Chapter 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
3 God said, "Let there be light!" and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness Night.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 God said, »Let there be a firmament between the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.«
7 And God made the firmament, and separated the waters which are under the firmament from the waters which are above the firmament. And it was so.
8 God called the firmament Heaven.
And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 God said, »Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.» And it was so.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, »Let the earth bring forth grass, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.» And it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, plants yielding seed according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.
14 God said, »Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
15 and that they serve as lights in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth.» And it was so.
16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night; he did also the stars.
17 God placed them in the firmament of heaven to illuminate the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 God said, »Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.«
21 And God created the great aquatic animals and every living creature that moves, swarming in the waters, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, »Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea, and let birds multiply on the earth.«
23 And there was evening, and there was morning: cIt was the fifth day.
24 God said, »Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds, domestic animals, creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.» And it was so.
25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the domestic animals according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, »Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over the creatures that move along the ground.«
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them and said to them, »Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the earth.«
29 And God said, »Behold, I give you every herb yielding seed upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which bears fruit of a tree which has seed in it; they shall be for you food.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, having in it the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.» And it was so.
31 And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day.
Chapter 2
1 Thus were completed the heavens and the earth, and all their array.
2 EAnd God had finished on the seventh day his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creation that he had done.
5 Now there was not yet on the earth any shrub of the field, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted; for Yahweh God had not caused rain to fall on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.
6 But a vapor rose from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
7 Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
8 Then Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man he had formed.
9 And Yahweh God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four branches.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; he is the one who surrounds all the land of Hevilath, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of this land is good; there Also bdellium and onyx stone are found there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that surrounds all the land of Cush.
14 The name of the third is the Tigris; it is the one that flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Yahweh God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 And Yahweh God commanded the man, »You may eat from every tree of the garden;
17 But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.«
18 The Lord God said, »It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.«
19 And Yahweh God, who had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air, brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature.
20 And man gave names to all the domestic animals, and to the birds of the air, and to all the beasts of the field; but he did not find for man a helper comparable to him.
21 Then Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 From the rib that he had taken out of the man, Yahweh God formed a woman, and he brought her to the man.
23 And the man said, »This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, for she was taken out of Man.«
24 That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they felt no shame.
Chapter 3
»"Did God really say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?"»
2 The woman answered the serpent, "We eat fruit from the trees in the garden.".
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, «You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”
4 The snake said to the woman, "No, you will not die;
5 But God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.«
7 Their eyes both opened and they realized they were naked. ; And, having sewn fig leaves together, they made sashes for themselves.
8 Then they heard the sound of the Lord God passing in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, »Where are you?«
10 He answered, »I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.«
11 And Yahweh God said, »Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?«
12 The man replied, »The woman you put with me has given me fruit from the tree, and I ate some of it.«
13 The Lord God said to the woman, »Why have you done this?» The woman replied, »The serpent deceived me, and I ate.«
14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, »Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all domestic animals and all beasts of the field; you shall go on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.«
16 To the woman he said, »I will multiply your sufferings, and especially those of your pregnancy; you will give birth to sons in pain; your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.«
17 He said to the man, »Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life;
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.«
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
21 Yahweh God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and the in donned.
22 And the Lord God said, »The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life to eat and live forever.«
23 And Yahweh God brought him out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken.
24 And he drove out the man, and placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Chapter 4
1 Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, »I have acquired a man with the rescue of Yahweh!«
2 She also gave birth to Abel, his brother. Abel was a shepherd of sheep, and Cain was a plowman.
3 After some time, Cain offered some of the produce of the ground as an offering to Yahweh;
4 Abel, for his part, offered some of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. The Lord looked upon Abel and his offering;
5 But he did not look at Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6 Yahweh said to Cain, »Why are you angry, and why is your face downcast?
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do what is right, does not sin crouch at your door? Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.«
8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, »Let us go out to the field.» And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
9 And Yahweh said to Cain, »Where is Abel, your brother?» He answered, »I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?«
10 Yahweh said: »What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
11 Now you are cursed from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you till the land, it will no longer yield its fruit; you will be a restless wanderer on the earth.«
13 Cain said to Yahweh, »My pain is too great for me to bear.
14 Behold, you are driving me today from this land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.«
15 The Lord said to him, »If anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times over.» Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of Yahweh, and he lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he began to build a city, which he called Enoch, after the name of his son.
18 Irad was born to Enoch, and he fathered Maviael; Maviael fathered Methusel, and Methusel fathered Lamech.
19 Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the second was Sella.
20 Ada gave birth to Jabel: he was the father of those who dwell in tents and among flocks.
21 His brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all those who play the harp and the flute.
22 Now Sella gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of cutting tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives:
Ada and Sella, hear my voice, women of Lamech, listen to my words: I have killed a man for my wound, and a young man for my bruise.
24 Cain will be avenged seven times, and Lamech seventy-seven times.
25 Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, »God has granted me offspring in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.«
26 Seth also had a son, whom he named Enos. At that time people began to call on the name of Yahweh.
Chapter 5
1 This is the book of the story of Adam.
When God created Adam, he made him in God's image.
2 He created them male and female, and blessed them, and named them Man when they were created.
3 Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and he named him Seth.
4 The days of Adam, after he fathered Seth, were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
5 All the time that Adam lived was nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he fathered Enos.
7 After he fathered Enos, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
8 All the days that Seth lived were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
9 Enos lived ninety years, and he fathered Cainan.
10 After he fathered Cainan, Enos lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
11 All the time that Enos lived was nine hundred and five years, and he died.
12 Cainan lived seventy years, and he fathered Malaleel.
13 After he fathered Malaleel, Cainan lived 840 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
14 All the days that Cainan lived were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
15 Malaleel lived sixty-five years, and he fathered Jared.
16 After he fathered Jared, Malaleel lived 830 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
17 All the time that Malaleel lived was eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and he fathered Enoch.
19 After he fathered Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
20 All the time Jared lived was nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and he fathered Methuselah.
22 After he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
23 All the time that Enoch lived was three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 Enoch walked with God, and was not seen again, for God had taken him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and he fathered Lamech.
26 After he fathered Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
27 All the days that Methuselah lived were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and he fathered a son.
29 He named him Noah, saying, »This man will relieve us of our toil and of the painful labor of our hands, coming from this ground which the Lord has cursed.«
30 After he fathered Noah, Lamech lived 595 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
31 All the days that Lamech lived were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
32 Noah, at the age of five hundred years, fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Chapter 6
1 When men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves from among all those who pleased them.
3 And the Lord said, »My Spirit shall not remain in man forever, for man is flesh, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.«
4 Now the giants were on the earth in those days, and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them: they were the heroes of old.
5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of men was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart,
7 And he said, »I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the livestock, the reptiles, and the birds of the air—for I regret that I have made them.«
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time; Noah walked faithfully with God.
10 Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 But the earth became corrupt in God’s sight and was filled with violence.
12 God looked at the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.
13 Then God said to Noah, »The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is full of violence because of them; I am going to destroy them and the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark of resinous wood; make it with cells and coat it inside and out with bitumen.
15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty.
16 You shall make an opening in the ark, and make a cubit from the roof to it; you shall set up a door in the side of the ark, and you shall make a first, a second and a third story of cells.
17 And I am going to bring a flood, an inundation of the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh which has the breath of life in it; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you and your sons and your wife will enter the ark. women of your sons with you.
19 Of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring into the ark two of every kind, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20 Of birds of every kind, of domestic animals of every kind, and of every kind of creeping thing that creeps on the ground, two of every kind will come to you, that you may keep them alive.
21 And you, take some of every kind of food that is eaten and store it up beside you, so that it may be food for you and for them.«
22 Noah set to work; he did everything that God had commanded him.
Chapter 7
1 Yahweh said to Noah, »Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen you righteous before me in the midst of this generation.
2 Of all the clean animals, you shall take with you seven pairs, males and their females, and of all the animals that are not clean, you shall take two, a male and its female;
3 seven pairs also of birds of the air, males and their females, to keep alive their race on the face of the whole earth.
4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.«
5 Noah did everything that Yahweh had commanded him.
6 He was six hundred years old when the flood came, an inundation of the earth.
7 Noah entered the ark with his sons, his wife and women of his sons to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals and of those that are not clean, of birds and of everything that creeps on the ground,
9 Each pair, male and female, came to Noah in the ark, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And at the end of seven days, the waters of the flood poured out upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the floodgates of heaven were opened,
12 and the rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 That same day Noah entered the ark, along with Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah's wife, and his three sons' wives,
14 them and all beasts of various kinds, all domestic animals of various kinds, all reptiles of various kinds that creep on the earth, and all birds of various kinds, all small birds, everything that has wings.
15 They came to Noah in the ark, two by two, of all flesh which had the breath of life.
16 They came, male and female, of every kind of flesh, as God had commanded Noah. And Yahweh shut the door behind him.
17 The flood was forty days on the earth; the waters rose and lifted the ark, and it rose above the earth.
18 The waters rose and became exceedingly high on the earth, and the ark floated on the waters.
19 The waters, having increased more and more, covered all the high mountains that are under the whole sky.
20 The waters rose fifteen cubits above the mountains they covered.
21 Every creature that moves on the earth will perish: birds, domestic animals, wild beasts, everything that creeps on the earth, as well as all men.
22 Of everything that existed on the dry ground, everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
23 Every living thing that was on the face of the earth was destroyed, from man to domestic animal, to reptiles and to birds of the air; they were exterminated from the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained.
24 The waters were high on the earth for one hundred and fifty days.
Chapter 8
1 God remembered Noah and all the beasts and domestic animals that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters receded;
2 The springs of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, and the rain ceased to fall from heaven.
3 The waters receded from the earth, going back and forth, and at the end of 150 days they subsided.
4 In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
5 The waters went on receding until the tenth month; and in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the mountain peaks appeared.
6 After forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark,
7 and released the raven, which went out, going back and forth, until the waters were dried up from above the earth.
8 He let go Next the dove from beside him, to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the earth.
9 But the dove, finding nowhere to set its foot, returned to him in the ark; because there was Again waters covered the face of the whole earth. He reached out his hand and, taking it, brought it back to him into the ark.
10 He waited another seven days, and again he released the dove from the ark,
11 And the dove returned to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in its beak; and Noah recognized that the waters no longer covered the earth.
12 He waited another seven days, and he released the dove; and it did not return to him again.
13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters had dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dry.
14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the land was dry.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying:
16 » Come out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons and women of your sons with you.
17 Bring out with you every living creature of all flesh that is with you: birds, domestic animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may multiply abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on the earth.«
18 Noah went out, he and his sons, his wife and women of his sons.
19 Every beast, every reptile, and every bird, every creature that moves on the earth, according to their kinds, came out of the ark.
20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh and, having taken some of all the clean animals and of all the clean birds, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 Yahweh smelled a pleasant aroma, and Yahweh said in his heart, »Never again will I curse the ground because of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I ever again strike down every living creature, as I have done.
22 From now on, as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.«
Chapter 9
1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, »Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
2 You will be feared and dreaded by every beast of the earth, and by every bird of the air, and by every creeping thing on the earth, and by all the fish of the sea: they are given into your hands.
3 Everything that moves and lives will be food for you; I give you all this, as I had given you green grass.
4 Only you shall not eat flesh with its lifeblood, that's to say with his blood.
5 And for your blood I will demand an accounting for your lives; I will demand an accounting from every beast; by the hand of man, by the hand of man who is his brother, I will demand again the soul of the man.
6 Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed, for in the image of God has God made humankind.
7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out upon the earth and multiply therein.«
8 God said Again to Noah and his sons with him:
9 »And I will establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
10 with every living creature that is with you, birds, domestic animals, and all the beasts of the earth with you, from all those that came out of the ark to every beast of the earth.
11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all flesh be destroyed by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.«
12 And God said, »This is the sign of the covenant I am setting between me and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come.
13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 When I gather clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds,
15 and I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no longer become a flood destroying all flesh.
16 The bow will be in the cloud, and when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant that exists between God and all living beings of every kind that are on the earth.«
17 And God said to Noah, »This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.«
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.
19 These three are the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
20 Noah, who was a farmer, began to plant a vineyard.
21 Having drunk some wine, he became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness, and he went and told his two brothers outside.
23 Then Shem and Japheth took the cloak of Noah And, having put him on their shoulders, they walked backwards and covered their father's nakedness.
24 Because their faces were turned away, they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his drunkenness, he learned what his youngest son had done to him,
25 and he said: Cursed be Canaan! He shall be to his brothers the servant of servants!
26 Then he said: Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant!
27 May God give Japheth room, may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant!
28 Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
Chapter 10
1 These are the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Sons were born to them after the flood.
2 Sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Thubal, Mosoch and Tiras.
3 Sons of Gomer: Ascenez, Riphath, and Thogorma.
4 Sons of Javan: Elisa and Tharsis, Cetthim and Dodanim.
5 From them came the peoples scattered throughout the islands of the nations, in their miscellaneous countries, each according to their language, according to their families, according to their nations.
6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan.
7 Sons of Chus: Sheba, Hevilah, Sabbathah, Regma and Sabbathaca. Sons of Regma: Sheba and Dadan.
8 Chus fathered Nimrod: he was the first powerful man on earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, »Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.«
10 The beginning of his empire was Babel, Arah, Ahad, and Chalanne in the land of Sennacherib.
11 From that country he went to Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Chalé,
12 and Resen, between Nineveh and Chale; it is the great city.
13 Mesraim fathered the Ludim, the Anamim, the Laabim, the Nephthuim,
14 The Phethusim, the Shasluim (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorim.
15 Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
16 as well as the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Gergesites,
17 the Hivites, the Aracaes, the Sinaeans,
18 The Aradians, the Samaria, and the Hamathites. Then the families of the Canaanites spread out in the country,
19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza; and, in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Adamah, and Zeboiim, as far as Laza.
20 These are the sons of Ham according to their families, according to their languages, in their miscellaneous countries, within their nations.
21 Sons were also born to Shem, who is the father of all the sons of Eber and the elder brother of Japheth.
22 Sons of Shem: Elam, Assur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. —
23 Sons of Aram: Us, Hul, Gether, and Mes. —
24 Arphaxad begat Salé, and Salé begat Heber.
25 And two sons were born to Eber: the name of the one was Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Jectan.
26 Jectan begat Elmodad, Saleph, Asarmoth, Jarah,
27 Aduram, Uzal, Decla,
28 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,
29 Ophir, Hevilah and Jobab. All these are sons of Jectan.
30 The land they inhabited was the eastern mountain region, extending from Mesha toward Sephar.
31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their various countries, according to their nations.
32 These are the families of Noah's sons according to their generations, in their nations. It is from them that have come out nations Who spread across the earth after the flood.
Chapter 11
1 The whole earth had one language and the same words.
2 Having departed from the East, men They found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and they settled there.
3 They said to one another, »Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.» And they used bricks instead of stones, and bitumen instead of cement.
4 They also said, »Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a memorial for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.«
5 But Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.
6 And Yahweh said, »Behold, they are one people and they all have one language; and this work is the beginning of their undertakings; now nothing will hinder them from carrying out their plans.
7 Come on, let's go down, and there even Let's confuse their language, so that they can no longer understand each other's language.«
8 That's how Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
10 Here is the story of Shem:
Shem, aged one hundred years, fathered Arphaxad, two years after the flood.
11 After he fathered Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and he fathered Salé.
13 After he fathered Salé, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
14 Salé lived thirty years, and he fathered Heber.
15 After he fathered Eber, Salé lived 403 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
16 Heber lived thirty-four years, and he fathered Peleg.
17 After he fathered Peleg, Heber lived 430 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
18 Phaleg lived thirty years, and he fathered Reü.
19 After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
20 Reü lived thirty-two years, and he fathered Sarug.
21 After he fathered Sarug, Reü lived two hundred and seven years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
22 Sarug lived thirty years, and he fathered Nahor.
23 After he fathered Nahor, Sarug lived two hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and he fathered Terah.
25 After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
26 Terah lived seventy years, and he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 This is the story of Thare.
Thare fathered Abram, Nahor and Aran.
Aran fathered Lot.
28 And Aran died in the presence of Terah, his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
29 Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Melcha, daughter of Aran, father of Melcha and father of Jesca.
30 But Sarai was barren: she had no children.
31 Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, wife of Abram his son, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
Chapter 12
1 Yahweh said to Abram, »Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”.
2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great. You will be a blessing:
3 JI will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.«
4 Abram went, as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
5 Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, together with all their possessions and the servants they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived in the land of Canaan.
6 Abram traveled through the land to the place called Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. — The Canaanites were then in the land.
7 Yahweh appeared to Abram and him He said, "I will give this land to your offspring." And Abram built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on to the hill country east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. Again He built an altar to Yahweh, and he called on the name of Yahweh.
9 Then Abram moved on, from encampment to encampment, towards the South.
10 There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, »Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman;
12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife," and they will kill me but let you live.
13 Say that you are my sister, so that I may be treated well for your sake, and that my life may be spared out of respect for you.«
14 When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that his wife was very beautiful.
15 When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken. and taken away in Pharaoh's house.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram received sheep, oxen, donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But Yahweh struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
18 Then Pharaoh summoned Abram and him He said, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?"
19 Why did you say, «She is my sister,” so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and go!«
20 And Pharaoh, having given orders to his people concerning Abram, they sent him away, along with his wife and all that belonged to him.
Chapter 13
1 Abram went up from Egypt to the South, he, his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.
3 Then he went from encampment to encampment from the South to Bethel, to the place where he had first pitched his tent, between Bethel and Hai,
4 at the place where the altar he had previously erected was. And there Abram called on the name of Yahweh.
5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had sheep, oxen, and tents,
6 and the land was not sufficient for them to live together; for their possessions were too great for them to remain together.
7 There was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram's flocks and the herdsmen of Lot's flocks. — The Canaanites and the Perizzites were then living in the land.
8 Abram said to Lot, »Please let there be no quarrel between you and me, or between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.
9 Is not the whole country before you? Separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; and if you go to the right, I will go to the left.«
10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere: it was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
11 Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, and he moved eastward; thus they separated from each other.
12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents as far as Sodom.
13 Now the people of Sodom were very wicked and great sinners against Yahweh.
14 Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, »Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are toward the north and toward the south, toward the east and toward the west:
15 All the land that you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever.
16 I will restore your offspring numerous like the dust of the earth; if the dust of the earth can be counted, so will your descendants be counted.
17 Arise, roam throughout the land, for I will give it to you.«
18 Abram moved his tents and came to dwell at the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built an altar to Yahweh.
Chapter 14
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Sennaar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chodorlahomor king of Elam, and Thadal king of Goim, there came
2 that they did the war to Bara, king of Sodom, to Bersa, king of Gomorrah, to Sennaab, king of Adamah, to Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and to the king of Bala, who is Segor.
3 These men all gathered together in the valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.
4 For twelve years they had been subject to Chodorolamor, and in the thirteenth year they had rebelled.
5 But in the fourteenth year, Chodorlahomor set out with the kings who were with him, and they defeated the Rephaim at Astaroth-carnaim, the Zusim at Ham, and the Emim in the plain of Caryathaim.
6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El-Pharan, which is near the desert.
7 Then they returned and came to the fountain of judgment, which is Kadesh, and they defeated all the land of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Asason-Tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom advanced with the king of Gomorrah, the king of Adamah, the king of Sheboiim, and the king of Balah (that is, Segor), and they drew up their battle lines against them in the valley of Siddim,
9 against Chodorlahomor, king of Elam, Tadal, king of Goyim, Amraphel, king of Sennacherib, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings against the five.
10 There were many bitumen pits in the valley of Siddim; the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah fled and fell into them; the rest fled into the mountains.
11 The winners They took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they departed.
12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and his possessions, and they departed; now he was living in Sodom.
13 One of the fugitives came and told Abram the Hebrew, who lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; they were allies of Abram.
14 As soon as Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he assembled his most experienced men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen in number, and pursued the kings as far as Dan.
15 There, Having divided his troops to attack them at night, he and his servants defeated them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is to the left of Damascus.
16 He brought back all the possessions; he also brought back Lot, his brother, and his possessions, as well as women and the people.
17 When Abram returned victorious over Chodorolamor and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Sheva; that is, the King’s Valley.
18 Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was priest of the Most High God.
19 He blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, who created heaven and earth!”
20 Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!» And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, »Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.«
22 Abram answered the king of Sodom, »I have raised my hand to Yahweh, the Most High God, who created heaven and earth:
23 From a thread to a sandal strap, I will not take anything that belongs to you! so that you cannot say: I have made Abram rich.
24 Nothing for me! What the young men ate and the portion of the men who came with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre, they will take their share.«
Chapter 15
1 After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: »Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield; your reward will be very great.«
2 Abram replied, »Sovereign Lord, what will you give me? I am going away childless, and the heir to my house is Eliezer of Damascus.«
3 And Abram said, »Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a man attached to my house shall be my heir.«
4 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, »This man will not be your heir, but a son who will come from your own body will be your heir.«
5 And he led him outside and said, »Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.» And he said to him, »So shall your offspring be.«
6 Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.
7 And he said to him, »I am Yahweh, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.«
8 Abram replied, »Sovereign Lord, how will I know that I will possess it?«
9 And Yahweh said to him, »Take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.«
10 Abram brought him all these animals and, having divided them in half, he placed each half opposite the other; but he did not divide the birds.
11 Birds of prey descended upon the corpses, and Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; terror and profound darkness fell upon him.
13 Yahweh said to Abram, »Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs; they will be enslaved and oppressed there for four hundred years.
14 But I will judge the nation to which they have been enslaved, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
15 As for you, you will go in peace to your fathers; you will be buried in a good old age.
16 In the fourth generation they will return here; for as yet the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.«
17 When the sun had set and deep darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking oven and a burning brand passed between the divided animals.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, »To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates:
19 the land of the Cinéans, the Cénézéans, the Cadmonéans,
20 of the Hittites, Perizzites, and Rephaim,
21 of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.
Chapter 16
1 Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him any children; and she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
2 Sarai said to Abram, »The Lord has made me barren; please come in to my servant; perhaps I can have children by her.» Abram listened to Sarai.
3 Sarai, Abram's wife, took SO Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram, her husband, to be his wife.
4 He went to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.
5 Sarai said to Abram, »The wrong done to me is on you. I gave my servant into your arms, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked at me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!«
6 Abram answered Sarai, »Behold, your servant is under your power; do to her as you see fit.» Then Sarai mistreated her, and Hagar fled from her presence.
7 The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the desert, by the spring that is on the way to Sur.
8 He said, »Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?» She answered, »I am fleeing from Sarai, my mistress.«
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, »Go back to your mistress and submit to her.«
10 The angel of the Lord added, »I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they cannot be counted, because they will be so numerous.«
11 The angel of Yahweh said to her again, »Behold, you are pregnant and will give birth to a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction.
12 This man will be a wild donkey; his hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.«
13 Hagar named the Lord who had spoken to her Atta-El-Roi, because she had said, »Have I seen God here who saw me?«
14 That is why this well was called the Lakehai-Koi well. It is located between Kadesh and Barad.
15 Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named the son whom Hagar had borne Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Chapter 17
1 When Abram reached the age of ninety-nine, the Lord appeared to him and said, »I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless:
2 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.«
3 Abram fell facedown to the ground, and God spoke to him thus:
4 »As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will become the father of a multitude of nations.
5 You will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you increase exceedingly; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
7 I establish my covenant, between me and you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation, in an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
8 I you I will give to you and your descendants after you the land where you are staying as a foreigner, all the land of Canaan, as a perpetual possession, and I will be their God.«.
9 God said to Abraham, »And you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout all generations.
10 This is the covenant you are to keep, the alliance between me and you, and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 You shall circumcise yourselves in your flesh, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
12 When he is eight days old, every male among you, throughout your generations, shall be circumcised, whether born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your race.
13 Every male born in the house or bought with money must be circumcised, and my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his body, shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.«
15 God said to Abraham, »You shall no longer call Sarai your wife Sarai, for her name is Sarah.
16 I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her; I will bless her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.«
17 Abraham fell facedown to the ground and laughed, saying to himself, »Can a son be born to a man a hundred years old? And can Sarah, a woman ninety years old, bear a child?«
18 And Abraham said to God, »Oh, that Ishmael might live before you!’
19 God said, »Yes, Sarah your wife will bear you a son; you shall name him Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, I will make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall father twelve princes, and I will make of him a great nation.
21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.«
22 And when God had finished speaking with him, he went up from Abraham.
23 Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the males born in his house and all those he had acquired with money, all the males among the people of his house, and circumcised them that very day, as God had commanded him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised;
25 and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.
26 On that same day Abraham was circumcised, as was Ishmael his son;
27 and all the men of his household, those born in his household and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.
Chapter 18
1 Yahweh appeared to him at the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day.
2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing before him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and, bowing down to the ground,
3 He said, »Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I pray you.
4 Let some water be brought to wash your feet. Rest under this tree;
5 I will take a piece of bread, and you will strengthen your hearts and continue on your way; for this is why you have passed before your servant.» They replied, »Do as you have said.«
6 Abraham hurried back to Sarah in the tent and said, »Quick, get three measures of flour; knead it and make cakes.«
7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and, having taken a tender and good calf, he gave it to the servant who hurried to prepare it.
8 He also took butter and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and set them before them; he himself stood near them under the tree. And they ate.
9 Then they said to him, »Where is Sarah, your wife?» He replied, » She is there, in the tent.«
10 And he said, »I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.» Sarah heard these words at the entrance of the tent, behind him.
11 — Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; Sarah was past the age of 18.
12 Sara laughed to herself, in se saying: "Old as I am, will I still know pleasure? And my lord Also is old.«
13 Yahweh said to Abraham, »Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’”
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time of year, and Sarah will have a son.«
15 Sarah denied it, saying, »I did not laugh»; for she was afraid. But he him said: "No, you laughed."»
16 These men got up to leave and turned towards Sodom; Abraham went with them to see them off.
17 Then Yahweh said, »Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
18 For Abraham is to become a great and strong nation, and all nations of the earth will be blessed in him.
19 I have chosen him, indeed, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right, so that the Lord may fulfill to Abraham the promises he has made to him.«
20 And Yahweh said: »The cry that rises from Sodom and Gomorrah is very loud, and their sin very grievous.
21 I want to go down and see whether, according to the cry that has reached me, their crime has reached its peak; and if it is not so, I will know.«
22 The men departed and went towards Sodom; and Abraham still stood before Yahweh.
23 Abraham approached and said, »Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”
24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous people in the city: would you destroy them also, and not spare the city for the sake of the fifty righteous people who might be in it?
25 Far be it from you to do so, to put the righteous to death with the wicked! So it would be with the righteous and the wicked! Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth render justice?«
26 The Lord said, »If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.«
27 Abraham answered and said, »Behold, I have dared to speak to the Lord, I who am dust and ashes.
28 Perhaps five of the fifty righteous men will be missing; will you destroy the whole city for the sake of five men?» He said, »I will not destroy it if I find forty-five.«
29 Abraham continued speaking to him and said, »Perhaps forty righteous men will be found there.» He replied, »I will not do it, for the sake of those forty.«
30 Abraham He said, »May the Lord not be angry if I speak! Perhaps thirty will be found.» And he said, »I will not do it if I find thirty.«
31 Abraham He said, »Now that I have dared to speak to the Lord, perhaps twenty will be found.» And he said, »Because of these "I won't destroy twenty of them."«
32 Abraham He said, »May the Lord not be angry, and I will speak only once more: perhaps ten will be found.» And he said, »For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.«
33 Yahweh went away when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned home.
Chapter 19
1 The two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground,
2 And he said, »Behold, my lords, please enter your servant’s house and spend the night there; wash your feet; then rise early and continue on your way.» They answered, »No, we will spend the night in the square.«
3 But Lot urged them so earnestly that they came to him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread; and they ate.
4 Before they had gone to bed, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the little ones to the old, the whole people, from all parts of the city.
5 They called to Lot and said to him, »Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may have relations with them.«
6 Lot approached them at the entrance of the house and, having closed the door behind him,
7 He said, »No, my brothers, I beg you, do not do evil!”
8 Look, I have two daughters who have never been with a man; let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do nothing to these men, for that is why they have come to take shelter under my roof.«
9 They answered, »Get out of here!» And they added, »This man came here as a foreigner, and he acts as a judge! Well, we will do you more harm than them.» And, driving Lot back violently, they advanced to break down the door.
10 The two The men stretched out their hands and, having pulled Lot back into the house, they shut the door.
11 And they struck with blindness the people who were at the entrance of the house, from the least to the greatest, and they grew weary unnecessarily to look for the door.
12 The two The men said to Lot, »Who else do you have here? Sons-in-law, sons and daughters, and anyone else you have in the city, bring them out of this place.”.
13 For we are going to destroy this place, because a great cry has arisen from its inhabitants before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.«
14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had taken his daughters: »Get up,» he told them, “leave this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But in the sight of his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking.
15 At the break of day, the angels They urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, so that you will not perish in the punishment of the city.”
16 As he delayed, these men took him by the hand, his wife and his two daughters, for Yahweh wanted to spare him; they led him out and put him outside the city.
17 When they had brought them out, one of the angels said, »Flee for your life! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere in the plain; flee to the mountains, lest you perish.«
18 Lot said to them, »No, Lord.
19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in preserving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountain, lest I be overtaken by destruction and perish.
20 Look, this town is close enough for me to take refuge in, and it is small; allow me to escape there—is it not small?—and live.«
21 He said to him, »Behold, I grant you this further favor, that you will not destroy the city of which you speak.
22 Hurry and escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.» That is why the city was named Segor.
23 The sun rose on the earth, and Lot arrived at Segor.
24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven.
25 He destroyed those cities and the whole plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and the plants of the earth.
26 Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh.
28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and over all the expanse of the Plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land, like the smoke of a furnace.
29 When God destroyed the cities of the Plain, he remembered Abraham, and he rescued Lot from the upheaval, when he overthrew the cities where Lot lived.
30 Lot went up from Segor and settled in the mountains, bringing his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to stay in Segor; and he lived in a cave with his two daughters.
31 The older daughter said to the younger, »Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come to us, according to the custom in all the lands.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine and lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring from our father.«
33 So they made their father drink wine that night, and the older daughter went in to sleep with her father, and he did not notice when his daughter went in or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, »Last night I lay with my father; let us make him drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so that we may preserve offspring from our father.«.
35 That night again they made their father drink wine, and the younger daughter went and lay down beside him, and he did not notice when she lay down or when she got up.
36 Lot's two daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 The older daughter gave birth to a son, whom she named Moab: he is the father of the Moabites, that exist to this day.
38 The younger daughter also had a son, whom she named Ben-Ammi: he is the father of the sons of Ammon, that exist to this day.
Chapter 20
1 Abraham departed from there for the region of the South; he settled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife, »She is my sister.» Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent to take Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, »Behold, you are about to die because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a married woman.«
4 But Abimelech had not approached her; he answered, »Lord, will you put innocent people to death?
5 Didn't he say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said to me, 'He is my brother'. I did this with a pure heart and clean hands.«
6 God said to him in a dream, »I also know that you acted with a pure heart; therefore I kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her.”.
7 Now return this man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not return her, know that you and all who belong to you will certainly die.«
8 Abimelech got up early in the morning, called all his servants and told them all these things; and the people were filled with great fear.
9 Then Abimelech called to Abraham and said to him, »What have you done to us? How have I wronged you, that you have brought such great sin upon me and upon my kingdom? You have done to me things that should not be done.«
10 Abimelech said again to Abraham, »What were you thinking when you did this?«
11 Abraham replied, »I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this land, and they will kill me because of my wife.
12 And besides, she is truly my sister; she is the daughter of my father, though she is not the daughter of my mother, and she has become my wife.
13 When God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to Sarah, «This is the kindness you must show me: In every place we go, say of me, ‘He is my brother.’”
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.
15 Abimelech said, »Here is my land before you; live wherever you please.«
16 And he said to Sarah, »I give your brother a thousand pieces of silver; this will be a veil over your eyes for all who are with you and for everyone; you are justified.«
17 Abraham interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servants, and they had children.
18 For Yahweh had made every womb barren in the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Chapter 21
1 Yahweh visited Sarah, as he had said; Yahweh did for Sarah what he had promised.
2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time God had appointed for him.
3 Abraham named the son who was born to him, whom Sarah had borne him, Isaac.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah said, »God has given me something to laugh about; whoever hears about it will laugh at me.«
7 She added, »Who would have said to Abraham, «Sarah will nurse children’? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8 The child grew up and was weaned. Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing,
10 And she said to Abraham, »Cast out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit with my son Isaac.«
11 This saying displeased Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael.
12 But God said to Abraham, »Do not be displeased with this for the sake of the child and your servant; consent to whatever Sarah asks of you, for it is from Isaac that your offspring will be born, who will bear your name.
13 Nevertheless, I will also make a nation of the son of the servant girl, because he is born of you.«
14 Abraham got up early in the morning, took some bread and a skin of water, gave them to Hagar and put them on her shoulder; he handed it to him He also sent the child away, and she left, wandering in the desert of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she threw the child under one of the bushes,
16 And she went and sat opposite him, a bowshot away; for she said, »I do not want to see the child die.» So she sat opposite him, raised her voice and wept.
17 God heard the voice of the child, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, saying, »What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the child where he is.
18 Get up, lift up the child, take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.«
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; she went and filled the skin with water and gave the child a drink.
20 God was with the child, and he grew up; he lived in the desert and became an archer.
21 He lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 At that time, Abimelech, accompanied by Philol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, »God is with you in everything you do.
23 Swear to me here, therefore, by the name of God, that you will not deceive me, nor my children, nor my grandchildren, but that you will show me and this land where you reside the same kindness that I have shown you.«
24 Abraham said, »I will swear it.«
25 But Abraham reproached Abimelech concerning a well of water which Abimelech's servants had taken by force.
26 Abimelech replied, »I don’t know who did this; you yourself didn’t tell me, and I only heard about it today.«
27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
28 Abraham set apart seven young ewes from the flock,
29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, »What are these seven young ewes that you have set apart?«
30 He replied, »You will accept these seven young ewe lambs from my hand, so that they may be a testimony to me that I dug this well.«
31 That is why the place was called Beersheba, because there they both took an oath.
32 That's how they They made an alliance with Beersheba. After that, Abimelech arose, with Philol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the eternal God;
34 and Abraham stayed a long time in the land of the Philistines.
Chapter 22
1 After this, God tested Abraham and said to him, »Abraham!» He answered, »Here I am.«
2 And God said, »Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.«
3 Abraham got up early in the morning and, having saddled his donkey, he took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac; he split the wood of the burnt offering and set out for the place that God had told him about.
4 On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place from afar;
5 And Abraham said to his servants, »Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy want to go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.«
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and put it on Isaac, his son; he himself carried in his hand the fire and the knife, and the two of them went away together.
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, »My father!» He answered, »Here I am, my son.» And Isaac said, »Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?«
8 Abraham replied, »God will see to it that a lamb for the burnt offering is found, my son.» And the two of them went on together.
9 When they arrived at the place that God had designated for him, Abraham erected the altar there and arranged the wood; then he bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 Then the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, »Abraham! Abraham!» He answered, »Here I am.«
12 And the angel said, »Do not lay a hand on the child or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.«
13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught by its horns in a thicket; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
14 And Abraham named that place »Yahweh-Yireh,« from which it is said to this day, »On the mountain of the Yahweh he will be seen.«
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying:
16 »I have sworn by myself,” declares the Lord, “because you have done this and have not withheld from me your son, your only son,
17 I will bless you; I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore, and your descendants will possess the gate of their enemies.
18 Through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.«
19 Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived in Beersheba.
20 After these events, Abraham received this news: »Behold, Melchah has also borne sons to Nahor, your brother:
21 Hus, his firstborn, Buz, his brother, Camuel, father of Aram,
22 Cased, Azau, Pheldas, Jedlaph and Bathuel. «
23 Bathuel was the father of Rebekah. These were the eight sons that Melchah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 His concubine, named Roma, also had children: Tabée, Gaham, Taas and Maacha.
Chapter 23
1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years: these are the years of her life.
2 Sarah died at Kiriath-arbe, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead man and spoke thus to the sons of Heth:
4 »I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; grant me a burial place, so that I may remove my dead body from before me and bury him.«
5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying:
6 »Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God in our midst; bury your dead in the most beautiful of our tombs; none of us will refuse you his tomb to lay your dead there.«
7 Then Abraham arose and bowed down before the people of the land, before the sons of Heth,
8 He spoke to them, saying, »If you want me to remove my dead body from before me to bury him, listen to me and pray for me, Ephron son of Seor,
9. To give me Macpela's cave, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field, to give it to me in your presence for the money it is worth, as a burial place that belongs to me.«
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the Hittites, of all who entered the gate of his city; he said to him:
11 »No, my lord, listen to me: I will give you the field and the cave in it; I will give it to you in the sight of my people; bury your dead there.«
12 Abraham bowed down before the people of the land,
13 And he spoke thus to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land: »Please listen to me: I will pay for the field; receive it from me, and I will bury my dead there.«
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying:
15 »My lord, listen to me: what is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between you and me? Bury your dead.«
16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had mentioned in the presence of the sons of Heth, know four hundred shekels of silver, current currency among the merchant.
17 Thus the field of Ephron, which is at Machpelah, opposite Mamre, the field and the cave that is in it, as well as all the trees that are in the field and in its surrounding borders,
18 became Abraham's property in the sight of the sons of Heth, of all who entered by the gate of the city.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
20 The field, with the cave that was in it, remained Abraham's own property as a burial place, coming from the sons of Heth.
Chapter 24
1 Abraham was old, advanced in years, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who was in charge of all his possessions, »Put your hand under my thigh,
3 and I will make you swear by Yahweh, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
4 But you will go to my country and my homeland to find a wife for my son Isaac.«
5 The servant replied, »Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this country; shall I then bring your son back to the country from which you came?«
6 Abraham said to him, »Beware of bringing my son back there!”
7 Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, “I will give this land to your offspring,” he himself will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 If the woman does not want to follow you, you will be released from this oath that I am asking of you; but you must not bring my son back there.«
9 Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 The servant took ten of his master’s camels and set out; now he had at his disposal all his master’s possessions. Getting up, he went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 He made the camels kneel outside the city, near a well, towards evening, at the hour when women they go out to fetch water.
12 And he said, »Yahweh, God of Abraham, my master, please let me meet today what I desire, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand by the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of the city go out to draw water.
14 Let the young woman to whom I say, «Please lower your pitcher so I may drink,” and who answers, “Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,” be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.«
15 Before he had finished speaking, Rebecca, daughter of Bathuel, son of Melchah, wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
16 The young girl was very beautiful; she was a virgin, and no man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug and came back up.
17 The servant ran to meet her and said, »Let me drink a little water from your jug.«
18 She replied, "Drink, my lord"; and, hastening to lower her pitcher onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, »I will also draw water.” water for the camels, until they have drunk enough.«
20 And she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough, and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew water for all the camels.
21 The man looked at her in silence, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey successful or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets weighing ten shekels of gold,
23 And he said, »Whose daughter are you? Tell me. Is there a place in your father’s house where we may spend the night?«
24 She answered, »I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melchah, whom she bore to Nahor.«
25 She added: «We have plenty of straw and fodder, and also room to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,
27 And he said, »Blessed be the Lord, the God of Abraham my master, who has not failed in his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord led me by the way to my master’s brothers.«
28 The young girl ran to tell her mother what had happened.
29 Rebecca had a brother named Laban. Laban ran outside to this man near the spring.
30 He had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and he had heard his sister Rebekah say, "This is what the man told me." So he went to the man, who was standing by the camels at the spring,
31 And he said, »Come, you who are blessed by the Lord; why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.«
32 And the man went into the house. Laban unloaded the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash the feet of the man and the feet of the people who were with him.
33 Then he served him food; but the man said, »I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.» — »Speak,» said Laban.
34 He said, “I am Abraham’s servant.”.
35 Yahweh has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become powerful. He has given him sheep and oxen, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.
36 Sarah, my master’s wife, bore my master a son in her old age, and he gave him all his possessions.
37 My master made me swear an oath, saying: You shall not take for my son a wife from among the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.
38 But you shall go to my father's house and to my relatives, and you shall take there a woman for my son.
39 — I said to my master: Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me.
40 And he answered me, Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your journey successful, and you shall take for my son a wife from my relatives and from my father's house.
41 You will be released from the oath you are taking to me once you have gone to my family; if you are not granted this, you will be released from the oath I am asking of you.
42 When I arrived at the spring today, I said: Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if you will grant success to the journey I am making,
43 Behold, I stand by the spring of water; and the young girl who comes out to draw water, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jug,”,
44 and who will answer me, 'Drink yourself, and I will also draw water for your camels,' — let her be the woman whom Yahweh has destined for my master's son.
45 Before I had finished speaking in my heart, Rebecca came out with her jug on her shoulder; she went down to the spring and drew water; and I said to her, “Please give me a drink.”
46 Immediately lowering her jug from her shoulder, she me He said, "Drink, and I will also give your camels water." I have SO She drank, and she also gave water to the camels.
47 And I questioned her, saying, “Whose daughter are you?” She answered, “I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nahor, whom Melcha bore to him.” So I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her hands.
48 Then I bowed down and worshiped Yahweh, and I blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 Now, if you want to show kindness and loyalty to my master, tell me; if not, tell me Again, and I will turn right or left.«
50 Laban and Bathuel answered, saying, »The matter is from Yahweh; we cannot tell you anything good or bad.
51 Here is Rebecca before you; take-there and go; let her be the wife of your master's son, as Yahweh has said.«
52 When Abraham's servant heard these words, he bowed down to the ground before Yahweh.
53 And the servant brought out articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing, which he gave to Rebecca; he also gave rich gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54 Then they ate and drank, he and the people who were with him, and they passed away there at night.
In the morning, when they got up, the servant said, "Let me return to my master."»
55 Rebecca's brother and mother said, "Let the girl stay with us for a few more days, about ten; after that she may leave."»
56 He answered them, »Do not delay me, since the Lord has granted me success on my journey; let me go, so that I may return to my master.«
57 They said, »Let’s call the girl and ask her what she wants.«
58 So they called Rebekah and said to her, »Do you want to go with this man?» She replied, »I will go.«
59 So they dismissed Rebekah, their sister, and her nurse, along with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 They blessed Rebecca and said to her, »O our sister, may you become thousands upon thousands! May your descendants possess the gate of their enemies!«
61 Then Rebecca and her maids got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebecca with him and set out on the way.
62 However, Isaac had returned from the well of Chai-Roi, and he was living in the land of the Negev.
63 One evening when Isaac had gone out into the fields to meditate, he looked up and saw camels coming.
64 Rebecca also looked up and, having seen Isaac, she jumped down from her camel.
65 She said to the servant, »Who is that man coming toward us in the fields?» The servant replied, »He is my master.» And she took her veil and covered herself.
66 The servant told Isaac all the things he had done.
67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah his mother. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after the death of his mother.
Chapter 25
1 Abraham took another wife, named Cetura.
2 And she bore him Zamran, Jecsan, Madan, Midian, Jesboch, and Sué.
3 Jechan fathered Sheba and Dadan; the sons of Dadan were the Assurim, the Latusim, and the Laomim.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Opher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. — These were all the sons of Keturah.
5 Abraham gave all his possessions to Isaac:
6 As for the sons of his concubines, he gave them gifts, and he sent them away during his lifetime from his son Isaac, to the east, to the land of the East.
7 These are the days of the years of Abraham's life: he lived one hundred and seventy-five years.
8 Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, aged and satisfied. days, and he was reunited with his people.
9 Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Seor the Hittite, who is vis-à-vis Mamre:
10 This is the field that Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah, his wife.
11 After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived near the well of Beer-lahai-roi.
12 This is the account of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, according to the names of their descendants: Ishmael's firstborn, Nebaioth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mabsam,
14 Masma, Duma, Massa,
15 Hadad, Thema, Jethur, Naphis and Cedmah.
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, these are their names, according to their villages and their encampments: these were the twelve chiefs of their tribes.
17 These are the years of Ishmael’s life: one hundred and thirty-seven years; then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people.
18 His sons settled from Hevilah to Sur, which is opposite Egypt, in the direction of Assyria. He spread out opposite all his brothers.
19 This is the account of Isaac, Abraham's son.
Abraham fathered Isaac.
20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, daughter of Bathuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, and sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.
21 Isaac pleaded with Yahweh concerning his wife, because she was barren; Yahweh answered him and Rebecca, his wife, conceived.
22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, »If it is so, why am I pregnant "?" She went to consult Yahweh;
23 And the Lord said to him, »Two nations are in your midst, and two peoples from within you shall be separated; one people shall be greater than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.«
24 The time came for her to give birth, and behold, there were two twins in her womb.
25 The first one to come out was red, all over like a hairy garment, and they called him Esau; afterward his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel in his hand, and he was named Jacob.
26 Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27 These children grew up. Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open country; but Jacob was a peaceful man, dwelling in the tent.
28 Isaac took affection for Esau, because he loved venison, and Rebecca's affection was for Jacob.
29 While Jacob was making soup, Esau came from the fields, exhausted.
30 Esau said to Jacob, »Let me eat some of that red meat, that red meat, for I am tired.» — That is why Esau was called Edom.
31 Jacob said, »First sell me your birthright.«
32 Esau replied, »Behold, I am about to die; what good will my birthright do me?«
33 And Jacob said, »Swear to me first.» So he swore and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank; then he got up and went away. Thus Esau despised the birthright.
Chapter 26
1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine which had occurred in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.
2 Yahweh appeared to him and said, »Do not go down to Egypt, but stay in the land I will tell you about.
3 Stay in this land; I will be with you and I will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your offspring, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.
4 I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands, and through your descendants all nations on earth will be blessed,
5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my order, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.«
6 Isaac remained SO in Gerare.
7 The people of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, »She is my sister,» for he was afraid to say, »My wife,« lest he, he thought, that the people of the place should not kill me because of Rebecca,« for she was beautiful.
8 Like his stay to Gerare As it continued, it happened that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looking out of the window, saw Isaac caressing Rebecca, his wife.
9 Abimelech called Isaac and said, »She must be your wife; how could you say, »She is my sister»?« Isaac answered him, “Because I thought to myself, ‘I am afraid I will die because of her.’”
10 And Abimelech said, »What have you done to us? For a man from the common people might very well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought sin upon us.«
11 Then Abimelech gave this order to all the people: »Anyone who touches this man or his wife shall be put to death.«
12 Isaac sowed seed in that land and reaped a hundredfold in that year. The Lord blessed him;
13 And this man became rich, and he went on getting richer and richer, until he became very rich.
14 He had flocks of sheep and flocks of cattle and many servants, and the Philistines envied him.
15 All the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, »Go away from us, for you have become much more powerful than we are.«
17 Isaac departed and, having set up camp in the valley of Gerar, he remained there.
18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham’s death, and he gave them the same names that his father had given them.
19 Isaac's servants dug Again in the valley and there they found a well of fresh water.
20 And the shepherds of Gerar quarreled with the shepherds of Isaac, saying, "The water is ours." And he named the well Eseq, because they had had a dispute with him.
21 His servants dug another well, about which there was yet another quarrel, and he named it Sitna.
22 Leaving that place, he dug another well, and there was no longer any quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, »For now,« he said, “the Lord has given us room, and we shall prosper in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.
24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, »I am the God of Abraham your father; do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of Abraham my servant.«
25 He erected an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh, and pitched his tent there; and Isaac's servants dug a well there.
26 Abimelech came to him from Gerar, with Ahazath his friend, and Philol, commander of his army.
27 Isaac said to them, »Why have you come to me, you who hate me and who drove me away from you?«
28 They answered, »We have clearly seen that Yahweh is with you, and we have said, ‘Let there be an oath between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you.
29 Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you, but have only done you good, and have let you go in peace. You are now blessed by the Lord.«
30 Isaac made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 And having risen early in the morning, they swore an oath to one another; then Isaac dismissed them and they departed from his house in peace.
32 That same day, Isaac's servants came to him with news of the well they were digging; they told him, "We have found water."»
33 And he called the well Shibeah. That is why the city is called Beersheba to this day.
34 Esau, aged forty years, took as wives Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 They were a source of bitterness for Isaac and Rebecca.
Chapter 27
1 Isaac had grown old, and his eyes had grown dim so that he could no longer see. He called to Esau, his older son, and said to him, »My son!» Esau answered him, »Here I am.«
2 Isaac said, »Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.
3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, go out into the countryside and kill some game for me.
4 Make me a good dish of it, according to my taste, and bring it to me, that I may eat it, so that my soul may bless you before I die.«
5 — Rebecca was listening while Isaac was speaking to Esau, his son. — And Esau went out into the countryside to kill game and bring it back.
6 Then Rebecca spoke to her son Jacob, saying, »Look, I heard your father speaking to your brother Esau:
7 Bring me some game and make me a good dish, so that I may eat it and bless you before Yahweh before I die.
8 Now, my son, listen to my voice in what I am going to command you.
9 Go to the flock and bring me two fine young goats; I will make a tasty dish for your father, according to his taste,
10 and you shall take it to your father, and he shall eat of it, so that he may bless you before he dies.«
11 Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, »Look, my brother Esau is hairy, but I have smooth skin.
12 Perhaps my father will touch me, and I will appear in his eyes as having played a trick of him, and I will bring a curse upon myself instead of a blessing.«
13 His mother said to him, "» I'll take it Your curse is upon me, my son. Just listen to my voice and go and get me. the kids.«
14 Jacob went THE take and THE he brought it to his mother, who made a good dish out of it, according to his father's taste.
15 And Rebecca took the finest clothes of Esau, her older son, which she had in the house, and she dressed Jacob, her younger son, in them.
16 Then she covered his hands with the skin of the kids, as well as the smooth part of his neck.
17 And she put into the hand of Jacob, her son, the good food and the bread that she had prepared.
18 He came to his father and said, »My father!» »Here I am,« said Isaac; “who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob answered his father, «I am Esau, your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Now get up, sit down and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.«
20 Isaac said to his son, »How did you find it so quickly, my son?» Jacob replied, »Because the Lord your God brought it before me.«
21 And Isaac said to Jacob, »Come near now, that I may touch you, my son, to know Whether you are indeed my son Esau, or not.«
22 Jacob approached Isaac, his father, this one He touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."»
23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like the hands of Esau, his brother, and he blessed him.
24 He said, »Are you really my son Esau?» »I am,« he replied. Jacob.
25 And Isaac said, »Serve me, that I may eat of my son’s game and that my soul may bless you.» Jacob served him, and he ate; he also brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then Isaac, his father, said to him, »Come here and kiss me, my son.«
27 Jacob approached and kissed him; and Isaac smelled the scent of his garments, and he blessed him, saying, »Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.«
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of wheat and wine!
29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you! Be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you! Cursed be he who curses you, and blessed be he who blesses you!
30 Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just left Isaac his father, when Esau his brother returned from hunting.
31 He too prepared a good dish and brought it to his father, saying to him, »Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.«
32 Isaac, his father, said to him, »Who are you?» He answered, »I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.«
33 Isaac was terrified and said, »Who is this who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him; and indeed he will be blessed.«
34 When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with a loud and bitter lament, and said to his father, »Bless me, my father!«
35 Isaac said, »Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.«
36 Esau said, »Is it because his name is Jacob that he has supplanted me twice? He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing!» He added, »Have you not reserved a blessing for me?«
37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, »Behold, I have made him your master and have given him all his brothers as servants, and have provided him with wheat and wine; and as for you, what can I do, my son?
38 Esau said to his father, »Do you have only this one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!» And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Isaac, his father, answered him, »Your dwelling will be devoid of the fatness of the earth, devoid of the dew that comes down from heaven.
40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother; but it will come to pass that, by shaking off his yoke, you will break him from your neck.«
41 Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him, and Esau said in his heart, »The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.«
42 Rebecca was told the words of Esau, her older son. She summoned Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, »Look, Esau, your brother, wants to take revenge on you by killing you.
43 Now therefore, my son, listen to my voice: get up, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran;
44 and you shall stay with him for a while, until your brother's anger has subsided,
45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you did to him; then I will send for you from there. Why should I be deprived of both of you in one day?«
46 Rebecca said to Isaac, »I am disgusted with my life because of the Hethites. If Jacob takes a wife like these, from among the Hethites, from among the daughters of this land, what good will my life be to me?«
Chapter 28
1 Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and gave him this order: »You shall not take as your wife one of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take a wife from there from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.
3 May God Almighty bless you, and make you increase and multiply, so that you become a multitude of peoples!
4 May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, so that you may possess the land where you are staying, which God gave to Abraham!«
5 And Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him, he had given him this order: »You shall not take one of the daughters of Canaan as your wife,«,
7 and that Jacob, obeying his father and mother, had gone to Paddan-Aram.
8 Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac, his father,
9 And Esau went to Ishmael, and he took as his wife, besides women which he already had, Maheleth, daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, and sister of Nabaioth.
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran.
11 He arrived at a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones that was there, he put it under his head, and lay down in that place.
12 He had a dream: and behold, a ladder was set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it,
13 And on high stood the Lord. He said, »I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. This land on which you lie I will give to you, to you and to your posterity.
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, and all families of the earth will be blessed in you and in your offspring.
15 «Behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, »Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!«
17 Seized with fear, he added, »How awesome is this place! This is truly the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.«
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
19 He named this place Bethel; but originally the city was called Luz.
20 And Jacob made a vow, saying, »If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I am taking, and will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear,
21 and if I return happily to my father's house, Yahweh will be my God;
22 This stone that I have set up as a pillar will be a house of God, and I will pay you a tenth of all that you give me.«
Chapter 29
1 Jacob resumed his journey and went to the land of the people of the East.
2 He looked, and behold, there was a well in the countryside, and behold, there was Nearby were three flocks of sheep lying down, for it was at this well that the flocks were watered, and the stone who was on the well opening was large.
3 All the flocks were gathered there; they rolled the stone off the well's opening, they watered the flocks, and they put the stone back in its place over the well's opening.
4 Jacob said to the shepherds, »My brothers, where are you from?» They replied, »We are from Haran.«
5 He said to them, »Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?» They replied, »We know him.«
6 He said to them, »Is he well?» They answered, »He is well, and here is Rachel, his daughter, coming with the sheep.«
7 He said, »Look, it is still broad daylight, and it is not time to gather the flocks; water the sheep and return to pasture them.«
8 They replied, »We cannot do it until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled away from the well's mouth; then we will water the sheep.«
9 He was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
10 As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.
11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and he lifted up his voice and wept.
12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran to tell her father.
13 When Laban heard about Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him into his house. Jacob told Laban all these things,
14 And Laban said to him, »Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.» And Jacob stayed with him for a whole month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, »Just because you are my brother, will you serve me for nothing? Tell me what will be your salary.«
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger Rachel.
17 Lia had sick eyes; but Rachel was beautiful in figure and beautiful in face.
18 Because Jacob loved Rachel, he said, »I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.«
19 And Laban said, »It is better to give it to you than to another; stay with me.«
20 And Jacob served for Rachel seven years, and they seemed to him but a few days, because he loved her.
21 Jacob said to Laban, »Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, and I will go to her.«
22 Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast;
23 And in the evening, taking his daughter Leah, he brought her to Jacob, who went to her.
24 And Laban gave his servant Zelphah as a servant to his daughter Liah.
25 When morning came, there was Leah. And Jacob said to Laban, »What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?«
26 Laban replied: »It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter before the older one.
27 Complete this week, and we will also give you the other for the service you will still do with me for another seven years.«
28 Jacob did so, and completed the week of Leah; then Laban gave him Rachel, his daughter, as a wife.
29 And Laban gave his servant Balaam to Rachel, his daughter, as a servant.
30 Jacob also went in to Rachel and loved her more than Leah; he served Laban another seven years.
31 Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he made her fruitful, but Rachel was barren.
32 Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, »The Lord has seen my affliction; now my husband will love me.«
33 She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she said, »The Lord has heard that I am hated, and he has given me this one too.« And she named him Simeon.
34 She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she said, »This time my husband will be devoted to me, for I have borne him three sons.» Therefore he was named Levi.
35 She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she said, »This time I will praise Yahweh.» Therefore she named him Judah.
And she stopped having children.
Chapter 30
1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing children to Jacob, she was jealous of her sister, and she said to Jacob, »Give me children, or I shall die!«
2 Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, »Am I in the place of God, who has withheld fruitfulness from you?«
3 She said, »Here is my servant Bala; go in to her, so that she may bear children on my knees, and through her I too may have a family.«
4 And she gave him Balaam, her servant, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 Bala conceived and bore a son to Jacob.
6 And Rachel said, »God has vindicated me, and even listened to my voice and given me a son.» Therefore she named him Dan.
7 Bahla, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, »I have wrestled with God against my sister, and I have prevailed.» And she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took Zelpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10 Zelpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a son;
11 and Liah said, "What good fortune!" and she named him Gad.
12 Zelpha, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son;
13 And Lia said, "For my happiness! For the girls will call me blessed." And she named him Asher.
14 Reuben went out at the time of the wheat harvest and, having found mandrakes in the fields, he brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, »Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.«
15 She answered him, »Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband, that you should also take my son’s mandrakes?» And Rachel said, »Well then, let him lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.«
16 That evening, as Jacob was returning from the fields, Leah went out to meet him and him He said, "You will come to me, for I have hired you for my son's mandrakes." And he slept with her that night.
17 God heard Leah; she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son;
18 And Leah said, »God has given me my reward, because I gave my servant to my husband.» And she named him Issachar.
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son;
20 And she said, »God has given me a good gift; this time my husband will dwell with me, since I have borne him six sons.» And she named him Zebulun.
21 She then gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Dina.
22 God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and made her fruitful.
23 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, »God has taken away my disgrace.«
24 And she named him Joseph, saying, »May the Lord add to me Again Another son!«
25 When Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, »Let me go, so that I may return home to my own country.
26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and I will go away, for you know what service I have rendered you.«
27 Laban said to him, »If I have found favor in your eyes… I have seen that Yahweh has blessed me because of you;
28 Set me your salary, and I will give it to you.«
29 Jacob said to him, »You yourself know how I served you and what has become of your livestock with me.
30 For your possessions were little before I came, but they have increased exceedingly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. Now when shall I also work for my own household?«
31 Laban He said, »What shall I give you?» And Jacob said, »You shall give me nothing. If you grant me what I say, I will again tend your flock and keep it.”.
32 Today I will go through all your flock, setting apart from the lambs every speckled and spotted animal and every black animal, and from the goats every speckled and spotted animal: this will be my wages.
33 My integrity will testify for me tomorrow, when you come to acknowledge my wages. Any goat that is not speckled and spotted, or black among lambs, will be considered stolen by me.
34 Laban said, »Well, let it be according to your word.«
35 And that same day he set apart the striped and speckled male goats, all the speckled and speckled female goats, all those that had white, and all the black lambs; and he put them in the hands of his sons.
36 Then he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob tended the rest of Laban's flock.
37 Jacob took green sticks of poplar, almond, and plane tree; he peeled white strips from them, exposing the white which was on the chopsticks.
38 Then he placed the peeled sticks opposite the sheep in the ditches, in the watering troughs where the sheep came to drink; and they came into heat when they came to drink.
39 And the ewes, coming into heat before the rods, gave birth to striped, speckled, and mottled offspring.
40 Jacob set aside the lambs, and he turned the face of the flock toward the striped and black animals in Laban's flock. He thus made his own flocks, which he did not add to Laban's flock.
41 Furthermore, It was when the strongest ewes came into heat that Jacob placed the sticks in the watering troughs before the sheep's eyes, so that they would come into heat near the sticks.
42 When the sheep were weak, he did not put them out, so the weak lambs were for Laban, and the strong ones for Jacob.
43 This man thus became extremely wealthy; he had many flocks, female and male servants, camels and donkeys
Chapter 31
1 Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, who said, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father, and from our father's wealth he has acquired all this riches."»
2 Jacob noticed Also Laban's face, and behold, he was no longer toward him as before.
3 And the Lord said to Jacob, »Go back to the land of your fathers and to the place of your birth, and I will be with you.«
4 Then Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come to him in the fields, where he was grazing his flock.
5 He said to them, »I see that your father’s face is not the same toward me as before; yet the God of my father has been with me.
6 You yourselves know that I served your father with all my might;
7 and your father cheated me, changing my wages ten times; but God did not allow him to harm me.
8 When he said, “The speckled animals will be your wages,” all the sheep bore speckled lambs. And if he said, “The striped animals will be your wages,” all the sheep bore striped lambs.
9 So God took your father's livestock and gave it to me.
10 At the time when the ewes are in heat, I looked up and saw in a dream that the rams that were covering the ewes were striped, speckled, and mottled.
11 And an angel of God said to me in a dream, “Jacob!” I answered, “Here I am.”.
12 And he said, Lift up your eyes and look: all the rams that are covering the ewes are striped, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, leave this land and return to the land of your birth.«
14 Rachel and Leah answered, »Do we still have a share and an inheritance in our father’s house?
15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners, since he sold us and consumes our money?
16 Moreover, all the good that God has taken away from our father, we and our children have. So now do what God has commanded you.«
17 Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on the camels.
18 He took all his flock and all the possessions he had acquired, the flock he owned, which he had acquired in Paddan-Aram; and he went to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
19 While Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s teraphim.
20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him about his flight.
21 He fled, he and all that belonged to him, and getting up, he crossed the river and headed towards the mountain of Gilead.
22 On the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
23 He took his brothers with him and pursued him for seven days' journey; he caught up with him at the mountain of Gilead.
24 And God came in a dream by night to Laban the Aramean, and said to him, »Beware of Nothing tell Jacob neither good nor bad.«
25 So Laban reached Jacob. — Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain, and Laban had Also erected his own, with his brothers, on the mountain of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, »What have you done? You have deceived my mind and taken my daughters captive by the sword?”
27 Why did you secretly flee and deceive me, instead of warning me, when I would have let you go with joyful songs, to the sound of the tambourine and the harp?
28 You did not let me kiss my sons and daughters! You have truly acted foolishly.
29 My hand is strong enough to harm you; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, “Beware of Nothing to tell Jacob, neither good nor bad.
30 And now you have left because you longed for your father's house; but, Why did you steal my gods?«
31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, »It was because I was afraid, thinking that perhaps you would take your daughters from me.
32 As for the one in whose possession you find your gods, he will not live! In the presence of our brothers, identify what belongs to you with me and take it.» — Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two maidservants, and found nothing. Then he left Leah's tent and went into Rachel's tent.
34 Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and had seat above. Laban searched the entire tent, without finding anything.
35 And Rachel said to her father, »May my lord not be angry that I cannot rise before you, for I am experiencing the customary period for women.» He looked for the teraphim, but did not find them.
36 Jacob became angry and reproached Laban; and Jacob spoke and said to Laban, »What is my crime, what is my fault, that you are pursuing me relentlessly?
37 When you searched through all my belongings, what did you find of your own household goods? Bring it up here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them judge between the two of us.
38 For twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.
39 What was torn by wild beasts, I did not bring it back to you; I was the one who suffered the loss. You were demanding from me what had been stolen by day and what had been stolen by night.
40 I was consumed by the heat by day, and by the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
41 For twenty years I have been in your house; I have served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your livestock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Terror of Isaac had not been with me, you would now have let me go empty-handed. God saw my suffering and the work from my hands, and tonight he judged between us.«
43 Laban answered and said to Jacob, »These daughters are my daughters, these children are my children, these flocks are my flocks, and everything you see is mine. What should I do today with my daughters, with them, and with the sons they have borne?”
44 Now then, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let there be a witness between you and me.
45 Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.
46 And Jacob said to his brothers, »Gather stones.» So they took stones and in They made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.
47 Laban called him Jegar-Sahadutha, and Jacob called him Gilead.
48 And Laban said, »This heap is a witness between you and me today.» Therefore it was named Gilead,
49 and also that of Mizpah, because Laban He said: "May Yahweh watch over you and me when we are separated from each other.".
50 If you mistreat my daughters and if you take other women alongside my daughters, this is not not a man Who will be with us; but, beware, It is God Who will be a witness between you and me.«
51 Laban said Again To Jacob: "Here is this heap and this monument that I have set up between me and you.".
52 This heap is witness and this monument is witness that I will not advance to you beyond this heap, and you will not advance to me beyond this heap and this monument, to do harm.
53 May the God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their fathers judge between us!» And Jacob swore by the terror of Isaac.
54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his brothers to the meal. So they ate and spent the night on the mountain.
Chapter 32
1 Laban got up early in the morning; he kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them; then he left, to return to his house.
2 Jacob continued on his way, and angels of God met him.
3 When he saw them, he said, »This is the camp of God!» and he named that place Mahanaim.
4 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, in the countryside of Edom.
5 He gave them this order: »This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now,
6 I have oxen and donkeys, sheep, male and female servants, and I have sent word to my lord about them, that I may find favor in your eyes.«
7 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, »We went to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you with four hundred men.«
8 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, the sheep, the cattle, and the camels, into two camps.,
9 And he said, »If Esau encounters one of the camps and attacks it, the camp that remains may be saved.«
10 Jacob said: »God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and to the place of your birth, and I will do you good,’
11 I am too small for all graces and for all loyalty which you have dealt with your servant; for I crossed this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps.
12 Deliver me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear that he will come and strike me, the mother with the children.
13 But you have said, «I will surely do you good, and I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, so numerous that they cannot be counted.”
14 Jacob spent the night there. And he took what he had on hand, to TO DO a present to Esau, his brother:
15 two hundred goats and twenty bucks, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
16 thirty camels that were nursing, with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten donkey foals.
17 He THE He placed each flock separately in the care of his servants and told them, »Go on ahead of me, and leave a space between each flock.«
18 And he instructed the first, saying, »When Esau, my brother, finds you and asks you, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose flock do you belong to?’ who will in front of you?
19 You shall answer: To your servant Jacob; it is a present he is sending to my lord Esau; and behold, he himself is coming after us.«
20 He gave the same order to the second, the third, and all those who followed the flocks, saying, »This is what you are to say to Esau when you meet him;
21 You will say, »Look, your servant Jacob is also coming after us.» For he thought, «I will appease him with this present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”
22 The present gift passed on before him, and he stayed that night in the camp.
23 He got up that same night and, having taken his two wives, his two maids and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of the Jaboc.
24 He took them and brought them across the stream; he also brought across what belonged to him.
25 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
26 When he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched him on the hip joint, and Jacob’s hip joint was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
27 And he said to Jacob »Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.» Jacob replied, »I will not let you go unless you bless me.«
28 He said to him, »What is your name?» He replied, »Jacob.«
29 And he said, »Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have fought alongside God and with men, and you prevailed.«
30 Jacob questioned him, saying, »Please tell me your name.» He said, »Why do you ask what my name is?» And he blessed him there.
31 Jacob named the place Phanuel; »for,« he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life has been spared.”
32 And the sun rose when it had passed Phanuel, but it was limping because of its hip.
33 That is why the children of Israel do not eat to this day the large sinew which is at the joint of the hip, because God touched the joint of Jacob’s hip at the large sinew.
Chapter 33
1 Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, having with He had four hundred men. Having distributed the children in groups with Lia, with Rachel, and with the two maids,
2 He placed the maids with their children at the head, then Leah with her children, and finally Rachel with Joseph.
3 He himself passed before them, and he bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother Esau.
4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, threw himself on his neck and kissed him; and they wept.
5 Then Esau looked up and saw women and the children, and he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob replied, “They are the children God has given to your servant.”
6 The maids approached, they and their children, and bowed down.
7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down; then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
8 And Esau He said, "What do you want to do with all these people I've met?" And Jacob He said, "It is to find favor in the eyes of my lord."»
9 Esau said, »I have plenty, my brother; keep what belongs to you.«
10 And Jacob said, »No, I beg you, if I have found favor in your sight, accept my present from my hand; for it is for this reason that I have seen your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.
11 »Therefore accept my offering which has been brought to you, for God has shown me favor and I lack nothing.” He urged him so strongly that Esau accepted.
12 Esau said, »Let’s set out, let’s go; I’ll go ahead of you.«
13 Jacob replied, »My lord knows that children are delicate, and that I am burdened with sheep and cows that are nursing; if they were put under pressure for one day, the whole flock would perish.
14 Let my lord go ahead of his servant, and I will follow gently, at the pace of the flock that goes before me, and at the pace of the children, until I arrive at my lord's house in Seir.«
15 Esau said, »At least let me leave with you.” a part "People who are with me."» Jacob He replied, "Why is that? That I may find favor in the eyes of my lord."»
16 And Esau returned that day to Seir.
17 Jacob went to Socoth and built himself a house. He also made shelters for his flocks; therefore the place was called Socoth.
18 When Jacob returned from Paddan-Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped before the city.
19 He bought from the sons of Hemor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred hezes, the piece of land where he had pitched his tent;
20 He erected an altar there and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Chapter 34
1 Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land.
2 Shechem, son of Hemor the Hivite, prince of the land, having seen her, seized her, lay with her, and violated her.
3 His soul was drawn to Dinah, daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to the young woman.
4 And Shechem said to Hamor, his father, »Take this young woman for me as my wife.«
5 Now Jacob heard that he had outraged Dinah, his daughter; but, as his sons were in the fields with his flock, Jacob kept silent until their return.
6 Hemor, the father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to speak to him.
7 Now the sons of Jacob had returned from the fields when they heard of it; these men were outraged and became very angry, because Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel, by lying with the daughter of Jacob, which should not have been done.
8 Hemor spoke to them thus: »The soul of Shechem, my son, has become attached to your daughter; give her to him as a wife, I pray you.
9 Ally yourselves with us; you will give us your daughters, and you will take ours for yourselves.
10 You will live among us, and the country will be at your disposal, for you to settle, trade, and acquire property.«
11 Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, »Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you what you ask for.”.
12 Demand a high purchase price and large gifts from me, and whatever you ask, I will give it; but give me the young woman as my wife.«
13 The sons of Jacob answered and spoke cunningly to Shechem and to Hamor, his father, because Shechem had dishonored Dinah, their sister;
14 They said to them, »We cannot do this, to give our sister to an uncircumcised man, for it would be a disgrace to us.
15 We will only consent to your desire on the condition that you become like us, and that every male among you be circumcised.
16 So we will give you our daughters, and we will take your daughters for ourselves; we will live with you and become one people.
17 But if you will not listen to us and will be circumcised, we will take our daughter back and leave.«
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, the sons of Hamor;
19 And the young man did not delay in doing the thing, for he was in love with Jacob's daughter, and he was the most esteemed man in his father's house.
20 Hemor and Shechem, his son, surrendered SO at the city gate, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying:
21 »These people are peaceable men among us; let them settle in the land and trade; behold, the land is large enough for them, on the right and on the left. We will take their daughters as wives, and we will give them our daughters.”.
22 But these men will only agree to live with us, to become one people, on one condition: that every male among us be circumcised, just as they themselves are circumcised.
23 Will not their flocks and their possessions and all their beasts of burden be ours? Only let us go to their desire and that they settle among us.«
24 All those who went out of the city gate listened to Hemor and Shechem, his son, and every male was circumcised, every man going out of the city gate.
25 On the third day, when they were still ill, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, marched fearlessly on the city, and killed all the males.
26 They passed by Also to the edge of the sword Hemor and Shechem, his son; and, having taken Dinah from the house of Shechem, they went out.
27 The sons of Jacob fell upon the dead and plundered the city, because their sister had been dishonored.
28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the fields.
29 They took as plunder all their possessions, their children and their wives, and everything that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, »You have troubled me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, to the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have only a few people with me; they will gather against me and kill me, and I and my household will be destroyed.«
31 They replied, »Will our sister be treated like a prostitute?«
Chapter 35
1 God said to Jacob, »Get up, go up to Bethel and stay there, and build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.«
2 Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, »Put away the foreign gods that are among you; purify yourselves and change your clothes.
3 We will arise and go up to Bethel, and there I will set up an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress, and who has been with me on the journey I have made.«
4 And they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the earrings that were in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the terebinth tree that is in Shechem.
5 They departed, and the terror of God spread over the surrounding cities, and the sons of Jacob were not pursued.
6 Jacob, with all the people who were with him, arrived at Luz, in the land of Canaan: that is Bethel.
7 He built an altar there, and called the place El-Bethel, because it was there that God had appeared to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 SO Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel, at the foot of the oak tree which was given the name Oak of Weeping.
9 God appeared again to Jacob, after his return from Paddan-Aram, and blessed him.
10 God said to him, »Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.» And he named him Israel.
11 God said to him, »I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply, and a nation and a community of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your loins.
12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will give This country to your descendants after you.«
13 And God went up from him to the place where he had spoken to him.
14 And in the place where he had spoken to him, Jacob set up a stone pillar, on which he poured a libation and poured oil.
15 He named the place where God had spoken to him Bethel.
16 They set out from Bethel. There was still some distance to go before they came to Ephrathah, when Rachel gave birth, and her delivery was painful.
17 During the pains of childbirth, the midwife said to her, »Do not be afraid, for you will have another son.«
18 As her soul was departing, — for she was dying, — she named him Benoni; but his father called him Benjamin.
19 Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrathah, which is Bethlehem.
20 Jacob erected a monument over her grave; this is the monument at Rachel's Tomb, which still stands today.
21 Israel set out, and pitched their tent beyond Migdal-Eder.
22 While Israel was staying in that land, Reuben came and lay with Balaam, his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it.
Jacob's sons were twelve in number.
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 Rachel's sons: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Balaam, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zelpah, the servant of Leah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.
27 Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, at Kiriath-arbe, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28 Isaac's days were one hundred and eighty years.
29 Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
Chapter 36
1 This is the account of Esau, who is Edom.
2 Esau took wives from among the daughters of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oolibabah, daughter of Anah, daughter of Shebeon the Hivite;
3 and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nabaioth.
4 Ada bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Rahuel,
5 And Oolibaba bore Jehus, Ihelon, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the members of his household, his flocks, all his livestock, and all the possessions he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went to a other country, far from Jacob, his brother.
7 For their possessions were too great for them to remain together, and the land where they sojourned could not suffice for them because of their flocks.
8 Esau settled in the mountains of Seir; Esau is Edom.
9 This is the account of the descendants of Esau, the father of Edom, in the mountains of Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, son of Adah, Esau's wife; Rauel, son of Basemath, Esau's wife.
11 The sons of Eliphaz were: Teman, Omar, Sepho, Gatham and Zenez.
12 Thamna was a concubine of Eliphaz, son of Esau, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
13 These are the sons of Rahuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Meza. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
14 These are the sons of Oolibabah, daughter of Anah, daughter of Shebeon, wife of Esau: she bore to Esau Jehus, Jehoihan, and Korah.
15 These are the chiefs tribes originating from The sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zippor, Chief Zenez,
16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatham, Chief Amalek. These are the chiefs from from Eliphaz, in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
17 The sons of Rauel, son of Esau: Chief Nahath, Chief Zara, Chief Shammah, and Chief Meza. These are the chiefs from of Rahuel, in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
18 The sons of Oolibab, Esau's wife: Chief Jehus, Chief Jelon, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs from of Oolibabah, daughter of Anah and wife of Esau.
19 These are the sons of Esau, and these are their leaders; this is Edom.
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who lived in the land: Lotan, Zobal, Shebeon, Anah,
21 Dison, Eser, and Dishan. These were the leaders of the Horites, sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.
22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman, and Tammah was Lotan's sister.
23 These are the sons of Zobal: Alvan, Manahat, Ebal, Zippo, and Onam.
24 These are the sons of Shebeon: Aiah and Anah. It was this Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while shepherding the donkeys of Shebeon, his father.
25 These are the children of Ana: Dison and Oolibaba, Ana's daughter.
26 These are the sons of Dison: Hamdan, Ezeban, Jethram, and Haran.
27 These are the sons of Eser: Balan, Zavan, and Achan.
28 These are the sons of Dishan: Hus and Aram.
29 These are the chiefs of the Horreans: Chief Lotan, Chief Sobal, Chief Sebeon, Chief Ana,
30 Chief Dison, Chief Eser, Chief Disan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, each of their chiefs in the land of Seir.
31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel:
32 Bela, son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Denaba.
33 Bela died, and Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
34 Jobab died, and Husam of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35 Husam died, and in his place reigned Adad, son of Badad, who defeated Midian in the fields of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.
36 Hadad died, and in his place reigned Semla of Masreca.
37 Shemlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth on the river reigned in his place.
38 Saul died, and Balanan son of Achor reigned in his place.
39 Balanan, son of Achor, died, and Hadar reigned in his place; the name of his city was Phaul, and the name of his wife Meabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezaab.
40 Here are the names of the chiefs from of Esau, according to their tribes, their territories, and their names: Chief Tammah, Chief Alva, Chief Jetheth,
41 Chief Oolibaba, Chief Ela, Chief Phinon,
42 Chief Cénez, Chief Théman, Chief Mabsar,
43 Chief Magdiel, Chief Hiram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwellings in the land they occupy. This is Esau, the father of Edom.
Chapter 37
1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had sojourned in the land of Canaan.
2 This is the story of Jacob.
Joseph, seventeen years old, was tending the sheep with his brothers; because he was still young, he was with the sons of Balaam and with the sons of Zelpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought back bad rumors to their father who were running on their account.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a long robe.
4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of them, they hated him, and could no longer speak kindly to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, who hated him even more.
6 He said to them, »Listen, I beg you, to the dream I had:
7 We were binding sheaves in the middle of the field; and behold, my sheaf rose up and stood upright, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down before it.«
8 His brothers said to him, »Will you reign over us? Will you rule over us?» And they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.
9 He had yet another dream, which he told to his brothers. He said, »I had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.«
10 He told it to his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him, saying, »What is this dream you had? Must we, your mother, and your brothers come and bow down to the ground before you?«
11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the thing in his heart.
12 Joseph's brothers went to herd their father's flocks at Shechem.
13 And Israel said to Joseph, »Are not your brothers tending the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.» He answered, »Here I am.«
14 And Israel said to him, »Go now and see if your brothers are well and if the flock is in good condition, and bring me word again.» So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph went to Shechem.
15 A man, having met him wandering in the countryside, questioned him, saying, »What are you looking for?«
16 He replied, »I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are tending their flocks.” their herd.«
17 And the man said, »They have left here; for I heard them say, »Let us go to Dothain.’” Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothain.
18 They saw him from afar and, before he came near them, they plotted to kill him.
19 They said to one another, »Here is the man of dreams; it is he who is coming.”.
20 Come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we will say that a wild beast devoured him; we shall see what will become of his dreams!«
21 When Reuben heard, he rescued him from their hands. He said, »Let’s not strike him.” to death.«
22 Reuben said to them, »Do not shed blood; throw it into this cistern that is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him.» — His intention was to rescue him from their hands, to bring him back to his father.
23 When Joseph arrived in front of his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe he was wearing;
24 And having taken it, they threw it into the cistern. This cistern was empty: there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat.
Lifting their eyes, they saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead; their camels were loaded with astragalus, balm, and ladanum, which they were transporting to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, »What will we gain if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?”
27 »Let us go and sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
28 And when the Midianite merchants passed by, they pulled Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 Reuben returned to the cistern, and behold, Joseph was no longer in the cistern.
30 He tore his clothes and, returning to his brothers, said, »The child is not’y is no more, and where will I go?«
31 They took SO Joseph's robe and, having killed a goat, they dipped the robe in the blood.
32 And they sent the long robe to their father, saying, »This is what we found; see if it is your son’s robe or not.«
33 Jacob recognized her and said:» It is My son's robe! A ferocious beast devoured it! Joseph was torn to pieces!«
34 And he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son for a long time.
35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, saying, »I will go down to the grave in mourning to my son.» And his father wept for him.
36 The Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the chief of the guards.
Chapter 38
1 In those days Judah, walking away of his brothers, went down and came to a man from Odollam named Hira.
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shuh, and he took her for women and went towards her.
3 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Her.
4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
5 She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him Selah; Judah was in Ahzib when she gave birth to him.
6 Judah took a wife for Her, his firstborn, named Tamar.
7 Her, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh put him to death.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, »Go in to your brother’s wife, fulfill your duty as a brother-in-law, and raise up offspring for your brother.«
9 But Onan knew that this offspring would not be his, and when he went in to his brother's wife, he defiled himself on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother.
10 His action displeased the Lord, who also put him to death.
11 And Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, »Remain as a widow in your father’s house until my son Sela grows up.» For he thought, »He must not die like his brothers.» So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.
12 After many days, the daughter of Shuh, Judah's wife, died. When Judah had finished his mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Odollamite went up to those who were shearing his sheep at Thamna.
13 Tamar was informed, saying, »Here is your father-in-law going up to Thamna to shear his sheep.«
14 Then she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil, and, thus wrapped, she sat at the entrance of Enaim, on the road to Thamna, for she saw that Sela had grown up and that she was not given to him as a wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a woman of ill repute, for she had covered her face.
16 He went off to the road and said, »Let me come to you.» For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, »What will you give me to come to me?«
17 He replied, »I will send you a young goat from the flock.» She said, »On the condition that you give me a pledge until you send it.«
18 He said, »What pledge shall I give you?» She said, »Your ring, your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
19 Then she got up and went away; and she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes.
20 Judah sent the young goat by his friend, the Odollamite, to retrieve the pledge from the woman's hand; but he did not find her.
21 He asked the people of the place, saying, »Where is that prostitute who used to stand by the roadside in Enaim?» They answered, »There was no prostitute here.«
22 So he returned to Judah and said, »I did not find her; and even the people of the place said, «There has never been a prostitute here.’”
23 Judah said, »Let her keep his pledge ; We mustn't be mocked. Look, I've sent the kid promised, And you didn't find it.«
24 About three months later, Judah was told, »Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the harlot, and now she is pregnant as a result of her harlotry.» Judah said, »Bring her out so that she may be burned.«
25 As they were leading her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: »I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong. Look carefully,« she added, “to whose name this ring, this cord, and this staff are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, »She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.» And he did not have relations with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb.
28 During the delivery, one of them stretched out his hand; the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on it, saying, »This is the one who came out first.«
29 But he withdrew his hand, and behold, his brother came out. »What a breach you have made!» said the midwife; “the breach is upon you!” And he was named Peres.
30 Then his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread in his hand; and he was named Zara.
Chapter 39
1 Joseph was taken to Egypt, and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.
2 Yahweh was with Joseph, who prospered in all things; he lived in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful.
4 Joseph found SO thanks to her eyes and he was employed in her service; his master He placed him in charge of his house and gave him back everything he had.
5 As soon as he had put him in charge of his house and of all that he had, the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph, and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, both in the house and in the fields.
6 And he left everything he had in Joseph’s hands, not inquiring about anything with him except the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in body and appearance.
7 After these things, his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and him He said, "Sleep with me."»
8 He refused and said to his master’s wife, »Look, my master does not inquire with me about anything in the house, and he has put everything he has into my hands.
9 He is not greater than I in this house, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?«
10 Although she in Although she spoke to Joseph every day, he did not consent to sleep with her or be with her.
11 One day when he had entered the house to do his service, and none of the household staff were there,
12 She seized him by his garment, saying, »Lie with me.» But he left his garment in her hand and fled outside.
13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had run outside,
14 She called the people of her house and spoke to them, saying, »Look, he has brought us a Hebrew to have sex with us. This man came to me to lie with me, and I called out loudly.
15 And when he heard me raise my voice and shout, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.«
16 Then she laid Joseph's garment beside her until his master returned home.
17 And she spoke to him according to these words, saying, »The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us has come to me to frolic with me.
18 And when I raised my voice and shouted, he left his garment beside me and ran out.«
19 When the master of Joseph had heard the words of his wife, who spoke to him in these terms: "This is what your servant has done to me", his anger was kindled.
20 He took Joseph and put him in prison; it was the place where the king's prisoners were held. And he was there in prison.
21 The Lord was with Joseph; he showed him kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the prince of the prison.
22 And the head of the prison placed under his supervision all the prisoners who were in the prison, and everything that was done there was done through him.
23 The head of the prison paid no attention to any of it Joseph had it in his hands, because Yahweh was with him; and Yahweh made everything he did succeed,
Chapter 40
1 After these things, it happened that the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, with the chief cupbearer and the chief baker;
3 and he had them locked up at the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, in the place where Joseph was imprisoned.
4 The captain of the guards appointed Joseph to serve them; and they were in prison.
5 The cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, They both had a dream on the same night, each their own, with a different meaning.
6 Joseph came to them in the morning and looked at them; and behold, they were sad.
7 He questioned SO Pharaoh's officers who were with him in prison, in his master's house, and said to them, "Why are your faces sad today?"»
8 They told him, »We had a dream, and there was no one there.” here to explain it.» And Joseph said to them, »Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell me, your dream.«
9 The chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream, saying, »In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me.,
10 And this vine had three branches; it put forth buds, the flower came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.
11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; I took some grapes, squeezed the juice into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.«
12 Joseph said to him, »This is the interpretation: the three branches are three days.
13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, according your first office, when you were his cupbearer.
14 If you remember me when happiness is restored to you, and if you deign to show me kindness, remind me of souvenir Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15 For it was by rapture that I was taken from the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing to deserve being put in this place. prison.«
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to him, »I too, in my dream, saw myself with three baskets of white bread on my head.
17 In the upper basket were all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them from the basket that was on my head.«
18 Joseph replied, »This is the interpretation: the three baskets are three days.
19 In three days Pharaoh will lift your head from you and hang you on a tree, and the birds will devour your flesh from you.«
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he gave a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker:
21 he restored the chief cupbearer to his office as cupbearer, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand;
22 and he hanged the chief baker, according to the interpretation that Joseph had given them.
23 But the chief cupbearer did not mention Joseph, and forgot about him.
Chapter 41
1 Two years later, Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing by the river,
2 And behold, seven cows, beautiful to behold and fat with flesh, came up out of the river, and they began to graze in the green pasture.
3 And behold, after them came up out of the river seven other cows, ugly to look at and thin of flesh, and they came and stood beside the cows who were on the riverbank.
4 And the ugly, thin cows devoured the seven beautiful, fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
5 He fell asleep again, and had a second dream. And behold, seven ears of grain were growing from the same stalk, fat and good.
6 And seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, grew after these.
7 And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven fat and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke. And behold, it was a dream.
8 In the morning, Pharaoh was troubled in mind, and he summoned all the scribes and wise men of Egypt. He told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke up and said to Pharaoh, »Today I will remember my sins.
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he had put me in prison in the house of the chief guard, myself and the chief baker.
11 We both had a dream on the same night, I and he, we each dreamed according to the meaning of his dream.
12 There was with us a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us; to each one he interpreted his dream,
13 And things happened as he had interpreted: Pharaoh reinstated me in my position, but he was hanged.«
14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was brought out quickly from the prison. He shaved, put on other clothes, and went to Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, »I had a dream that no one can interpret; and I heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you interpret it.«
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, »It is not I, but God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.«
17 Pharaoh said SO To Joseph: »In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the river,
18 And behold, seven fat cows, well-fed and beautiful in appearance, came up out of the river, and they began to graze in the green pasture.
19 And behold, after them came seven other cows, thin, very ugly in appearance and gaunt; I have not seen such ugly cows as these in all the land of Egypt.
20 The thin, ugly cows devoured the first seven cows, those who were fats;
21 These entered their bellies, though it was not apparent that they had entered; their appearance was as ugly as before. And I awoke.
22 I live Again in a dream, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on the same stalk, full and beautiful;
23 And behold, seven scrawny ears of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, which grew up after these.
24 And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears. I told this to the scribes, and no one two Don't explain it to me.«
25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, »Pharaoh’s dream is true; God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do.
26 The seven beautiful cows are seven years, and the seven beautiful ears of grain are seven years; it is a single dream.
27 The seven scrawny, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, will be seven years of famine.
28 This is the word that I spoke to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do.
29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are going to come throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 Seven years of famine will follow, and all this abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will consume the land.
31 The abundance will no longer be perceived because of the famine that will follow in the land; it will be so great.
32 And if the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, it is because the matter is decided by God, and God will hasten to execute it.
33 Now let Pharaoh find a wise and intelligent man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh also appoint officials over the land, to raise a fifth harvests from the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty.
35 Let them gather all the produce of these good years to come; let them store up grain for Pharaoh to store as provisions in the cities, and let them keep it.
36 These provisions will serve as a reserve for the country during the seven years of famine that will come upon the land of Egypt, and the land will not be consumed by famine.«
37 These words pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, »Can we find a man like this, in whom is the spirit of God?«
39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, »Since God has shown you all these things, there is no one as intelligent and wise as you.
40 You will rule my house, and all my people will obey your word; only in the throne will I be greater than you.«
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, »Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.«
42 And Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and he dressed him in fine linen garments and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 He made him ride on the second of his chariots, and they shouted before him, »Bow down!» So he was established over all the land of Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, »I am Pharaoh, and without you no one will lift a hand or a foot in all the land of Egypt.«
45 Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-Paneah, and gave him Aseneth, daughter of Potiphar, priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went to visit the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he appeared before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he left Pharaoh to travel throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 The land yielded abundantly during the seven years of plenty.
48 Joseph gathered all the produce of the seven good years that there were in the land of Egypt, and he made supplies in the cities, depositing in the interior of each city the produce of the surrounding fields.
49 Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea, in such great quantity that they stopped counting it, because it was without number.
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Aseneth, daughter of Potiphar, priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh, for, he said, God made me forget all my sorrow and my father's entire house.«
52 He named the second Ephraim, for, he said, God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.«
53 When the seven years of plenty in Egypt were over,
54 The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had foretold. There was famine in all the lands, while there was bread throughout the land of Egypt.
55 Then the whole land of Egypt was also starved, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for to have bread. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."»
56 When famine struck the whole land, Joseph opened all the granaries that had been built up and sold wheat to the Egyptians; and the famine increased in the land of Egypt.
57 People came from all over the earth to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine had become severe throughout the land.
Chapter 42
1 Jacob, seeing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, »Why are you looking at one another?
2 He said, «I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
3 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, because he thought, "Something bad may happen to him."»
5 The Israelites came SO to buy wheat, along with others who came Also, because famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 Joseph was the ruler of the land, and he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. When Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke harshly to them, saying, »Where have you come from?» They answered, »From the land of Canaan, to buy food.«
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 Joseph remembered SO He had dreams about them and said to them, »You are spies; you have come to discover the weaknesses of the country.«
10 They answered him, »No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
11 We are all sons of one man; we are honest people; your servants are not spies.«
12 He said to them, »Not at all; you have come to scout out the weak points of the land.«
13 They answered, »We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man, in the land of Canaan. And behold, the youngest is now with our father, and there is one who is no more.«
14 Joseph said to them, »It is just as I told you: you are spies.
15 In this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh! you will not leave here until your younger brother comes.
16 Send one of you to fetch your brother, and you remain prisoners. Your words will be Thus tests, and we'll see If the truth is with you; if not, by the life of Pharaoh! you are spies.«
17 And he put them together in prison for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, »Do this and you will live: I fear God!
19 If you are honest men, let one of you, your brother, remain bound in your prison; and you, go, take some grain with you. calm the hunger of your families.
20 And bring me your youngest brother; and your words will be proven true, and you will not die.» And they did so.
21 Then they said to one another, »We are truly being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his soul when he begged for mercy from us, but we would not listen to him; therefore this distress has come upon us.«
22 Reuben answered them, »Did I not tell you, «Do not sin against the child’? And you did not listen; and now his blood is being demanded of you.”
23 They did not know that Joseph understood, because they were speaking to him through an interpreter.
24 And he went away from them and wept. Being Next He returned to them and spoke to them; and he took Simeon from among them and had him bound before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded that their ships be filled with grain, that each man's money be put back in his sack, and that they be given provisions for the journey. And it was done to them.
26 Having loaded the wheat onto their donkeys, they set off.
27 At the place where they spent the night, one of them opened his bag to give fodder to his donkey, and he saw his money, which was at the entrance of the bag.
28 He said to his brothers, »They have handed over my money; here it is in my bag!» And their hearts failed them, and they trembled and said to one another, »What has God done to us?«
29 They returned to Jacob, their father, in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying:
30 "The man who is the master of the country spoke harshly to us and took us for people spying on the country.
31 We told him: We are honest people, we are not spies.
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of the same father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.
33 And the man who is master of the land said to us, “By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me; take something to calm things down leave your families hungry and go away;
34 and bring me your youngest brother. I will know Thus that you are not spies, but honest people. I will then return your brother to you and you will be able to trade in the country.«
35 As they emptied their bags, each man's bundle of money was in his bag. They and their father saw their bundles of money, and they were frightened.
36 Jacob, their father, said to them, »You have left me childless! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you are going to take Benjamin! All this falls on me.«
37 Reuben said to his father, »You will kill my two sons if I do not bring Benjamin back to you; give him into my hands, and I will bring him back to you.«
38 He said, »My son will not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he alone remains. If anything should happen to him on the journey you are about to make, you would send my gray hairs down in sorrow to the realm of the dead.«
Chapter 43
1 Famine was weighing heavily on the country.
2 When they had finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, »Go back and buy us some more food.«
3 Judah answered him, »This man has given us this solemn declaration: You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.
4 If you let our brother come with us, we will come down and buy you some food.
5 But if you do not let him come, we will not go down; for this man told us, «You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.”
6 And Israel said, »Why have you caused me this grief by telling this man that you still had a brother?«
7 They said, »This man asked us many questions about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have a other Brother? And we answered according to these questions. Could we have known that he would say: Bring your brother down?«
8 And Judah said to Israel his father, »Let the child go with me, so that we may get up and go on our way, and we shall live and not die, we, you and our little ones.
9 I am responsible for him; you must demand him back from me. If I do not bring him back to you and place him before you, I will be guilty of wrongdoing toward you forever.
10 For if we had not so much If we had been delayed, we would now be back twice over.«
11 Israel, their father, said to them, »Well, since it must be so, do this: Take in your vessels some of the best produce of the land and bring to this man a present: a little balm and a little honey, astragalus, ladanum, pistachios and almonds.
12 Take in your hands the duplicate money, and return the money that was put in the entrance of your bags, perhaps by mistake.
13 Take your brother, get up and go back to this man.
14 May God Almighty grant you mercy in the sight of this man, so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin return with you. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, so be it!«
15 The men took this gift, and they took double the amount of silver in their hands, as did Benjamin; and, having risen, they went down to Egypt and presented themselves before Joseph.
16 As soon as Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his steward, »Bring these men into the house, kill victims and prepares a meal, because these people will eat with me at noon.«
17 This man did as Joseph had commanded, and he led these people into Joseph's house.
18 While they were being led to Joseph's house, the men were afraid and said, "It is because of the money we brought back in our bags the other day that they are bringing us away; it is to attack us, to fall upon us, and to take us and our donkeys as slaves."»
19 They approached the steward of Joseph's house and addressed him at the entrance to the house,
20 saying, "Forgive me, my lord. We have already gone down once to buy food.
21 On the return trip, When we arrived at the place where we were to spend the night, we opened our bags, and behold, each man's money was at the entrance of his bag, our money according to its weight: we are bringing it back with us;
22 and at the same time we brought other money to buy food. We don't know who put our money in our bags.«
23 He said to them, »That peace "Be with you! Do not be afraid. It is your God, the God of your father, who has given you treasure in your bags. Your money has been handed over to me." And he brought Simeon to them.
24 This man brought them into Joseph’s house, gave them water and they washed their feet; he also gave fodder to their donkeys.
25 They prepared their present, while waiting for Joseph to come at noon; for they had been told that they would eat at his house.
26 When Joseph arrived at his house, they brought him into the house the present that they had in their hand, and bowed down on the ground before him.
27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, »Is your old father, about whom you spoke, well? Is he still alive?«
28 They answered, »Your servant, our father, is well; he is still alive»; and they bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29 Joseph He looked up and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son; he said, "Is this your younger brother you told me about?" And he said, "May God be gracious to you, my son!"»
30 Then, in great haste, for his heart yearned for his brother, Joseph sought a place to cry; he went into his room and there he cried.
31 After washing his face, he went out and, making an effort to restrain himself, said, »Serve the food.«
32 He was served separately, and his brothers separately, and also the Egyptians who ate with him, for the Egyptians may not eat with the Hebrews: it is an abomination to the Egyptians.
33 Joseph's brothers They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his age; and they looked at one another in amazement.
34 He had portions brought to them from before him, and Benjamin's portion was five times larger than all of their portions combined. They drank joyfully with him.
Chapter 44
1 Joseph gave this order to the steward of his house: »Fill these men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the opening of his sack.
2 You shall also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest son’s sack, along with the money for his grain.» The steward did as Joseph had instructed him.
3 In the morning, as soon as it was light, the men were sent back with their donkeys.
4 They had left the city, but were not yet far away, when Joseph said to his steward, »Get up, pursue those men; and when you catch them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?’”
5 Isn't that right? the cup in which does my lord drink, and which does he use for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.«
6 The steward, having joined them, said these same words to them.
7 They replied, »Why does my lord speak like this? God forbid that your servants should do such a thing!”
8 Behold, we brought you silver from the land of Canaan, which we found in the mouths of our sacks; how could we have stolen silver or gold from the house of your lord?
9 Let the one of your servants on whom is found the cup die, and that we ourselves may be slaves to my lord.«
10 It their said: "Well, let it be according to your words! Whoever is with the cup will be my slave; and you will be free.«
11 Each one immediately took his bag down to the ground and each one opened his bag.
12 The steward searched them, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's bag.
13 They tore their clothes and, each one having reloaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
14 Judah and his brothers came to the house of Joseph, who was still there, and they bowed down to the ground before him.
15 Joseph said to them, »What have you done? Didn’t you know that a man like me would be able to guess?«
16 Judah replied, »What can we say to my lord? How can we speak? How can we defend ourselves? God has found the iniquity of your servants. We are slaves of my lord, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.«
17 And Joseph said, »God forbid that I should do this! The man in whose possession the cup was found shall be my servant; and you, go up in peace to your father.«
18 Then Judah approached Joseph, him He said: »Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant! For you are like Pharaoh.”.
19 My lord questioned his servants, saying, “Do you have a father or a brother?”.
20 And we answered my lord: We have an old father and a young brother, the child of his old age; this child had a brother who died, and he remains the only one of the same mother, and his father loves him.
21 You said to your servants, “Bring him down to me, so that I may look upon him.”.
22 We answered my lord: The child cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.
23 You said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will never see my face again.”.
24 When we went up to your servant, my father, we reported to him the words of my lord.
25 And when our father said, “Go back and buy us some food,”,
26 We answered, “We cannot go down; but if our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot see the face of this man unless our youngest brother is with us.”.
27 Your servant, our father, said to us: You know that my wife has borne me two sons.
28 One has gone away from me, and I said, He must have been devoured, for I have not seen him again until now.
29 If you take this one from me again and something bad happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down in sorrow to the realm of the dead.
30 Now, when I return to your servant, my father, without the child with us, to whose life his life is bound,
31 As soon as he sees that the child is not there, he will die, and your servants will have brought down in sorrow to the grave the gray hair of your servant, our father.
32 For your servant has answered for the child by taking it to my father; he said: If I do not bring him back to you, I will be guilty before my father forever.
33 Therefore, I beg you, allow that Me, your servant, I remain in the place of the child as a slave of my lord, and let the child go back up with his brothers.
34 How could I go back to my father if the child is not with me? No, I do not want to see the grief that would overwhelm my father!«
Chapter 45
1 Then Joseph could not contain himself in front of all those who were present; he cried out, »Have everyone leave!» And no one remained with him when he revealed himself to his brothers.
2 He raised his voice and wept; the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, »I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?» But his brothers could not answer him, so overwhelmed were they in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, »Come here to me.» So they came. He said, »I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold.” to be led in Egypt.
5 Now do not grieve or be angry with yourselves about what you sold to me to be driven here; it's for save you the life that God has sent me before you.
6 For two years now the famine has been in this land, and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 God has sent me ahead of you to ensure a remnant for you in the land and to preserve you for a great deliverance.
8 And now it is not you who have sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord over all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9 Hurry up to my father, and tell him: This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord over all Egypt; come down to me without delay.
10 You will live in the land of Gessen, and you will be near me, you and your sons, and your sons’ sons, your sheep and your cattle, and all that is yours.
11 There I will feed you, for there will be five more years of famine, so that you will not suffer, you and your household and all that you have.
12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 Tell my father all my glory in Egypt and everything you saw, and bring my father down here as soon as possible.«
14 SO He threw himself on the neck of Benjamin, his brother, and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 He also kissed all his brothers and wept holding them embraced ; Then his brothers spoke with him.
16 The news spread in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come: this pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, »Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: load your animals and go to the land of Canaan.’”
18 and, having taken your father and your families, return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
19 You are authorized to say to them, “Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives; bring your father and come.”.
20 Let your eyes not linger with regret on the objects that you will have to leave, because the best that the whole land of Egypt has to offer is at your disposal.«
21 The Israelites did so; Joseph gave them wagons, according to Pharaoh’s command, as well as provisions for the journey.
22 He gave all of them a change of clothes, and he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes.
23 He also sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best produce of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with wheat, bread, and provisions, for his father during the journey.
24 Then he dismissed his brothers, who departed, and he said to them, »Do not quarrel on the way.«
25 Having gone up from Egypt, they arrived in the land of Canaan, to Jacob, their father.
26 They told him, »Joseph is still alive; indeed, he is ruling over all the land of Egypt.» But his heart remained cold, because he did not believe them.
27 Then they told him all the words that Joseph had spoken. When he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived,
28 And Israel said, »That is enough! Joseph, my son, still lives! I will go and see him before I die.«
Chapter 46
1 Israel set out with all that belonged to him. When he arrived at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision of the night, and said, »Jacob! Jacob!» Israel answered, »Here I am.«
3 And God said, »I am the mighty God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.
4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will surely bring you up again; and Joseph will lay his hand on your eyes.«
5 Jacob arose and left Beersheba; and the sons of Israel put Jacob their father, and their wives and their children, on the chariots which Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
6 They also took their flocks and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Canaan. And Jacob went to Egypt with all his family.
7 He took with him to Egypt his sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his family.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt: Jacob and his sons. — Jacob's firstborn, Reuben. —
9 The sons of Reuben: Enoch, Phallus, Hezron, and Charmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jamuel, Jamin, Ahod, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul, the son of the Canaanite woman.
11 Sons of Levi: Gershon, Kaath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Her, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Her and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Job, and Shemron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sared, Elon, and Jahel —
15 These were the sons that Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, with his daughter Dinah. His sons and daughters were thirty-three in all.
16 Sons of Gad: Sephion, Haggi, Suni, Esebon, Heri, Arodi and Areli. —
17 The sons of Asher: Jamneh, Jeshua, Jessui, and Beriah, and Sarah their sister. The sons of Beriah were Eber and Melchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zelpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah; and she bore them to Jacob: in all sixteen people.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 He was born to Joseph in the land of Egypt, threads that Aseneth, daughter of Potiphar, priest of On, bore to him, know Manasseh and Ephraim.
21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Bohor, Asbel, Gera, Naaman, Echi, Ros, Mophim, Ophim and Ared. —
22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
23 The son of Dan: Husim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jasiel, Guni, Jezer, and Salem.
25 These were the sons of Balaam, whom Laban had given to Rachel his daughter; and she bore them to Jacob: seven persons in all.
26 All those who came with Jacob to Egypt, his descendants, besides women of Jacob's sons, there were sixty-six in all.
27 Joseph's sons who were born to him in Egypt were two. — The total number of people from Jacob's family who came to Egypt was seventy.
28 Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival in Geshen. When Jacob and his family had entered Geshen,
29 Joseph had his chariot harnessed and got in it, to go to Geshen to meet Israel, his father. He appeared to him and, throwing himself on his neck, wept on his neck for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, »Now I can die, since I have seen your face and you are still alive!«
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, »I will go and tell Pharaoh, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32 These men are shepherds, for they are owners of flocks; they have brought their sheep and their cattle, and all that belongs to them.
33 And when Pharaoh calls you and says, “What is your occupation?”
34 You will answer: We, your servants, have been owners of flocks from our youth until now, as were our fathers. In this way you will live in the land of Geshen, for all shepherds are an abomination to the Egyptians.«
Chapter 47
1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, »My father and my brothers have come from the land of Canaan with their flocks and herds and all that belongs to them, and here they are in the land of Geshen.«
2 Having taken five of his brothers, he presented them to Pharaoh;
3 And Pharaoh said to them, »What is your occupation?» They answered Pharaoh, »We, your servants, are shepherds, like were our fathers.«
4 They also said to Pharaoh, »We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no more pasture for your servants« flocks, because the famine has become severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, allow your servants to dwell in the land of Geshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, »Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.
6 Let them remain in the land of Gessen; and if you find capable men among them, put them in charge of my flocks.«
7 Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh;
8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, »How many days are in the years of your life?«
9 Jacob answered Pharaoh, »The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained the days of the years of the life of my fathers in their pilgrimage.«
10 Jacob blessed Again and withdrew from Pharaoh's presence.
11 Joseph settled his father and brothers, and assigned them a property in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded;
12 and Joseph provided bread for his father and his brothers, and for all his father’s family, according to the number of children.
13 There was no more bread in all the land, for the famine was very great; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted because of the famine.
14 Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that was bought, and he brought this money into the house of Pharaoh.
15 When there was no more money in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, »Give us bread! Why should we die in your presence? For we are out of money.«
16 Joseph said, »Bring your flocks, and I will give you bread in exchange for your flocks, since you are out of money.«
17 They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, flocks of sheep and cattle, and donkeys. He provided them Thus bread that year, in exchange for all their herds.
18 When that year was over, they came to Joseph the following year and said to him, »We will not hide from my lord that the money is gone and the herds of livestock are gone.” were given to my lord; nothing remains before my lord but our bodies and our lands.
19 Why should we and our land perish before your eyes? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be Pharaoh's slaves; and give us seed to sow, so that we may live and not die, and our land not be desolate.«
20 Joseph acquired Thus all the lands of Egypt to Pharaoh; for the Egyptians each sold their field, because the famine pressed upon them, and the land became the property of Pharaoh.
21 He led the people through the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other.
22 Only the lands of the priests were not acquired by him; for the priests received from Pharaoh a fixed portion, and they lived on their income which Pharaoh assigned to them: therefore they did not sell their lands.
23 Joseph said to the people, »Today I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is some seed for you; sow the land.
24 At harvest time you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and you shall have the other four parts to sow your fields and to feed yourselves and those who are in your houses, and to feed your children.«
25 They said, »We owe you our lives! May we find favor with my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.«
26 Joseph made a law of this, which remains to this day, and by virtue of which the fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt belongs to Pharaoh; only the land of the priests does not belong to him.
27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the region of Geshen; they acquired possessions there, they were fruitful and multiplied greatly.
28 Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years.
29 When the days of Israel drew to a close, he called his son Joseph and said to him, »If I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness: do not bury me in Egypt.
30 When I am laid to rest with my ancestors, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tombs.» Joseph replied, »I will do as you say.«
31 And Jacob said, »Swear to me.» Joseph swore to him; and Israel bowed down on the head of the bed.
Chapter 48
1 After these things, Joseph was told, »Your father is sick.» He took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 Jacob was told, »Here is your son Joseph coming to you.«
Israel gathered his strength and sat up on his bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, »God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4 saying: I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you into a community of peoples; I will give this land to your descendants after you, to possess forever.
5 And now, the two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt, before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon.
6 But the children you have fathered after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers as to their share of the inheritance.
7 And I, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died on the way with me in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath; and there I buried her on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.«
8 SO Israel saw Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these?"»
9 Joseph answered his father, »They are my sons, whom God has given me here.» And Israel He said, "Please bring them near to me so that I may bless them."»
10 For the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and they could no longer GOOD See. Joseph brought them near to him, and Israel kissed them, holding them in his arms.
11 And Israel said to Joseph, »I had not expected to see your face again, and now God has let me see your offspring!«
12 Joseph took them from between his father's knees and, having bowed down to the ground before him,
13 Joseph took them both, Ephraim on his right, on the left of Israel, and Manasseh on his left, on the right of Israel, and he brought them near.
14 Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and he posed his left hand on Manasseh's head; he deliberately placed his hands in this way, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 He blessed Joseph, saying, »May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, may the God who has nourished me from my birth to this day,
16 May the angel who has delivered me from all harm bless these children! May they be called by my name and by the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they multiply abundantly in the midst of the land!«
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased; he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head and put it on Manasseh’s head;
18 And Joseph said to his father, »Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.«
19 But his father refused, saying, »I THE I know, my son, I THE He too will become a people, he too will be great; but his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.«
20 He blessed them SO that day and said, "Through you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" And he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Israel said to Joseph, »Behold, I am about to die. But God will be with you, and he will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 I give you, more than to your brothers, a portion that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.«
Chapter 49
1 Jacob called his sons and said to them, »Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the last days.
2 Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father.
3 Ruben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power,
4 You have boiled like water; you will not have preeminence! For you went up onto your father's bed, and you defiled my bed by going up onto it!
5 SIMEON and LEVI are brothers; their swords are instruments of violence.
6 May my soul not enter into their council! May my soul not join their assembly! For in their anger they slaughtered men, and in their fury they hamstrung bulls.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was violent, and their fury, for it was cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 You, Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down before you.
9 Judah is a young lion. You have come up from the prey, my son! He crouches down, he lies down like a lion, like a lioness: who will make him rouse himself?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; to him the peoples will submit.
11 He ties his donkey to the vine, his donkey's colt to the branch; he washes his garment in wine, his robe in the blood of the grape.
12 His eyes are red with wine, and his teeth are white with milk.
13 Zebulun lives by the seashore; he is on the shore where ships land; his side is toward Sidon.
14 ISSACHAR is a robust donkey, who lies down in his paddocks.
15 He sees that the rest is good, and that the land is pleasant; and he bends his shoulder under the burden; he has become a man enslaved to the tribute.
16 Dan judges his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan is a serpent on the road, a viper on the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that the rider falls backward.
18 I hope in your help, O Yahweh!
19 GAD, armed gangs press him, and he, in turn, presses them on his heels.
20 D'ASER come The tasty bread, it provides the delicate dishes of kings.
21 NEPHTHALI is a doe at liberty, he utters graceful words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful branch, a fruitful branch by the banks of a spring; its branches climb over the wall.
23 Archers provoke him, they shoot arrows at him and attack him.
24 But his bow remains steady, his arms and hands are made nimble, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by him who is the Shepherd and the Rock of Israel.
25 May the God of your father help you! and may the Almighty bless you! come to you The blessings of heaven above, the blessings of the abyss below, the blessings of the breasts and the womb!
26 The blessings of your father surpass the blessings of the ancient mountains, the beauty of the everlasting hills: may they rest upon the head of Joseph, upon the brow of the prince among his brothers!
27 BENJAMIN is a wolf who tears; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he shares the spoils.
28 These were all the ones who formed the twelve tribes of Israel; this is what their father said to them and blessed them. He blessed each one according to his blessing.
29 Then he gave them this order: »I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 in the cave in the field of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan: it is the cave that Abraham acquired from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field, to have a tomb of his own.
31 This is where Abraham and Sarah his wife were buried, this is where Isaac and Rebekah his wife were buried, and this is where I buried Leah.«
32 The field and the cave that is in it were acquired from the sons of Heth.
33 When Jacob had finished giving his instructions to his sons, and having withdrawn his feet into the bed, he breathed his last and was gathered to his fathers.
Chapter 50
1 Joseph threw himself on his father's face, wept over him and kissed him.
2 Then he ordered the doctors in his service to embalm his father, and doctors embalmed Israel.
3 They spent forty days on it, for that is the time required for embalming; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the days of his mourning were over, Joseph addressed the people of Pharaoh's house and said to them, »If I have found favor in your eyes, please report this to Pharaoh:
5 My father made me swear an oath, saying, «Behold, I am about to die; you shall bury me in the tomb that I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan. I would like to go up there to bury my father; and I will return.”
6 Pharaoh replied, »Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.«
7 Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went all of Pharaoh's servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 all the house of Joseph, his brothers and the house of his father: they left in the land of Gessen only their little children, their sheep and their oxen.
9 He was still going up with Joseph chariots and horsemen, so that the procession was very large.
10 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they made a great and deep lamentation, and Joseph observed a seven-day mourning period in honor of his father.
11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw this mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, »This is a great mourning among the Egyptians!» Therefore the name of that place, which is beyond the Jordan, was given to Abel-Mizraim.
12 The sons Jacob So they did to him as he had commanded them.
13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had acquired from Ephron the Hittite, with the field, to have a tomb of his own, opposite Mamre.
14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all those who had gone up with him to bury his father.
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph were to hate us and repay us for all the harm we did to him?"»
16 And they sent word to Joseph: »Your father gave this order before he died:
17 You shall say to Joseph, »Oh, forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin, for they have wronged you! Now therefore, I beg you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when he heard these words.
18 His brothers themselves came and bowed down before him, saying, »We are your servants.«
19 Joseph said to them, »Do not be afraid; for am I in the place of God?
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended to bring about good in all of this, to accomplish what is now being done, to preserve the lives of many.
21 So do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your children.» And he comforted them, speaking to their hearts.
22 Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household. He lived one hundred and ten years.
23 Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation; descendants of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born Also on Joseph's lap.
24 Joseph said to his brothers, »As for me, I am about to die; but God will surely visit you and bring you up out of this land into the land he swore to.” to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.«
25 Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath, saying, »Surely God will visit you, and you will bring up my bones from here.«
26 Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten. He was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
