nesis

From the Greek Septuagint text as used by First Century Christians

Compiled by Moses, covering the period from the beginning of creation up to the death of JoSeph, which we calculate as happening around 1847-BCE.
However, JoSeph is also identified with ImHotep, who served as chancellor to the Third-Dynasty king Djoser, which some date to 2600-BCE,
because the record that is written on the Egyptian ÔFamine StelaÕ speaks of a seven-year famine on Egypt and of ImHotep doing the same things that the Bible attributes to JoSeph.
But note that the dating for the life of ImHotep appears to be several hundred years earlier than our Bible chronology would suggest for the life of JoSeph.
This aberration is likely the result of a historical mis-attribution by those that engraved the stele sometime around the Second Century BCE, priests of the pagan god Khnum,
in order to raise the prestige of their gods by attributing the well-known miracles of the time of JoSeph to a more acceptable and famed Egyptian person, ImHotep.

Chapter 1

If youÕll notice the layout of the first chapter of Genesis, youÕll see that it was originally written as a poem, or more likely, as a song.

1 In the beginning, The God created the sky and the land. 2 However, the land was unsightly and unfinished, darkness covered its depths, and GodÕs Breath moved over its waters.

3 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet there be light.Õ

So light came to be, 4 and God saw that the light was beautiful.

Then The God brought a division between the light and the darkness. 5 He called the light day and the darkness night.
So came the evening and the morning of the first day.

6 And The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet there be space between all the waters and a dividing of the waters and the waters.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 7 For God ordered a space to divide the waters that were under the space from the waters that were over the space. 8 God then called that space the sky, and He saw that this was beautiful.
So came the evening and the morning of the second day.

9 Then The God said:
ÔLet the waters under the skies be brought together in one place so the land can be seen.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 10 God called the dry land earth and the collected waters the seas, and God saw that this was beautiful.

11 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet the land sprout with pastures of grasses that bear seeds [each] of its own kind and appearance. And let there be fruit trees that bear fruit with its seeds, [each] of its own kind.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 12 The ground sprouted with pastures of grasses that [each] bore seeds of its own kind and appearance, and the fruit trees bore fruit with their seeds, [each] of its own kind, upon the land. And God saw that this was beautiful.
13 So came the evening and the morning of the third day.

14 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet there be lights in the heavenly space to illuminate the ground to make the division between day and night, and to serve as signs for the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let them serve as sources of light in the skies to shine upon the ground.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 16 God made the two huge lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light and stars to rule the night. 17 And God assigned them space in the sky to shine upon the earth, 18 to dominate the days and nights, and to make the divisions between light and darkness. And God saw that it was beautiful.
19 So came the evening and the morning of the fourth day.

20 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet the waters give birth to living, slithering animals, as well as to winged creatures that will fly above the earth in the space of the skies.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 21 Then The God created the great sea creatures and all the living, slithering animals that live in the water, according to their types, and all the feathered flying creatures, according to their types; and God saw that it was beautiful. 22 So God blest them, saying:
ÔReproduce and multiply in the water until you fill the seas, and let the winged creatures multiply on the earth.Õ
23 So came the evening and the morning of the fifth day.

24 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet the land give birth to living animals, each of its own kindÉ four-footed animals, slithering animals, and wild animals of the ground, each of its own kind.Õ

And thatÕs what happened. 25 For thereafter, The God made the wild animals of the ground (each of its own kind), the herding animals (each of its own kind) and all the earthÕs slithering animals (each of its own kind). And God saw that they were beautiful.

26 Then The God spoke, saying:
ÔLet us make men in our image and like us, so that they will rule the creatures in the seas, the winged creatures of the skies, the herding animals of the ground, and all the slithering animals that crawl on the ground.Õ

27 So then, God created mankind (gr. anthropon). He created mankind in the image of the Gods as a male and a female. 28 Then The God blest them, saying:
ÔReproduce and multiplyÉ fill the earth and control it. Rule over the sea creatures, the winged creatures of the skies, all the herding animals of the ground, all the slithering animals that crawl on the ground, and the whole earth.Õ

29 Then The God said:
ÔLook, IÕve given you all the seed-bearing plants upon the entire earth to plant, as well as all the seed-bearing trees to plant as your food. 30 And [IÕve given] greenish-yellow plants as food for all the earthÕs wild animals, all the winged creatures of the skies, and all the slithering animals that crawl on the ground and have the breath of life

And thatÕs what happened.

31 Then The God viewed everything that He had made, and {Look!} it was very beautiful.
So came the evening and the morning of the sixth day.

Chapter 2

Notice that the second chapter of Genesis doesnÕt appear to be part of the poem or song found in the first chapter, for it breaks into a narration of the things that followed.

1 So the skies and the lands were complete, as was all the arranging of them. 2 For after that, The God finished the work that He did on the sixth day. And on the seventh day, He then rested from all the works that He had done. 3
Then God blest the seventh day and He declared it to be holy, for by then He had finished all the work that He had started to do.

4 This was the scroll of the origins of the skies and the lands, and of when they came to be in the day that The God spoke the sky and the land [into existence], 5 as well as when all the greenish-yellow plants for it began on the ground and all the grasses of the fields started growing from it.

However, because Jehovah God had not yet provided rain on the earth and there were no men to cultivate it, 6 springs poured from the ground and watered the entire surface of the land.

7 Then The God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life against his face, and he became a living creature.

8 Thereafter, God planted a Paradise east of Edem where He put the man whom he had formed.
9 And it was there that God caused every tree that was attractive to look at and worthy as food to spring from the ground. [He also] put the Tree of Life in the middle of the Paradise, as well as the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

10 There was also a river that flowed out of Edem to water the Paradise, and from there [came the] head [waters] of four [rivers].

11 The name of the [first river] is Phison. It flows around the land of Evilat, where there is gold, 12 and the gold from that land is good. There is also coal and ornamental stone there.

13 The name of the second river is Geon. It runs around the land of Kush.

14 The third river is the Tigris. It flows over toward the Assyrians. And the fourth river is the EuPhrates.

15 Then Jehovah God took the man that He had formed and put him in the Paradise of Delights so that He could cultivate it and take care of it. 16 And Jehovah God gave these instructions to Adam:
ÔYou may eat from all the trees of Paradise, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. For on whatever day you eat from it, your life will end and you will die.Õ

18 Then Jehovah God said:
ÔIt isnÕt good for the man to be alone, so letÕs make a helper for him.Õ

19 Well, after God had made all the wild animals of the plains and all the winged creatures of the skies from the [dirt], He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living animal was what its name became.

20 So Adam named all the cattle, all the winged creatures of the skies, and all the wild animals of the plains. Yet, a suitable helper that was like Adam couldnÕt be found.

21 God then put Adam into a trance, and while he was sleeping, He took one of his ribs and filled the place where it was with flesh. 22 Then The God built the rib that He took from Adam into a woman and brought her to Adam. 23 And Adam said:
ÔThis is now bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called woman, because she was taken from man. 24 And because of this, a man will leave his father and mother and bond with his woman, and the two will become one flesh.Õ

Chapter 3

1 [Well at the time], both of them (the man and the woman) were naked and unashamed.

2 Then the snake (which was the wiliest of the animals that Jehovah had made on the earth) asked the woman:
ÔWhy did God tell you that you shouldnÕt eat from all of the trees in the Paradise?Õ

3 And the woman replied to the snake:
ÔWe can eat the fruit from the trees of Paradise, but God said that we shouldnÕt eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of Paradise Ð that we shouldnÕt even touch it Ð or we will die.Õ

4 Then the snake said to the woman:
ÔYou wonÕt stop living and die, 5 for God knows that on whatever day you eat from it your eyes will be opened wide and you will be like the gods knowing good and evil.Õ

6 Well, the woman saw that the tree was worthy as food, it was a pleasant sight to her eyes, and it was a beautiful thing to think about. So after picking its fruit, she ate it.
Then she gave some to her man (who was with her), and they ate it [together]. 7 And thereafter, the eyes of both of them were opened wide and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made skirts to go around themselves.

8 But then, when they heard the voice of Jehovah God as He walked around in Paradise at dusk, Adam and his woman hid from the face of Jehovah God among the trees in the Paradise.

9 So Jehovah God called out to Adam, asking:
ÔWhere are you Adam?Õ

10 And [Adam] replied to God:
ÔI heard Your voice as You were walking through the Paradise, but I was afraid because of my nakedness, so I hid myself.Õ

11 Then The God asked him:
ÔIf you havenÕt eaten from the only tree about which I commanded you not to eat; then, who told you that you were naked?Õ

12 And Adam replied:
ÔIt was this woman whom You gave to me as a companionÉ she gave me some [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it.Õ

13 Then Jehovah God asked the woman:
ÔWhy did you do this?Õ

And the woman replied:
ÔThe snake deceived me, so I ate it.Õ

14 So Jehovah God said to the snake:
ÔBecause you did this; among all the cattle and wild animals of the earth, you [alone] are doomed to be punished. Therefore, you will now travel on your chest and belly and you will have to eat from the ground all the days of your life.
15 IÕm also going to create hatred between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will then watch for your head and you will watch for his heel.Õ

16 And after that, He said to the woman:
ÔI will now make your sorrow and moaning [much] worse; for when you give birth to children, you will do so with groaning. You will also have to submit to your man and he will dominate you.Õ

17 Then He said to Adam:
ÔBecause you listened to your womanÕs voice and ate from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat (and from which you went ahead and ate); all the work that you will do on the ground will be cursed, and you will groan as you eat from it all the days of your life.
18 Briars and thistles will grow for you, and your food will be the grasses in the fields.
19 You will then eat your bread through the sweat on your face until you return to the ground from which you were takenÉ yes, you were taken from the ground and thatÕs where you will return!Õ

20 Well, thereafter, Adam called his womanÕs name Life, because she was to be the mother of all [human] life.

21 Then Jehovah God made leather clothing for Adam and his woman, and He dressed them in it.

22 And after that, The God said:
ÔLook, Adam has now become one of us in knowing good and evil!Õ
Therefore, to keep him from reaching out to pick and eat from the Tree of Life so as to gain age-long life, 23 Jehovah God then put Adam outside of the Paradise of Delights, where he had to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 Yes, He drove Adam out and made him live next to the Paradise of Delights. Then He stationed the [heavenly] cherubs with their flaming, spinning swords to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Chapter 4

1 Well thereafter, Adam had [sexual relations] with Eue, his woman, so she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. And she said:
ÔI have gained a man through God.Õ

2 Then she again gave birth to his brother, Abel.

Abel [grew up to be] a herder of sheep, while Cain worked the ground.

3 Then after many days, Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground as an offering to Jehovah, 4 while Abel brought the first-born of his sheep and his belongings.

Well, God looked favorably upon Abel and his gifts, 5 but He paid no attention to Cain and his sacrifices, which made Cain very sad, and his face [reflected] this. 6 So Jehovah God asked Cain:
ÔWhy are you so sad and why is your face so long? 7 For even if you didnÕt bring righteously, you didnÕt sin by sharing. Overlook this, because [Abel] will submit to you and you will [rule] over him!Õ

8 But thereafter, Cain said to his brother Abel:
ÔLetÕs go out into the fields.Õ

Then, while they were in their fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 And when Jehovah God asked Cain,
ÔWhere is your brother?Õ
he replied:
ÔI donÕt knowÉ IÕm not my brotherÕs keeper!Õ

10 Then Jehovah God asked:
ÔWhat have you done? I hear the blood of your brother calling out to Me from the ground! 11 Therefore, you will now be cursed by the ground, which has opened her mouth wide to [drink] the blood of your brother from your hand.
12 So from here on, whenever you work the ground, it will [no longer] give you its strength, and you will groan and tremble on the earth.Õ

13 Then Cain said to Jehovah God:
ÔMy crime is too great to be forgiven. 14 So if you [drive me] away from Your face and the face of this land today, I will have to hide, groaning and trembling on the landÉ for anyone that finds me will kill me!Õ

15 And Jehovah God replied:
ÔThat isnÕt so! For whoever kills Cain will pay seven penalties.Õ

Then Jehovah God put a mark on Cain so that nobody that found him would kill him. 16 And thereafter, Cain left the presence of God and lived in Nod, which also borders Edem.

17 There, Cain [had sex] with his woman and she became pregnant, giving birth to Enoch. [Then Cain] built a city, which he named after his son, Enoch.

18 Enoch fathered GaiDad; GaiDad fathered MalaleEl; MalaleEl fathered MethuSelah; and MethuSelah fathered Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took two women; the first was Ada and the second was SelLa. 20 Ada gave birth to JoBel, who was the ancestor of those that lived in tents and herded cattle. 21 He had a brother named JuBal, who invented the lute and the harp.
22 SelLa also gave birth to ThoBel, who worked iron and brass. And he had a sister named NoEma.

23 Then Lamech said this to his women (Ada and SelLa):
ÔListen to me, [my] women and remember; I have killed a man that wounded meÉ a young man that whipped me. 24 So if the vengeance [for killing] Cain was seven punishments; mine will be seven times that.Õ

25 Well, Adam [again had sex with] his woman Eue and she became pregnant, giving birth to a son whom she named Seth. For she said:
ÔGod has [provided me with] another son to replace Abel, who was murdered by Cain.Õ

26 Then Seth had a son whom he named Enos, who hoped to call upon the Name of The God, Jehovah.

Chapter 5

1 This was the scroll of the early [days] of mankind, when God fathered Adam, forming him in [His] image. 2 He created the male and the female and He blest them. Then in the day that He created [the first man], He named him Adam (heb. HaAdama).

3 Adam was two hundred and thirty years old when he fathered a son that was just like him and looked like him, that he named Seth.
4 Then after fathering Seth, Adam lived on for seven hundred years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 5 So Adam was nine hundred and thirty years old when he died.

6 Now, Seth was two hundred and five years old when he fathered Enos. 7 And after fathering Enos, he lived on for seven hundred and seven more years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 8 So Seth was nine hundred and twelve years old when he died.

9 Enos was a hundred and ninety years old when he fathered Kainan. 10 Then after fathering Kainan, he lived on for another seven hundred and fifteen years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 11 So Enos was nine hundred and five years old when he died.

12 Kainan was a hundred and seventy years old when he fathered MaleLeal. 13 Then after fathering MaleLeal, he lived on for some seven hundred and forty years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 14 So Kainan was nine hundred and ten years old when he died.

15 MaleLeal was a hundred and sixty five years old when he fathered Jared. 16 And after fathering Jared, he lived on for seven hundred and thirty years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 17 So MaleLeal was eight hundred and ninety-five years old when he died.

18 Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old when he fathered Enoch. 19 Then after fathering Enoch, he lived on for another eight hundred years, as he fathered other sons and daughters.
20 So Jared was nine hundred and sixty-two years old when he died.

21 Enoch was a hundred and sixty-five years old when he fathered MethuSelah. 22 And it was after he fathered MethuSelah that God found Enoch to be righteous.
So after he lived for two hundred more years and after he had fathered other sons and daughters 23 (when he was three hundred and sixty-five years oldÉ 24 and because he had pleased God), God transported him and he disappeared.

25 Well, MethuSelah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old when he fathered Lamech. 26 Then after fathering Lamech, he lived on for another seven hundred and eighty-two years, as he fathered other sons and daughters.
27 So MethuSelah was nine hundred and sixty-nine years old when he died.

28 Lamech was a hundred and eighty-eight years old when he fathered a son 29 whom he named Noah. And he said:
ÔHe will stop us from doing all the [bad] things that we are doing, as well as from working with our hands and from [living on] the ground that Jehovah has cursed.Õ

30 Then, after he fathered Noah, [Lamech] lived on for some five hundred and sixty-five years, as he fathered other sons and daughters. 31 So Lamech was seven hundred and fifty-three years old when he died.

32 Well, it was after Noah was five hundred years old that he fathered three sons; Shem, Ham, and JaPheth.

Chapter 6

1 Now, as the population of men grew on the earth and they fathered daughters, 2 the sons of The God noticed that the daughters of men were beautiful; so, they took all whom they chose as their women.

3 Then Jehovah God said:
ÔThereÕs no way that My Breath will stay with these men. TheyÕre [just] flesh, so their [lives] will last just one hundred and twenty [more] years

4 Well, there were giants on the earth back in those days; for after that, the sons of The God continued to [had sex] with the daughters of mankind and fathered [children] for themselves that became the giants and the famous men of that age.

5 Well, Jehovah God saw that the badness of the people on the earth was getting much worseÉ for the things that they conceived in their hearts every day was all twisted toward evil.
6 So God became disturbed (gr. enethumethe) that He had created humans on the earthÉ He shook His head (gr. dienoethe) 7 and declared:
ÔI will wipe the humans that I made off the face of the earthÉ yes, the people, the cattle, and the winged creatures of the skies, for IÕm sorry that I made them.Õ

8 However, Noah found mercy in the eyes of (The God) Jehovah.

9 This is the account of NoahÕs generation:

Noah was a righteous manÉ perfect [when compared to] that generation, for Noah pleased God well. 10 Then he fathered three sons; Shem, Ham, and JaPheth.

11 As God saw it, the land had become unclean and the earth was filled with unrighteousness. 12 So when Jehovah God looked at the earth, all He saw was corruption, because all flesh had become corrupt in its ways.

13 Then Jehovah God told Noah:
ÔA season is now before me [that will lead to the end of] all mankind, because the earth is filled with their unrighteousness. Look! IÕm going to lay waste to them and to the whole earth!
14 So [you must] make a chest of squared timbers for yourself and [divide the] chest into stalls, then cover both the inside and outside of it with tar.

15 ÔThis is how you should build the chest: [Make it] five hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and fifty feet tall. 16 You must also make a roof that is about twenty-inches thick, and put a door in the side of the chestÉ make a bottom floor, a second floor, and a third floor.
17 [For after itÕs completed], {Look!} IÕm going to bring a downpour of water upon the ground to destroy all flesh under the skies that has the breath of lifeÉ so, all that is on the ground will then come to an end. 18 And after that, I will establish an agreement between you and Me.Õ

19 ÔTherefore, [I want you to] bring all [types of] cattle, slithering creatures, and wild animals Ð all [types of] flesh Ð into the chest by pairs of males and females.
Then, bring in enough food for them and for yourselves. 20 For they will all be eating there with youÉ all the winged creatures, all types of cattle, and all varieties of slithering animals that crawl on the ground (both the males and the females).
21 Yes, you must gather all types of food for yourselves so that you will each have something to eat.Õ

22 And thereafter, Noah did everything that Jehovah God told him to do.

Chapter 7

1 Then Jehovah God said to Noah:
ÔNow you and your family must enter the chest, because I have found [just] you to be righteous among this generation. 2 Take seven pairs (males and females) of [all the ] clean cattle in with you, and take in [single] pairs (males and females) of [all the] unclean animals.

3 Ô[Do the same with all] the winged creatures of the skyÉ bring in seven pairs (males and females) of the clean ones, and [just] pairs of all the unclean winged creatures, so that their seed will remain on the earth.
4 For in just seven days, I will bring rain to the ground [that will last for] forty days and forty nights, and I will blot every creature that IÕve made off of the face of the entire earth!Õ

5 And thereafter, Noah did everything that Jehovah God had commanded him to do.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the Downpour of waters started on the earth. 7 Then Noah, his woman, his sons, and their women went into the chest with him (because of the downpour of water).
8 And the clean winged creatures, the unclean winged creatures, the clean cattle, the unclean cattle, and all the wild animals as well as all the things that crawled on the ground 9 came to Noah and entered the chest in pairs of males and females, just as God had commanded Noah.
10 Then after seven days, the waters of the Downpour started falling on the earth.

11 It was in the six hundredth year of NoahÕs life, on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, that all the springs under the ground broke open, and the floodgates of the skies were opened. 12 Then it rained on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 It started on the very day that Noah, his woman, as well as Shem, Ham, JaPheth (the sons of Noah and his woman) and their three women went into the chest with him.

14 Also, all the wild animals (each of its kind), all the cattle (each of its kind), all the slithering animals that move on the earth (each of its kind), 15 and all the winged creatures (each of its kind) went inside the chest to Noah in pairs of males and femalesÉ everything that had the breath of life.
16 Males and females of all flesh went inside, just as God had commanded Noah; then Jehovah God closed the chest from the outside.

17 Thereafter, the Downpour continued on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and the water got so deep that it lifted the chest high above the ground.
18 The water dominated and totally covered the land, and the chest was carried along on top of the water. 19 For the water dominated and covered even the tallest mountains under the whole skyÉ 20 it covered the highest mountains by at least twenty-five feet.

21 So everything that moved on the earth diedÉ all the men, winged creatures, cattle, wild animals, and all the animals that slithered across the ground. 22 Everything that lived on the ground and had the breath of life, died.
23 God blotted out all His creatures on the face of the earthÉ the men, the animals, the winged creatures, and the slithering animals. He blotted them all from the earth. The only ones that remained were Noah and those that were with him inside the chest.

24 Altogether, the water covered the land for a hundred and fifty days.

Chapter 8

1 But God didnÕt forget Noah or any of the wild animals, cattle, winged creatures, or crawling, slithering animals that were inside the chest.
So God sent a wind to the earth that stopped the waterÉ 2 for the springs that were under the ground closed and the floodgates of the skies and the rain from the skies were held back.

3 Then the water level started to drop, flowing off the ground. And after a hundred and fifty days, the water lowered, and the chest came to rest on Mount Ararat on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month.

4 Well, the water levels kept dropping through the tenth month, 5 and on the first day of the tenth month, they could see the mountaintops.

6 Then, after forty days, Noah opened the window that he had made in the chest, and he sent out a crow, which left and didnÕt return until the water had abated.
7 So it left and it did not return until the water had dried off the ground.

8 And after that, he sent out a dove to see if the earth was still flooded. 9 But the dove couldnÕt find a place to rest its feet, because the water was still covering all the ground, and it returned to the chest.
So [Noah] stuck out his hand to take [the dove], and brought it to himself inside the chest.

10 Well, a week later, he sent the dove out from the chest once again. 11 And that evening, the dove returned to him with a stem and leaf from an olive tree in its beak. ThatÕs when Noah knew [for sure] that the water had left the ground.
12 However, he continued to wait another week before he released the dove once more. And this time, it didnÕt return at all.

13 So by the six hundred and first year of NoahÕs life, on the first day of the first month, the water had poured off the ground.

Then Noah opened the roof that he had made for the chest, and he could finally see that the water had drained from the groundÉ 14 and by the twenty-second day of the second month, the ground was dry.

15 Then Jehovah God spoke to Noah and said:
16 ÔCome out of the chestÉ you, your woman, your sons, their women that are with you, 17 and all the wild animals that are with you.
Bring out all the flesh that is with you Ð the winged creatures, the cattle, and the slithering animals that move on the ground Ð [so that they can] reproduce and multiply on the earth.Õ

18 So Noah, his woman, his sons, and his sonÕs women that were with him, came out. 19 And all the wild animals, all the cattle, all the winged creatures, and all the slithering animals that crawl on the ground (according to their kinds) came out of the chest.

20 Then Noah built an altar to Jehovah, and he took some of the clean animals, as well as some from among all the clean winged creatures, and offered them wholeÉ burning them on the altar.

21 And as Jehovah noticed the sweet smell, He thought about it and said:
ÔNever again will I curse the ground for the bad things that men do, because the imagination of men is totally bent toward doing bad things from the time they are young. Also, will I never again [destroy] all living flesh as I have just done. 22 Then, during all the days of the earth, the seed time and harvesting, the heat and the cold, the spring and the summer, and the days and nights wonÕt ever be brought to an end.Õ

Chapter 9

1 Thereafter, God blest Noah and his sons and told them:
ÔNow, reproduce and multiplyÉ fill the earth and rule over it. 2 For all the wild animals of the earth, all the winged creatures in the skies, and everything that moves on the ground (including all the creatures in the seas) will have a dread and fear of you. So I have put you in charge over all of them.

3 ÔAlso, all the living and slithering animals can serve as meat for youÉ I have given them all to you as though they were green vegetation. 4 But you must not eat their flesh with its blood of life, 5 or I will require your blood at the hand of all those wild animals.
I will also require a manÕs life at the hands of his brothersÉ 6 for, whoever spills the blood of mankind will also have his blood spilled, since I made mankind in the image of God.
7 Now, reproduce and multiplyÉ fill the earth and rule over it!Õ

8 Then The God spoke to Noah and his sons that were with him and said:
9 ÔLook; I am making an agreement between you and Me, [as well as] with your seed [that will come] after you 10 and with every living thing (the winged creatures, the [domesticated] animals, and all the wild animals of the earth)É with all that are with you and came out of the chest.
11 This is My promise to you and to all flesh:
I will never again send a downpour of water to kill all flesh, and never again will I send a downpour to destroy the whole earth.Õ

12 Then The God said to Noah:
ÔThis is the sign of the Agreement that I have established between you and Me through ages of generations, as well as with every living creature that is with you:
13 I have put My bow in the clouds, which will serve as the sign of the Agreement between the earth and Me, 14 so that whenever I gather clouds over the earth, My bow will be seen in those clouds, 15 and this will remind Me of My agreement between you and Me, and with every living creature and all flesh, that never again will I send a downpour of water that will blot out all flesh.
16 My bow will be there in the clouds, and when I see it, I will remember the age-long agreement between Me and the earth, as well as with every living creature among all the flesh that is on the earth.Õ

17 And God said to Noah:
ÔYes, this is the sign of the Agreement that I made with all flesh that is on the earth and Myself.Õ

18 Now, the sons of Noah that came out of the chest were [named] Shem, Ham, and JaPheth (Ham was the father of CanaAn). 19 And it was from these three sons of Noah that all men came to be scattered over the whole earth.

20 Thereafter, Noah took up farming and he planted some grapes. 21 [Then, one day], Noah was drinking some wine while he was naked in his house, and he got drunk. 22 But then, Ham (CanaAnÕs father) saw his fatherÕs nakedness, and he went outside and told his brothers about it.
23 So Shem and JaPheth grabbed a robe, put it over their backs, and walked backward to cover their fatherÕs naked body.
And because they were looking away, they didnÕt see their fatherÕs nakedness.

24 Well, after Noah recovered from the wine, he realized what his son had done to him. 25 So he said:
ÔThe servant CanaAn is cursed, and he will be a slave to his brothers.Õ

26 Then he added:
ÔMay Jehovah, ShemÕs God, bless himÉ but let CanaAn be his houseboy.
27 Also, may God make room for JaPheth and allow him to live in the tents of ShemÉ and may CanaAn then become his also.Õ

28 Well, after the Downpour, Noah lived on for another three hundred and fifty years. 29 So he lived for nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.

Chapter 10

1 Now, these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and JaPheth. And these are the sons that were born to them after the Downpour:

2 JaPhethÕs sons were Gamer, Magog [the Scythians], Madoi [the Medes], Jovan, EliSa, Thobel [of Tubal], Mosoch [possibly Moscow of Russia], and Thiras [Islands of the Aegean Sea].

3 GamerÕs sons were AshKenaz [Germans and Slavs], Riphath [of Northwestern Asia Minor], and Thorgama [the Armenians].

4 JovanÕs sons were EliShah [of Tyre], TarShish [of Spain], Cetian [of Cypress], and Rhodes [of Rhodes]É 5 [they settled the] islands, which lands were divided by tribe and nation among the ethnics, each according to his own language.

6 HamÕs sons were Kush [blacks], Mesrain [Egyptian tribes], Phud [Libyans], and CanaAn [Palestinians].

7 The sons of Kush were Saba [other blacks of southern Africa], Evilat, Sabatha, Rhegma, and Sabathaca [East Africans].

The sons of Rhegma were Saba [of thirteen Arabian Tribes], and Dadan [part of Arabia].

8 Kush fathered Nimrod, who became a giant on the earth. 9 He was a gigantic hunter before Jehovah God, and thatÕs why people speak of Nimrod as Ôthe gigantic hunter before Jehovah.Õ
10 His kingdom started with Babylon and ran to Orech, Archad, and ChalanNe, which were all in the land of Shinar.
11 Then outside of that land, [he went to] Assyria and built Nineveh, the cities of RehobOth, Chalach, 12 and Dase (between Nineveh, and Chalach), which is the great city.

13 Mesrain fathered the Lydim [Lydians], the MaphTuhim [people of Memphis, Egypt], the AnaMim [Libyans], the Lehabim [people of Lower Egypt],
14 the Pathrusim [people of Upper Egypt], the Casluhim [Cretans] (from whom the Philistines descended), and the GaphThoriim [also from the area of Crete].

15 CanaAnÕs first-born son was Sidon. Then there were the Hittites, 16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hevites, the Arukites, the Sinites [Chinese?], the Asenites, 18 the Aradians, the Samarians [Northern Lebanon], and the Hamathites.
But the CanaAnites were scattered, 19 so their territory ran from Sidon to Gerar (near Gaza), to Sodom and GomorRah, to Adama, and to Seboim, as far as Dasa.

20 These were the descendants of Ham by tribe, country, language, and nation.

21 Shem, who was the elder brother of JaPheth and the ancestor of all the sons of Heber, also had children born to him. 22 His sons were Elam, Assur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, and Kainan.

23 AramÕs sons were Uz, Ul, Gater, and Mosoch.

24 Arphaxad fathered [a son whom he named] Kainan, who fathered Sala, who fathered [a son whom he named] Heber. 25 This Heber had two sons. He named the first Phaled (Division), because the land became divided in his day, and his brotherÕs name was JekTan.

26 JekTan fathered ElModad, Saleth, SarMoth, Jarach, 27 OdorRha, AiBel, Decla, 28 Eval, AbiMaEl, Saba, 29 Uphir, Evila, and Jobab. These were all the sons of JekTan. 30 Their territory ran from MasSe all the way to Saphera, which is a mountain in the east.

31 These were the sons of Shem by tribe, language, country, and nation, 32 and these were the tribes of the sons of Noah by generations and nations. From them came the people of all the islands and nations that were scattered around the earth after the Downpour.

Chapter 11

1 [At the time], the whole earth shared the same lips, because they all spoke the same language. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they found a flat area of land in Shinar, and started living there. 3 Then one man said to his neighbor:
ÔCome on, letÕs make some bricks and bake them in an oven.Õ

So bricks became their stone and tar served as their mortar.

4 And they said:
ÔCome on; letÕs build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches into the sky. And letÕs create a name for ourselves, before we end up being scattered all over the face of the earth.Õ

5 Then Jehovah came down to see this city and its tower that the sons of men had built. 6 And Jehovah said:
ÔLook; theyÕre all the same race and they share the same lipsÉ and now theyÕve started doing this. [Before long], theyÕll be able to accomplish anything they set out to do.
7 Therefor, letÕs go down there and change their language so that no one will be able to understand the voice of his neighbor.Õ

8 So, Jehovah scattered them from there over the entire face of the earth, and they stopped building the city and its tower.
9 That is why [the city] is named Confusion (Babylon), because, thatÕs where Jehovah confused all the languages of the earth and scattered them from there over all the face of the earth.

10 These are the generations of Shem:
Shem was a hundred years old when he became father to Arphaxad in the second year after the Downpour.
11 And after Shem became father to Arphaxad, he lived three hundred and thirty five more years (fathering other sons and daughters), and then he died.
12 Arphaxad was a hundred and thirty-five years old when he became father to Kainan. 13 And after Arphaxad became the father to Kainan, he lived three hundred and thirty years more (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
Kainan was a hundred and thirty years old when he became father to Sala. And after he became father to Sala, he lived three hundred and thirty years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.

14 Sala was a hundred and thirty years old when he became father to Heber. 15 And after he became father to Heber, he lived three hundred and thirty years more (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
16 Heber was a hundred and thirty-four years old when he became father to Phaleg. 17 And after he became father to Phaleg, he lived two hundred and seventy years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
18 Phaleg was a hundred and thirty years old when he became father to Ragau. 19 After he became father to Ragau, he lived two hundred and nine years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
20 Ragau was a hundred and thirty-two years old when he became father to Seruch. 21 After he became father to Seruch, he lived two hundred and seven years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.

22 Seruch was a hundred and thirty years old when he became father to NaHor. 23 And after he became father to NaHor, he lived two hundred years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
24 NaHor was seventy-nine years old when he became father to Terah. 25 And after he became father to Terah, he lived a hundred and twenty-nine years (as he fathered other sons and daughters), and then he died.
26 After Terah was seventy years old, he became father to Abram, NaHor, and Haran.

27 These are the generations of Terah:
Terah became father to Abram, NaHor, and Haran; and Haran became father to Lot.
28 Haran died in the presence of Terah his father in the land where he was born, the country of the Chaldeans.

29 Both Abram and NaHor then took women for themselves.
AbramÕs woman was named Sara, and NaHorÕs woman was named Malcha. She was the daughter of Haran (the father of Malcha and Jescha).
30 However, Sara was sterile, so she didnÕt have any children.

31 Then Terah took his son Abram, AbramÕs woman Sara (his daughter-in-law), and his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and led them from the land of the Chaldeans toward the land of CanaAn.
However, when they got to Haran, they started living there. 32 And thereafter, Terah continued living in the land of Haran for the next two hundred and five years, and [that is where] he died.

Chapter 12

1 Then Jehovah said to Abram:
ÔLeave this land, as well as your family and your fatherÕs home, and go to a land that I will show you, 2 because IÕm going to make a great nation of you. I will bless you, make your name famous, and you will become a blessing [to others].
3 I will bless those that praise you and curse those that curse youÉ all the tribes will be blest because of you.Õ

4 So Abram did just as Jehovah told himÉ and Lot went with him.

Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran, 5 taking along his woman Sara, his nephew Lot, all the many things that they owned, and all the souls that they had accumulated in Haran, as they traveled to the land of CanaAn. 6
Abram traveled down through the land to a place called Shechem, where there was a tall tree. And at the time, the CanaAnites were living in the land.

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said:
ÔI will give this land to your seed.Õ

So Abram built an altar there to the Lord that had appeared to him.

8 Then he moved on from there to a mountain that was east of BethEl, and he pitched his tent near BethEl, close to the sea, east of AgGai. There he built an altar to Jehovah and started calling on the Name of the Lord.
9 Thereafter, Abram left that place and camped in the desert.

10 Well, there came a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay, because the famine had devastated the land.
11 And as Abram was about to enter Egypt, he said to his woman Sara:
ÔYouÕre a beautiful woman, 12 [and IÕm afraid] that when the Egyptians see you theyÕll say, [Look at] his woman, and theyÕll kill meÉ but they will allow you to live.
13 So tell people that youÕre my sister. That way, things will go well for me because of you, and my life will be safe because of you.Õ

14 And thatÕs what happened; when Abram entered Egypt and the Egyptians saw how beautiful his woman was, 15 one of PharaohÕs princes praised her to Pharaoh (likely Pepi II) and brought her into PharaohÕs [Palace].
16 And because of her, Pharaoh treated Abram very well. So he accumulated [many] sheep, calves, burros, male and female servants, mules, and camels.

17 However, God cursed Pharaoh and his house with some very serious and difficult problems because of Sara (AbramÕs woman).
18 So Pharaoh called Abram and asked:
ÔWhat have you done to me? You didnÕt tell me that sheÕs your woman. 19 Why did you tell us that sheÕs your sister? Look, IÕve already taken her as mine!
Now, thereÕs your woman standing before youÉ sheÕs yours, so take her and leave quickly!Õ

20 Then Pharaoh gave his men instructions about Abram, telling them to accompany him and his woman on their way, along with all the things that they owned.

Chapter 13

1 So thereafter, Abram left Egypt and traveled into the desert along with his woman and with Lot, taking along everything that he owned 2 (for by then, Abram had become very rich in cattle, silver, and gold).
3 So he returned to the place where he had come from (in the desert near BethEl, between BethEl and AgGai, where he had pitched his tent previously), 4 and to the place where he had earlier built the altar and 5 called on the Name of the Lord.

6 At the time, Lot (who had left [Egypt] along with Abram) had also accumulated many sheep, oxen, and tents; 7 so the land just wasnÕt large enough for both of them to live together, because of their many possessions.
8 And since there wasnÕt enough land to share, there were problems between the herdsmen of AbramÕs cattle, the herdsmen of LotÕs cattle, and with the CanaAnites and Pherezites who lived in that land. So Abram said to Lot:
ÔThere shouldnÕt be problems between you and me, or between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, because we are brothers.
9 Look; the whole land lies before you, so leave me and choose your own way. If you go to the left, IÕll go to the right; or if you go to the right, IÕll go to the left.Õ

10 So Lot surveyed all the country around the JorDan and noticed that it had plenty of water (this was before God overthrew Sodom and GomorRah). It looked like the Paradise of Jehovah and like the land of Egypt up to Zogora.
11 So Lot chose all the country around the JorDan for himself and he traveled to the east, as the brothers parted ways.

Now, as Abram took up living in the land of CanaAn, 12 Lot [chose] to live in a city among neighbors; so he moved to Sodom. 13
However, the men of Sodom were evil and they were sinning before God.

14 Then The God said to Abram (after Lot had separated from him):
ÔLook around at this place where youÕre standingÉ look to the north, to the south, to the east, and to the sea. 15 I will give all this land that you see before you, to you and your seed through the ages. 16 And I will make your seed like the dust of the ground.
Why, if anyone is able to count all the dust of the earth, he should be able to count your seed. 17 So get up and walk across the landÉ across its length and its breadth. IÕm giving it all to you and to your seed through the ages

18 Well after that, Abram packed up his tent and started living by the big tree [close to] MamRe in HebRon, and he built an altar there to Jehovah.

Chapter 14

1 It was during the reign of AmarPhal (the king of Shinar) and AriOch (the king of ElLasar), that ChodolLogomor 2 (the king of Elam) and Thargal (the king of the Gentiles) went to war with BalLa (the king of Sodom), BarSa (the king of GomorRah), Sennaar (the king of Adama), SymoBor (the king of Seboim), and Balac (or Segor).
3 So they all agreed to meet together at the Salt Valley (which is now the Dead Sea). 4 For they had served as vassals to ChodolLogomor for some twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they revolted.

5 So in the fourteenth year, ChodolLogomor and his allies attacked them, cutting the giants in AshtarOth CarNain to pieces, along with the strong nations that were their allies (the OmMeans in the city of Saue and 6 the ChorRheans in the mountains of Seir) all the way to the turpentine trees of Pharan (in the desert).
7 And on their return, they stopped at the Well of Judgment (Cades), where they cut to pieces all the princes of Amalecites and the Amorites that were living in AsaSon/Thamar.

8 And then the kings of Sodom, GomorRah, Adama, Seboim, and Balac (or Segor) went out and set up battle lines against these other kings in the Salt Valley 9 Ð against ChodolLogomor (king of Elam), Thargal (king of the Gentiles), AmarPhal (king of Shinar), and AriOch (the king of ElLasar) Ð the four against five.

10 Now, there were slime pits in the Salt Valley, and the kings of Sodom and GomorRah fell into them as they were fleeing (and as the rest were retreating into the mountains).
11 So [the invaders] took all the horses and food in Sodom and GomorRah and they left, 12 carrying away AbramÕs nephew Lot (who lived in Sodom), along with all of his possessions.

13 Then one of those that had been rescued went and told Abram (the Hebrew) [what had happened].
At the time, he was living by the large tree [that belonged to] MamRe. ([MamRe] was an Amorite, the brother of Eschol and Aunan (who were AbramÕs allies). 14
And when Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he gathered three hundred and eighteen of his personal home-born servants, and pursued them all the way to Dan.

15 Then when he and his servants caught up with them that night, he attacked them and pursued them all the way to Choba, which is to the left of Damascus.
16 So he recovered all the horses of Sodom, his nephew Lot, and all of his possessions and women, as well as the rest of the people.

17 Then after [Abram] returned from the slaughter of ChodolLogomor and the kings that were with him; the king of Sodom traveled to the valley of Saby (in the plain of the king) to meet with him.
18 And there, MelchiZedek (the king of Salem) brought him some loaves [of bread] and some wine.

This man was also the Priest of the Most High God, 19 and he blest Abram there, saying:
ÔMay Abram of the Most High God that made the heavens and the earth, be blest. 20 And may the Most High God that delivered your enemies into your hands be praised.Õ

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything [that he had captured].

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram:
ÔLet me take all the menÉ you can keep the horses for yourself.Õ

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom:
ÔI swear by Jehovah, the Most High God who made the heavens and the earth, 23 that I wonÕt take anything from you Ð not so much as a piece of string or a shoe lace Ð so you wonÕt be able to say, IÕm the one that made Abram wealthy.
24 [I will take] nothing other than what the young men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men that went with meÉ Eschol, Aunan, and MamReÉ they will each take a portion.Õ

Chapter 15

1 Well after that, Jehovah sent word to Abram in a vision, saying:
ÔDonÕt be afraid, Abram; for, I am your shield and you will receive a huge reward.Õ

2 Then Abram said:
ÔO Almighty Jehovah; What can You give me, since IÕm about to die without a son? EliEzer of Damascus, the home-born son of my [slave girl] Masek of Damascus, is my heir.Õ

3 And Abram continued:
ÔIÕm so very sad, because You havenÕt given me a seed, and the home-born [of my slave girl] will be my heir.Õ

4 Well, the Lord immediately replied, saying:
ÔHe wonÕt be your heirÉ another that comes from you will be your heir.Õ

5 Then He took him outside and said:
ÔLook up into the sky and count all the starsÉ that is, if you can come up with an accurate count.Õ

And He said: ÔThis is how your seed will be.Õ

6 So Abram believed The God (gr. To Theo), and his [faith] was counted to him as righteousness.

7 Then [God] said to him:
ÔIÕm the God that brought you out of the land of the Chaldeans to give you this land as an inheritance

8 And [Abram] said:
ÔMy Lord and Master; How can I know [for sure] that I will inherit it?Õ

9 And He replied:
ÔCollect for Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old nanny goat, a three-year-old billy goat, a dove, and a pigeon.Õ

10 So Abram brought all three of [the animals] to Him, cut them each into halves, and set [the halves] opposite each otherÉ but he didnÕt cut the winged creatures into halves.

11 Well, birds then started landing on the bodies (the cut-up parts), as Abram sat there next to them.

12 Then, about sunset, Abram fell into a trance and {Look!} he had an ominous premonition. 13 For Abram was told:
ÔYou must know this for a fact; Your seed will have to live as aliens in a foreign land where theyÕll be slaves that are treated badly and humbled for four hundred years.
14 Then I will judge the nation that they are to serve; and following that, [your seed] will return here with many possessions. 15 However, you will go to your fathers well fed and in peace at a ripe old age.
16 Then the fourth generation will return here; because, even to this point, the sins of the Amorites havenÕt reached their climax yet.Õ

17 Well, as the sun was setting, {look!} there was a flame that looked like a smoking furnace and like lamp fires that moved between the divided pieces [of the animals].
18 This was the day that Jehovah made a Sacred Agreement with Abram. He said:
ÔI will give this land Ð from the [Nile] River of Egypt to the great EuPhrates River Ð to your seed, 19 along with the Kainites, the Kenezites, the KedMoneans, the Hittites, the Pherezites, the Raphaim, 20 the Amorites, the CanaAnites, the Hevites, the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.Õ

Chapter 16

1 Well, Sara (AbramÕs woman) hadnÕt given him any children. However, she had an Egyptian handmaid whose name was Hagar. 2
And so, Sara said to Abram:
ÔLook; Jehovah has kept me from getting pregnant; so, [sleep with] my maid that I might have my children through her.Õ

Well, Abram accepted this offer from Sara, 3 so Sara (AbramÕs woman) took Hagar her Egyptian handmaid (this was after Abram had lived in the land of CanaAn for ten years) and gave her to her man Abram as his woman.
4 Then [Abram] went in to [bed with] Hagar, and she became pregnant.

However, after she realized that she was going to have a child, she started being disrespectful to her mistress. 5 So Sara said to Abram:
ÔIÕve really been hurt by you, for I gave you my handmaid [to sleep with], and when I saw that she was pregnant, she started treating me disrespectfully.
So may Jehovah judge between you and me!Õ

6 Then Abram told Sara:
ÔLook, your handmaid is yours! Treat her any way that seems right to you!Õ

So Sara started treating [Hagar] badly, and she ran away.

7 Then a messenger from Jehovah found [Hagar] by a spring of water in the desert (the spring on the way to Sur). 8 And JehovahÕs messenger said to her:
ÔHagar, SaraÕs maid; Where are you coming from and where are you going?Õ

And she replied:
ÔIÕm running away from my mistress, Sara.Õ

9 Then JehovahÕs messenger said:
ÔReturn to your mistress and obey her.Õ

10 And the messenger of Jehovah told her:
ÔI will make your seed grow, and theyÕll become so many that they canÕt be counted.Õ

11 The messenger of Jehovah then went on to say:
ÔLook; You are pregnant with a child. You will give birth to a son, and you should name him IshMaEl (ÔGod has NoticedÕ), because Jehovah has noticed how youÕve been humiliated.
12 He will be a wild man, for his fists [will be lifted] against everyone, and everyone [will lift] their fists against him. However, he will live in the midst of all his brothers.

13 Then she called upon the Name of the Lord God that was speaking to her, saying:
ÔYou are the God that watches over me,Õ and she added, Ôbecause I openly saw the One who appeared to me.Õ

14 [So from that point on], she called that well, ÔThe Well of The One Whom I Openly Saw.Õ Look; it [still can be found] between Cades and Barad!

15 Well thereafter, Hagar bore a son to Abram; and Abram named the son that Hagar bore to him, IshMaEl. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore IshMaEl.

Chapter 17

1 Then, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him [again] and said:
ÔI am your God; so, if youÕll be pleasing before Me and not do anything for which you can be blamed, 2 I will establish a Sacred Agreement between you and Me, and I will prosper you greatly!Õ

3 Well at that, Abram fell with his face [to the ground]. Then The God spoke to him [again], saying:
4 ÔLook; I am making My Sacred Agreement with you. Since you will become the father of many nations, your name will no longer be called Abram, but AbraHam; 5 for IÕve made you the father of many nations.
6 I will make you grow tremendously, I will make nations come from you, and kings will descend from you.

7 ÔI will also extend my Sacred Agreement between you and Me to the seed that comes from you through its generations. It is a Sacred Agreement through the ages that [I] will be your God and the God of the seed that comes from you.
8 Also, I will give the land where you are [now] living as an alien, to you and to your seed. This includes the entire land of CanaAnÉ it will become yours through the ages, and I will be their God.Õ

9 Then The God told AbraHam:
ÔYou must absolutely keep my Sacred AgreementÉ both you and your seed that descends from you through all their generations.

10 ÔThis is the Sacred Agreement between you and your seed and Me through all its generations:
All of your males must be circumcisedÉ 11 the foreskin of their flesh must be circumcised, for this will be the sign of the Sacred Agreement between you and Me.
12 All of your male children must be circumcised by you when they are eight-days old, throughout all your generations. [This includes all your] home-born servants and those who are bought with money (the sons of aliens that are not your seed).

13 ÔThose that are born in your house and those that are bought with money must surely be circumcised. So My Sacred Agreement will be in their flesh as [a sign of the] Sacred Agreement through the ages.
14 As for the uncircumcised males that arenÕt circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin on the eighth day; such individuals must be totally destroyed from among their families for breaking My Sacred Agreement!Õ

15 Then The God told AbraHam:
ÔYour woman Sara will no longer be called SaraÉ SarAh will be her name. 16 For I will bless her and give you a son from her, whom I will also blessÉ nations and kings of nations will come from him

17 Well with that, AbraHam fell to his face and laughed, asking in his heart:
ÔWill a hundred-year-old [man] father a child? And will SarAh (who is ninety years old) give birth to it?Õ

18 Then AbraHam said to God:
ÔPlease accept IshMaEl to [stand] before You.Õ

19 But God told AbraHam:
ÔLook; Your woman SarAh will give birth to your son, and you should name him IsaAc (Laughter).
I will make my Sacred Agreement [with you] firm through himÉ it will be an age-long Sacred Agreement that I will be his God and [the God] of his seed that descends from him.

20 ÔAs for IshMaEl; {Look!} I have heard you and I have blest him. I will make him grow and multiply tremendously, so he will become the father of twelve nations that I will make a great people.
21 However, My Sacred Agreement will be established with IsaAc, whom SarAh will bear to you at this time next year.Õ

22 Then The God stopped talking to him, and He left AbraHam.

23 Well thereafter, AbraHam took his son IshMaEl, all of his home-born servants, all of those whom he had bought with moneyÉ all the males in AbraHamÕs house, and circumcised their foreskins on that very day, just as God had told him.

24 AbraHam was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, 25 and his son IshMaEl was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 Both AbraHam and his son IshMaEl were circumcised that very day, 27 along with all the men of his houseÉ those that were born there and the foreigners that were bought with money.

Chapter 18

1 God [next] appeared to [AbraHam] around noon, as he was sitting at the entrance to his tent by the big tree close to MamRe. 2 For when he looked up, he saw three men standing in front of him.
And when he noticed them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them, bowing all the way to the ground. 3 Then he said:
ÔLords; If I have indeed found favor in your sight, donÕt pass your servant by. 4 [IÕll have] water brought and [my servants] will wash your feet.
You just rest here under this tree. 5 I will also bring some bread for you to eat, and then you can continue your journeyÉ allow your servant to offer you some refreshment.Õ

And they replied:
ÔYou may do as you have said.Õ

6 So AbraHam ran back to SarAh (who was in the tent) and said to her:
ÔHurryÉ knead three scoops of fine flour and make [some bread].Õ

7 Then AbraHam ran to the pens, where he took a young calf (a nice, tender one) and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it.
8 Next, he got some butter, some milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set it all out before themÉ and they ate as he stood near them under the tree.

9 Then the Lord asked:
ÔWhere is your woman SarAh?Õ

And [AbraHam] replied:
ÔLook, sheÕs there in the tent!Õ

10 So the Lord said:
ÔI will return this way and come to see you during this season [next year], and your woman SarAh will have a son.Õ

Well, SarAh overheard this as she stood behind him at the entrance of the tent.
11 And because AbraHam and SarAh were old, and SarAh was [well beyond the age of child bearing], she laughed inside herself, saying,
12 ÔThis hasnÕt happened to me [in the past]É and now my lord is [too] old!Õ

13 And at that, the Lord asked AbraHam:
ÔWhy is SarAh laughing inside herself and asking,
Will I give birth? IÕm already old.
14 Is there anything that is impossible for Jehovah?
I will return to you [next year] in this season, and SarAh will have a son!Õ

15 However, SarAh denied it, saying, ÔI didnÕt laughÕ (she said this because she was afraid).

And the Lord replied:
ÔOh, but you did laugh.Õ

16 Then the men got up and headed toward Sodom and GomorRah, and AbraHam traveled along with them to assist in their journey.

17 So the Lord then asked:
ÔShall I hide the things that IÕm about to do from my servant AbraHam?
18 For AbraHam will become a great and highly populated nation through whom all the nations of the earth will be blest, 19 because I know that he will order his sons and the house that is to come from him to keep the ways of JehovahÉ to be righteous and just, so that Jehovah can bring all the things to AbraHam that He has promised.Õ

20 Then the Lord told him this:
ÔThe cries that IÕm hearing about Sodom and GomorRah keep growing, and their sins are very bad. 21 So IÕm going down to see if they are as bad as the cries that IÕm hearing have said.
And if not, at least I will know [for sure].Õ

22 And at that, the men headed toward Sodom.

Meanwhile, AbraHam was still there in the LordÕs presence.
23 So AbraHam went up to him and asked:
ÔAre you going to destroy the righteous along with the wicked, treating the righteous as though they were wicked? 24 If there are fifty righteous [people] in the city, will you destroy them? WouldnÕt you spare the whole place if there were fifty righteous [people] there?
25 You would never do such a thing as to destroy the righteous along with the wicked and treat the righteous as though they were wickedÉ no way! WonÕt you, the judge of the whole earth, do what is right?Õ

26 And the Lord said:
ÔIf there are fifty righteous [people] in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole city and the whole place for their sakes.Õ

27 Then AbraHam continued:
ÔMy Lord; Here I am speaking to you, and all I am is dirt and ashes. 28 However, what if there werenÕt fifty righteous [people] and there were only forty-five. Would you destroy the whole city because of the lack of five?Õ

And the Lord said:
ÔI wonÕt destroy it if I can find forty-five there.Õ

29 However, [AbraHam] just kept talking to him and said:
ÔWhat if there are only forty? 30 Would you not destroy it for the sake of the forty?Õ

And he went on,
ÔLord, please donÕt hold it against me if I continue to speak; but, what if there are thirty?Õ

And the Lord replied:
ÔI wonÕt destroy it for the sake of thirty.Õ

31 So he said:
ÔSince I am allowed to speak to [my] Lord; What if you can only find twenty?Õ

And he said:
ÔI wonÕt destroy it if I can only find twenty.Õ

32 Finally, he said:
ÔLord; Would you hold it against me if I were to say just one more thing? What if you were to find just ten [righteous people]?Õ

And he replied:
ÔI wonÕt destroy it for the sake of the ten.Õ

33 Then the Lord stopped speaking to AbraHam and left, and AbraHam returned to his [tent].

Chapter 19

1 Well, that evening, the two messengers [of God] finally arrived at Sodom, where they found Lot sitting by the [city] gate.
And when Lot saw them, he got up [and went] to meet them, bowing low with his face to the ground. He said:
2 ÔLook here, my lords; come to the house of your servant and rest from your journey. [Then you can] wash your feet and get up early in the morning to continue on your way.Õ

However, they said:
ÔNo, weÕll just sleep here in the street.Õ

3 But [Lot] kept insisting, so they went with him to his house. Then he baked fermentation-free bread and made a feast for them, which they ate.

4 [Well, that evening], before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom gathered around the houseÉ all of them, from the young to the old, 5 and they shouted for Lot, saying:
ÔWhere are the men that came to your home this evening? Send them out to us, so we can [have sex] with them!Õ

6 Well, Lot went out on his porch, shut the door behind him, 7 and said:
ÔAbsolutely not, my brothers! DonÕt do this wicked thing! 8 I have two daughters that have never [had sex] with a man. I will bring them out to you and you can do whatever you want with them.
However, donÕt harm these men! It was to avoid such a thing that [I brought them] under the shelter of my roof!Õ

9 But they replied:
ÔGet out of the way! You came here to live among us, and [now, do you think] have become our judge?
WeÕre going to do more harm to you than weÕll do to them!Õ

10 So they started pushing Lot and were ready to break down his door.
But the [messengers] reached out and grabbed Lot, dragged him back inside the house, and shut the door.
11 Then they struck the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both the great and the smallÉ until they finally got tired of trying to find the door.

12 And the [messengers] said to Lot:
ÔIf you have any sons, daughters, sons in law, or any friends in the city, you must take them away from this place, 13 because weÕre going to destroy it!
A great cry has been raised against [this city] to Jehovah, and [He] has sent us to destroy it.Õ

14 So Lot went and spoke to his [future] sons-in-law that [were engaged to] his daughters, and said:
ÔGet up and leave this place, because Jehovah is going to destroy the city!Õ

However, to his [future] sons-in-law, it seemed as though he was joking.

15 Then the next morning, the messengers started to hurry Lot along, saying:
ÔGet up! Take your woman and your two daughters and go, so you wonÕt be destroyed with the sins of this city!Õ

16 However, they were unsure. So the messengers grabbed the hands of Lot, his woman, and his two daughtersÉ and thatÕs how Jehovah saved them.

17 Then, once they were outside [of the city], the [messengers] told them:
ÔNow, do whatever you must to save your own lives. You must not turn around and look back at the things that are behind youÉ and donÕt stay anywhere in the countryside around here. Run to the mountains, so you wonÕt be [destroyed along] with the rest!Õ

18 But Lot said:
ÔI beg you, Lord; Your servant has been shown such mercy and you have shown such righteousness in the things that youÕve done for me to save my life. 19 However, I wonÕt be able to make it to the mountains, because the [destruction] will likely catch up with me and kill me.
20 Look, thereÕs a town nearbyÉ a small one that I can escape to and be spared. IsnÕt this just a small thing?
If you [allow] this, you will save my life!Õ

21 And [the messenger] told him:
ÔLook; I will respect your wishes in this matter and I wonÕt destroy the town that youÕre talking about. 22 But hurry and get out of here, because I wonÕt be able to do anything until you get there.Õ

And from that point on, [Lot] referred to that town as Segor (small).

23 Well, the sun was already up by the time that Lot arrived in Segor, and thatÕs when 24 Jehovah poured fire and sulfur from the sky upon Sodom and GomorRah, 25 which destroyed those cities, all the countryside around them and everyone that lived in the citiesÉ including even the plants that grew on the ground.
26 However, [LotÕs] woman had turned and looked back, and she then became an upright block of salt.

27 Well, that morning (as AbraHam arose early to go to the place where he had stood before the Lord); 28 when he looked toward Sodom, GomorRah, and the surrounding countryside, he saw what looked like the flames and smoke of a furnace arising from that land!
29 And this is how it all happened.
However, when God destroyed all the cities around there, He remembered AbraHam and He brought Lot out of the midst of that destruction, when the Lord overthrew those cities where Lot had been living.

30 Well after that, Lot and his daughters left Segor and they went to live in the mountains, because he was afraid to live in Segor. So he and his daughters went and lived in a cave.

31 [It was there that] the eldest [daughter] said to the younger:
ÔOur father is old, and no one on earth will come to us here where weÕre living. 32 So letÕs get our father drunk with wine and then we will sleep with him, so we can have the seed of our father.Õ

33 Well, that night, they brought their father some wine to drink, and the eldest went in and laid down with him.
However, he wasnÕt aware of when he went to sleep or when he got up.

34 Then the next day, the eldest said to the younger:
ÔLook; I slept with our father last night. Therefore, letÕs get him some wine to drink again tonight, and then you go in and sleep with him, so we can raise a seed from our father.Õ

35 Well, they got their father to drink wine again, and the younger went in and slept with her father that nightÉ and he didnÕt know when he went to sleep or when he got up.

36 As the result, the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 Then the eldest bore a son whom she called Moab, saying:
ÔHeÕs of my father.Õ
([Moab] is the father of the Moabites to this day).
38 And the younger also bore a son whom she named AmMon, saying:
ÔHeÕs the son of my family.Õ
([AmMon] is the father of the AmMonites to this day).

Chapter 20

1 Well, sometime after that, AbraHam moved to the southern part of the country and took up living between Cades and Sur, staying for a while in GeraRa. 2 And [there], AbraHam [again told the people] that his woman SarAh was his sister.
He didnÕt want to say, ÔSheÕs my woman,Õ for fear that the men of that city would kill him because of her.

So AbiMelech (the king of GeraRa) sent for SarAh and took her [to be his woman].
3 But God came to AbiMelech at night in a dream and told him:
ÔLook; YouÕre all going to die because of this woman youÕve taken, since she [already has] a man!Õ

4 Well, AbiMelech hadnÕt touched her [yet], so he replied:
ÔLord, would you destroy a righteous nation that has sinned in ignorance?
5 DidnÕt he tell me, SheÕs my sister?
And didnÕt she tell me, HeÕs my brother?
IÕve done this with righteous hands and with a pure heart.Õ

6 Then The God replied to him in his [dream], saying:
ÔYes, I know that you did this with a pure heart. ThatÕs why IÕve spared you and [kept you from] sinning against Me, and thatÕs why I also kept you from touching her.
7 So return this manÕs woman now, because heÕs a Prophet. Then he will pray for you and you will continue to live.
However, if you donÕt return her, you and all that are yours will die.Õ

8 So early the next morning, AbiMelech got up and called all his servants in; then he told them everything that was said, which frightened them.
9 And thereafter, AbiMelech called AbraHam in and asked:
ÔWhat have you done to us? [What type of bad] have you seen in me that you should do such a thing? Have we sinned against you in some way so that you would draw my whole kingdom and me into such a great sin?
Why, youÕve done something to me that no one should ever do!Õ

10 And AbiMelech continued:
ÔWhat [bad] have you seen in me that you would do such a thing?Õ

11 Then AbraHam replied:
Ô[I thought] that this surely couldnÕt be a place of godly people, so they will kill me for my woman.
12 [And in fact], she really is my sister by my father (but not by my mother), whom I took as my woman.
13 So when God took me from my fatherÕs house, I told her:
I have a righteous thing that I want you to do for me: Wherever we go, tell [people] that IÕm your brother.Õ

14 Then AbiMelech returned his woman SarAh, along with a thousand silver coins, as well as sheep, cattle, and male and female servants.
15 And AbiMelech said to AbraHam:
ÔLook, my whole land lies before you. So now, go wherever you wish.Õ

16 Then he told SarAh:
ÔLook, IÕve given your brother a thousand silver coins. These are yours as the price of your face and for all the women that are with youÉ but [in the future, you must] always tell the whole truth!Õ

17 So AbraHam prayed to God, and God healed AbiMelech. [He also healed AbiMelechÕs] woman and his concubines, and they thereafter gave birth to children 18 (since Jehovah had closed all the wombs in AbiMelechÕs house due to AbraHamÕs woman, SarAh).

Chapter 21

1 Then the Lord visited SarAh and did as [He had promised] to her. 2 She became pregnant and bore a son to AbraHam in his old age, at the exact time that the Lord had specified. 3 And AbraHam named the son that was born to him through SarAh, IsaAc (Laughter).
4 Then on the eighth day, AbraHam circumcised IsaAc, just as God had instructed him.

5 AbraHam was a hundred years old when his son IsaAc was born. 6 And SarAh said:
ÔJehovah has created laughter for me, because everyone that hears [about this] will rejoice with me.Õ

7 Then she added:
ÔWho could tell AbraHam that IÕm nursing a child, because IÕve given birth in my old age?Õ

8 Thereafter, the child grew; and on the day that he was weaned, AbraHam prepared a great feast. 9 However, SarAh noticed HagarÕs son (the one that was born to AbraHam through the Egyptian [woman]) playfully making fun of their son IsaAc. 10 So she told AbraHam:
ÔThrow this slave woman and her son out, because I wonÕt have the son of this slave receive an inheritance with my son IsaAc!Õ

11 Now, those words about his son were very difficult for AbraHam. 12 But God said to AbraHam:
ÔDonÕt allow this thing about your son and the slave woman to become too difficult for you. Listen to whatever SarAh tells you, because IsaAc will be the one that is called your seed. 13 However, I will make a great nation of this slave womanÕs son, because heÕs also your seed.Õ

14 So the next morning, AbraHam got up, gave Hagar some loaves [of bread] and a skin of water, put her son on her shoulders, and sent her away. Then she left there and wandered in the desert near the Well of the Promise.

15 However, [before long], the skin of water was empty. So she threw her child under a fir tree, 16 where she left him, and then she sat some distance across from him (a bow-shot away). And she said:
ÔI canÕt just watch my child die.Õ

So she sat there across from him as her child bawled and cried.

17 Well, God heard the voice of the child from the place where He was, and a messenger from God called to Hagar out of the sky, and asked:
ÔWhy are you so concerned, Hagar? DonÕt worry; for God has heard the childÕs voice from where He is. 18 So now, get up and take the child by his hand, because IÕm going to make a great nation of him.Õ

19 Then The God opened her eyes and she saw a life [sustaining] well of water; so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the child a drink.

20 God was with that child, so he grew up living in the desert and he became an archer. 21 And as he was living there in the desert, his mother found a woman for him in Pharan, Egypt.

22 Now, the time came when AbiMelech, OchoZath (his trusted friend), and Pichol (the head of his army) [came to] AbraHam and said:
ÔGod is with you [and has blest] everything that you do. 23 So swear to me by God that you wonÕt harm me, my seed, or my name; rather, you should deal with me in the same righteous way that IÕve dealt with you in this land in which you are living.Õ

24 And AbraHam said:
ÔI swear.Õ

25 Then AbraHam complained to AbiMelech about some water wells that his servants had taken from him. 26 And AbiMelech replied:
ÔI donÕt know who did this thing to you, nor did you tell me about it. Today is the first time IÕve heard of this.Õ

27 And thereafter, AbraHam took some cattle and sheep and gave them to AbiMelech, and they made a treaty. 28 Then AbraHam set aside seven female lambs. 29 And AbiMelech asked him:
ÔWhy have you set those seven female lambs aside?Õ

30 And AbraHam replied:
ÔIÕm giving my seven female lambs to you as testimony to the fact that I dug this well.Õ

31 So thereafter, he named that place, ÔThe Well of the Promise,Õ because thatÕs where they swore their oath 32 and made their treaty. Then AbiMelech, his trusted friend OchoZath, and Pichol (the head of his army) got up and returned [home] to the land of the Philistines.

33 Well, after that, AbraHam planted a field near The Well of the Promise and started calling on the Name of the God of the ages, Jehovah. 34 And he stayed there in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Chapter 22

1 It was then that God put AbraHam to the test. He called to him, saying:
ÔAbraHamÉAbraHam!Õ

And [AbraHam] replied:
ÔLook! ItÕs me!Õ

2 Then [God] said:
ÔTake your beloved son (this one whom you so love, IsaAc) then go to the highlands and offer him there on one of the mountains that IÕll tell you about, as a burnt offering.Õ

3 So AbraHam got up in the morning, saddled his burro, and [prepared to] take two servants and his son IsaAc with him. Then, after splitting some wood for the offering, he got up and traveled toward the place about which God had spoken to him.

4 Well, it was on the third day that AbraHam looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then AbraHam said to his servants:
ÔStay here with the burros; for my son and I will go over thereÉ and after we bow low [before God], we will return to you.Õ

 6 So AbraHam took the wood for the offering and laid it on his son IsaAcÕs [shoulders], and the two went off together, with him carrying both the fire and the knife in his own hands.

7Then IsaAc called out to his father (AbraHam) and said:
ÔFather!Õ

And he replied:
ÔWhat is it, son?Õ

And [IsaAc] continued:
ÔLook! [We have the] the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the offering?Õ

8 Then AbraHam said:
ÔGod will provide His own sheep for the offering, son.Õ

So they both traveled on, and they 9 finally arrived at the place that God had spoken to him about.

Then AbraHam built the altar there and laid the wood on it, and he tied his son IsaAcÕs feet together and laid him on the wood on top of the altar. 10 And as AbraHam was reaching for the knife to slaughter his son, 11 a messenger of Jehovah called out to him from the sky, and said:
ÔAbraHamÉ AbraHam!Õ

And he said:
ÔLook, itÕs me!Õ

12 Then [the messenger] said:
ÔDonÕt lay a hand on the child and donÕt do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you havenÕt spared even your loved son for My sake!Õ

13 And when AbraHam looked up, he saw {Look!} a male goat that was caught by its horns on a bush in the thicket. So AbraHam went over and grabbed the male goat; [then he] offered it as a whole burnt offering instead of his son IsaAc.

14 Well, AbraHam thereafter named that place, ÔThe Lord Was Seen.Õ [He did that] so people today would say, ÔThis is the mountain where the Lord was seen.Õ

15 Then a messenger of Jehovah called AbraHam a second time from the sky, saying:
16 ÔThis is what Jehovah has said:
I have sworn [an oath] by Myself that, because youÕve done this thing (because you havenÕt spared your loved son for Me); 17 when it comes to blessings, I will bless you, and when it comes to multiplying, I will multiply your seed as the stars in the skies and as the sands on the sea shores.
Your seed will inherit the cities of their enemies, 18 and all the nations of the earth will be blest by your seed, because youÕve listened to My voice.
Õ

19 Well thereafter, AbraHam returned to his servants, and they all got up and traveled together to the Well of the Promise. Then AbraHam took up living there at the Well of the Promise.

20 Then later on, AbraHam received this report:
ÔLook! Melcha has given birth to sons by your brother NaHor! 21 Uz is the first-born, [then there is] Baux his brother, CamuEl (the father of the Syrians), Chazad, 22 Azav, Phaldes, JelDaph, and BathuEl (BathuEl was RebecKaÕs father).
23 Melcha bore these eight sons to AbraHamÕs brother NaHor. 24 In addition, his concubine (named RheUma) also gave birth to TaBec, TaAm, Tochos, and Mocha.Õ

Chapter 23

1 Well, SarAh lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old, 2 and then [she] died in the city of ArBoc (Hebron in the land of CanaAn), which is located in a valley.

So AbraHam went to SarAh to mourn for her. 3 And as AbraHam stood before his dead [woman], he spoke to the sons of Chet, saying:
4 ÔIÕm just a visitor and a stranger among you; but [please] allow me to buy a burying-place among [your people], so I can bury my dead away from [my place].Õ

5 And the sons of Ket replied to AbraHam, saying:
ÔNo Sir! 6 Listen; You may live among us, but youÕre [really] a king from God! So bury your dead in our best tombs! None of us will ever withhold our tombs to keep you from burying your dead here!Õ

7 Then AbraHam arose and bowed low before the people of the land (the sons of Ket). 8 And AbraHam said to them:
ÔIf you approve of me burying my dead out of my sight; then, listen to what I have to say and [please] speak on my behalf to EphRon, the son of SaAr.
9 [I want] him to give me the double cave that he owns, which is located in his field. I will [be happy to] pay whatever itÕs worth for a burial-place among you.Õ

10 Now, EphRon happened to be sitting there in the midst of the children of Ket, and [he] answered AbraHam (speaking where he could be heard by all the sons of Ket and by all that were entering the city) saying:
11 ÔPay attention to me, my lord; Here before all my countrymen [I say], Bury your dead!Õ

12 And at that, AbraHam bowed low before the people of the land, 13 and he told EphRon (before the people of the land):
ÔSince youÕre on my side, listen to me; Accept the price of the field from me and IÕll bury my dead there.Õ

14 However, EphRon answered AbraHam, saying:
15 ÔNo, my lord! IÕve heard that the land [is worth] four hundred silver coins, but what value is that between you and me? No, just bury your dead.Õ

16 And though AbraHam heard what EphRon had said, he still paid [him] the money, just as he had vowed before the sons of Ket Ð four hundred silver coins that had been approved by the merchants.

17 So at that, the double cave that was in the field of EphRon opposite MamRe (the field, the cave that was in it, every tree in the field, and everything that was within its borders) was sold 18 to AbraHam as his possession, there in front of the sons of Ket and all those [that were] entering the city.

19 There, AbraHam buried his woman SarAh inside the fieldÕs double cave, which is opposite Mamre (Hebron in the land of CanaAn). 20 For the field and its cave were sold to AbraHam as his burying place by the sons of Ket.

Chapter 24

1 Well by then, AbraHam was very old, and Jehovah had blest AbraHam in everything. 2 So AbraHam said to his servant (the elder of his house that was in charge of all his possessions):
ÔPut your hand under my thigh, 3 because I want you to swear by Jehovah the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you wonÕt take a woman for my son IsaAc from the daughters of the CanaAnitesÉ these [people] among whom I am living.
4 Rather, I want you to go to my country Ð to the place where I was born and to my people Ð to find a woman for my son IsaAc.Õ

5 And his servant replied:
ÔBut if the woman isnÕt happy and willing to return with me to this land, should I carry your son back to that land from which you came?Õ

6 And AbraHam said to him:
ÔMake sure that you donÕt carry my son back there. 7 For it was Jehovah (the God of heaven and the God of earth) that took me out of my fatherÕs house and out of the land where I was born. He spoke to me and swore to me, saying,
I will give this land to you and to your seed.
[So I know that He] will send His messenger ahead of youÉ and you must take a woman for my son from there. 8 However, if the woman isnÕt willing to come with you into this land, you will be free from this oath. Just donÕt carry my son back there.Õ

9 At at that, the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master AbraHam and swore to him. 10 Then the servant took ten camels from his masterÕs herd and [some of] his masterÕs valuables, and he traveled through MesoPotamia to the city of NaHor.

11 It was toward evening that he [stopped and] rested his camels outside of the city, by the well where the young women went to draw water. 12 And he [prayed]:
ÔO Jehovah, the God of my master AbraHam; Bless what IÕm doing today, and be merciful to my master AbraHam. 13 {Look!} Here I am standing by the well where the daughters of those that live in this city come to draw water. 14 And may it be that whichever virgin to whom I say,
Bring down the water jar so that I may have a drink,
and she replies,
Take a drink, and I will also [pour water] for your camels to drink until they are satisfied;
IÕll know that this is the one YouÕve prepared for Your servant IsaAc, and that YouÕve been merciful to my master, AbraHam.Õ

15 Well, before he was even done speaking in his mind, {Look!} RebecKa, the daughter of BathuEl (who was the son of Melcha, the woman of NaHor, AbraHamÕs brother) came there carrying a water jug on her shoulders.
16 This virgin was very beautiful, and she was in fact a virginÉ no man ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the well, filled her water jug, and [walked back] up.

17 Then [AbraHamÕs] servant ran to meet her, and said:
ÔGive me a little water to drink from your pitcher.Õ

18 And she said:
ÔHave a drink, sir.Õ

So she quickly removed the pitcher [from her head] and allowed him to drink until he was finished.

19 Then she said:
ÔIÕll also draw water for your camels, until theyÕve all had enough to drink.Õ

20 And she quickly emptied the water jug into the trough, and then she kept running to the well to draw, until she had drawn enough water for all the camels.

21 Well, the man paid attention to this, but he didnÕt say anything, because he wanted to know whether this was JehovahÕs blessing.
22 Then, after all the camels were finished drinking, he gave her [two] gold earrings (each weighing about an eighth of an ounce), and he [put] two bracelets on her hands (they weighed about the same as ten gold coins), 23 and he asked her,
ÔWhose daughter are youÉ tell me! And is there room for us to lodge with your father?Õ

24 Then she replied:
ÔIÕm the daughter of BathuEl, who is the son of Melcha and whose father was NaHor.Õ

25 And she added:
ÔWe have straw, a lot of fodder, and a place for [you to] rest.Õ

26 Well at that, the man (who was very happy) bowed low to Jehovah 27 and said:
ÔMay Jehovah the God of my master AbraHam be praised, [because He] hasnÕt allowed His righteousness or His truth to fail my master, since the Lord has led me right to the house of my lordÕs brother!Õ

28 Then the young maiden ran and reported what he said to the household of her mother.

29 Now, RebecKa had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran all the way to the well to meet the man.
30 For when he saw the earrings and the bracelets on his sisterÕs hands; and when he heard what his sister RebecKa said about what the man had told her, he went to the man as he was standing by the well with his camels 31 and said to him:
ÔCome on in, you who are blest by Jehovah! Why are you standing outside? IÕve prepared the house and IÕve also made a place for your camels!Õ

32 So the man went into the house, and [Laban] unloaded the camels, gave them straw and fodder, and he drew water to wash the feet [of AbraHamÕs servant] as well as the feet of the men that were with him; 33 then he set loaves of bread before them to eat.
However, [AbraHamÕs servant] said:
ÔIÕm not going to eat until IÕve told you the reason why IÕve come here.Õ

And [Laban] said:
ÔThen go ahead and speak.Õ

34 So he said:
ÔIÕm a servant of AbraHam; 35 and Jehovah has greatly blest my master. He is highly respected and has been given sheep, cattle, silver, gold, male and female servants, camels, and burros.
36 And SarAh, my masterÕs woman, bore one son to my master after he had grown old, to whom he has given everything that he owns.

37 ÔNow, my master made me swear [an oath], saying,
You must not take a woman for my son from among the daughters of the CanaAnitesÉ these [people] among whom I am living. 38 But you should go to the house of my father and to my tribe, and take a woman for my son from there.

39 ÔThen I asked my master:
What if the woman is unhappy about coming along?

40 ÔAnd he replied:
Jehovah God, who has found me to be acceptable in His presence, will send His messenger along with you, and your journey will be blest.
You should take a woman for my son from among my tribe and from the house of my father. 41 Then you will be free from the curse [of your oath].
And if they wonÕt give her to you when you get to my tribe, you will be freed from your oath.

42 ÔSo today I came to this well, and I [prayed]:
O Jehovah, the God of my master AbraHam; If you will bless this journey that IÕm now on, 43 {Look!} I will stand by this well where the daughters of the people of this city come to draw water. And whichever young woman to whom I will say,
Give me a little water to drink out of your pitcher,
44 and she replies,
Take a drink, and I will also [pour water] for your camels to drink until they are satisfied;
this is the woman that Jehovah has prepared for His servant IsaAc, and thatÕs how IÕll know that YouÕve been merciful to my master, AbraHam.

45 ÔWell, before I had even finished speaking in my mind, RebecKa arrived with her pitcher on her shoulders. And [after] she went down to the well and drew water, I said to her,
Give me a drink.
46 Then she quickly took the pitcher from her head, and said,
Take a drink, and I will also give your camels [something to] drink.
So I drank, and then she watered the camels.

47 ÔThen I asked her:
Whose daughter are youÉ tell me!
And she replied:
IÕm the daughter of BathuEl, who is the son of Melcha and whose father was NaHor.
And thatÕs when I gave her the earrings and put the bracelets on her hands.

48 ÔWell, all of this made me so happy that I bowed low and praised Jehovah, the God of my master AbraHam, who has truly blest me in such a way that I might take the daughter of my masterÕs own brother for his son.
49 Now, tell me whether you will be merciful and just with my lord, so I can know which way to turn.Õ

50 And at this, Laban and BathuEl answered, saying:
ÔSince this thing has come from Jehovah, we canÕt answer you in either a bad way or a good way.
51 Look! There is RebecKa standing before youÉ take her and go! Let her be the woman of your masterÕs son, just as Jehovah has said.Õ

 52 And when AbraHamÕs servant heard these words, he bowed to the ground to Jehovah.
53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry, as well as clothing, and gave it to RebecKa. He also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54 And afterward, both he and the men who were with him ate and drank; then they went to sleep.

Well, when he got up in the morning, he said to them:
ÔNow allow me to leave, so I can return to my master.Õ

55 And her brothers and mother said:
ÔLet the virgin stay here with us for ten more days, and then she can go.Õ

56 But he replied to them:
ÔDonÕt hold me back, because Jehovah has blest my journey. Send me away now, so I can return to my master!Õ

57 And they said:
ÔLetÕs call the girl and ask [what she wants to do].

58 So they called RebecKa and asked:
ÔWill you go with this man?Õ

And she replied:
ÔIÕll go.Õ

59 So they [agreed to] send their sister RebecKa and all her possessions along with AbraHamÕs servant and his attendants.
60 Then they [gave] RebecKa a blessing, saying to her:
ÔYou are our sister; now become ten thousands of thousands, and may your seed own the cities of their enemies.Õ

61 Thereafter, RebecKa and her female attendants mounted the camels and went along with the man. And the servant, on having received RebecKa, departed.

62 Meanwhile, IsaAc had traveled through the desert toward the Well of the Vision, and he took up living in the southern portion of that land.
63 It was toward evening that IsaAc had gone out into the plains to think (because he was discouraged). And when he looked up, he saw camels coming.

64 It was then that RebecKa looked up and saw IsaAc. So she quickly dismounted the camel 65 and asked the servant:
ÔWho is the man that is walking across the plains to meet us?Õ

And the servant said:
ÔThis is my master.Õ

So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 Thereafter, the servant told IsaAc everything that he had done.
67 And IsaAc went to the house of his mother and took RebecKa, so she became his womanÉ and he loved herÉ and IsaAc was given comfort for [the death of] his mother, SarAh.

Chapter 25

1 Well, after that, AbraHam took a woman again, whose name was KetTura. 2 She bore to him ZomBran, JeZan, Madal, Midian, JesBoc, and SoYe.

3 JeZan fathered Saba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were the AsShurites, the Latusians, and the Laomim.
4 The sons of Midian were Gephar, Aphir, Enoch, Abida, and ElDaAh. These were all the sons of KetTura.
5 However, AbraHam had given all of his possessions to his son IsaAc. 6 He just gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, then he sent them away from his son IsaAc, to a country in the east.

7 AbraHam lived to be a hundred and seventy-five years old. 8 But AbraHam [eventually found himself in] failing health and he died at a ripe old ageÉ an old man that had lived a full life; and he was [buried] with his family.

9 His sons, IsaAc and IshMaEl buried him in the double cave that was in the field of EphRon (the son of SaAr the Kettite), which is across from Mamre.
10 So AbraHam and his woman SarAh [were both buried] in that field, inside the cave that AbraHam bought from the sons of Ket.

11 Well, after AbraHam died, God blest his son IsaAc. And IsaAc went to live by the Well of the Vision.

12 These are the generations of IshMaEl, the son of AbraHam, whom Hagar (SarAhÕs Egyptian handmaid) had born to AbraHam, 13 and these are the names of IshMaElÕs sons by each of their generations:
The firstborn of IshMaEl was NabaiOth, then Kedar, NabDeEl, MasSam, 14 MasMa, Duma, MasSe, 15 ChodDan, ThaEman, Jetur, Naphes, and Kedma. 16
Those are all IshMaElÕs sons, whose names are on their tents and dwellingsÉ twelve princes of their nations.

17 And this is how long IshMaEl lived: a hundred and thirty-seven years.
Thereafter, [his health started to] fail and he died and was [buried with] his family.

18 [IshMaEl] and all his descendants lived [in the area] from Evilat [in the northeast] to Sur [in the southwest], and from Assyria to just across from Egypt.

19 And these are the generations of IsaAc, the son of AbraHam:
20 AbraHam fathered IsaAc. And when IsaAc was forty years old, he took RebecKa (the daughter of BathuEl, the Syrian of Syrian MesoPotamia, the sister of Laban the Syrian) as his woman.

21 Then IsaAc prayed to Jehovah about his woman RebecKa, because she was sterile, and Jehovah heard him; so his woman (RebecKa) got pregnant.
22 And [one day], the babies that were inside her jumped. And she asked:
ÔWhy did this happen to me?Õ

So she went to ask Jehovah, 23 and He told her:
ÔThere are two nations in your womb, and two races will be separated from your belly. One race will become greater than the other, and the older one will serve the younger.Õ

24 Well, when it came time for her to deliver, she [found that] she indeed had twins in her womb.
25 The first came out red and covered with hair all over his skin; and she named him Esau.
26 Then his brother was born while holding onto the heel of Esau with his hand, so she named him Jacob (Snatcher of the Heel).
IsaAc was sixty years old when RebecKa bore them.

27 Well, after the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter that lived in the country, while Jacob was a simple man that lived in a house.
28 And though IsaAc loved Esau (because he enjoyed venison), RebecKa loved Jacob.

29 Then [one day], as Jacob was cooking up some stew, Esau came in from the plains tired and weak, 30 he said to Jacob:
ÔLet me have a taste of that red stew, because IÕm weak.Õ
(ThatÕs when he started to be called Edom [or Red]).

31 And Jacob replied to Esau:
ÔThen, sell me your right [as firstborn]É right now!Õ

32 So Esau said:
ÔLook, IÕm about to die! What good does this right [of the firstborn] mean to me?Õ

33 And Jacob said to him:
ÔSwear to me right now!Õ

So then he swore to him, and thatÕs when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 Thereafter, Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew, which he ate and then he drank, and he got up and left. This is how Esau [showed little regard for] his birthright.

Chapter 26

1 Thereafter, a famine came upon the land that was greater than past famines that had happened in the time of AbraHam. So IsaAc went to GeraRa to see AbiMelech, the king of the Philistines. 2 And there the Lord appeared to him and said:
ÔDo not go to Egypt! Rather, live in the land that IÕm going to tell you about. 3 Stay in this land and I will be with you and bless you.
IÕm going to give all of this land to you and to your seed, for now I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father AbraHam.
4 I will increase your seed as the stars in the skies, I will give all of this land to your seed, and all the nations of the earth will be blest by your seed, 5 because AbraHam (your father) listened to My voice and did as I saidÉ He obeyed My commandments, rules, and laws

6 So thereafter, IsaAc started living there in GeraRa.

7 Well, when the men in GeraRa asked him about RebecKa (his woman), he told them that she was his sister, because he was afraid to tell them that she was his woman, as she was very pretty and [he feared that] the men there would kill him for RebecKa.

8 Then, after he had lived there a long time, AbiMelech (the king of GeraRa) happened to lean over to look out his window, and he saw IsaAc playing with RebecKa, his woman.
9 So AbiMelech called IsaAc and asked him:
ÔIs she your woman? [And if so, then] why did you say sheÕs your sister?Õ

And IsaAc replied:
ÔWell, I said this so that I wouldnÕt be killed for her.Õ

10 And AbiMelech said:
ÔWhy would you do such a thing to us?
Before long, one of my relatives would have had [sex] with your woman, and you would have brought a sin upon us in our ignorance!Õ

11 So, AbiMelech gave a command to all his people, that said:
ÔAny man that touches this man or his woman will die!Õ

12 Then IsaAc planted grain in the land; and that year, the barley produced a hundred times [more than what he had planted], for Jehovah was blessing him.
13 So he became highly regarded and very wealthy, as he continued to prosper. 14 For he owned many sheep, cattle, and tillable lands. But as the result, the Philistines [started to] envy him, 15 and [they] stopped up all the wells that his fatherÕs servants had dug back in his time, filling them in with dirt.

16 Then AbiMelech told IsaAc:
Ô[I want you to] leave us, because youÕve become much greater than us.Õ

17 So IsaAc left there, stopping to rest in the valley of GeraRa, where [he decided to] live.

18 And once more, IsaAc dug the [same type of] wells that his fatherÕs servants had dug (which the Philistines had stopped up after AbraHamÕs death). And he gave them each names, using the same names as his father had used.
19 Then when IsaAcÕs servants dug in the valley of GeraRa, they found a live well of water. 20 However, the shepherds of GeraRa argued with IsaAcÕs shepherds, claiming that the water was theirs. So they named the well Injury, because [they claimed] injury over this matter.

21 As the result, he left that place and dug another well. [But then the people] started claiming [that it was theirs also].
So he named it Hatred. 22 And he left that place and dug another well, which no one else claimed to be theirs; so he named it Space, saying:
ÔJehovah has made space for us and He has prospered us in the land.Õ

23 Then he traveled to the Well of the Promise, 24 where the Lord appeared to him that evening and said:
ÔI am the God of your father AbraHam. DonÕt be afraid, for I am with you! Because of your father AbraHam, I will bless you and your seed will increase.Õ

25 So he built an altar there, and he named it Jehovah.
Then he pitched his tent, and IsaAcÕs servants dug another well there in the valley of GeraRa.

26 However, later, AbiMelech came to him from [the City of] GeraRa with his trusted friend OchoZath and with Phichol, the commander of his army.
27 And IsaAc asked them:
ÔWhy have you come to me here, now that youÕve shown your hatred for me and driven me away?Õ

28 And they replied:
ÔWe have seen that the Lord is surely with you. So we said,
Let us swear an oath between him and us.
Yes, we want to make an agreement with you, 29 that you wonÕt do any wrong to us, and we wonÕt show any more hatred toward you. After all, isnÕt it because we treated you well by sending you away peacefully that you are now being blest by Jehovah?Õ

30 So, [IsaAc] prepared a feast for them, and they all ate and drank.
31 And when they got up the next morning, they each swore [an oath] to their neighbors. Then IsaAc sent them away, and they left him in safety.

32 However, that very same day, IsaAcÕs servants came and [gave him news about] the well that they were digging. They said,
ÔWeÕve found water!Õ
33 So he named it and the city, ÔThe Oath.Õ This is why that city is called ÔThe Well of the PromiseÔ (BeerSheba) to this day.

34 Then when Esau was forty years old, he took Judith, the daughter of BeOch the Kettite, and BaseMath (the daughter of Helon the Kettite). 35 And [these women] made life very difficult for IsaAc and RebecKa.

Chapter 27

1 Well, after IsaAc grew old, his eyes became so dim that he couldnÕt see. Then he called Esau, his eldest son, and said to him:
ÔSon!Õ

And [Esau] replied:
ÔLook, here I am!Õ

2 And [IsaAc] said:
Ô{Look!} IÕm old and I donÕt know [how much longer I will live]. 3 So, go get your weapons, both your bow and your quiver, and go into the plains to get me some venison. 4 Then prepare the meat for me just the way I like it and bring it to me, so I can eat it.
Thereafter, I will pass my blessing upon your life before I die.Õ

5 However, RebecKa overheard IsaAc speaking to his son Esau. And after Esau had gone out to the plains to get some venison for his father, 6 RebecKa said to her younger son Jacob:
Ô{Look!} I overheard your father speaking to your brother Esau. And he told him 7 to bring him some venison and prepare the meat so he could eat it; then he would bless him in front of Jehovah, before he dies.

8 ÔNow, listen my son and do what I tell you!
9 Go out to the animals and bring two young goats to me ([make sure theyÕre] tender and good), and IÕll prepare the meat for your father just the way he likes it.
10 Then you must take it to your father, so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.Õ

11 But Jacob said to his mother RebecKa:
ÔMy brother Esau is covered with hair, while [my body] is smooth. 12 So if my father should [reach out] and feel me, it will look like IÕm doing a bad thing to him, and that would bring a curse on me, not a blessing!Õ

13 However, his mother said to him:
ÔMay I receive your curses, my son. Just listen to what IÕve told you to do and bring [the young goats] to me.Õ

14 So he went out and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared the meat just the way his father liked it.
15 Then RebecKa took some of her eldest son EsauÕs finest clothes that she had there in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob, 16 and she also covered his arms and the bare parts of his neck with the skins of the young goats.
17 Thereafter, she put the meat and the bread that she had prepared into the hands of Jacob, 18 and he brought it in to his father.

He said:
ÔFather.Õ

And [IsaAc] replied:
ÔLook, itÕs me! Who are you, son?Õ

19 And Jacob said to his father:
ÔItÕs me, Esau your first-born! IÕve done what you told me to do; so, sit up and eat my venisonÉ then you can pass your blessings on my life.Õ

20 But IsaAc asked his son:
ÔHow did you find [the meat] so quickly?Õ

And he replied:
ÔJehovah your God set it before me.Õ

21 Then IsaAc told Jacob:
ÔCome close to me so I can feel you, [to see] whether you are truly my son Esau!Õ

22 And Jacob drew close to his father, so IsaAc could feel him, and he said:
ÔYour voice is that of Jacob, but your hands are the hands of Esau.Õ

23 Therefore, he didnÕt recognize him, because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother EsauÉ and this is how [IsaAc] came to bless [Jacob].

24 Well after that, [IsaAc] again asked:
ÔAre you my son Esau?Õ

And [Jacob] replied:
ÔItÕs me.Õ

25 So he said:
ÔThen, bring your venison over here and IÕll eat it, son, and I will pass my blessings on to your life.Õ

So he brought [the food] to him and he ate it, along with some wine, which he drank.

26 Thereafter, IsaAc (his father) said to him:
ÔCome close and kiss me, son.Õ

27 So [Jacob] went over and kissed him; and [IsaAc] then sniffed the odor of his clothes and blest him, saying:
Ô{Look!} This is the odor of my son. It has the smell of a wonderful field that has been blest by Jehovah.
28 So may God give you the dew of the skies, the fatness of the land, and plenty of grain and wine. 29 May the gentiles serve you, and may their princes bow low before you. May you be the lord of your brother, and may your fatherÕs [other] sons show you respect.
May anyone that curses you be cursed, and may all that praise you be blest.Õ

30 Well, right after IsaAc had blest his son Jacob (immediately after Jacob had left the presence of IsaAc his father), his brother Esau returned from his hunt. 31 He had also prepared some meat and brought it in to his father, and he said:
ÔGet up father! Sit up and eat some of your sonÕs venison, so you can pass your blessings on my life.Õ

32 But his father IsaAc asked:
ÔWho are you?Õ

And he said:
ÔIÕm your first-born son, Esau!Õ

33 Well, IsaAc was shocked, and asked:
ÔThen, who was it that [just] got the venison and brought it to me? I ate it all before you got here, and I blest himÉ so heÕs the one that will be blest!Õ

34 And when Esau heard what his father IsaAc said, he shouted loudly and bitterly:
ÔI beg you, father; Bless me too!Õ

35 And [IsaAc] told him:
ÔYour brother slyly took your blessing.Õ

36 Then [Esau] said:
ÔHe is well named Jacob, because {Look!} this is the second time that has he has taken what was mine. First he took my right as the firstborn, and now he has taken my blessing!Õ

And again, Esau asked his father:
ÔDonÕt you have a blessing left for me, father?Õ

37 Then IsaAc said to Esau:
ÔIÕve already made him your lord and all of your brothers his servants. I have also empowered him with the wine and grainÉ so what more can I give you, my son?Õ

38 But Esau asked his father:
ÔDonÕt you have just one blessing father? I beg you father, bless me too!Õ

Well, this really bothered IsaAc, because Esau was shouting and crying. 39 So (his father) IsaAc answered and said:
ÔLook; Your home will be in the fatness of the ground and in the dew of the skies up above.
40 You will indeed live by your sword and you will serve your brother. However, the time will come when you will loosen and break his yoke from your neck.Õ

41 Well, Esau was very angry with Jacob over the blessing that his father had given to him. So Esau thought about it and then he said:
ÔMay the days of mourning my father come quickly, so I can kill my brother Jacob!Õ

42 Then when these words of Esau (her eldest son) were reported to RebecKa; she sent for her younger son Jacob, and said to him:
Ô{Look!} Your brother Esau has threatened to kill you!
43 So now, listen to me, my son; Get up and quickly leave for MesoPotamiaÉ go to my brother Laban in Haran 44 and live with him until all of your brotherÕs anger 45 and rage against you has passed and he forgets what youÕve done to him.
Then I will send for you and bring you back. For I donÕt want to be saddened over [the death] of both you [and your father] on the same day.Õ

46 Then [later], RebecKa said [to IsaAc]:
ÔIÕm so tired of my life because of the daughters of the sons of Chet. And if Jacob were [also] to take a woman from the daughters of this land, where would I live?Õ

Chapter 28

1 So IsaAc called for JacobÉ he blest him and said to him:
ÔYou must not take a woman from among the daughters of the CanaAnites. 2 Rather, get up quickly and travel to MesoPotamia, to the house of my father-in-law BathuEl, and find yourself a woman among the daughters of your motherÕs brother Laban.
3 May my God bless you, prosper you, and make you increase; for you will indeed become a gathering of nations. 4 May He give the blessings of my father AbraHam to you and to your seed that comes after you, so that you will inherit this land in which you are living and which God had given to AbraHam.Õ

5 So thereafter, IsaAc sent Jacob away, and he went to [stay with] Laban, the son of BathuEl the Syrian, who was the brother of RebecKa (the mother of Jacob and Esau) in MesoPotamia.

6 Now, Esau knew that IsaAc had blest Jacob and that after he blest him, heÕd sent him away to find a woman in Syrian MesoPotamia. [And he also knew that he told Jacob] not to take a woman from the daughters of the CanaAnitesÉ 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother by going off to Syrian MesoPotamia. 8 For Esau recognized that his father IsaAc viewed the daughters of the CanaAnites as evil.
9 As the result, he went to see IshMaEl (the son of AbraHam) and he took MaEleth (IshMaElÕs daughter and NabeOthÕs sister) to be another one of his wives.

10 Meanwhile, Jacob had left the Well of the Promise and traveled to Haran. 11 And when he reached a certain place, he decided to sleep there, since the sun had gone down.
So he chose a stone and placed it under his head, then he went to sleep in that place 12 and he started to dream.

Well, {Look!} [in the dream] there was a stairway fastened to the ground that reached all the way into the heavensÉ and the messengers of God were ascending and descending upon it.
13 Then [he saw] Jehovah standing at the top of it, who said this to him:
ÔI am the God of your father AbraHam and the God of IsaAc.
DonÕt be afraid, for I will give the land where youÕre now lying to you and to your seed. 14 For your seed will become as many as the sands of the earthÉ they will spread from the sea to the north, south, and the east. And through you and your seed all the tribes of the earth will be blest.
15 Look; I am with you! [I will] always keep you safe no matter where you may goÉ and then I will return you to this land. I will never leave you until IÕve done everything that I said I will do for you.Õ

16 And when Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said:
ÔJehovah is here and I didnÕt realize it.Õ

17 Well, this frightened him, and he said:
ÔWhat a fearful place! For this is nothing other than the House of God and the Gate to Heaven!Õ

18 So after Jacob got up in the morning, he took the stone on which he had laid his head and erected it as a pillar.
Then he anointed it with oil, 19 and he named that place, The House of God (BethEl). (Before that, the city had been called UlamLuz.)

20 There Jacob made a vow to Jehovah, saying:
ÔIf You will be with me and guard me throughout this journey, giving me enough bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and then You bring me back safely to the house of my father; You will be my God.
22 Also, this stone that I have erected as a pillar will be a House of God to me, and I will return a tenth of everything that You give to me.Õ

Chapter 29

1 So thereafter, Jacob [resumed his journey] eastward toward the land of LabanÉ to the son of BathuEl the Syrian and the brother of RebecKa (the mother of Jacob and Esau).

2 {Look!} [Jacob] then spied a well in the plains where there were three flocks of sheep resting. It was a well that they used to water the flocks, and there was a large stone covering it.
3 For after all the flocks had gathered there, they used to roll the stone away from the mouth of the well to provide water for the [animals], then theyÕd push it back over the mouth of the well to cover it again.

4 So Jacob asked [those that were there]:
ÔBrothers, where are you from?Õ

And they replied:
ÔWeÕre from Haran

5 Then he asked:
ÔDo you know Laban, the son of NaHor?Õ

And they answered:
ÔWe do!Õ

6 And he asked:
ÔIs he doing well?Õ

Then they replied:
ÔHe is well. Look, here comes his daughter RachEl with his sheep!Õ

7 And Jacob said:
ÔItÕs still mid-dayÉ it isnÕt time for the flocks to be gathered yet. So, why donÕt you just water the flocks, then take them back out to graze?Õ

8 But they said:
ÔWe canÕt do that until all the shepherds arrive. They will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and then we will all water our flocks.Õ

9 Well, while he was still speaking to them, {Look!} LabanÕs daughter RachEl arrived with her fatherÕs sheep, because she was in charge of grazing them.
10 And when Jacob saw RachEl (the daughter of Laban, his motherÕs brother) and the sheep of his motherÕs brother Laban; Jacob went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered LabanÕs sheep.

11 Thereafter, Jacob kissed RachEl and shouted loudly, as he [started to] cryÉ 12 for he explained to RachEl that he was a close relative of her father, and that he was the son of RebecKa.
So she ran and told her father what he said. 13 And when Laban heard the name of Jacob (his sisterÕs son), he ran to meet himÉ he hugged and kissed him, then he led him into his house.

Then after [Jacob] explained to Laban [all that had happened to him], 14 Laban said to him:
ÔYou are my own flesh and bones!Õ

Well, after [Jacob] had stayed with [Laban] for a full month, 15 Laban said to Jacob:
ÔSurely you arenÕt going to serve me for nothing, for youÕre my brother! Tell me how I can reward you!Õ

16 Well, Laban had two daughters. The name of the eldest was called LeAh, and the younger was called RachEl. 17 Though LeAh had weak eyes, RachEl was beautiful and had a very pretty face.
18 And because Jacob loved RachEl, he replied:
ÔI will serve you seven years for your younger daughter, RachEl.Õ

19 So Laban said to him:
ÔItÕs better for me to give her to you than to some other man. Come and live with me!Õ

20 Well, Jacob served [Laban] seven years for RachEl, but to him it seemed like just a few days, because he loved her so much.
21 Then Jacob told Laban:
ÔNow, give me my woman, because IÕve served my time.Õ

22 So Laban assembled all the people and prepared a wedding banquet.
23 Then that evening, he took his daughter LeAh and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob [had sex] with her. 24 Laban also gave his servant ZelPha to his daughter LeAh, to be her handmaid.

25 Well, it was [the next] morning before [Jacob realized] that it was LeAh. So Jacob [went to] Laban and asked:
ÔWhat have you done to me? DidnÕt I serve you for RachEl? Why have you deceived me?Õ

26 And Laban answered:
ÔIn our country, it isnÕt proper to give the younger before the eldest. 27 Serve me for seven [more years] and IÕll give her to you also, in return for your labor of seven more years.Õ

28 So, thatÕs what Jacob didÉ he served for seven [more years].
Then Laban also gave his daughter RachEl to be his woman. 29 And Laban gave his servant BalLa to be his daughterÕs handmaid.

30 Thereafter, [Jacob had sex with] RachEl, and he loved RachEl more than LeAhÉ and this is why [he had been willing] to serve him for seven more years.

31 Well, when Jehovah God saw that [Jacob] wasnÕt attracted to LeAh, He opened her womb, while RachEl remained barren.
32 So LeAh got pregnant and bore a son to Jacob, whom she named ReuBen (ÔSee, a Son!Õ). For she said:
ÔJehovah has seen my humiliation and given me a son, so that now my man will love me.Õ

33 Then she got pregnant again and bore a second son to Jacob. [This time] she said:
ÔBecause Jehovah has heard that IÕm hated, He has also given me this one.Õ

So she named him SimeOn (ÔHe Has HeardÕ).

34 Then she got pregnant a third time and bore a son, and said:
ÔNow my man will stay with me, because IÕve born three sons to him.Õ

So she named him Levi (ÔHe Is MineÕ).

35 Thereafter, she got pregnant again and bore a [fourth] son. And she said:
ÔI give thanks to Jehovah once more.Õ

So she named him Judah (ÔPraisedÕ). And after that, she stopped having children.

Chapter 30

1 Well, when RachEl realized that she wasnÕt bearing children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister, and she said to Jacob:
ÔGive me childrenÉ for if you donÕt, IÕll die!Õ

2 This made Jacob very angry with RachEl, so he asked:
ÔAm I in the position of God who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?Õ

3 Then RachEl told Jacob:
ÔLook; HereÕs my handmaid BalLa. [Sleep] with her, and she will give birth [to children] on my kneesÉ I will have children by her.Õ

4 So she gave him BalLa her handmaid to be his woman, and Jacob went in [and slept with] her.
5 As the result, BalLa (RachElÕs handmaid) got pregnant and bore a son to Jacob.
6 Then RachEl said:
ÔGod has given me justice and listened to my voice, for He has given me a son.Õ So she named him Dan (ÔJusticeÕ).

7 Thereafter, BalLa (RachElÕs handmaid) got pregnant again and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And RachEl said:
ÔGod has helped meÉ I fought with my sister and won.Õ

So she named him NaphTali (ÔStruggleÕ).

9 Well when LeAh saw that she was no longer bearing children, she took ZelPha her handmaid and gave her to Jacob as his woman, and he went in to [sleep with] her. 10
So ZelPha, LeAhÕs handmaid, got pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 11 And LeAh said:
Ô[Now IÕm] happy!Õ

So she named him Gad (ÔHappinessÕ).

12 Then ZelPha, LeAhÕs handmaid, got pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 13 This time LeAh said:
ÔI am blest, because the women will call me blest.Õ

So she named him Asher (ÔBlessingsÕ).

14 Well, when it came time to harvest the barley, ReuBen went out to the field and found some mandrake apples [growing] there, and he brought them to his mother LeAh.
Then RachEl said to her sister:
ÔGive me some of your sonÕs mandrakes!Õ

15 And LeAh replied:
ÔIsnÕt it enough that youÕve taken my manÉ would you also take my sonÕs mandrakes?Õ

And RachEl said:
Ô[IÕll] allow you to [sleep] with [Jacob] tonight for your sonÕs mandrakes.Õ

16 So that evening, when Jacob came in from the field, LeAh went out to meet him and said:
ÔYou will [sleep] with me tonight, because IÕve hired you for my sonÕs mandrakes.Õ

So he slept with her that night, 17 and God listened to LeAh, so she got pregnant and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
18 And LeAh said:
ÔGod has rewarded me for giving my handmaid to my man.Õ

So she named him IshSachar (ÔRewardÕ).

19 Then LeAh got pregnant again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
20 And LeAh said:
ÔGod has given me a fine gift this time. For my man will choose me, since IÕve given him six sons.Õ

So she named him ZebuLon (ÔGiftÕ).

21 And after that, she gave birth to a daughter whom she named DinAh (ÔJustifiedÕ).

22 Then The God remembered RachElÉ He heard her and opened her womb, 23 so she got pregnant and bore Jacob a son.
And RachEl said:
ÔJehovah has removed my disgrace.Õ

24 So she named him JoSeph (ÔJehovah Will IncreaseÕ), saying:
ÔMay God give me another son.Õ

25 Well, after RachEl had given birth to JoSeph, Jacob said to Laban:
Ô[Allow] me to leave now, so I may return to my country and my home.
26 Free my women and children for whom I served you, so I can goÉ and donÕt forget all the services that IÕve provided for you.Õ

27 Then Laban replied:
ÔIf IÕve found favor in your eyes, itÕs a good sign for me, because Jehovah has blest me by sending you here.
28 Now, tell me how much I owe you and IÕll pay it.Õ

29 And Jacob said:
ÔYou know how many ways IÕve served you and how many of your cattle IÕm [responsible for]É 30 you didnÕt have many before I came here, and now there are many! So Jehovah God has blest you since I arrived.
Now, help me to establish my own house.Õ

31 Then Laban asked:
ÔWhat should I give you?Õ

And Jacob replied,
ÔDonÕt give me anythingÉ just do this one thing for me: I will continue to watch over your flocks and tend them, 32 and as your sheep pass by each day, let me set aside the dark sheep and the speckled and spotted goats as my reward.
33 So by tomorrow, my righteousness will answer for me, because this will be my reward from you.
You can steal back any goats that arenÕt spotted or speckled, or any sheep that arenÕt dark.Õ

34 Well at that, Laban agreed, saying:
ÔMay it be as youÕve said.Õ

35 However, that same day, [Laban craftily] separated the spotted and speckled billy goats and nanny goats, and all the dark sheep from those that were white, and he gave them to his sons.
36 Then he sent [them away] on a three-day journey, while Jacob was tending the animals that were left behind.

37 However, Jacob gathered some green rods from storax, walnut, and sycamore trees, and peeled them alternately [to create the look of] white and green stripes, which gave a [spotted] appearance to the rods.
38 Then he laid the rods he had peeled at the bottom of the watering troughs, so that when the cattle came to drink, they would see the rods and mate there in front of the rods.
39 And [thatÕs what happened]É the cattle did get pregnant at the rods and gave birth to [young with] speckles, streaks, and ash-colored spots.
40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, setting aside the speckled goats and lambs for himself away from LabanÕs sheep.

41 Thereafter, Jacob [continued] to put the rods in the troughs before the cattle, so they would mate in front of the rods.
42 And when the cattle gave birth, [he would give] the unmarked ones to Laban, but he set aside the marked ones as his. 43 And [before long], he became very rich with many cattle, oxen, male and female servants, camels, and burros.

Chapter 31

1 However, Jacob happened to overhear LabanÕs sons saying,
ÔJacob has taken everything that belongs to our father and all our fatherÕs propertyÉ all of his glory!Õ
2 So Jacob realized that Laban [wasnÕt happy to see him anymore].

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob:
ÔNow, return to your family and to your fatherÕs land, and I will be with you.Õ

4 So Jacob sent for LeAh and RachEl, [who were] out in the plains with the flocks, 5 and he said to them:
ÔI know that your father is no longer [happy to see me]. However, the God of my father is still with me. 6 For though IÕve served your father with all my might, 7 and he deceived me by changing what he owed me to [just] ten lambsÉ God hasnÕt allowed him to [wrong me]. 8 Because, if he would have said,
The speckled will be your reward;
then all the cattle would give birth to the speckled.
And if he would have said,
The white ones will be your reward;
all the cattle would have been born white.

9 ÔTherefore, it was God that has taken all these cattle from your father and given them to me.
10 For during the time that the cattle were pregnant with their young, I fell asleep and {Look!} I dreamed that I saw billy goats and rams jumping on the nanny goats and sheep that were all speckled, striped, and spotted with ash-colored spots.

11 ÔThen a messenger from God called to me in that dream, shouting,
Jacob!
And I said,
What is it?
12 And he said,
Look up and see the billy goats and rams jumping on the nanny goats and sheepÉ they are all speckled, striped, and spotted with ash-colored spots. IÕve seen all things that Laban did to you; 13 for IÕm the God that appeared to you at BethEl where you poured oil out on a pillar to Me and [where you] swore an oath to Me.

ÔSo now, get up and leave this land. Return to the land of your birth, and I will be with you!Õ

14 Then RachEl and LeAh asked:
ÔAnd what about our inheritances in the house of our father?
15 Does he now consider us strangers?
He sold us and then he spent our money!
16 Therefore, all the wealth and glory that God has taken from our father also belongs to us and to our children. So you should do whatever God has told you to do!Õ

17 Well at that, Jacob got up and mounted his women and children on their camels, 18 along with all the possessions and provisions he had obtained in MesoPotamia and all [the servants and animals] that belonged to him, so he could return to his father (IsaAc) in the land of CanaAn, 19 as Laban was off shearing his sheep.

But then, RachEl also stole her fatherÕs idols.

20 Meanwhile, Jacob didnÕt let Laban the Syrian know that he was running awayÉ 21 he and all that were his just left, crossing the river and traveling on to Mount GileAd.

22 Well, it was three days later that Laban the Syrian was finally told that Jacob was gone.
23 So he gathered his brothers and he chased after them, catching up with them after seven days at Mount GileAd.
24 However, God came to Laban the Syrian in his sleep that night and said to him:
ÔBe very careful not to say anything bad about Jacob.Õ

25 So when Laban caught up with Jacob (Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, and Laban had stationed his brothers all around the mountain), 26 he asked Jacob:
ÔWhat have you doneÉ why did you run away secretly, then steal from me and use swords to take my daughters as captives?
27 If you had just told me first, I would have happily sent you away with singing, tambourines, and harps!
28 DidnÕt you consider me worthy to hug my children and my daughters before you did such a foolish thing?

29 ÔAnd now, though I have enough power in my hands to harm you; the God of your father spoke to me yesterday and said,
Be very careful to never say anything bad about Jacob.
30 So go on, because you really wanted to return to the house of your father.

ÔHowever, why did you steal my gods?Õ

31 And Jacob replied to Laban:
Ô[I left secretly] because I was afraid that you would take your daughters and all my possessions away from me!Õ

32 And he added:
ÔBut whoever you find that has [stolen] your gods wonÕt [be allowed to] live in the presence of our family.
Just look around for anything I might have that is yours and take it back!Õ

[Well, Laban searched], but he couldnÕt find anything (Jacob didnÕt realize that his woman RachEl had stolen [the idols]). 33 Laban went in and searched LeAhÕs tent, then JacobÕs tent, and then the tent of the two female servants, and he found nothing.
Lastly, he entered RachElÕs tent. 34 However, RachEl had hidden the idols among the camelÕs packs and she was sitting on them. 35 [And when her father asked to check her camel], she told him:
ÔDonÕt be impudent, sir! I canÕt get up and stand before you, because it isnÕt my way and it isnÕt customary for women!Õ

Well, Laban searched throughout the [camp] and he couldnÕt find the idols, 36 which made Jacob very angry; so he argued with Laban and asked him:
ÔWhat wrong have I done to you and what is my sin that caused you to chase after me 37 and then search all the furnishings in my [tents]?
What have you found [that ] came from your home? Lay it out here between your relatives and mine, and let them decide!

38 ÔIÕve been with you for twenty years, and during all that time, your sheep and nanny goats didnÕt fail to give birthÉ and I didnÕt eat any of the rams from your herds.
39 All that I ever took was the wild animals that I didnÕt bring to you.
I [even paid] for anything that was stolen during the day or night, 40 as I was dried out with the heat of the day, [chilled] by frost in the nightÉ and I seldom ever got much sleep!

41 ÔDuring those twenty years that I stayed in your house, I served you for fourteen years for your two daughters.
[Then I spent the next] six years among your sheepÉ just to have you fraudulently set my wages as ten lambs!
42 So if it werenÕt for the God of my father AbraHam and for the fact that [youÕre] afraid of IsaAcÕs [God], you would have even sent me away empty-handed!

ÔYet, it was because God saw how I was humiliated and how hard IÕve worked for you, that He [scolded you] last night!Õ

43 Then Laban replied:
ÔThese are my daughters and my sonsÉ yes, the cattle are mine, and everything that you see belongs to my daughters and me!
But, what should I do to them today, or to their children?
44 Come on; letÕs conclude a treaty between you and me that will serve as a witness between us. And though nobody else is here, {Look!} God will serve as the witness between you and me.Õ

45 So then, Jacob found a [large] stone and he erected it as a pillar. 46 And Jacob told his family to gather some stones.
So they brought stones and made a pile; then they [shared bread] on top of the pile.

And thereafter, Laban said:
ÔThis [pile of stones] will serve as the witnesses between you and me today.Õ

47 So Laban called it ÔThe [Stone] Pile of Testimony,Õ while Jacob referred to it as ÔThe Witness [Stone] Pile.'

48 And Laban said to Jacob:
ÔLook at this pile and pillar that IÕve erected between you and meÉ this Witness [Stone] Pile and this [Stone] Pile of Testimony. We will call them, the [Stone] Pile Witnesses

49 And thereafter, [Laban] referred to this place as The Watchtower; for he said:
ÔMay God keep watch over you and me, because we are about to leave each other. 50 But if you should humble my daughters by taking other women in addition to them, you will see that someone that is with us is watchingÉ for God is the witness between you and me.Õ

51 Then Laban continued:
ÔLook! This pile of stones and this pillar are the witnesses 52 that I wonÕt come beyond this pillar to do anything bad to you, and you wonÕt come [beyond this pillar] to me. 53 May the God of AbraHam and the God of NaHor judge between us!Õ

Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father IsaAc, 54 and he offered a sacrifice on the mountain. He called his family together and they ate and drank, then they all went to sleep on the mountain.
55 And when Laban got up in the morning, he kissed his daughters and [their] sons and blest them, and then Laban turned around and went back to his home.

Chapter 32

1 Well, just as Jacob [was about to] continue on his journey, he looked up and he saw the camp of the army of God, and a messenger of God [coming to] meet him. 2 So when Jacob saw this, he said:
ÔThis [place] is the campground of God!Õ

So he named that place MahaNahim (The Campgrounds).

3 Then Jacob sent messengers in front of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir and the country of the Edomites. 4 He told them to say to Esau:
ÔLord, this is what your servant Jacob has said:
I have visited with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 And [during this time], oxen, burros, sheep, and male and female servants were born to me.
Now IÕve sent [my messengers] to beg you, my lord Esau, to help your servant find favor in your eyes.
Õ

6 Then when the messengers returned to Jacob, they told him:
ÔWe found your brother Esau, and {Look!} now heÕs coming to meet you with four hundred men!Õ

7 Well, Jacob was upset and terrified by this. So he divided the people that were with him, as well as the cattle, camels, and sheep, into two camps. 8 And Jacob said:
ÔIf Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the other camp will survive.Õ

9 Then Jacob [prayed]:
ÔO Jehovah, the God of my father AbraHam and the God of my father IsaAc; YouÕre the One that told me to get up and return to the land where I was born, and that You would treat me well.
10 So, please remember all the justice and truth that YouÕve brought about through Your servant.

ÔNow, with this walking stick of mine, I have crossed the JorDan [River] divided into two camps. 11 So, please save me from the hands of my brother Ð from the hands of Esau Ð because IÕm afraid of him, since [he may] enjoy coming here to strike me down with the mothers and the children.
12 [Don't forget that] you said You would treat me well and make my seed as the sands of the seasÉ so many that they canÕt be counted.Õ

13 Well, after sleeping there that night, [Jacob selected] gifts to be carried to his brother Esau. 14 [He sent] two hundred nanny goats, twenty billy goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels and their foals, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty burros, and ten colts.
16 He gave them to his servants and said to them:
ÔGo ahead of meÉ and leave a space between each of the herds.Õ

17 Then he told the first group:
ÔIf you meet my brother Esau, and he asks,
Who sent you, where are you headed, and whose animals are [being herded] in front of you?
18 you should say,
[We were sent by] your servant Jacob. He is sending these as gifts to his lord EsauÉ {Look!} heÕs [traveling] behind us.Õ

19 Then he gave the same instructions to the second group and then to the thirdÉ to everyone that traveled ahead of him (following the herds). He said:
ÔThis is what you should tell Esau when you find himÉ
20 Look! Your servant Jacob is following behind us.
For I want to impress Esau with the gifts that [are being sent] ahead of me, so I can see him face to face and hope that he will accept me.Õ

21 So the gifts were then sent out ahead of him, as he spent [part of] the night there in the camp.

22 But then, during the night, he got up and took his two women, the two female servants, and his eleven children, and they all crossed the Jaboch RiverÉ 23 he led them and all his possessions through that raging river.

24 It was there that, while Jacob was all by himself, a man came up and wrestled with him until the next morning.
25 [And when the man] saw that he wasnÕt going to win, he touched the upper part of JacobÕs thigh, which became numb as they wrestled.
26 Then [the man] told [Jacob]:
ÔLet me go, because the sun is coming up!Õ

But [Jacob] said:
ÔIÕm not going to let you go until you give me a blessing!Õ

27 So [the man] asked:
ÔWhat is your name?Õ

And he answered:
ÔJacob.Õ

28 And [the man] said to him:
ÔYour name will no longer be Jacob. Rather, IsraEl will be your name; for youÕve grown stronger with God and mightier with men.Õ

29 Then Jacob said:
ÔTell me your name.Õ

And he said:
ÔWhy do you [have to] ask my name?Õ

So He blest him there, 30 and Jacob named that place, PeniEl (Face of God); for he said:
ÔIÕve now seen God face to face and survived.Õ

31 Well, the sun was up by the time he left PeniEl (the place where he had been stopped by his thigh).
32 And this is why, to this very day, the children of IsraEl will never eat the part of meat that is on the thighÉ because, that was the place on JacobÕs thigh that [GodÕs messenger] had numbed.

Chapter 33

1 Well, when Jacob looked up, {Look!} he saw his brother Esau coming with four hundred men. So Jacob divided the children between LeAh, RachEl, and the two female servants.
2 Then he put the two female servants and their children out in front, followed by LeAh and her children, then RachEl, and [finally, himself] at the rearÉ 3 but then Jacob stepped out ahead of them all and bowed to the ground seven times, as he approached his brother.

4 Well at that, Esau ran up to meet him! He hugged him, fell around his neck and kissed himÉ and they both started crying.

5 Then when Esau noticed the women and children, he asked:
ÔWhat are they to you?Õ

And Jacob replied:
ÔTheyÕre the children with which God has so mercifully blest your servant.Õ

6 Then the female servants and their children came up and bowed low, 7 followed by LeAh and her children who also came up and bowed low.
And finally, RachEl [arrived] and bowed down next to JoSeph.

8 So [Esau] asked:
ÔThen, what did all those groups that I met along the way have to do with you?Õ

And [Jacob] replied:
ÔThis was done so that your servant might find favor in your eyes, my lord.Õ

9 Then Esau said:
ÔBut I [already own] much, my brother. Keep what is yours!Õ

10 And Jacob said:
ÔIf IÕve found favor in your eyes, take the gifts from my hands; for, seeing your face is like seeing the face of God. If you are happy with me, 11 take the blessings that IÕve brought to you, because God has been merciful to me, and I have everything.Õ

And he kept insisting, so [Esau] took them. 12 Then he said:
ÔNow, letÕs head back.Õ

13 But [Jacob] said:
ÔMy lord; You know that the children are frail, and the flocks and herds that IÕve brought also have [many] young ones. So if I drive them hard today, these cattle will die.
14 Therefore, my lord; go on ahead of your servantÉ IÕll take it easy along the way, so [IÕll have] enough strength [to make the long journey] thatÕs still ahead of me, and so that the children will have enough strength.
Then I will [meet up with] my lord at Seir

15 And Esau said:
ÔThen, let me leave some of my men with you.Õ

And [Jacob] asked:
ÔWhy? ItÕs enough that IÕve found your favor, my lord!Õ

16 So Esau returned to Seir that day, 17 and Jacob returned to the tents that he had set up to live inÉ and he also built pens for his cattle. Then he named that place, SucCoth (The Pens).

18 Finally, Jacob arrived at Salem (ShechemÕs city) in the land of CanaAn, after traveling all the way from MesoPotamia of Syria.
So he went to [the city gate] 19 and bought the field where he had pitched his tent from Hamor (the father of Shechem) for a hundred lambs. 20 And there he erected an altar, where he called upon his (IsraElÕs) God.

Chapter 34

1 Well, DinAh, the daughter that LeAh had born to Jacob, went to see the daughters of the local people. 2 And Shechem, the son of Hamor the Tent Dweller (and the ruler of the land), noticed her. Then he humiliated her by taking her and [having sex] with her.
3 Yet, he was deeply drawn to the person of DinAh, JacobÕs daughterÉ he loved the girl and spoke kindly to her.
4 So Shechem told his father Hamor:
ÔTake this girl for me to be my woman.Õ

5 Well when Jacob heard that HamorÕs son had violated his daughter DinAh, he sent for his sons that were out in the fields with his cattle.
And Jacob didnÕt say a word until they all got there.

6 Then Hamor, ShechemÕs father, went over to talk to Jacob, 7 arriving there just as JacobÕs sons were returning from the fields.

Well when [JacobÕs sons] heard [what had happened], they were very upset.
It really hurt them, because heÕd made a joke of IsraEl by [having sex] with JacobÕs daughterÉ it just shouldnÕt have happened.

 8 But Hamor spoke to them and said:
ÔMy son Shechem has decided in his heart to marry your daughter. So give her to him to be his womanÉ 9 come and marry among us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for your sonsÉ 10 come live among us!
Look, thereÕs plenty of room for you, so live here in this landÉ trade [with us] and prosper here!Õ

11 Then Shechem said to [DinAhÕs] father and brothers:
ÔIÕll do whatever I must to find your favor, and weÕll give you whatever you ask.
12 Raise the bride price several times and IÕll pay whatever you say. Just give me this girl to be my woman!Õ

13 However, JacobÕs sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor cunningly, because he had violated their sister DinAh. 14 DinAhÕs brothers (SimeOn and Levi) said to them:
ÔWe wonÕt be able to give our sister to someone that isnÕt circumcised, because that would dishonor us.
15 The only way we can do what you say and live among you, is if you will become as we areÉ all your males must be circumcised.
16 Then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters as our women and live with you as one race.
17 But if you refuse to listen and wonÕt get circumcised, we will just take our [sister] and leave.Õ

18 Well, what they said was agreeable to Hamor and his son Shechem.
19 And the young man didnÕt delay when it came to doing this thing, because he was really attached to JacobÕs daughter.
He was indeed the most honorable person in his fatherÕs house.

20 So then, Hamor and his son Shechem walked out to the city gate and they said to the men that were there:
21 ÔThese are peaceable people, so let them live with us here in our land and trade in it.
Look! ThereÕs a lot of land before them; so, we will take their daughters to be our women and weÕll give them our daughters. 22 The only thing that they require to live among us as one people, is that all our males must be circumcised, just as they are circumcised. 23 And then, wonÕt their cattle, their herds, and their possessions be ours?
So, letÕs do what they say and then they will live among us!Õ

24 Well, everyone that was there at the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and thereafter, the foreskins of all the males were circumcised.
25 But on the third day, while they were all aching in pain, JacobÕs two sons (DinAhÕs brothers, SimeOn and Levi) each took their swords and crept into the city, then they killed every maleÉ 26 they killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, and then they took DinAh from ShechemÕs house and left.

27 Thereafter, when JacobÕs [other] sons came upon those that were wounded, they ravaged the city where DinAh (their sister) had been violatedÉ 28 they took all the sheep, oxen, burros, and everything in the city, as well as everything that was in their fields.
29 Then they took all the people as captives (all their provisions and all their women) and they looted whatever was left in their city and in their homes.

30 Well afterward, Jacob said to SimeOn and Levi:
ÔYou have made me an evil and hated [person] among the people that live in this landÉ all the CanaAnites and the Pherezites.
And now, since there are only a few of us, they will band against me and cut me to pieces, destroying both me and my house!Õ

31 And they replied:
ÔNot so! Would [you rather] have them treat our sister as a whore?Õ

Chapter 35

1 Then The God told Jacob:
ÔYou must get up and go to the place [you named] BethEl, and live there. And then you must build an altar to the God that appeared to you there when you were running from your brother Esau.Õ

2 So Jacob told his family and everyone that lived with him:
ÔYou must get rid of any strange gods that you may have, then wash yourselves, change your clothes, 3 and get ready, because weÕre going up to BethEl, where we will build an altar to the God that listened to me, was with me, and kept me safe through my journeys and trials.Õ

4 So they gave Jacob all the strange gods that they owned and the earrings in their ears; and Jacob buried [these things] under a turpentine tree at Shechem, where theyÕve remained destroyed down to this day.

5 Then IsraEl left Shechem, and because the cities around them had the fear of The God in them, they didnÕt chase after the children of IsraEl.

6 Well, Jacob and all the people that were with him finally arrived at Luza in the land of CanaAn, which [he had earlier named] BethEl; 7 for it was there that he had built an altar and called it Ôthe House of God,Õ since thatÕs the place where God appeared to him as he was running from his brother Esau.

8 Well thereafter, RebecKaÕs nurse DeborAh died, and she was buried under an oak tree in BethEl that Jacob then named, AlLon-BaCuth (Oak Tree of Mourning).

9 It was at Luza that God appeared to Jacob again as he was on his way back from MesoPotamia of Syria, and thatÕs when God blest him 10 and told him:
ÔYou will no longer be called Jacob; IsraEl will be your name.Õ

So thatÕs when [God] first referred to him as IsraEl.

11 Then The God said to him:
ÔI am your God, so prosper and growÉ nations and groups of nations will descend from you, and kings will come from your loins. 12 I am now givinge this land that I gave to AbraHam and IsaAc to you, as well as to the seed that descends from you.Õ

13 Then The God left him there in that place where He spoke to him. 14 And Jacob erected a [stone] pillar [to honor] the place where he had been spoken to by God, pouring a drink offering and oil upon it.
15 And thatÕs when Jacob actually named this place where God spoke to him, BethEl (House of God).

16 [Well, after DeborAh died], Jacob left BethEl and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Gader.
And as they were getting close to ChabRatha, on their way to EphRatha, RachEl had birth pains and then she went into hard labor. 17 It was while she was in hard labor that the midwife told her,
ÔDonÕt worry, youÕre going to have this son!Õ

18 Then, as she was giving up her life (she was dying), she named him BenOni (Son of My Pain). However, his father named him BenJamin (Son of My Right Hand).

19 So RachEl died there and was buried along the road to EphRatha (BethLehem). 20 And Jacob erected a pillar over her tomb, [which is referred to as] The Pillar of RachElÕs Tomb to this day.

21 It was while IsraEl was living in this land that ReuBen went and [had sex] with BalLa, his fatherÕs (JacobÕs) concubine. And when IsraEl heard about this, it really upset him.

22 Now, there were twelve sons of Jacob. 23 The sons of LeAh were JacobÕs first-born ReuBen, then SimeOn, Levi, Judah, IshSachar, and ZebuLon. 24 The sons of RachEl were JoSeph and BenJamin. 25 The sons of BalLa (RachElÕs handmaid) were Dan and NaphTali. 26 And the sons of ZelPha (LeahÕs handmaid) were Gad and Asher.
These sons were born to Jacob in MesoPotamia of Syria.

27 Then Jacob returned to his father IsaAc in MamRe, to a city of the plains [called] Hebron (in the land of CanaAn), where AbraHam and IsaAc had stayed.
28 For IsaAc had lived a hundred and eighty years 29 before he stopped breathing and died.
Then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him beside his family, after he had lived a long and full life.

Chapter 36

1 And these are the generations of Esau (or Edom):

2 Esau took these women from the daughters of theCanaAnites: There was Ada (the daughter of AiLom the Kettite), OliBema (the daughter of Ana [who was] the son of SebeGon the Hivite), 3 and BaseMath (the daughter of IshMaEl and the sister of NabaiOth).

4 Ada bore EliPhas to [Esau], BaseMath bore RaguEl, 5 and OliBema bore Jeus, Jeglom, and Core. These were EsauÕs sons that were born to him in the land of CanaAn.

6 Then Esau took his women, his sons, his daughters, and everyone in his house, along with all his possessions, all his cattleÉ yes, everything that he had and absolutely everything that heÕd acquired in the land of CanaAn, and he left the land of CanaAn [to get away from] his brother Jacob, 7 because they had both acquired so much that they could no longer live close to each other; for the land where they were staying couldnÕt hold them, since they had so much.
8 So Esau [went to live] at Mount Seir (Esau is Edom).

9 These are the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites, when [he lived at] Mount Seir, 10 and these are the names of EsauÕs [grand]sons through EliPhas (AdaÕs son) and RaguEl (BaseMathÕs son).

11 The [grand]sons of Ada through EliPhas were ThaEman, Omar, Sophar, Gothom, and Kenez. 12 Also, ThamNa (EliPhasÕ concubine) bore Amalec to him.

13 The [grand]sons of BaseMath through RaguEl were NachOth, ZaRe, SoMe, and MoZe.

14 These are the sons of EsauÕs woman OliBema (the daughter of Ana, who was the son of SebeGon):
She bore JeUs, JegLom, and CoRe to Esau.

15 These are the chiefs of EliPhas, the first-born of Esau:
Chief ThaEman, Chief Omar, Chief Sophar, Chief Kenez, 16 Chief CoRe, Chief Gothom, and Chief Amalec. They are the chiefs of [the family of] EliPhas (the sons of Ada), in the land of Edom.

17 And these are the chiefs of RaguEl, the son of Esau:
Chief NachOth, Chief ZaRe, Chief SoMe, and Chief MoZe. They are the chiefs of [the family of] RaguEl (the sons of BaseMath) in the land of Edom.

18 And these are the chiefs of OliBema (the daughter of Ana), EsauÕs woman:
Chief JeUs, Chief JegLom, and Chief CoRe.

19 These were the sons of Esau. They are [all] chiefs, and they are [all] the sons of Edom.

20 These are the sons of SeIr the ChorRhite that lived in the land:
LoTan, SoBal, SebeGon, Ana, 21 DeSon, Asar, and Rison.

And these are the chiefs of the son of SeIr the ChorRhite, in the land of Edom:
22 The sons of LoTan and his sister ThamNa were ChorRhi and HaEman. 23 The sons of SoBal were GoLam, ManaChath, GaEbel, Sophar, and Omar. 24
The sons of SebeGon were Aie, and Ana (this is the same Ana that found Jamin in the desert when he was tending his father SebeGonÕs animals).

25 AnaÕs children were DeSon (his son) and OliBema (his daughter).

26 DeSonÕs sons were Amada, AsBan, IthRan, and CharRhan. 27 AsarÕs sons were BalaAm, ZuCam, and JuCam. 28 RisonÕs sons were Hos, and Aran.

29 These are the chiefs of the ChorRites:
Chief LoTan, Chief SoBal, Chief SebeGon, Chief Ana, 30 Chief DeSon, Chief Asar, and Chief Rison.
They are the chiefs of the ChorRites in their own principalities in the land of Edom.

31 These are the kings that reigned in Edom before [the time of] the kings of IsraEl:
32 Balac (the son of Beor) reigned in Edom, and his [capital] city was DenNaba.
33 After Balac died, Jobab (the son of Zara from BosorRha) reigned in his stead.
34 After Jobab died, Asom (from the land of the ThaEmanites) reigned in his stead.
35 After Asom died, Adad (the son of Barad, who cut off Midian in the plain of Moab) reigned in his stead. And his [capital] city was GetThaim.

36 After Adad died, SaMada of MasSecca reigned in his stead.
37 After SaMada died, Saul of RhoObOth by the River reigned in his stead.
38 After Saul died, BalLenon (the son of AchObor) reigned in his stead.
39 After BalLenon died, Arad (the son of Barad) reigned in his stead. The name of his [capital] city was Phogor, and the name of his woman was MeteBeel (the daughter of MatraIth, who was the son of MaiZoOb).

40 These are the names of the tribal chiefs of Esau in their areas, countries, and nations:
Chief ThamNa, Chief Gola, Chief Jether, 41 Chief OliBema, Chief Helas, Chief Phinon, 42 Chief Kenez, Chief ThaEman, Chief Mazar, 43 Chief MagediEl, and Chief Zaphoin.
They are the chiefs of Edom in the areas where they live and in the lands that they own.
And this is Esau, the father of [all] Edom.

44 However, Jacob lived in the land where his father stayed, the land of CanaAn.

Chapter 37

1 And these are the generations of Jacob:

2 When JoSeph was seventeen years old (and because he was so young), he was accompanied by his brothers (the sons of his fatherÕs women BalLa and ZelPha) as he grazed the sheep. And [at the time], they had been speaking of their father IsraEl in an evil way because of JoSeph, 3 since Jacob loved JoSeph more than the rest of his sons (he was the son of his old age).
And because [Jacob] had just made a multi-colored coat for him, 4 his brothers could see that their father loved him more, so they hated him and they never spoke to him in a peaceful way.

5 Then JoSeph had a dream, and he told his brothers about it.
6 He said,
ÔListen to what I dreamed:
7 I saw you bundling stalks of grain in the middle of the field; and then suddenly my bundle stood straight up, and your bundles turned around and bowed low before mine.Õ

8 So his brothers asked:
Ô[Does this mean] that youÕre going to rule over us and youÕre going to be our master?Õ

Well, this dream and the things he said made them hate him even more.

9 Then [JoSeph] had another dream, and he told his father and brothers about it, saying:
Ô{Look!} I had another dream in which the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me.Õ

10 Well, his father scolded him over this, and he asked:
ÔWhat kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, brothers, and I will come and bow to the ground before you?Õ

11 Nevertheless, although his brothers were jealous of him, his father still paid attention to the things that he was saying.

12 Well, one day, JoSephÕs brothers went to Shechem to graze their fatherÕs sheep.
13 And IsraEl said to JoSeph:
ÔYour brothers are grazing the flocks at Shechem and I want you to go to them.Õ

And he replied:
ÔLook, here I am.Õ

14 So IsraEl said:
ÔGo there to see if your brothers and the sheep are doing well, then come back and report to me.Õ

So he sent him from the HebRon Valley to Shechem.

15 Well, a man later found JoSeph wandering in the fields and asked him:
ÔWhat are you looking for?Õ

16 And he said:
ÔIÕm looking for my brothers. Tell me where they are grazing [their flocks].Õ

17 And the man said:
ÔTheyÕve left here. I heard them say, LetÕs go to Dothaim.Õ

So JoSeph went after his brothers, and he found them in Dothaim.
18 However, they had spotted him in the distance before he got there, so they got together and wickedly started talking about killing him.
19 They were saying to each other:
ÔLook, here comes the dreamer! 20 Come on, letÕs kill him and then throw his [body] into a ravine. We can say, An evil wild animal ate himÉ then letÕs see what his dreams amount to.Õ

21 But when ReuBen heard this, he saved [JoSeph] from them by saying,
ÔLetÕs not kill him.Õ 22 Then [he suggested]:
ÔDonÕt shed [his] blood; letÕs throw him into one of these deep crevices in the desertÉ but donÕt lay a hand on him.Õ

([Reuben] said this so that he could save [JoSeph] from them and return him safely to his father).

23 Well, when JoSeph reached his brothers, they took off the multi-colored coat that he was wearing, 24 then they threw him into a deep crevice that was empty and didnÕt have any water.
25 And after that, they sat down to eat some bread.

Thereafter, when they looked up, they noticed {Look!} an IshMaElite caravan that was coming from GileAd (their camels were loaded down with spices, resin, and myrrh that they were carrying to Egypt).
26 And Judah said to his brothers:
ÔWhat profit would it bring us if we kill our brother and just cover it up? 27 LetÕs sell him to these IshMaElites instead.
We donÕt want to lay a hand on him, because heÕs our brother and our own flesh.Õ

Well, his brothers listened to this; 28 so, as the merchants of Midian were traveling by, [his brothers] pulled JoSeph out of the crevice and sold him to the IshMaElites for twenty gold coinsÉ and [the IshMaElites] took JoSeph [with them] down to Egypt.

29 Then when ReuBen later returned to the crevice and saw that JoSeph wasnÕt there, he started ripping his clothes.
30 So he went to his brothers and said:
ÔThe boy isnÕt [there]É where do I have to go [to find him]?Õ

31 Well after that, the men killed a young goat and dipped JoSephÕs coat in its blood. 32 Then they took JoSephÕs multi-colored coat to their father and said:
ÔWe found thisÉ do you recognize it as your sonÕs coat or not?Õ

Well, he recognized it and said:
ÔIt is my sonÕs coat! An evil wild animal has surely eaten himÉ a wild animal has carried off JoSeph!Õ

33 Then Jacob tore his clothes and covered the lower part of his body with sackcloth; and thereafter, he spent a long time mourning over his son. 34 Although all of his sons and daughters went there to comfort him, he didnÕt want to be comforted. He said:
ÔI will go to my grave mourning my son.Õ

And his father kept crying over him.

35 Well, when they got to Egypt, the Midianites sold JoSeph to Potiphar, PharaohÕs councilor and captain of the guard.

Chapter 38

1 Then Judah left his brothers and he traveled for some distance, arriving [at the home] of an OdolLamite named Iras.
2 And while he was there, Judah found the daughter of a CanaAnite man named Sava. He took her [as his woman] and [slept] with her, 3 and she got pregnant. Then she gave birth to a son whom she named Er. 4 And after that, she got pregnant again and gave birth to a son whom she named AuNan. 5 Then she gave birth to a [third] son whom she named SeLom (she was living in Chasbi when she gave birth to them).

6 [Well, sometime later], Judah took a woman named Tamar to be the wife of his first-born son, Er. 7 But Er was wicked before Jehovah, so God killed him.
8 Then Judah told Aunan:
ÔYou must go and [have sex] with your brotherÕs womanÉ since youÕre her brother-in-law, you must take her so [she can] raise a seed for your brother.Õ

9 However, Aunan knew that the seed wouldnÕt be [counted as] his. So when he [had sex with] his brotherÕs woman, he spilled [his semen] on the ground, so his brotherÕs woman wouldnÕt [get pregnant]. 10 And his doing this appeared evil to God, so He killed him also.

11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar:
ÔLive as a widow in your fatherÕs house until my son SeLom grows upÉ for I donÕt want him to die like his brothers.Õ

So Tamar left and went to stay in her fatherÕs home.

12 Well, after several years, JudahÕs woman Sava died.
So while Judah was looking for comfort, he went to see his sheep shearers at ThamNa, along with his Shepherd, Iras the OdolLamite. 13 And when his daughter-in-law Tamar was told,
Ô{Look!} Your father-in-law is going up to ThamNa to shear his sheep,Õ
14 she took off her widowÕs clothes, put on a veil and made up her face, and she went to sit by the gate of [the town of] AiNan, along the road that leads to ThamNa.
She did this because [JudahÕs son] Selom had already grown up and [Judah] hadnÕt given [Tamar] to be his sonÕs woman.

15 Well, when Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had her face covered and he didnÕt recognize her. 16 So he stopped and said to her (not knowing that she was his daughter-in-law):
ÔLet me [have sex with] you.Õ

And she asked:
ÔWhat will you give to [have sex] with me?Õ

17 And he said:
ÔIÕll send you a young goat from my flock.Õ

But she told him:
ÔYou must provide me some assurance that youÕll send it.Õ

18 So he asked:
ÔWhat kind of assurance can I give you?Õ

And she said:
ÔGive me your ring, your bracelet, and the walking stick youÕre holding.Õ

So he gave them to her, [had sex with] her, and she got pregnant by him. 19 Then afterward, she got up and took off her veil, put her widowÕs clothes back on, and left that place.

20 Well later, Judah sent the young goat with his shepherd (the OdolLamite), to get back the things that he had left with the womanÉ but he couldnÕt find her. 21 So he asked the local men:
ÔWhereÕs that prostitute that used to sit by the road [here at] AiNan?Õ

And they replied:
ÔThere was no prostitute here.Õ

22 So he returned to Judah and said:
ÔI couldnÕt find her, and the local men say there wasnÕt any prostitute there.Õ

23 Then Judah told him:
ÔLet her have [those things]. Although I sent the young goat, you couldnÕt find her; so, letÕs not leave ourselves open to ridicule.Õ

24 Well after three months, Judah was told:
ÔYour daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whoreÉ and now look; sheÕs pregnant by her whoring!Õ

So Judah said:
ÔThen drag her out and have her burned!Õ

25 But as they were dragging her out, she called out to her father-in-law, and said:
ÔIÕm pregnant by the man that owns these thingsÉ just whose ring, bracelet, and walking stick are these?Õ

26 Well, Judah recognized them [as his] and said:
ÔTamar is innocentÉ but not me, because I didnÕt give her to my son Selom.Õ

And that was the last time [Judah had sex] with her.

27 Then when she went into labor, it was found that she had twins in her womb. 28 And as they were being born, one pushed his hand out. So the midwife took hold of the hand and tied some scarlet [thread around it], and said:
ÔThis is the firstborn

29 But then he drew his hand back and his brother came out immediately thereafter. And she asked:
ÔWhy have you broken the barrier between you?Õ

So she named him Phares (Breach).

30 It was then that his brother (around whose hand the scarlet thread was tied) was born. And she named him Zara (Scarlet).

Chapter 39

1 Meanwhile, JoSeph was down in Egypt where he had been bought by an Egyptian named Potiphar (PharaohÕs advisor and captain of the guard), who had purchased him from the IshMaElites that carried him there.

2 But Jehovah was with JoSeph and He blest him as he was living in the house of his Egyptian master.
3 Even [Potiphar] recognized that Jehovah was with [JoSeph] and that He was blessing everything he did; 4 so JoSeph was treated kindly by him, and [JoSeph did everything he could to] please his master well.

Then before long, the man put JoSeph in charge of his whole houseÉ he was appointed to be in charge of everything that [his master] owned.
5 And because he had put JoSeph in charge of his house and over everything that he owned, Jehovah blest the EgyptianÕs house for JoSephÕs sake. He blest everything that the man had in his house and in his fields, 6 because he had entrusted everything he owned into JoSephÕs hands.
So the man didnÕt even know what belonged to him, other than the bread that he ate.

Well, JoSeph was extremely attractiveÉ he had an excellent body and a very handsome face. 7 And so, after he had been [put in charge of the house], his masterÕs woman eyed JoSeph and said:
Ô[Have sex] with me.Õ

8 However, he wouldnÕt. For he told his masterÕs woman:
ÔLook, itÕs because of me that my master doesnÕt even know whatÕs going on in his own house! He has put everything that he owns into my hands.
9 Nobody in this house is over me, nor has anything been withheld from me, except youÉ and youÕre his woman! So, how could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God

10 Still, she pleaded with JoSeph every dayÉ but he wouldnÕt listen to her requests to sleep with her.

11 Then one day, as JoSeph entered the house to do his work, he found that none of the household staff was around. 12 ThatÕs when she grabbed him by his clothes and said:
Ô[Have sex] with me.Õ

But JoSeph just left his clothes there in her hands and ran from the house.

13 Well, when she saw that he had left his clothes in her hands and ran away, 14 the woman called [the family in] and said:
ÔYou see; He has brought in a Hebrew slave to make fun of us!
Why, he came in and told me that he wanted to have sex with me, but I screamed. 15 And when he heard me scream, he left his clothes here and ran out of the house!Õ

16 So she kept the clothes near by, and when [her husband] got back home, 17 she said to him:
ÔThis Hebrew servant that you brought to us came here to make fun of me! He said to me,
IÕm going to [have sex] with you.
18 But after he heard me scream, he left his clothes with me and ran out of the house.Õ

19 Well, when his master heard everything his woman said, he proclaimed:
ÔThen he did it to me!Õ

20 And because he was so angry, his master took JoSeph and had him thrown in prisonÉ into the place where the kingÕs prisoners were kept.

21 Nevertheless, Jehovah was with JoSeph and He was very merciful to him. So He helped him find favor in the eyes of the prisonÕs warden.
22 And therefore, the warden put JoSeph in charge of the prison along with all the prisoners that were there and everything that they did.
23 So the warden was unaware of what was going on there, because everything was in JoSephÕs hands. And Jehovah continued to bless all that he was doing.

Chapter 40

1 It was some time after this that the kingÕs chief cupbearer and his chief baker had wronged their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was furious with his two eunuchs (his chief cupbearer and his chief baker), 3 so he had them locked up in prisonÉ in the same place where JoSeph was kept, 4 and the prison warden left them with JoSeph, who was to guard them.

Well, after they had spent some time in the prison, 5 they both had a dream one night. Each man had his own dream and each dream had its own interpretation.

6 Then the next morning when JoSeph went in to see them, they were both quite disturbed.
7 So he asked PharaohÕs eunuchs (who were there in the prison with him):
ÔWhy are you so sad today?Õ

8 And they replied:
ÔWe have [both] seen [visions] in our dreams, and nobody knows what they mean.Õ

So JoSeph said:
ÔDoesnÕt the interpretation of [dreams come] through God? Tell [me what you saw]!Õ

9 And the chief cupbearer told JoSeph his dream. He said:
ÔIn my dream [I saw] a vine 10 that had three stems, which budded and put out blossoms; then [it formed] clusters of grapes that ripened.
11 Then after that, [I found] PharaohÕs cup in my hands. So I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup, and I gave the cup to Pharaoh.Õ

12 Well at that, JoSeph said to him:
ÔThis is what [the dream] means: The three stems are three days. 13 So in three days, Pharaoh will remember what you did and he will give you back your position as chief cupbearer.
Therefore, you will [once again] put PharaohÕs cup in his hands, holding the same high position that you once had as his cupbearer.Õ

14 [Then he continued]:
ÔNow, remember me when things are going well for youÉ be merciful to me and mention me to Pharaoh, so that I can be released from this dungeon.
15 You see; I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews. And though IÕve done nothing wrong here, I was thrown into this hole.Õ

16 Well, when the chief baker saw that heÕd given [the first man] the right interpretation, he said to JoSeph:
ÔI also had a dream. I remember looking up, and I found three baskets of bakery goods on top of my head.
17 In the top basket, there were all the kinds of things that Pharaoh enjoys. But birds in the sky came and ate them out of the basket that was on my head.Õ

18 Then JoSeph told him:
ÔThis is what it means:
The three baskets are three days. 19 So in three days, Pharaoh will cut off your head and hang you on a tree, where the birds of the sky will eat your flesh.Õ

20 Well, three days later, it was PharaohÕs birthday when he held a banquet for all his servants. It was then that he remembered the offices that the cupbearer and the baker once held among them.
21 So he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and once again he put PharaohÕs cup into his hands.
22 However, he hanged the chief baker, just as JoSeph foretold.
23 But thereafter, the chief cupbearer soon forgot about JoSeph.

Chapter 41

1 It was a full two years later that Pharaoh (likely AmenemHat 1) also had a dream.
He dreamed that he was standing next to a river, 2 then {Look!} he saw seven fat and good-looking cows come up out of the water to feed at the riverÕs edge.
3 And after that, seven more cows, which were skinny and ugly, came up out of the river to feed along its banks.
4 Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate the seven fat and good-looking cowsÉ and thatÕs when Pharaoh woke up.

5 Then he had another dream.
{Look!} There were seven large and good-looking [heads] of grain that grew on a single stalk. 6 And {Look!} they were followed by [a stalk] with seven thin and windblown [heads] that grew up alongside them.
7 Then the [stalk] with the seven thin and windblown [heads] ate the ones with the seven large, good-looking [heads]É and thatÕs when Pharaoh woke upÉ and it was just a dream.

8 Well the next morning, he was deeply disturbed [by the dreams], so he sent for all the [dream] interpreters of Egypt and all the wise men.
Pharaoh told them of his dreams, but no one could tell him what they meant.
9 And thatÕs when PharaohÕs chief cupbearer told him:
ÔI just remembered something that IÕm responsible for.
10 [You were once] quite angry with your servants and you had us imprisoned in the house of the captain of the guardÉ both the chief baker and me. 11 Each of us had a dream in that same night (both him and me)É but we each had our own dream.
12 And there was a young man with us, a Hebrew servant of the captain of the guard, to whom we told [our dreams], and he interpreted [them] to us.
13 Well, everything that he said would happen, came trueÉ I was restored to my office and [the baker] was hanged.Õ

14 So, Pharaoh sent for JoSephÉ they took him from the prison, shaved him and changed his clothes; then he went in to Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to JoSeph:
ÔI had a vision that no one can interpret, and IÕve heard that you have listened to dreams and interpreted them.Õ

16 But JoSeph answered Pharaoh, saying:
ÔWithout God, [I couldnÕt] give a safe answer to Pharaoh.Õ

17 Then Pharaoh told JoSeph:
ÔIn my dream, I was standing by the bank of the river. 18 Then out of the river came seven fat and good-looking cows that fed along the riverÕs edge. 19 And after that, {Look!} seven more cows came up out of the river that were evil, skinny, and uglyÉ IÕve never seen worse in the entire land of Egypt.
20 Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate the seven fat and good-looking cowsÉ 21 they swallowed them down whole; yet, I couldnÕt see that they had gone into their stomachs, because they still looked as ugly as they did before.

ÔAnd after I woke up, I went to sleep again. 22
Then I saw what looked like seven large, good-looking [heads] of grain growing from a single stalk.
23 And [after that, I saw] seven more [heads] that were thin and windblown, coming up next to them.
24 Then the seven thin and wind-blown [heads] ate the seven large, good-looking [heads].
Now, I told all this to the [dream] interpreters, but none of them could explain it to me.Õ

25 So JoSeph told Pharaoh:
ÔBoth of your dreams are the same, for The God has shown Pharaoh what HeÕs going to do.

26 ÔThe seven good-looking cows mean seven years, and the seven good-looking [grain heads] mean seven yearsÉ so PharaohÕs dreams are both the same!
27 Also, the seven skinny cattle that came up after them mean seven years, and the seven thin and windblown [heads] mean seven yearsÉ therefore, there will be seven years of famine.

28 ÔNow, what IÕm telling Pharaoh is that itÕs GodÕs purpose to show you what HeÕs going to do.
29 And look! Seven years are coming when there will be a great abundance throughout the land of Egypt; 30 but these will be followed by seven years of famine, which will be so bad that the abundance Egypt had will be forgotten, and famine will consume the land.
31 Yes, the abundance in the land will be gone because of the famine that will follow, since itÕs going to be an extremely bad time.
32 And the fact that Pharaoh saw the dream twice, proves that the things IÕm telling you (which will come from The God) are true; for, God will cause it to happen very soon!

33 ÔTherefore, search for a wise and discerning man, and put him in charge over the land of Egypt. 34 Also, Pharaoh should appoint local governors over the land that must collect a fifth of all the produce in the land of Egypt during the seven abundant years.
35 They must gather all the food that will come in during the seven good years, and have all the grain gathered into the hands of PharaohÉ and you must store the food in each city.
36 This stored food will then [protect] the land during the seven years of famine that are coming upon Egypt, so [the country] wonÕt be totally destroyed by the famine.Õ

37 Well, what [JoSeph] said appeared good to Pharaoh and to all of his servants.
38 So [he] asked his servants:
ÔWhere can we find such a man as thisÉ someone that has the Breath of God in him?Õ

39 Then Pharaoh said to JoSeph:
ÔSince God has shown all of these things to you; is there a man that is wiser or more discerning than you?
40 IÕll appoint you to be over my house, and then all of my people must do whatever you sayÉ only I will be greater than you on the throne.Õ

41 Then Pharaoh told JoSeph:
Ô{Look!} Today, IÕm putting you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.Õ

42 And at that, Pharaoh took the ring off of his hand and put it on JoSephÕs hand, [he had him dressed in] a robe of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 Then he mounted [JoSeph] on his second-best chariot and had a herald walk in front of him to proclaim that [JoSeph] had been appointed over the whole land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said to JoSeph:
ÔAlthough I am the Pharaoh; nobody will lift his hand anywhere in the land of Egypt without [your permission].Õ

45 Thereafter, Pharaoh started calling JoSeph the Savior of the Age, and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Petephre, the priest of HelioPolis (Greek for City of the Sun), to be his woman.

46 Well, JoSeph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

So thereafter, JoSeph left the presence of Pharaoh and he traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

47 And after that, the land did in fact produce well during the seven years of abundanceÉ by the heaping handfuls.
48 So, during those seven years he gathered much food, because there was such abundance in the land, and he stored it away in each of the cities.
He took the food that grew in the fields around each city and stored it in them.
49 So the grain that JoSeph stored away became like the sands of the seasÉ so much that it couldnÕt be calculated.

50 Meanwhile, JoSeph had two sons born to him prior to the seven years of famine, by Asenath (the daughter of Petephre, the priest of HelioPolis). 51 And JoSeph named his firstborn ManasSeh (Forgotten), for he said:
ÔGod has made me forget all my hard work, and even the house of my father.Õ

52 Then he named his second son Ephraim (Double Fruitfulness); for he said:
ÔGod has caused me to grow in the land where I was humiliated.Õ

53 Well, the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt soon passed, 54 and then the seven years of famine began, just as JoSeph had foretold. However, though there was a famine throughout the entire earth, there was still plenty [in Egypt].
55 Then, when the people of Egypt finally got hungry, they called out to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to [them]:
ÔGo to JoSeph and do whatever he tells you to do.Õ

56 Well, before long, the famine covered the entire earth; so JoSeph opened all the granaries and sold [the stored grain] to the Egyptians.

57 Then all the countries roundabout started coming to Egypt to buy [food] from JoSeph, because the famine had become [so great].

Chapter 42

1 Now, Jacob had noticed that they were still selling [grain] down in Egypt.
So he said to his sons:
ÔWhy donÕt you do something?
2 Look; IÕve heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go there and buy us a little food, so we donÕt starve to death.Õ

3 Therefore, JoSephÕs ten brothers went down to Egypt to purchase grain.
4 However, JoSephÕs brother BenJamin wasnÕt sent along with his brothers, ÔSo he doesnÕt get sick,Õ Jacob said.

5 Of course, the sons of IsraEl [traveled along with] many others to buy [grain], because the famine had affected the entire land of CanaAn.

6 Well, since JoSeph was the ruler of the land, heÕs the one that actually sold [the food] to all the people that were coming from these lands; so, JoSephÕs brothers came to him and had to bow with their faces to the ground before him.
7 But when JoSeph saw his brothers (because he recognized them), he hid himself in front of them and spoke harshly to them, asking:
ÔWhere are you coming from?

And they replied:
Ô[We came from] the land of CanaAn to buy food.Õ

8 Well, although JoSeph recognized his brothers, they didnÕt recognize him.
9 Then JoSeph remembered his dreams and the things that he saw, and he said to them:
ÔYou are spiesÉ youÕve come here to spy in our land!Õ

10 But they said:
ÔNo Sir; weÕre just your servants that have come to buy food! 11 WeÕre all the sons of one man and we are peace lovingÉ your servants arenÕt spies!Õ

12 And he said to them:
ÔNo, youÕve come to spy [in our] land!Õ

13 Then they replied:
ÔYour servants were once twelve brothers from the land of CanaAn. The youngest [of us] is with our father right nowÉ but the other one is no more.Õ

14 Then JoSeph argued:
ÔItÕs just as I said; you are spies! 15 HereÕs how I will prove it: By the health of Pharaoh, you arenÕt going to leave until your younger brother comes here.
16 One of you can go to get your brother, but the rest of you will stay in jail until what youÕve said can be [proven]É whether youÕre telling the truth or not.
And if not, then by the health of Pharaoh, you really are spies!Õ

17 So he had them all locked up in jail for three days. 18
Then on the third day, he said:
ÔDo this and you will live, because I fear the gods (gr. ton Theon):
19 If you really are peace loving, IÕll allow just one of your brothers to be held in jail.
So now, go and carry the grain that you bought [back to your home]. 20 Then bring your younger brother to me, and I will believe what you said.
But if you donÕt, you will all die!Õ

And thatÕs what they did.

21 Well, each one was saying to his brother:
ÔYes, we are to blame when it comes to our brother.
We didnÕt pay attention to the anguish that he was going through, and when he looked to us, we didnÕt listen to him. ThatÕs why this bad thing is happening to us!Õ

22 Then ReuBen said:
ÔDidnÕt I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldnÕt listen to me! Now lookÉ his blood is [being avenged]!Õ

23 However, they didnÕt realize that JoSeph was standing right there in front of them, because an interpreter stood between them.

24 Well at that, JoSeph left them and started crying. Then he returned and spoke to them, and he took SimeOn and had him bound before their eyes.

25 And thereafter, JoSeph gave orders to fill their [sacks] with grain, and to return the money to each oneÕs sack before giving them permission to leave.
And thatÕs what happenedÉ 26 the grain was loaded on their burros, and then they left.

27 Well, when they stopped somewhere to rest, one of them opened his sack to feed the burros, and thatÕs when he saw his bundle of money lying in the top of his sack.
28 So he said to his brothers:
ÔTheyÕve returned my money. Look, its all here in my sack!Õ

Well, they were all dumbfounded and sick at heart. And they asked each other:
ÔWhat has God done to us?Õ

29 And when they got back to their father Jacob (in the land of CanaAn), they told him everything that had happened to them, saying:
30 ÔThis man that is the lord of the land spoke harshly to us and had us put in jail as spies. 31 But we told him that we are peaceful menÉ we arenÕt spies.
32 We said that we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One [of us] is no more, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of CanaAn.
33 However, this man that is the lord of the land said to us,
HereÕs how I will know that you are peaceful: Leave one of your brothers here with me and take the grain you bought, then return to your family 34 and bring your younger brother to me so I will know that you arenÕt spies, but men of peace.
Then you can have your brother back and you can trade in this land.

35 ÔBut, as we were emptying our sacks, each man found his bundle of money inside his sack.Õ

So they [showed] their father their bundles of money, and they were all frightened.

36 Then their father (Jacob) said to them:
ÔNow youÕve made me very sad, for JoSeph is no more and neither is SimeOn. So are you going to take BenJamin away also?
[Why have] all these [bad] things come upon me?Õ

37 Then ReuBen said to his father:
ÔYou can kill my two sons if I donÕt bring him back to you. Give him to me, and IÕll bring him back!Õ

38 But [Jacob] said:
ÔI wonÕt allow my son to go with you, because his brother is already dead, and heÕs the only one left.
What if something happens to him on the way? This would bring such sorrow upon me in my old age that it would lead me to my grave

Chapter 43

1 However, the famine continued in the land. 2
And so, after they had finished eating the grain that theyÕd brought from Egypt, their father told them:
ÔGo there to buy us a little food again.Õ

3 But Judah said to him:
ÔThat man whoÕs the lord of the land absolutely warned us, saying,
You may not see my face again unless you have your younger brother with you.
4 So if youÕll send our brother with us, weÕll go and buy you food. 5 But if you wonÕt send our brother with us, we wonÕt go.Õ

6 Then IsraEl asked:
ÔWhy did you do so much harm to me by telling the man that you had a brother?Õ

7 And they replied:
ÔThe man asked a lot of questions about our family. He asked, Is your father still alive? and, Do you have a brother? All we did was answer his questions!
How could we know that he would tell us to bring our brother?Õ

8 Then Judah said to his father IsraEl:
ÔSend the boy with me and weÕll goÉ so we donÕt all [starve] to death!
9 IÕll be responsible for him, and you can hold me to blame if anything happens to him.
If I donÕt return him and stand him before you, I will be guilty before you through the age.
10 If we hadnÕt been delaying, we could could have already have gone there a second time!Õ

11 And their father IsraEl said to them:
ÔIf thatÕs the case, then do this:
Take along the fruit of the land in your sacks.
Carry gifts of gum, honey, frankincense, oil of myrrh, turpentine, and walnuts to the man.
12 Also, carry twice as much money Ð in addition to the money that was put back in your sacks Ð just in case that was a mistake.
13 Then take your brother along and go down to the man. 14
May my God allow you to find favor in the eyes of that man, so he sends you home with your other brother and BenJamin. For IÕve been saddened, and IÕm very sad now.Õ

15 So the men loaded up their gifts and took twice as much money, as well as BenJamin, and headed down to Egypt, where they soon stood before JoSeph.

16 Well, when JoSeph saw them and his brother BenJamin (who was born to the same mother), he told his house manager:
ÔBring the men into [my] house, then butcher some animals and prepare them, because these men are to eat bread with me at noon.Õ

17 So the man did just as JoSeph said, and he brought them into JoSephÕs house.

18 Well, when the men realized that they had been taken to the house of JoSeph, they said:
ÔWeÕve been brought here because of the money that was returned to our sacks the first time. [This is being done] so witnesses can be called and we can be charged [with a crime]É then they will confiscate our burros and take us as slaves!Õ

19 So they went up to the man that was in charge of JoSephÕs house and spoke to him out on the porch.
20 They said:
ÔWe are begging you, sirÉ we just came the first time to buy food. 21 But, as we were unloading and opening our sacks, [we found] this money in each sack.
We have the full amount of money in our hands [and we wish] to return it. 22
WeÕve also brought more money along with which to buy the foodÉ we donÕt know who put the money in our sacks!Õ

23 And [the man] replied:
ÔMay God be merciful with you. DonÕt be afraid, for it was your God and the God of your ancestors that put the treasures in your sacks.
I have enough of your good money!Õ

Then he brought SimeOn out to themÉ 24 along with some water to wash their feet, and some fodder for their burros.

25 It was then that they started preparing their gifts for JoSephÕs arrival at noon, because they heard that he was going to dine there.
26 So when JoSeph came home, they brought him the gifts that they had carried into the houseÉ and afterward, they bowed with their faces to the ground.

27 Well, he asked them:
ÔHow are you? Is your father, the old man that you spoke of, well? Is he still living?Õ

28 And they replied:
ÔOur father, your servant, is well. And yes, heÕs still alive.Õ

Then JoSeph said:
ÔMay that man of God be blest!Õ

And at that, they all bowed low to show him respect.

29 It was then that JoSeph looked up and saw his brother BenJamin (who was born to the same mother). And he asked:
ÔIs this the younger brother that you said you would bring to me?Õ

Then he added:
ÔMay God have mercy on you, my son.Õ

30 Well, JoSephÕs emotions overcame him, because he missed his brother so much, and he wanted to cry. So he walked to his inner room and cried there.
31 Thereafter, he washed his face and regained his composure, and came out and said:
ÔNow, bring on the bread!Õ

32 So they set out bread for JoSeph, for his servants, and for the Egyptians that were eating with him, but not for [his brothers], because the Egyptians considered it dishonorable to eat bread with Hebrews.
33 They just sat there in front of him (in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest), as the brothers looked at each other in astonishment.

34 But then, JoSeph gave them their portions to eat by themselves. However, BenJamin received five times as much as did the rest. They also drank with him until each one was full.

Chapter 44

1 Then JoSeph gave instructions to his house manager. He said:
ÔNow, fill the menÕs sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each oneÕs money in the top of his sack. 2 Also, put my silver cup in the sack that belongs to the youngest, along with the price of his grain.Õ

So he did exactly as JoSeph said. 3 Then the next morning, the men and their burros were sent away.

4 Well, after they left the city (but before they had traveled very far), JoSeph said to his house manager:
ÔNow, get up and chase after those men; and when you catch up with them, ask:
Why have you returned evil for goodÉ 5 why have you stolen my silver cup? IsnÕt this the [cup] that our lord drinks from and the one that he uses to foretell the future?
YouÕve done an evil thing!Õ

6 So when he caught up with them, he said what [JoSeph] had told him to say. 7 And they replied:
ÔWhy is our lord saying such things? Your servants wouldnÕt do anything like that.
8 If we returned the money to you that we found in our sacks all the way from the land of CanaAn, why would we steal silver or gold from the house of your lord? 9
May whichever of your servants that you find with the cup die, and then we will all be our lordÕs slaves!Õ

10 So, [JoSephÕs house manager] told them:
ÔMay it be just as youÕve said. But just the one that is found with the cup will be my slaveÉ the rest of you can go free.Õ

11 Then each man quickly took down his sack and put it on the ground, and opened their sacks, 12 and the man began his search, starting from the eldest to the youngestÉ and then he found the cup in BenJaminÕs sack.

13 Well at that, they all started ripping their clothes. So each man put his sack back on his burro, and they all returned to the city, 14 where Judah and his brothers were taken to see JoSeph, who was [still at home].

There they fell to the ground before him, 15 and JoSeph asked them:
ÔWhat have you done? DidnÕt you realize that a man like me can see the future?Õ

16 And Judah replied:
ÔWhat can we say to you, our lord? What can we say that will justify us? God has uncovered the unrighteousness of your servants.
Look! WeÕre now our lordÕs slavesÉ both us and the one that was found with your cup!Õ

17 But JoSeph said:
ÔI wouldnÕt do anything like thatÉ just the man that was found with my cup will be my slave. [The rest of you] may return home safely to your father.Õ

18 Then Judah came up to him and said:
ÔI beg you, sir; Allow your servant to say something to you, and donÕt get angry, because you are next to Pharaoh.
19 Sir; you once asked your servants whether we have a father or a brother. 20 And we replied,
Yes Lord, we have a father that is an old man, and he has a young son of his old age. [Since this boyÕs] brother is now dead, heÕs the only one left that came from his mother, and his father loves him.

21 ÔThen you said to your servants:
Bring him down here to me, and I will take care of him.
22 And we said to our lord,
The child canÕt leave his father, because if he leaves his father, [his father] will die. 23
But you told your servants:
Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you wonÕt see my face again.
24 And so, when we went up to your servant our father, we told him what our lord said. 25 Then, when our father said,
Return and buy a little food for us,
26 we said,
We canÕt return, unless our younger brother goes with us. We can go there, but we wonÕt be able to see the man unless we bring our younger brother along!
27 And your servant (our father) said to us:
You know that my woman gave birth to two [sons] for me. 28 Now, one [of the two] is gone from me. For you told me that wild animals ate him, and I havenÕt seen him since. 29 So if you take this one away from me also and something should happen to him along the road, the sorrow will bring me to the grave in my old age.

30 ÔTherefore, if I should return to your servant (our father) and the boy doesnÕt return with us (remember that his life depends on this [boyÕs] life); 31 well, when he sees that the boy isnÕt with us, he will die. And then your servants [will be responsible for] bringing your servant (our elderly father) to his grave in his sorrow.
32 For when I (your servant) took the boy from his father, I said,
If I donÕt return him to you and stand him before you, I will be guilty before my father through the age.

33 ÔNow, may I stay here as your slave instead of the boy. I will work in my lordÕs house; but, let the boy [return home] with his brothers.
34 For how could I return to my father without the boy and cause evil things to happen to him?Õ

Chapter 45

1 However, JoSeph couldnÕt restrain himself when they were all standing there with him; so he said:
ÔEveryone else is dismissed.Õ

As the result, nobody [was there guarding] JoSeph when he told his brothers who he wasÉ 2 and as he spoke, he was crying.

Well, soon all the Egyptians heard about this, and it was reported to the house of Pharaoh.
3 For JoSeph said to his brothers:
ÔIÕm JoSeph! Is my father still alive?Õ

However, his brothers couldnÕt answer him, because they were in shock!

4 Then JoSeph told his brothers:
ÔCome closer to me,Õ
and they all came up to him.

And he said:
ÔIÕm your brother JoSeph whom you sold into Egypt! 5 But, donÕt be upset and donÕt feel guilty that you sold me here, because [it was] God that sent me ahead of you, so you could live.
6 For this [is just] the second year of the famine on the earth, and there are still five years to come when there will be no plowing or reaping.

7 ÔIt was God that sent me ahead of you so that some of you would survive on the earth to feed the rest of your crowd. 8
Therefore, you didnÕt send me here, God did! And now He has made me like a father to PharaohÉ the master of his whole house and the ruler of the entire land of Egypt.
9 So hurry and return to my father, and tell him that this is what your son JoSeph has said:
God has made me the lord of the entire land of Egypt. So come here to me, and donÕt delay! 10 You will live in the land of Gesem in Arabia, where you will be closer to meÉ you, your sons, your grandsons, your sheep, your cattle, and everything thatÕs yours.
11 I will feed you there, because the famine is going to last for five more years. This way, nothing that you own will be lostÉ not your sons or any of your possessions!

12 ÔLook at me and see!
And [you], my brother BenJamin; Use your eyes [and recognize] that itÕs my mouth speaking to you!
13 So report to my father about all the glory that I have in Egypt, and about everything that youÕve seen. Then hurry and bring my father down here.Õ

14 [Well, after that], he fell on his brother BenJaminÕs neck and cried, and BenJamin cried on his neck.
15 Then he kissed all his brothers and cried over them, and his brothers [were finally able to] speak to him.

16 Well, the report of this was carried back to the house of Pharaoh, for he was told,
ÔJoSephÕs brothers have come.Õ
And this made Pharaoh and his household very happy.

17 Then Pharaoh said to JoSeph:
ÔTell your brothers to [get] wagons and return to the land of CanaAn 18 to get their father and all their possessions, and then come here to me.
I will give them all the good things of Egypt, and they will eat from the [best] of our land.

19 ÔNow, you must give them these instructions:
Tell them to take wagons from the land of Egypt to get their women, their children, and their father, and come here.
20 [Tell them] not to worry about their possessions, because all the good things of Egypt will be theirs.Õ

21 So thatÕs what the children of IsraEl did.
JoSeph gave them wagons, just as Pharaoh the king had said, and he gave them the things that they would need for their journey.
22 He also gave each of them two suits of clothesÉ but he gave BenJamin five suits of clothes, plus three hundred gold coins.
23 And he sent the same gifts to his father, plus ten burros that carried a sampling of all the good things of Egypt, along with ten mules that carried [provisions] for their journey.

24 So he dismissed his brothers and they left.
But before they left, he told them:
ÔDonÕt go away angry.Õ

25 Then they left Egypt and returned to the land of CanaAn and to their father, Jacob.
26 There they reported everything to him, saying:
ÔYour son JoSeph is ALIVE, and heÕs now the ruler of the entire land of Egypt!Õ

Well, this was so amazing to Jacob that he didnÕt believe them. 27 But they told him everything that JoSeph said, no matter what it was that he said to them.

It was then that [Jacob] noticed the chariots that JoSeph had sent to pick him up, and thatÕs when the spirit of their father Jacob was restored.
28 And IsraEl said:
ÔIf my son JoSeph is still alive, thatÕs wonderful! I want to go see him before I die!Õ

Chapter 46

1 So IsraEl left with everything that he owned. And when he got to the Well of the Promise (BeerSheba), he offered a sacrifice to the God of his father IsaAc.
2 Then The God spoke to IsraEl in a vision that night.
He said:
ÔJacob! Jacob!Õ

And (Jacob) asked:
ÔWhat is it?Õ

3 Then [God] said to him:
ÔI am the God of your ancestors.

'DonÕt be afraid to go down to Egypt, because I will make a great nation of you there.
4 I will be going down to Egypt with you and I will be bringing you backÉ for it will be JoSeph that will lay his hands over your eyes.Õ

5 Well after that, Jacob left the Well of the Promise, and IsraElÕs sons carried their father, their baggage, and their women on the wagons that JoSeph had sent to them.
6 They also brought along the goods and things that they had obtained in the land of CanaAn, and they went to the land of Egypt (Jacob and all his descendants Ð 7 his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters)É he brought all of his seed with him down to Egypt.

8 These are the names of the grandsons of IsraEl that went to Egypt with their father Jacob:
The sons of JacobÕs first-born, ReuBen, were 9 Enoch, PhalLus, Asron, and Charmi.
10 The sons of SimeOn were JemuEl, Jamin, Aod, Achin, SaAr, and Saul (the son of a CanaAnite woman).
11 The sons of Levi were Gedson, CaAth, and MeraRi.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Aunan (who died in the land of CanaAn), Selom, Phares, Zara, and Er. 13 PharesÕ sons were EsRon and JemuEl.
The sons of IshSachar were: Thola, Phua, Asum, and SamBran.
14 The sons of ZebuLun were Sered, AlLon, and AchoEl.

15 These were the sons that LeAh gave birth to (for Jacob) in MesoPotamia of Syria, and those of his daughter Dina.
Altogether, the sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad were Saphon, Angis, SanNis, ThasoBan, Aedis, AroEdis, and AreElis.
17 The sons of Asher were JemNa, JesShua, JeUl, BariJa, and their sister, SarAh. BariJaÕs sons were Chobor, and MelchiEl.

18 These were the sons that ZelPha (whom Laban had given to his daughter LeAh) gave birth to for Jacob Ð sixteen people.

19 The sons of JacobÕs woman RachEl were JoSeph and BenJamin, 20 and the sons that were born to JoSeph in the land of Egypt through Asenath (the daughter of Petephre, the priest of HelioPolis) were ManasSeh, and Ephraim.
The son that was born to ManasSeh by his Syrian concubine was MachIr. Then MachIr fathered GalaAd.

EphraimÕs sons were SutalaAm and TaAm. SutalaAmÕs son was Edom.
21 The sons of BenJamin were Bala, Bochor, and Asbel. BalaÕs sons were Gera, NoEman, Anchis, Ros, and Mamphim. Then Gera fathered Arad.

22 These were the sons that RachEl gave birth to for Jacob.
Altogether, there were eighteen people.

23 The son of Dan was Hushim, 24 and NaphTaliÕs sons were AsiEl, Goni, IshSaar, and SolLem.

25 These were the sons that BalLa (whom Laban had given to his daughter RachEl) gave birth to for Jacob.
[Altogether], there were seven people.

26 Therefore, all the descendants of Jacob that came with him to Egypt (those Ð except his sonÕs women Ð that came from his loins) totaled sixty-six. 27 And the sons of JoSeph that were born in the land of Egypt totaled nine.
So all the people of the house of Jacob that were with JoSeph in Egypt totaled seventy-five.

28 Now, [Jacob] had sent Judah ahead of him to JoSeph, who told him to meet them at the City of HroOn (Mit El-Harun?) in the land of RaMesse.
29 So JoSeph got his chariots ready and went to meet his father IsraEl at the City of HroOn. And when he got there, [JoSeph] fell on [JacobÕs] neck and cried profusely.

30 Then IsraEl said to JoSeph:
ÔNow that IÕve seen your face I can die happy, because youÕre still alive!Õ

31 And JoSeph told his brothers:
ÔI will go to Pharaoh and tell him that my brothers and my fatherÕs household have arrived from the land of CanaAn. 32 I will also tell him that you are shepherds and cattlemen, and that youÕve brought along your cattle, herds, and all of your belongings.
33 So if Pharaoh calls for you and asks you what you do for a living, 34 you must say,
Your servants have been shepherds since our youthÉ both our fathers and us.
[You must say this], so you can live in the land of Gesem (Goshen) in Arabia, because shepherds are looked down on by the Egyptians.Õ

Chapter 47

1 So then, JoSeph went and told Pharaoh that his father and brothers had arrived from the land of CanaAn with their cattle, oxen, and all their possessions, and that they would be staying in the land of Gesem.

2 He also took five of his brothers and brought them before Pharaoh.
3 And when Pharaoh asked them,
ÔWhat is your occupation?Õ
they replied,
ÔYour servants (we and our fathers) are shepherds.Õ

4 Then they said to Pharaoh:
ÔWe have come to stay in [your] land. And since there are no pastures for your servantÕs flocks here, and because there is a famine in the land of CanaAn; please allow us to live in the land of Gesem.Õ

And Pharaoh told JoSeph:
ÔThen, may they live in the land of Gesem. And if you know any among them that are more capable, put them in charge of my cattle also.Õ

So thatÕs how Jacob and his sons came to JoSeph in Egypt. And after Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) learned about this, 5 he told JoSeph:
Ô[Now that] your father and brothers have come to you, 6 {Look!} the whole land of Egypt is before you; so, choose the very best land as a place for your father and brothers to settle!Õ

7 Then later, JoSeph brought his father Jacob in and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blest Pharaoh.
8 Then Pharaoh asked Jacob:
ÔHow old are you?Õ

9 And Jacob replied to Pharaoh:
ÔThe years of my life that IÕve lived are a hundred and thirty.
These years have been too few and too troubled, for I havenÕt reached the age that my ancestors [achieved], back in the days when they lived.Õ

10 And after that, Jacob [again] blest Pharaoh, and left.

11 So, just as Pharaoh commanded, JoSeph gave his father and brothers a tract of land as their possession and settled them in the land of Egypt, on the best ground in the land of RaMesse.
12 And thereafter, JoSeph provided grain for his father, brothers, and his fatherÕs entire household.

13 However, there was no grain [growing on] the land at the time, so the famine was terrible. For both in the land of Egypt and in the land of CanaAn, people were weak from the famine.
14 As the result, JoSeph collected all the money that there was in the land of Egypt and in the land of CanaAn, because the people had spent all that they had for the grain that they were buyingÉ and he took it all to the house of Pharaoh.
15 So before long, there was no more money left in the land of Egypt or in the land of CanaAn. And because of this, all the Egyptians came to JoSeph and said:
ÔGive us bread! Do you want us to die here before you? All our money is gone!Õ

16 And JoSeph replied to them:
ÔIf all your money is gone, then bring me your cattle, and IÕll give you bread in exchange for them.Õ

17 So they brought their cattle to JoSeph, and he gave them bread in exchange for their horses, sheep, oxen, and burros.
And JoSeph kept the people alive with bread that year in exchange for their cattle.

18 But after that year had passed, they came to him the second year and said:
ÔMust we be consumed before you, our lord? For all our money is gone, and since weÕve brought all our possessions and our cattle to you, our lord, we donÕt have anything left other than our bodies and our land.
19 Therefore, so that we wonÕt die before you, and so that our land isnÕt devastated, please buy us and our land for bread, so that we and our land will become PharaohÕs servants.
Give us seeds to grow so we can live and not die, and so that our land wonÕt be devastated!Õ

 20 As the result, JoSeph bought all the land of the Egyptians for PharaohÉ they sold it all to Pharaoh, because the famine was so bad.
And therefore, the entire land became PharaohÕs, 21 and the people became his servants from one end of Egypt to the otherÉ 22 that is, except for the land of the priests.
JoSeph didnÕt buy [their land], because Pharaoh gave [grain] as gifts to the priests. So they ate what Pharaoh gave them, and they didnÕt have to sell their land.

23 Then JoSeph told all the Egyptians:
Ô{Look!} Today I have purchased both you and your land for Pharaoh. So now, take the seeds and plant the land. 24 Then, when it produces, you must give a fifth of its produce to Pharaoh.
You may keep the rest for yourselves as seeds for planting and as food for you and for all that are in your homes.Õ

25 And they said:
ÔYou have saved us! WeÕve found favor before you, our lord, and we will be PharaohÕs servants!Õ

26 As the result, JoSeph passed a law that we still have today:
A fifth part [of the produce of the land of Egypt] is to be [given to] Pharaoh. The only exception is the land of the priestsÉ that doesnÕt belong to Pharaoh.

27 Well thereafter, the IsraElites lived in the land of Gesem in Egypt and they owned an allotment [of land] thereÉ so the [family] grew rapidly and profusely.
28 Jacob also lived for seventeen more years there in the land of Egypt, until he was a hundred and forty-seven years old.

29 Then, as the time for IsraEl to die drew near, he called his son JoSeph and said this to him:
ÔIf IÕve found favor before you, put your hand under my thigh and [swear] to me mercifully and truthfully that you wonÕt bury me in Egypt, 30 but that I will sleep with my ancestors.
[Swear that] you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb.Õ

And JoSeph said:
ÔI will do as youÕve asked.Õ

31 But [Jacob] said:
ÔSwear to me!Õ

And he swore to him.

Then IsraEl bowed low, as he leaned on his cane.

Chapter 48

1 Well, sometime after that, this report came to JoSeph:
Ô{Look!} Your father is ill!Õ

So he took his two sons, ManasSeh and Ephraim, and they went to [see] Jacob.

2 Then when Jacob was told that his son JoSeph had come to see him, IsraEl straightened himself and sat up on his bed.
3 And [he] said this to JoSeph:
ÔMy God appeared to me in Luza in the land of CanaAn and blest me. 4 Then He said to me,
{Look!} I will make you grow and increase, and I will make many nations come from you. I will also give this land to you and to your seed that comes after you as an inheritance through the ages.

5 ÔNow, your two sons (Ephraim and ManasSeh) that were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came here, are my [sons] the same as ReuBen and SimeOn are my [sons].
6 And any children that you have from this point on will share in the names of their brothers; so, [the lands that they will] inherit will be named after them.

7 ÔAs for me; After I left Assyrian MesoPotamia, your mother RachEl died in the land of CanaAn during the evening, near the ChabRatha racetrack while we were coming to EphRatha (or BethLehem).
So I buried her beside the road at the racetrack of BethLehem.Õ

8 Then, when IsraEl noticed JoSephÕs sons, he asked:
ÔWho are they?Õ

9 And JoSeph replied to his father:
ÔTheyÕre the sons that God has given to me here.Õ

And Jacob said:
ÔBring them here to me, so that I can bless them.Õ

10 Now, IsraElÕs eyes were weak due to his age, so he couldnÕt see. But he drew them close, and he hugged and kissed them both.

11 Then IsraEl said to JoSeph:
ÔLook! I havenÕt been deprived of seeing your face, and now {Look!} God has also shown me your seed.Õ

12 So at that, JoSeph brought them out from [between] his [fatherÕs] knees, and they bowed to [IsraEl] with their faces to the ground.

13 Then JoSeph took his two sons, with Ephraim at his right hand (but on the left of IsraEl), and ManasSeh at his left hand (but on the right of IsraEl), and led them near to him again.
14 However, IsraEl stuck out his right hand and laid it on EphraimÕs head (he was the younger), and he put his left hand on ManasSehÕs head, with his arms crossed.
15 Then he blest them, saying:
ÔMay the God that found my fathers AbraHam and IsaAc pleasing (the God that fed me from my youth until now 16 and the messenger that protects me from all that is evil) bless these boysÉ and may they be called by my name and by the name of my fathers, AbraHam and IsaAc.
Let them grow to be a vast number on the ground.Õ

17 Well, when JoSeph noticed that his father had put his right hand on EphraimÕs head, that seemed wrong to him. So JoSeph took hold of his fatherÕs hand to move it from EphraimÕs head to ManasSehÕs head.
18 And JoSeph said:
ÔFather! This is the first-born; lay your right hand on his head!Õ

19 But Jacob wouldnÕt. He said:
ÔI know, son, I know. [Your eldest son] will be a [tribe of] people, and he will be important. However, his younger brother will be greater, and his seed will become many nations.Õ

20 So he blest them that day. And he said [to JoSeph]:
ÔIn your name, IsraEl will pronounce this blessing:
May God make you like Ephraim and ManasSehÕÉ
and he put Ephraim before ManasSeh.

21 Then IsraEl said to JoSeph:
ÔLook, IÕm dying! But my God will be with you and He will return you to the land of your fathers.

22 ÔI am giving you Shechem (a better portion than that of your brothers), which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.Õ

Chapter 49

1 Then Jacob called the rest of his sons in and said to them:
2 ÔGather here so I can tell you what will happen to you in later years. Gather and listen to me, sons of Jacob. Listen to IsraElÉ listen to your father!

3 ÔReuBen;
YouÕre my firstborn and my strength. YouÕre the first of my children, but youÕre hard to endure, [pig headed], 4 and youÕre as unruly as waterÉ bring an end to your violence!
For you even climbed up on your fatherÕs bed and dirtied the couch that you climbed on.

5 ÔSimeOn and Levi;
You are brothers that are good at the injustices that separated you. 6 May my soul pay no attention to the things that you say, and may my feelings never have any part in your conspiracies. For youÕve killed men in anger, and in your passion youÕve cut off the feet of bulls.
7 May your anger be cursed, because it is willful and cruel. So I will separate you in [the land of] Jacob and scatter you in IsraEl.

8 ÔJudah;
Your brothers have spoken well of you, so your hands will stay on the backs of your enemies, and your fatherÕs sons will bow before youÉ 9 for Judah is the cub of a lion.

ÔMy son: youÕve grown from the tender plant [you once were], and now youÕre a young lion. So by whom can you ever be beaten?

10 ÔThere will always be a ruler from Judah,
And princes will come from his loins
Until the one weÕre awaiting arrivesÉ
The one whoÕs the hope of the nations.

11 Ô[HeÕll] tie his foal to a vineÉ
The foal of his burro to a branch,
And heÕll wash his robes in [fine] wineÉ
In the blood of grapes, he will wash his clothes;
12 His eyes will be more cheerful than wine,
And his teeth [will be] whiter than milk.

13 ÔZebuLun;
You will live on the coast near a shipping port that reaches to Sidon.

14 ÔIshSachar;
You have desired the best thingÉ to rest among the [other] inheritances. 15 So [when you find] a good resting place and fertile land, you will put you shoulders to work and become a farmer.

16 ÔDan;
You will judge your people as a single tribe in IsraEl.
17 Dan will be a snake on the road that blocks the path and bites at the hooves of horses to cause their riders to fall, 18 while he awaits the salvation of Jehovah .

19 ÔGad;
You will be looted by plunderersÉ but then you will also follow and plunder them.

20 ÔAsher;
You will have plenty of bread, and you will provide delicious things to princes.

21 ÔNaphTali;
You are a spreading vine [that will bear] beautiful fruit.

22 ÔJoSeph;
My son that has now grown [into a man];
My dearly-loved son that has been increased;
My younger son that has been returned;
23 YouÕre the one whom the evil have spoken against;
The one against whom they have plotted
And whom the archers [have tried to shoot down].
24 But their bows and arrows were quickly destroyed
By the hand of JacobÕs Almighty God,
Who then weakened the might of their armsÉ
YouÕre the one who thereafter brought strength
From the God of IsraEl, to his father.

25 ÔMy God has helped you and blest you
With the blessings that come from above.
TheyÕre the blessings of the ground that owns allÉ
TheyÕre the blessings of the breasts and the womb.
26 TheyÕre the blessings of your father and mother,
Which last longer than the blessings on the mountains,
And [longer than] the hills of the ages.

ÔThese [blessings] will be upon JoSephÕs head,
And on the heads of the brothers
Over whom he will now take the lead.

27 ÔBenJamin;
You're a hungry wolf that will eat all morning long and also provide food in the evening.Õ

28 All these are the twelve sons of Jacob, and thatÕs what their father said to them. He blest themÉ he blest each of them by the blessings that they would receive.
29 Then he said to them:
ÔNow IÕm going to my people; so, bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of EphRon the Kettite.
30 ItÕs the double cave across from MamRe in the land of CanaAn that AbraHam bought as a tomb from EphRon the Kettite, 31 and itÕs where they buried AbraHam and his woman SarAh, IsaAc and his women RebecKa and LeAh, 32 in that part of the field where the caves of the sons of Ket are located.Õ

 33 Then Jacob stopped giving instructions to his sons, and he lifted his feet on the bed and diedÉ then he was buried with his people.

Chapter 50

1 Well at that, JoSeph fell over his fatherÕs face, cried over him, and kissed him.
2 Then JoSeph told his servants (the embalmers) to [take charge of] his fatherÕs body, and the embalmers mummified IsraEl.
3 The process took forty days, because thatÕs how long it took to mummify someone. And all of Egypt mourned for him during the next seventy days.

4 Then when the days of mourning were completed, JoSeph spoke to the PharaohÕs mighty ones and said:
ÔIf IÕve found favor in your eyes, talk to Pharaoh for me and tell him that 5 my father made me swear, saying,
I want you to bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of CanaAn. br>So I wish to go there and bury my fatherÉ and then IÕll return.Õ

6 And Pharaoh said to JoSeph:
ÔGo up and bury your father, just as he made you swear.Õ

7 So JoSeph went up [to the land of CanaAn] to bury his father; and all of PharaohÕs servants and elders of his house, as well as all the elders of the land of Egypt traveled with him 8 and the households of JoSeph and his brothers, as well as the household of his father and his relatives.
However, they left the sheep and oxen behind in the land of GesemÉ 9 the entourage also included many chariots and horsemen, and a large crowd of others.

10 Then, upon arriving at the threshing-floor of Atad (which is across the JorDan), they wailed for [Jacob] with a very deep grief, and they mourned there for [JoSephÕs) father for the next seven days.

11 Well, when the people of the land of CanaAn saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, they said:
ÔThis is a huge mourning to the Egyptians.Õ

So after that, they named the place The Mourning of Egypt Beyond the JorDan.

12 Yes, thatÕs what his sons did for him.
13 His sons carried him up into the land of CanaAn and buried him in the double cave that AbraHam bought as his own burying place from EphRon the Kettite, which is across from MamRe.

14 Then JoSeph and his brothers returned to Egypt, along with all those that had come with him to bury his father.

15 Well, after JoSephÕs brothers saw that their father had died, they said:
ÔLetÕs not forget that JoSeph can decide to get even with us and pay us back for all the evil things that we did to him at any time.Õ
16 So they went to JoSeph and said:
ÔBefore his death, your father made us swear. He instructed us 17 to tell JoSeph to forgive us for the bad things weÕve done and for our sins, because weÕve really done some evil things to you.
Therefore, please forgive the injustice of the servants of the God of your father.Õ

Well, JoSeph started to weep while they were talking to him. 18 Then they came up to him and said:
ÔWe are your servants!Õ

19 And JoSeph said:
ÔDonÕt be afraid, for I [belong to] God. 20 And though you once met and talked about doing evil things to me; God made what you said about me [turn out] for the good.
And thatÕs why things happened as they have todayÉ so that many people might be fed.Õ

21 Then he said to them:
ÔDonÕt be afraid; IÕll take care of you and your families.Õ

And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

22 Well, JoSeph continued to live in Egypt along with his brothers and his fatherÕs family for a hundred and ten years.
23 JoSeph [lived to] see EphraimÕs children through the third generation, and the sons of MachIr (ManasSehÕs son) were born at his side.

24 Then JoSeph told his [family]:
ÔIÕm dying. But, God will surely come to you and take you from this land into the land that God swore to give to our ancestors, AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob.

25 Then JoSeph made the Sons of IsraEl swear, saying:
ÔWhen God comes for you, you must carry my bones back with you.Õ

26 So JoSeph died at the age of a hundred and ten (c. 1879-BCE), and they prepared his body, then they placed it in a [tomb] in Egypt.

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