The History of Creation

1 In the abeginning bGod created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was cwithout form, and void; and darkness 1was on the face of the deep. dAnd the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 eThen God said, f“Let there be glight”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the hdarkness He called Night. 2So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 Then God said, i“Let there be a 3firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, jand divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were kabove the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 Then God said, l“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and mlet the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the earth nbring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the ofruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be plights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and qseasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great 4lights: the rgreater light to rule the day, and the slesser light to rule the night. He made tthe stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the uheavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to vrule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living 5creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the 6firmament of the heavens.” 21 So wGod created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, x“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, y“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; zlet them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over 7…

50 Then Joseph afell on his father’s face and bwept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to cembalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians dmourned 1for him seventy days.

4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to ethe household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 5 f‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave gwhich I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”

6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.

10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they hmourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. iHe observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called 2Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For jhis sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham kbought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, lthey said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may 3actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; mfor they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of nthe God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also went and ofell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

19 Joseph said to them, p“Do not be afraid, qfor am I in the place of God? 20 rBut as for you, you meant evil against me; but sGod meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; tI will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke 4kindly to them.

Death of Joseph

22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children uto the third generation. vThe children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, wwere also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

24 And …

The Wickedness and Judgment of Man

6 Now it came to pass, awhen men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they btook wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

3 And the Lord said, c“My Spirit shall not dstrive 1with man forever, efor he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were 2giants on the earth in those fdays, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5 Then 3the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every gintent 4of the thoughts of his heart was only evil 5continually. 6 And hthe Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and iHe was grieved in His jheart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will kdestroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah lfound grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah Pleases God

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. mNoah was a just man, 6perfect in his generations. Noah nwalked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: oShem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth also was corrupt pbefore God, and the earth was qfilled with violence. 12 So God rlooked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for sall flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

The Ark Prepared

13 And God said to Noah, t“The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; uand behold, vI will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make 7rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred 8cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 wAnd behold, I Myself am bringing xfloodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall ydie. 18 But I will establish My zcovenant with you; and ayou shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring btwo of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind cwill come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

22 dThus Noah did; eaccording to all that fGod commanded him, so he did.