kept in prison. I’ll test your words. Then we’ll find out whether you are telling the truth. You can be sure that Pharaoh lives. And you can be just as sure that if you aren’t telling the truth, we’ll know that you are spies!” 17 So Joseph kept all of them under guard for three days.

 

18 On the third day, Joseph spoke to them again. He said, “Do what I say. Then you will live, because I have respect for Alahim. 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison. The rest of you may go and take grain back to your hungry families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me. That will prove that your words are true. Then you won’t die.” So they did what he said.

 

21 They said to one another, “Alahim is surely punishing us because of our brother. We saw how upset he was when he begged us to let him live. But we wouldn’t listen. That’s why all this trouble has come to us.”

 

22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we’re being paid back for killing him.” 23 They didn’t realize that Joseph could understand what they were saying. He was using someone else to explain their words to him in the Egyptian language.

 

24 Joseph turned away from his brothers and began to weep. Then he came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken and tied up right there in front of them.

 

25 Joseph gave orders to have their bags filled with grain. He had each man’s money put back into his sack. He also made sure they were given food for their journey. 26 Then the brothers loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

 

27 When night came, they stopped. One of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey. He saw his money in the top of his sack. 28 “My money has been given back,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”

 

They had a sinking feeling in their hearts. They began to tremble. They turned to one another and said, “What has Alahim done to us?”

 

29 They came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him everything that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is the governor of the land spoke to us in a mean way. He treated us as if we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We’re honest men. We aren’t spies. 32 We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one father. But now one brother is gone. And our youngest brother is with our father in Canaan.’

33 “Then the man who is the governor of the land spoke to us. He said, ‘Here’s how I will know whether you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me. Take food for your hungry families and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me. Then I’ll know that you are honest men and not spies. I’ll give your brother back to you. And you will be free to trade in the land.’ ”

 

35 They began emptying their sacks. There in each man’s sack was his bag of money! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were scared to death. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have taken my children away from me. Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

 

37 Then Reuben spoke to his father. He said, “You can put both of my sons to death if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. Trust me to take care of him. I’ll bring him back.”

 

38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you. His brother is dead. He’s the only one left here with me. Suppose he’s harmed on the journey you are taking. Then I would die as a sad old man.”

 

43

Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt Again

1 There still wasn’t enough food anywhere in the land. 2 After a while Jacob’s family had eaten all the grain the brothers had brought from Egypt. So their father said to them, “Go back. Buy us a little more food.”

 

3 But Judah said to him, “The man gave us a strong warning. He said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother Benjamin is with you.’ 4 So send our brother along with us. Then we’ll go down and buy food for you. 5 If you won’t send him, we won’t go down. The man said to us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ” 6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble to me? Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”

 

7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. He asked us, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

 

8 Judah spoke to Israel his father. “Send the boy along with me,” he said. “We’ll go right away. Then we and you and our children will live and not die. 9 I myself promise to keep Benjamin safe. You can blame me if I don’t bring him back to you. I’ll set him right here in front of you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life. 10 As it is, we’ve already waited too long. We could have made the trip to Egypt and back twice by now.”

 

11 Then their father Israel spoke to them. He said, “If that’s the way it has to be, then do what I tell you. Put some of the best things from our land in your bags. Take them down to the man as a gift. Take some lotion and a little honey. Take some spices and myrrh. Take some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take twice the amount of money with you. You have to give back the money that was put in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. 13 Also take your brother. Go back to the man at once. 14 May the Mighty Alahim cause him to show you mercy. May the man let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. And if I lose my sons, I lose them.”

 

15 So the men took the gifts. They took twice the amount of money. They also took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and went to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he spoke to the manager of his house. “Take these men to my house,” he said. “Kill an animal and prepare a meal. I want them to eat with me at noon.” 17 The manager did what Joseph told him to do. He took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 They were frightened when they were taken to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us. Then he can hold us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

​

19 So they went up to Joseph’s manager. They spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “Please, sir,” they said. “We came down here the first time to buy food. 21 We opened our sacks at the place where we stopped for the night. Each of us found in our sacks the exact amount of the money we had paid. So we’ve brought it back with us. 22 We’ve also brought more money with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”

 

23 “It’s all right,” the manager said. “Don’t be afraid. Your Alahim, the Alahim of your father, has given you riches in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

 

24 The manager took the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet. He provided feed for their donkeys. 25 The brothers prepared their gifts for Joseph. He was planning to arrive at noon. They had heard that they were going to eat there.

 

26 When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought into the house. They bowed down low in front of him. 27 He asked them how they were. Then he said, “How is your old father you told me about? Is he still living?”

 

28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down to show him honor.

 

29 Joseph looked around. Then he saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son. He asked, “Is this your youngest brother? Is he the one you told me about?” He continued, “May Alahim be gracious to you, my son.” 30 It moved him deeply to see his brother. So Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to cry. He went into his own room and cried there.

 

31 Then he washed his face and came out. He calmed down and said, “Serve the food.”

 

32 They served Joseph by himself. They served the brothers by themselves. They also served the Egyptians who ate with Joseph by themselves. Because of their beliefs, Egyptians couldn’t eat with Hebrews. 33 The brothers had been given places in front of Joseph. They had been seated in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest. That made them look at each other in great surprise. 34 While they were eating, some food was brought to them from Joseph’s table. Benjamin was given five times as much as anyone else. So all Joseph’s brothers ate and drank a lot with him.

 

44

A Silver Cup in a Sack

1 Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry,” he said. “Put each man’s money in his sack. 2 Then put my silver cup in the youngest one’s sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.” So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.

 

3 When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They hadn’t gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager. “Go after those men right away,” he said. “Catch up with them. Say to them, ‘My master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil? 5 Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from? Doesn’t he also use it to find things out? You have done an evil thing.’ ”

 

6 When the manager caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said. 7 But they said to him, “Why do you say these things? We would never do anything like that! 8 We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves.”

 

10 “All right, then,” he said. “As you wish. The one found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will not be blamed.”

 

11 Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it. 12 Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.

 

14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that a man like me has ways to find things out?”

 

16 “What can we say to you?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove we haven’t done anything wrong? Alahim has shown you that we are guilty. We are now your slaves. All of us are, including the one found to have the cup.”

 

17 But Joseph said, “I would never do anything like that! Only the man found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

 

18 Then Judah went up to him. He said, “Please, sir. Let me speak a word to you. Don’t be angry with me, even though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 You asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 We answered, ‘We have an old father. A young son was born to him when he was old. His brother is dead. He’s the only one of his mother’s sons left. And his father loves him.’

 

21 “Then you said to us, ‘Bring him down to me. I want to see him for myself.’ 22 We said to you, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If he does, his father will die.’ 23 But you told us, ‘Your youngest brother must come down here with you. If he doesn’t, you won’t see my face again.’ 24 So we went back to my father. We told him what you had said.

 

25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back. Buy a little more food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We can’t go down. We’ll only go if our youngest brother goes there with us. We can’t even see the man’s face unless our youngest brother goes with us.’

 

27 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife had two sons by me. 28 One of them went away from me. And I said, “He must have been torn to pieces.” I haven’t seen him since. 29 What if you take this one from me too and he is harmed? Then you would cause me to die as a sad old man. I would go down into the grave full of pain and suffering.’

 

30 “So now, what will happen if the boy isn’t with us when I go back to my father? His life depends on the boy’s life. 31 When he sees that the boy isn’t with us, he’ll die. Because of us, he’ll go down into the grave as a sad old man. 32 I promised my father I would keep the boy safe. I said, ‘Father, I’ll bring him back to you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.’

 

33 “Now then, please let me stay here. Let me be your slave in place of the boy. Let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? No! Don’t let me see the pain and suffering that would come to my father.”

 

45

Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

1 Joseph couldn’t control himself anymore in front of all his attendants. He cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” So there wasn’t anyone with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was. 2 He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. Everyone in Pharaoh’s house heard about it.

 

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers weren’t able to answer him. They were too afraid of him. 4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” So they did. Then he said, “I am your brother Joseph. I’m the one you sold into Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset. And don’t be angry with yourselves because you sold me here. Alahim sent me ahead of you to save many lives. 6 For two years now, there hasn’t been enough food in the land. And for the next five years, people won’t be plowing or gathering crops. 7 But Alahim sent me ahead of you to keep some of you alive on earth. He sent me here to save your lives by an act of mighty power.

 

8 “So then, it wasn’t you who sent me here. It was Alahim. He made me like a father to Pharaoh. He made me master of Pharaoh’s entire house. Alahim made me ruler of the whole land of Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father. Say to him, ‘Your son Joseph says, “Alahim has made me master of the whole land of Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t waste any time. 10 You will live in the area of Goshen. You, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you have will be near me. 11 There I will provide everything you need. There are still five years to come when there won’t be enough food. If you don’t come down here, you and your family and everyone who belongs to you will lose everything.” ’

 

12 “My brothers, I am Joseph. You can see for yourselves that I am the one speaking to you. My brother Benjamin can see it too. 13 Tell my father about all the honor given to me in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

 

14 Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept. Benjamin also hugged him and wept. 15 Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

 

16 The news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come. Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Here’s what I want you to tell your brothers. Say to them, ‘Load your animals. Return to the land of Canaan. 18 Bring your father and your families back to me. I’ll give you the best land in Egypt. You can enjoy all the good things in the land.’

 

19 “And here’s something else I want you to tell them. Say to them, ‘Take some carts from Egypt. Your children and your wives can use them. Get your father and come back. 20 Don’t worry about the things you have back there. The best of everything in Egypt will belong to you.’ ”

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21 Then the sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded. He also gave them supplies for their journey. 22 He gave new clothes to each of them. But he gave Benjamin more than seven pounds of silver. He also gave him five sets of clothes. 23 He sent his father ten male donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt. He also sent ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other supplies for his journey. 24 Then Joseph sent his brothers away. As they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t argue on the way!”

 

25 So they went up out of Egypt. They came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of the whole land of Egypt.” Jacob was shocked. He didn’t believe them. 27 So they told him everything Joseph had said to them. Jacob saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back. That gave new life to their father Jacob. 28 Israel said, “I believe it now! My son Joseph is still alive. I’ll go and see him before I die.”

 

46

Jacob Goes Down to Egypt

1 So Israel started out with everything that belonged to him. When he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the Alahim of his father Isaac.

2 Alahim spoke to Israel in a vision at night. “Jacob! Jacob!” he said.

“Here I am,” Jacob replied.

3 “I am Alahim. I am the Alahim of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. There I will make you into a great nation. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you. I will surely bring you back again. And when you die, Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand.”

 

5 Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob and their families in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 So Jacob and his whole family went to Egypt. They took their livestock with them. And they took everything they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought his sons and grandsons with him to Egypt. He also brought his daughters and granddaughters. He brought his whole family with him.

 

8 Here are the names of Israel’s children and grandchildren who went to Egypt. Jacob and his whole family are included.

 

Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son. 9 The sons of Reuben were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. 10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a woman from Canaan. 11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah. But Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

 

15 These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Leah in Paddan Aram. Leah also had a daughter by Jacob. Her name was Dinah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Leah was 33. 16 The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel. 18 These were the children and grandchildren born to Jacob and Zilpah. Laban had given Zilpah to his daughter Leah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Zilpah was 16.

 

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Asenath had Manasseh and Ephraim by Joseph. Asenath was the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On. 21 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. 22 These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Rachel. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Rachel was 14. 23 The son of Dan was Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. 25 These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Bilhah. Laban had given Bilhah to his daughter Rachel. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Bilhah was seven.

26 The total number of people who went to Egypt with Jacob was 66. That number includes only his own children and grandchildren. It doesn’t include his sons’ wives or his grandsons’ wives. 27 The total number of the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt was 70. That includes the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt.

 

28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph. He sent him to get directions to Goshen. And so they arrived in the area of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph had his servants get his chariot ready. He went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he came to his father, Joseph threw his arms around him. Then Joseph wept for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “I have seen for myself that you are still alive. Now I’m ready to die.”

 

31 Then Joseph spoke to his brothers and to the rest of his father’s family. He said, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and the rest of my father’s family have come to me. They were living in the land of Canaan. 32 The men are shepherds. They take care of livestock. They’ve brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 Pharaoh will send for you. He’ll ask, ‘What do you do for a living?’ 34 You should answer, ‘We’ve taken care of livestock from the time we were boys. We’ve done just as our fathers did.’ It’s the practice of the people of Egypt not to mix with shepherds. So Pharaoh will let you settle in the area of Goshen.”

 

47

1 Joseph went to Pharaoh. He told him, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Canaan. They’ve brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in Goshen.” 2 Joseph had chosen five of his brothers to meet with Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What do you do for a living?”

“We’re shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh. “And that’s what our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We’ve come to live in Egypt for a while. There isn’t enough food anywhere in Canaan. There isn’t any grass for our flocks. So please let us live in Goshen.”

 

5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is open to you. Let your father and brothers live in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. Do any of them have special skills? If they do, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

 

7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in to meet Pharaoh. Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. 8 Then Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

 

9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my journey through life are 130. My years have been few and hard. They aren’t as many as the years of my father and grandfather before me.” 10 Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. Then he left him.

 

11 So Joseph helped his father and his brothers make their homes in Egypt. He gave them property in the best part of the land, just as Pharaoh had directed him to do. That part was known as the territory of Rameses. 12 Joseph also provided food for his father and brothers. He provided for them and the rest of his father’s family. He gave them enough for all their children.

 

Joseph Saves Many Lives

13 But there wasn’t any food in the whole area. In fact, there wasn’t enough food anywhere. The people of Egypt and Canaan lost their strength because there wasn’t enough food to go around. 14 Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan. People paid it to him for the grain they were buying. And Joseph brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. They said, “Give us food. What good would it do you to watch us all die? Our money is all gone.”

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16 “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “You say your money is gone. So I’ll trade you food for your livestock.” 17 They brought their livestock to Joseph. He traded them food for their animals. They gave him their horses, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys. He helped the people live through that year by trading them food for all their livestock.

 

18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year. They said, “We can’t hide the truth from you. Our money is gone. Our livestock belongs to you. We don’t have anything left to give you except our bodies and our land. 19 What good would it do you to watch us die? Why should our land be destroyed? Trade us food for ourselves and our land. Then we and our land will belong to Pharaoh. Give us some seeds so we can live and not die. We don’t want the land to become a desert.”

 

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. All the people of Egypt sold their fields. They did that because there wasn’t enough food anywhere. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 Joseph made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 But Joseph didn’t buy the land that belonged to the priests. They received a regular share of food from Pharaoh. They had enough food from what Pharaoh gave them. That’s why they didn’t have to sell their land.

 

23 Joseph said to the people, “I’ve bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. So here are some seeds for you to plant in the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. Keep the other four-fifths for yourselves. They will be seeds for the fields. And they will be food for yourselves, your children, and the other people who live with you.”

 

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “If you are pleased with us, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

 

26 So Joseph made a law about land in Egypt. It’s still the law today. A fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land belonging to the priests didn’t become Pharaoh’s.

 

27 The people of Israel lived in Egypt in the area of Goshen. They received property there. They had children and so became many.

 

28 Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt. He lived a total of 147 years. 29 The time came near for Israel to die. So he sent for his son Joseph. He said to him, “If you are pleased with me, put your hand under my thigh. Promise me that you will be kind and faithful to me. Don’t bury me in Egypt. 30 When I join the members of my family who have already died, carry me out of Egypt. Bury me where they are buried.”

 

“I’ll do exactly as you say,” Joseph said.

 

31 “Give me your word that you will do it,” Jacob said. So Joseph gave him his word. And Israel worshiped Alahim as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.

 

48

Ephraim and Manasseh

1 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” So Israel became stronger and sat up in bed.

 

3 Jacob said to Joseph, “The Mighty Alahim appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me there. 4 He said to me, ‘I am going to give you children. I will make your family very large. I will make you a community of nations. And I will give this land to your children after you. It will belong to them forever.’

 

5 “Now then, two sons were born to you in Egypt. It happened before I came to you here. They will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will belong to me, in the same way that Reuben and Simeon belong to me. 6 Any children born to you after them will belong to you. Any territory they receive will come from the land that will be given to Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 As I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died. It made me very sad. She died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way. We weren’t very far away from Ephrath. So I buried her body there beside the road to Ephrath.” Ephrath was also called Bethlehem.

 

8 Israel saw Joseph’s sons. He asked, “Who are they?”

9 “They are the sons Alahim has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me. I want to give them my blessing.”

10 Israel’s eyes were weak because he was old. He couldn’t see very well. So Joseph brought his sons close to him. His father kissed them and hugged them.

11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I’d see your face again. But now Alahim has let me see your children too.”

 

12 Then Joseph lifted his sons off Israel’s knees. Joseph bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 He placed Ephraim on his right, toward Israel’s left hand. He placed Manasseh on his left, toward Israel’s right hand. Then he brought them close to Israel. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head. He did it even though Ephraim was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head. He did it even though Manasseh was the older son.

 

15 Then Israel gave Joseph his blessing. He said, “May Alahim bless these boys. He is the Alahim of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac. They walked faithfully with him. He is the Alahim who has been my shepherd all my life right up to this day. 16 He is the Angel who has saved me from all harm. May he bless these boys. May they be called by my name. May they also be called by the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac.

And may the number of them greatly increase on the earth.”

 

17 Joseph saw his father putting his right hand on Ephraim’s head. And Joseph didn’t like it. So he took hold of his father’s hand to move it over to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father. Here’s my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father wouldn’t do it. He said, “I know, my son. I know. He too will become a nation. He too will become great. But his younger brother will be greater than he is. His children after him will become a group of nations.” 20 On that day, Jacob gave them his blessing. He said,

 

“The people of Israel will bless others in your name. They will say, ‘May Alahim make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”

 

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m about to die. But Alahim will be with all of you. He’ll take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 But to you, Joseph, I am giving more land than your brothers. I’m giving you the land I took from the Amorites. I took it with my sword and bow.”

 

 

49

Jacob Gives Blessings to His Sons

49 Then Jacob sent for his sons. He said, “Gather around me so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

 

2 “Sons of Jacob, come together and listen.

    Listen to your father Israel.

 

3 “Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were my first child. You were the first sign of my strength. You were first in honor. You were first in power. 

 

4 But you are as unsteady as water. So you won’t be first anymore. You had sex with my concubine on my bed. You lay on my couch and made it ‘unclean.’

 

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords have killed a lot of people. 6 I won’t share in their plans.  I won’t have anything to do with them. They became angry and killed people. They cut the legs of oxen just for the fun of it.

7 May Yahuah put a curse on them because of their terrible anger. I will scatter them in Jacob’s land. I will spread them around in Israel.

8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your enemies will be brought under your control. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 Judah, you are like a lion’s cub. You return from hunting, my son. Like a lion, you lie down and sleep. You are like a mother lion. Who dares to wake you up? 10 The right to rule will not leave Judah. The ruler’s scepter will not be taken from between his feet. It will be his until the king it belongs to will come. The nations will obey that king. 11 He will tie his donkey to a vine. He will tie his colt to the very best branch. He will wash his clothes in wine. He will wash his robes in the red juice of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine. His teeth will be whiter than milk.

 

13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore. He will become a safe harbor for ships. His border will go out toward Sidon.

 

14 “Issachar is like a wild donkey lying down among the sheep pens. 15 He sees how good his resting place is. He sees that his land is pleasant. So he will carry a heavy load on his back. He will obey when he’s forced to work.

 

16 “Dan will do what is fair for his people. He will do it as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a snake by the side of the road. He will be a poisonous snake along the path. It bites the horse’s heels so that the rider falls off backward. 18 “Master, I look to you to save me.

 

19 “Gad will be attacked by a group of robbers. But he will attack them as they run away.

 

20 “Asher’s food will be rich and sweet. He will provide food that even a king would enjoy.

 

21 “Naphtali is a female deer set free and gives birth to beautiful fawns.

 

22 “Joseph is a vine that grows a lot of fruit. It grows close by a spring. Its branches climb over a wall. 23 Mean people shot arrows at him. They shot at him because they were angry. 24 But his bow remained steady. His strong arms moved freely. The hand of the Mighty Alahim of Jacob was with him. The Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, stood by him.

25 Joseph, your father’s Alahim helps you. The Mighty Alahim blesses you. He gives you blessings from the sky above. He gives you blessings from the deep springs below. He blesses you with children and with a mother’s milk. 26 Your father’s blessings are great. They are greater than the blessings from the age-old mountains. They are greater than the gifts from the ancient hills. Let all those blessings rest on the head of Joseph. Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.

 

27 “Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats what he has killed. In the evening he shares what he has stolen.” 28 All these are the 12 tribes of Israel. That’s what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each one the blessing that was just right for him.

 

Jacob Dies

29 Then Jacob gave directions to his sons. He said, “I’m about to join the members of my family who have already died. Bury me with them in the cave in the field of Ephron, the Hittite. 30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in Canaan. Abraham had bought it as a place where he could bury his wife’s body. He had bought the cave and the field from Ephron, the Hittite. 31 The bodies of Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there. So were the bodies of Isaac and his wife Rebekah. I also buried Leah’s body there. 32 Abraham bought the field and the cave from the Hittites.” 

33 When Jacob had finished telling his sons what to do, he pulled his feet up into his bed. Then he took his last breath and died. He joined the members of his family who had already died.

 

50

1 Joseph threw himself on his father’s body. He wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph talked to the doctors who served him. He told them to prepare the body of his father Israel to be buried. So the doctors prepared it. 3 They took 40 days to do it. They needed that much time to prepare a body in the right way. The Egyptians mourned for Jacob 70 days.

4 After the days of sadness had passed, Joseph went to Pharaoh’s officials. He said to them, “If you are pleased with me, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me give my word to him. He said, “I’m about to die. Bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So let me go there and bury my father. Then I’ll come back.’ ”

 

6 Pharaoh said, “Go there and bury your father. Do what he made you promise to do.”

 

7 So Joseph went to Canaan to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials went with him. They were the important people of his court and all the leaders of Egypt. 8 Joseph’s family also went. His brothers and all the rest of his father’s family went. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large group.

 

10 They came to Atad, a place where grain was processed. It was near the Jordan River. There they sobbed loudly and bitterly. Joseph set apart seven days of sadness to honor his father’s memory. 11 The Canaanites living in that area saw how sad all of them were. They said, “The Egyptians are having a very special service for the dead.” That’s why that place near the Jordan River is called Abel of the Egyptians.

 

12 So Jacob’s sons did exactly as he had commanded them. 13 They carried his body to the land of Canaan. They buried it in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave as a place where he could bury his wife’s body. He had bought the cave and the field from Ephron, the Hittite. 14 After Joseph buried his father, he went back to Egypt. His brothers and all the others who had gone to help him bury his father went back with him.

 

Joseph Calms His Brothers’ Fears

15 Now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers were worried. They said, “Remember all the bad things we did to Joseph? What if he decides to hold those things against us? What if he pays us back for them?” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph. They said, “Your father gave us directions before he died. 17 He said, ‘Here’s what you must say to Joseph. Tell him, “I’m asking you to forgive your brothers. Forgive the terrible things they did to you. Forgive them for treating you so badly.” ’ Now then, please forgive our sins. We serve the Alahim of your father.” When their message came to Joseph, he wept.

 

18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down in front of him. “We are your slaves,” they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Do you think I’m Alahim? 20 You planned to harm me. But Alahim planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I’ll provide for you and your children.” He calmed their fears. And he spoke in a kind way to them.

 

Joseph Dies

22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived 110 years. 23 He lived long enough to see Ephraim’s children and grandchildren. When the children of Makir were born, they were placed on Joseph’s knees and counted as his own children. Makir was the son of Manasseh.

 

24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m about to die. But Alahim will surely come to help you. He’ll take you up out of this land. He’ll bring you to the land he promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 25 Joseph made the Israelites promise him. He said, “Alahim will surely come to help you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

 

26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. They prepared his body to be buried. Then he was placed in a casket in Egypt.

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