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 …

Abraham and Keturah

25 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was aKeturah. 2 And bshe bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 And cAbraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he dsent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to ethe country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and fdied in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and gwas gathered to his people. 9 And hhis sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of iMachpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 jthe field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. kThere Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at lBeer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac

12 Now this is the mgenealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And nthese were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 1Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their 2settlements, otwelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and phe breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 q(They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He 3died rin the presence of all his brethren.

19 This is the sgenealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. tAbraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, uthe daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, vthe sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; wand the Lord granted his plea, xand Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” ySo she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 And the Lord said to her:

z“Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than athe other,

bAnd the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was clike a hairy garment all over; so they called his name 4Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and dhis hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so ehis name was called 5Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was fa skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was ga 6mild man, hdwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he iate of his game, jbut Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in