King James Text in Modern Format - Genesis
In the beginning, God created the
heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void. And darkness was
upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters.
And God said, "Let there be
light."
And there was light. And God saw
the light, that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. And
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and
the morning were the first day.
And God said, "Let there be a
firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
waters."
And God made the firmament and
divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And
the evening and the morning were the second day.
And God said, "Let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear."
And it was so. And God called the
dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas. And
God saw that it was good.
And God said, "Let the earth
bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit
after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth."
And it was so. And the earth
brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree
yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind. And God saw that it
was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
And God said, "Let there be
lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night. And let
them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. And let them be
for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth."
And it was so. And God made two
great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule
the night. He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the
night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
And God said, "Let the waters
bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may
fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
And God created great whales, and
every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly,
after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind. And God saw that it was
good.
And God blessed them, saying,
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl
multiply in the earth."
And the evening and the morning
were the fifth day.
And God said, "Let the earth
bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and
beast of the earth after his kind."
And it was so. And God made the
beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything
that creepeth upon the earth after his kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, "Let Us make
man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
So God created man in His own
image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.
And God blessed them, and God said
unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
And God said, "Behold, I have
given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall
be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and
to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given
every green herb for meat."
And it was so. And God saw everything
that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning
were the sixth day.
Thus, the heavens and the earth
were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His
work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work
which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because
that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.
These are the generations of the
heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God
made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in
the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For the Lord God had not
caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the
ground.
And the Lord God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man
became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden. And
there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord
God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good
and evil.
And a river went out of Eden to
water the garden, and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
The name of the first is Pison, that is it which compasseth the whole land of
Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. There is
bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon, the
same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the
third river is Hiddekel, that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And
the fourth river is Euphrates.
And the Lord God took the man, and
put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the
man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
And the Lord God said, "It is
not good that the man should be alone. I will make him an help meet for
him."
And out of the ground the Lord God
formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them
unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every
living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle,
and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there
was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed
up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from
man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, "This is now
bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she
was taken out of Man."
Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. And they shall be one
flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
And he said unto the woman,
"Yea, hath God said, ‘Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’"
And the woman said unto the
serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall
not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’"
And the serpent said unto the
woman, "Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil."
And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her. And he did eat. And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together,
and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the
Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the
garden.
And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, "Where art thou?"
And he said, "I heard Thy
voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked. And I hid
myself."
And He said, "Who told thee
that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee
that thou shouldest not eat?"
And the man said, "The woman
whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
And the Lord God said unto the
woman, "What is this that thou hast done?"
And the woman said, "The
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."
And the Lord God said unto the
serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle,
and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust
shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and
the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel."
Unto the woman He said, "I
will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children. And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee."
And unto Adam He said,
"Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of
the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, ‘Thou shalt not eat of it,’ cursed
is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. And thou shalt eat
the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground. For out of it wast thou taken. For dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return."
And Adam called his wife’s name
Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife
did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
And the Lord God said,
"Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now,
lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and
live forever..."
Therefore the Lord God sent him
forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So
He drove out the man. And He placed at the east of the garden of Eden
Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the
tree of life.
And Adam knew Eve his wife, and
she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man from the
Lord."
And she again bare his brother
Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And
in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the
ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings
of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to
his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain
was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the Lord said unto Cain,
"Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest
well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the
door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
And Cain talked with Abel his
brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the Lord said unto Cain,
"Where is Abel thy brother?"
And he said, "I know not. Am
I my brother’s keeper?"
And He said, "What hast thou
done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now
art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy
brother’s blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou
be in the earth."
And Cain said unto the Lord,
"My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, Thou hast driven me out
this day from the face of the earth. And from Thy face shall I be hid. And I
shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. And it shall come to pass,
that everyone that findeth me shall slay me."
And the Lord said unto him,
"Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him
sevenfold." And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should
kill him.
And Cain went out from the
presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And
Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch. And he builded a city,
and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto
Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methusael, and
Methusael begat Lamech.
And Lamech took unto him two
wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah
bare Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have
cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as
handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor
of every artificer in brass and iron. And the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
And Lamech said unto his wives,
Adah and Zillah, “Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech.
For I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain
shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold."
And Adam knew his wife again, and
she bare a son, and called his name Seth.
“For God,” said she, “hath
appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”
And to Seth, to him also there was
born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name
of the Lord.
This is the book of the
generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God
made He him. Male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called
their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
And Adam lived an hundred and
thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called
his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight
hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters. And all the days that Adam
lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
And Seth lived an hundred and five
years, and begat Enos. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and
seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine
hundred and twelve years, and he died.
And Enos lived ninety years, and
begat Cainan. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen
years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred
and five years, and he died.
And Cainan lived seventy years,
and begat Mahalaleel. And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred
and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Cainan were
nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
And Mahalaleel lived sixty and
five years, and begat Jared. And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight
hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of
Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years, and he died.
And Jared lived an hundred sixty
and two years, and he begat Enoch. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight
hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were
nine hundred sixty and two years, and he died.
And Enoch lived sixty and five
years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat
Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days
of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God,
and he was not, for God took him.
And Methuselah lived an hundred
eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. And Methuselah lived after he begat
Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters. And
all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he died.
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty
and two years, and begat a son.
And he called his name Noah,
saying, "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our
hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed."
And Lamech lived after he begat
Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters. And all
the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years, and he died.
And Noah was five hundred years
old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
And it came to pass, when men
began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they
took them wives of all which they chose.
And the Lord said, "My Spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh. Yet his days shall
be an hundred and twenty years."
There were giants in the earth in
those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the
daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men
which were of old, men of renown.
And God saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man
on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.
And the Lord said, "I will
destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man, and
beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth Me
that I have made them."
But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord.
These are the generations of Noah.
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The earth also was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth,
and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the
earth.
And God said unto Noah, "The
end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence
through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark
of gopher wood. Rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and
without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of. The
length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty
cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the
ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above, and the door of the ark shalt
thou set in the side thereof. With lower, second, and third stories shalt thou
make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to
destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven. And
everything that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish My
covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife,
and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of
every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee. They
shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their
kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort
shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food
that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee, and it shall be for food for
thee, and for them."
Thus did Noah, according to all
that God commanded him, so did he.
And the Lord said unto Noah,
"Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous
before Me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by
sevens, the male and his female. And of beasts that are not clean by two, the
male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the
female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days,
and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And
every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the
earth."
And Noah did according unto all
that the Lord commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood
of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and
his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of
clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything
that creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark,
the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven
days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
In the six hundredth year of
Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same
day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of
Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark.
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every
fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into
the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that
went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And
the Lord shut him in.
And the flood was forty days upon
the earth. And the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up
above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the
earth. And the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed
exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills, that were under the whole
heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the
mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of
fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of
all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed
which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping
things, and the fowl of the heaven. And they were destroyed from the earth. And
Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the
waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
And God remembered Noah, and every
living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark. And God made a
wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged. The fountains also of the
deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was
restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth continually. And after
the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark
rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the
mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth
month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the
mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of
forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. And he
sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up
from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters
were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the
sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were
on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and
pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days, and
again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in to him in the
evening, and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that
the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days,
and sent forth the dove, which returned not again unto him anymore.
And it came to pass in the six
hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the
waters were dried up from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the
ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second
month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
And God spake unto Noah, saying,
"Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’
wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of
all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be
fruitful, and multiply upon the earth."
And Noah went forth, and his sons,
and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing,
and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went
forth out of the ark.
And Noah builded an altar unto the
Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor.
And the Lord said in His heart,
"I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, for the
imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again smite
anymore everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime
and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall
not cease."
And God blessed Noah and his sons,
and said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the
earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and
upon all the fishes of the sea. Into your hand are they delivered. Every moving
thing that liveth shall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given
you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof,
shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require. At the
hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man. At the hand of
every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood,
by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made He man. And you,
be ye fruitful, and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply
therein."
And God spake unto Noah, and to
his sons with him, saying, "And I, behold, I establish My covenant with
you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with
you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you, from
all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish
My covenant with you. Neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by the waters
of a flood. Neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth."
And God said, "This is the
token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature
that is with you, for perpetual generations. I do set My bow in the cloud, and
it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall
come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen
in the cloud. And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and
every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall no more become a flood
to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon
it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living
creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."
And God said unto Noah, "This
is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh
that is upon the earth."
And the sons of Noah, that went
forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is the father of
Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah, and of them was the whole earth
overspread.
And Noah began to be an
husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was
drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan,
saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and
Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went
backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were
backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his
wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
And he said, "Cursed be
Canaan. A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."
And he said, "Blessed be the
Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth,
and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant."
And Noah lived after the flood
three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and
fifty years, and he died.
Now these are the generations of
the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And unto them were sons born after
the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and
Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath,
and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and
Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands, every
one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
And the sons of Ham: Cush, and
Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and
Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. And
Cush begat Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty
hunter before the Lord.
Wherefore it is said, "Even
as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord."
And the beginning of his kingdom
was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that
land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
and Resen between Nineveh and Calah. The same is a great city.
And Mizraim begat Ludim, and
Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and Pathrusim, and Casluhim (out of whom
came Philistim), and Caphtorim.
And Canaan begat Sidon his
firstborn, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, and
the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite,
and the Hamathite. And afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread
abroad. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to
Gerar, unto Gaza, as thou goest unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and
Zeboim, even unto Lasha. These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after
their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Unto Shem also, the father of all
the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were
children born. The children of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud,
and Aram. And the children of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And
Arphaxad begat Salah, and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons.
The name of one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided. And his
brother’s name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and
Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, and Obal, and
Abimael, and Sheba, and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons
of Joktan. And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar, a
mount of the east. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after
their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
These are the families of the sons
of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. And by these were the
nations divided in the earth after the flood.
And the whole earth was of one
language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the
east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
And they said one to another,
"Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly."
And they had brick for stone, and
slime had they for mortar.
And they said, "Go to, let us
build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make
us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."
And the Lord came down to see the
city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And the Lord said, "Behold,
the people is one, and they have all one language, and this they begin to do.
And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another’s speech."
So the Lord scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all the earth. And they left off to build the
city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there
confound the language of all the earth. And from thence did the Lord scatter
them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
These are the generations of Shem.
Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.
And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters.
And Arphaxad lived five and thirty
years, and begat Salah. And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred
and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Salah lived thirty years, and
begat Eber. And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years,
and begat sons and daughters.
And Eber lived four and thirty
years, and begat Peleg. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and
thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Peleg lived thirty years, and
begat Reu. And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and
begat sons and daughters.
And Reu lived two and thirty
years, and begat Serug. And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and
seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Serug lived thirty years, and
begat Nahor. And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat
sons and daughters.
And Nahor lived nine and twenty
years, and begat Terah. And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and
nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
And Terah lived seventy years, and
begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Now these are the generations of
Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died
before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. And
Abram and Nahor took them wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the
name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and
the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren. She had no child. And Terah took
Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his
daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth with them from Ur of
the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. And they came unto Haran, and
dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah
died in Haran.
Now the Lord had said unto Abram,
"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s
house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And thou shalt be a
blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee. And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
So Abram departed, as the Lord had
spoken unto him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy and five years
old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his
brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls
that they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of
Canaan. And into the land of Canaan they came.
And Abram passed through the land
unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then
in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram,
and said, "Unto thy seed will I give this land."
And there builded he an altar unto
the Lord, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on
the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on
the east. And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name
of the Lord.
And Abram journeyed, going on
still toward the south. And there was a famine in the land. And Abram went down
into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous in the land.
And it came to pass, when he was
come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, "Behold
now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to
pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, ‘This is his
wife.’ And they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee,
thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall
live because of thee."
And it came to pass, that, when
Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very
fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh.
And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he entreated Abram well for
her sake. And he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and
maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and
his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
And Pharaoh called Abram, and
said, "What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell
me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, ‘She is my sister’? So I might have
taken her to me to wife. Now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy
way."
And Pharaoh commanded his men
concerning him. And they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
And Abram went up out of Egypt,
he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And
Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his
journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been
at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai, unto the place of the altar, which he
had made there at the first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
And Lot also, which went with
Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear
them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that
they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of
Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle. And the Canaanite and the
Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
And Abram said unto Lot, "Let
there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen
and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee?
Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right. Or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to
the left."
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and
beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the
Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the
land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated themselves the one from the
other.
Abram dwelled in the land of
Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord
exceedingly.
And the Lord said unto Abram,
after that Lot was separated from him, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look
from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and
westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy
seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth. So that, if a
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for
I will give it unto thee."
Then Abram removed his tent, and
came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an
altar unto the Lord.
And it came to pass in the days of
Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and
Tidal king of nations, that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with
Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale
of Siddim, which is the salt sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in
the thirteenth year they rebelled.
And in the fourteenth year came
Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in
Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the
country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.
And there went out the king of
Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of
Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). And they joined battle with
them in the vale of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal
king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four
kings with five. And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits. And the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there. And they that remained fled to the
mountain.
And they took all the goods of
Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took
Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
And there came one that had
escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the
Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner. And these were confederate
with Abram.
And when Abram heard that his
brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own
house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided
himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued
them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all
the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women
also, and the people.
And the king of Sodom went out to
meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings
that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
And Melchizedek king of Salem
brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God.
And he blessed him, and said,
"Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And
blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy
hand."
And he gave him tithes of all.
And the king of Sodom said unto
Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself."
And Abram said to the king of
Sodom, "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the
possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a
shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest
say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ Save only that which the young men have eaten,
and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let
them take their portion."
After these things the word of the
Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram. I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
And Abram said, "Lord God,
what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is
this Eliezer of Damascus?"
And Abram said, "Behold, to
me thou hast given no seed. And, lo, one born in my house is mine heir."
And, behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him, saying, "This shall not be thine heir. But he that shall
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir."
And He brought him forth abroad,
and said, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to
number them."
And He said unto him, "So
shall thy seed be."
And he believed in the Lord. And
He counted it to him for righteousness.
And He said unto him, "I am
the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to
inherit it."
And he said, "Lord God,
whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?"
And He said unto him, "Take
Me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram
of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
And he took unto him all these,
and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another. But the
birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram
drove them away.
And when the sun was going down, a
deep sleep fell upon Abram. And, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And He said unto Abram, "Know
of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and
shall serve them. And they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that
nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge. And afterward shall they come out
with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace. Thou shalt be
buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither
again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
And it came to pass, that, when
the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning
lamp that passed between those pieces.
In the same day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram, saying, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from
the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenites, and
the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and
the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and
the Jebusites."
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bare him
no children. And she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram,
"Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in
unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her."
And Abram hearkened to the voice
of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after
Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband
Abram to be his wife.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she
conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised
in her eyes.
And Sarai said unto Abram,
"My wrong be upon thee. I have given my maid into thy bosom. And when she
saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between
me and thee."
But Abram said unto Sarai,
"Behold, thy maid is in thy hand. Do to her as it pleaseth thee."
And when Sarai dealt hardly with
her, she fled from her face.
And the angel of the Lord found
her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to
Shur.
And he said, "Hagar, Sarai’s
maid, whence camest thou? And whither wilt thou go?"
And she said, "I flee from
the face of my mistress Sarai."
And the angel of the Lord said
unto her, "Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her
hands."
And the angel of the Lord said
unto her, "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be
numbered for multitude."
And the angel of the Lord said
unto her, "Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt
call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will
be a wild man. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against
him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
And she called the name of the
Lord that spake unto her, “Thou God seest me,” for she said, "Have I also
here looked after Him that seeth me?"
Wherefore the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
And Hagar bare Abram a son. And
Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. And Abram was fourscore
and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
And when Abram was ninety years
old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, "I am the
Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant
between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."
And Abram fell on his face. And
God talked with him, saying, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee,
and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be
called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have
I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations
of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish My covenant
between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I
will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a
stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be
their God."
And God said unto Abraham, "Thou
shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their
generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and
thy seed after thee. Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye
shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. And it shall be a token of the
covenant betwixt Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised
among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house,
or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born
in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised.
And My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the
uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that
soul shall be cut off from his people. He hath broken My covenant."
And God said unto Abraham,
"As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah
shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her. Yea,
I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of people shall
be of her."
Then Abraham fell upon his face,
and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that
is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?"
And Abraham said unto God, "O
that Ishmael might live before Thee!"
And God said, "Sarah, thy
wife, shall bear thee a son indeed. And thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I
will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his
seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I have blessed
him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve
princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant
will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time
in the next year."
And He left off talking with him,
and God went up from Abraham.
And Abraham took Ishmael his son,
and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money,
every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their
foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety
years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And
Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of
his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the
stranger, were circumcised with him.
And the Lord appeared unto him in
the plains of Mamre. And he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he
lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw
them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the
ground.
And said, "My Lord, if now I
have found favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray Thee, from Thy servant.
Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye
your hearts. After that ye shall pass on, for therefore are ye come to your
servant."
And they said, "So do, as
thou hast said."
And Abraham hastened into the tent
unto Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal,
knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth."
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and
fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man. And he hasted to
dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and
set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
And they said unto him,
"Where is Sarah thy wife?"
And he said, "Behold, in the
tent."
And He said, "I will
certainly return unto thee according to the time of life. And, lo, Sarah thy
wife shall have a son."
And Sarah heard it in the tent
door, which was behind Him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in
age. And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, "After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord
being old also?"
And the Lord said unto Abraham,
"Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I of a surety bear a child,
which am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will
return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a
son."
Then Sarah denied, saying, "I
laughed not," for she was afraid.
And He said, "Nay. But thou
didst laugh."
And the men rose up from thence,
and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
And the Lord said, "Shall I
hide from Abraham that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be
blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and
judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of
him."
And the Lord said, "Because
the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the
cry of it, which is come unto Me. And if not, I will know."
And the men turned their faces
from thence, and went toward Sodom. But Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
And Abraham drew near, and said,
"Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there
be fifty righteous within the city. Wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the
place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee to do
after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked. And that the
righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee. Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do right?"
And the Lord said, "If I find
in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for
their sakes."
And Abraham answered and said,
"Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but
dust and ashes. Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous. Wilt
Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?"
And He said, "If I find there
forty and five, I will not destroy it."
And he spake unto Him yet again,
and said, "Peradventure there shall be forty found there."
And He said, "I will not do
it for forty’s sake."
And he said unto Him, "Oh let
not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be
found there."
And He said, "I will not do
it, if I find thirty there."
And he said, "Behold now, I
have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there shall be twenty
found there."
And He said, "I will not
destroy it for twenty’s sake."
And he said, "Oh let not the
Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten shall be
found there."
And He said, "I will not
destroy it for ten’s sake."
And the Lord went His way, as soon
as He had left communing with Abraham. And Abraham returned unto his place.
And there came two angels to Sodom
at even. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot seeing them rose up to meet
them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
And he said, "Behold now, my
lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and
wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways."
And they said, "Nay. But we
will abide in the street all night."
And he pressed upon them greatly.
And they turned in unto him, and entered into his house. And he made them a
feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
But before they lay down, the men
of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and
young, all the people from every quarter.
And they called unto Lot, and said
unto him, "Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them
out unto us, that we may know them."
And Lot went out at the door unto
them, and shut the door after him.
And said, "I pray you,
brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not
known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is
good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they
under the shadow of my roof."
And they said, "Stand
back," and they said again, "This one fellow came in to sojourn, and
he will needs be a judge. Now will we deal worse with thee, than with
them."
And they pressed sore upon the
man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their
hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they
smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and
great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
And the men said unto Lot,
"Hast thou here any besides? Son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters,
and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place. For we will
destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of
the Lord. And the Lord hath sent us to destroy it."
And Lot went out, and spake unto
his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, "Up, get you out
of this place. For the Lord will destroy this city."
But he seemed as one that mocked
unto his sons-in-law.
And when the morning arose, then
the angels hastened Lot, saying, "Arise, take thy wife, and thy two
daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the
city."
And while he lingered, the men
laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of
his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him. And they brought him
forth, and set him without the city.
And it came to pass, when they had
brought them forth abroad, that he said, "Escape for thy life. Look not
behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest
thou be consumed."
And Lot said unto them, "Oh,
not so, my Lord. Behold now, Thy servant hath found grace in Thy sight, and
Thou hast magnified Thy mercy, which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my
life. And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die.
Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh, let me
escape thither (is it not a little one?). And my soul shall live."
And he said unto him, "See, I
have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this
city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither. For I cannot
do anything till thou be come thither."
Therefore the name of the city was
called Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth
when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah
brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And He overthrew those cities,
and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew
upon the ground.
But his wife looked back from
behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
And Abraham got up early in the
morning to the place where he stood before the Lord. And he looked toward Sodom
and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the
smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
And it came to pass, when God
destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot
out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in the which
Lot dwelt.
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and
dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him. For he feared to dwell
in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
And the firstborn said unto the
younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come
in unto us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father
drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our
father."
And they made their father drink
wine that night. And the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. And he
perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
And it came to pass on the morrow,
that the firstborn said unto the younger, "Behold, I lay yesternight with
my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also. And go thou in, and lie
with him, that we may preserve seed of our father."
And they made their father drink
wine that night also. And the younger arose, and lay with him. And he perceived
not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
Thus were both the daughters of
Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his
name Moab. The same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the
younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi. The same is the
father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
And Abraham journeyed from thence
toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in
Gerar.
And Abraham said of Sarah his
wife, "She is my sister."
And Abimelech king of Gerar sent,
and took Sarah.
But God came to Abimelech in a
dream by night, and said to him, "Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the
woman which thou hast taken. For she is a man’s wife."
But Abimelech had not come near
her. And he said, "Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he
not unto me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my
brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done
this."
And God said unto him in a dream,
"Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart. For I
also withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to
touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife. For he is a prophet, and he
shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know
thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine."
Therefore Abimelech rose early in
the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their
ears. And the men were sore afraid.
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and
said unto him, "What hast thou done unto us? And what have I offended
thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast
done deeds unto me that ought not to be done."
And Abimelech said unto Abraham,
"What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?"
And Abraham said, "Because I
thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place. And they will slay me for
my wife’s sake. And yet indeed she is my sister. She is the daughter of my
father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. And it came
to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto
her, ‘This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me. At every place
whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.’"
And Abimelech took sheep, and
oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and
restored him Sarah his wife.
And Abimelech said, "Behold,
my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleaseth thee."
And unto Sarah he said,
"Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, he
is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all
other."
Thus, she was reproved.
So Abraham prayed unto God. And
God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants. And they bare
children. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of
Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
And the Lord visited Sarah as He
had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived,
and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken
to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom
Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight
days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when
his son Isaac was born unto him.
And Sarah said, "God hath
made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me."
And she said, "Who would have
said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? For I have born
him a son in his old age."
And the child grew, and was
weaned. And Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Wherefore she said unto Abraham,
"Cast out this bondwoman and her son. For the son of this bondwoman shall
not be heir with my son, even with Isaac."
And the thing was very grievous in
Abraham’s sight because of his son.
And God said unto Abraham,
"Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of
thy bondwoman. In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice.
For in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman
will I make a nation, because he is thy seed."
And Abraham rose up early in the
morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting
it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and
wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water was spent in the
bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat
her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot.
For she said, "Let me not see
the death of the child."
And she sat over against him, and
lift up her voice, and wept.
And God heard the voice of the
lad.
And the angel of God called to
Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, "What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear
not. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the
lad, and hold him in thine hand. For I will make him a great nation."
And God opened her eyes, and she
saw a well of water. And she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave
the lad drink. And God was with the lad. And he grew, and dwelt in the
wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And
his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
And it came to pass at that time,
that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham,
saying, "God is with thee in all that thou doest. Now therefore swear unto
me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor
with my son’s son. But according to the kindness that I have done unto thee,
thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned."
And Abraham said, "I will
swear."
And Abraham reproved Abimelech
because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken
away.
And Abimelech said, "I wot
not who hath done this thing. Neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I
of it, but today."
And Abraham took sheep and oxen,
and gave them unto Abimelech. And both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set
seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
And Abimelech said unto Abraham,
"What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?"
And he said, "For these seven
ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that
I have digged this well."
Wherefore he called that place
Beer-sheba, because there they sware both of them. Thus they made a covenant at
Beer-sheba. Then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host,
and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
And Abraham planted a grove in
Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. And
Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.
And it came to pass after these things, that God
did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, "Abraham."
And he said, "Behold, here I am."
And He said, "Take now thy son, thine only
son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah. And offer
him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee
of."
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and
clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of
which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
saw the place afar off.
And Abraham said unto his young men, "Abide
ye here with the ass. And I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come
again to you."
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering,
and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife.
And they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and
said, "My father."
And he said, "Here am I, my son."
And he said, "Behold the fire and the wood.
But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide
Himself a lamb for a burnt offering."
So they went both of them together. And they came
to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar there, and
laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon
the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son.
And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of
heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "Lay not thine hand upon the
lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God,
seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me."
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and
behold, behind him, a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went
and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son.
And Abraham called the name of that place
Jehovah-jireh, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord it
shall be seen."
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out
of heaven the second time, and said, "By Myself have I sworn, saith the
Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will
multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
sea shore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed My voice."
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they
rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
And it came to pass after these things, that it
was told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children
unto thy brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the
father of Aram, and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and
Bethuel."
And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight Milcah did
bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she
bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty
years old. These were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in
Kirjath-arba, the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to
mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and
spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, "I am a stranger and a sojourner with
you. Give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead
out of my sight."
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying
unto him, "Hear us, my lord. Thou art a mighty prince among us. In the
choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his
sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead."
And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the
people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
And he communed with them, saying, "If it be
your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for
me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which
he hath, which is in the end of his field. For as much money as it is worth he
shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you."
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth.
And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the
audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his
city, saying, "Nay, my lord, hear me. The field give I thee, and the cave
that is therein, I give it thee. In the presence of the sons of my people give
I it thee. Bury thy dead."
And Abraham bowed down himself before the people
of the land.
And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the
people of the land, saying, "But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear
me. I will give thee money for the field. Take it of me, and I will bury my
dead there."
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
"My lord, hearken unto me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of
silver. What is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead."
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron. And Abraham
weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of
Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah,
which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the
trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were
made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of
Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in
the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, the same is Hebron in the land
of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto
Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age.
And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his
house, that ruled over all that he had, "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under
my thigh. And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the
God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters
of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my country, and
to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."
And the servant said unto him, "Peradventure
the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Must I needs bring
thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?"
And Abraham said unto him, "Beware thou that
thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from
my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me,
and that sware unto me, saying, ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land,’ He shall
send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear
from this my oath. Only bring not my son thither again."
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of
Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of
his master, and departed. For all the goods of his master were in his hand. And
he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his
camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the
evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
And he said, "O Lord God of my master
Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my
master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of
the men of the city come out to draw water. And let it come to pass, that the
damsel to whom I shall say, ‘Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may
drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also,’ let
the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall
I know that Thou hast showed kindness unto my master."
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking,
that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the
wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the
damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. And
she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
And the servant ran to meet her, and said,
"Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher."
And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she
hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
And when she had done giving him drink, she said,
"I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done
drinking."
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the
trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
And the man wondering at her held his peace, to
wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
And it came to pass, as the camels had done
drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two
bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, and said, "Whose
daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father’s house
for us to lodge in?"
And she said unto him, "I am the daughter of
Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor."
She said moreover unto him, "We have both
straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped
the Lord.
And he said, "Blessed be the Lord God of my
master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of His mercy and His
truth. I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s
brethren."
And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s
house these things.
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was
Laban. And Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and
bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his
sister, saying, "Thus spake the man unto me," that he came unto the
man.
And, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
And he said, "Come in, thou blessed of the
Lord. Wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared the house, and room
for the camels."
And the man came into the house. And he ungirded
his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his
feet, and the men’s feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him
to eat.
But he said, "I will not eat, until I have
told mine errand."
And he said, "Speak on."
And he said, "I am Abraham’s servant. And
the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become great. And He hath
given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and
maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to
my master when she was old. And unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my
master made me swear, saying, ‘Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the
daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my father’s
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.’ And I said unto my
master, ‘Peradventure the woman will not follow me.’ And he said unto me, ‘The
Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with thee, and prosper thy way.
And thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house.
Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred. And
if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.’ And I came this
day unto the well, and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do
prosper my way which I go, behold, I stand by the well of water. And it shall
come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to
her, ‘Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink,’ and she
say to me, ‘Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels,’ let the same
be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.’ And before
I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher
on her shoulder. And she went down unto the well, and drew water. And I said
unto her, ‘Let me drink, I pray thee.’ And she made haste, and let down her
pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink
also.’ So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and
said, ‘Whose daughter art thou?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel,
Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him.’ And I put the earring upon her face,
and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the
Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the
right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. And now if ye
will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I
may turn to the right hand, or to the left."
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said,
"The thing proceedeth from the Lord. We cannot speak unto thee bad or
good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy
master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken."
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant
heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. And the
servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and
gave them to Rebekah. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious
things.
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that
were with him, and tarried all night.
And they rose up in the morning, and he said,
"Send me away unto my master."
And her brother and her mother said, "Let
the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she shall
go."
And he said unto them, "Hinder me not,
seeing the Lord hath prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my
master."
And they said, "We will call the damsel, and
inquire at her mouth."
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her,
"Wilt thou go with this man?"
And she said, "I will go."
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her
nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her,
"Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let
thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode
upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah, and went
his way.
And Isaac came from the way of the well
Lahai-roi, for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in
the field at the eventide. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the
camels were coming.
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw
Isaac, she lighted off the camel, for she had said unto the servant, "What
man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?"
And the servant had said, "It is my
master."
Therefore she took a veil, and covered herself.
And the servant told Isaac all things that he had
done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and
she became his wife. And he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his
mother’s death.
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was
Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and
Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan
were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and
Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of
Keturah.
And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But
unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and
sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east
country.
And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s
life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. Then Abraham gave
up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and
was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the
cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which
is before Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth. There
was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
And it came to pass after the death of Abraham,
that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.
Now these are the generations of Ishmael,
Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham.
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to
their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth, and Kedar, and Adbeel,
and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish,
and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their
towns, and by their castles, twelve princes according to their nations.
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael,
an hundred and thirty and seven years. And he gave up the ghost and died, and
was gathered unto his people. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is
before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. And he died in the presence of all
his brethren.
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s
son. Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to
wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the
Syrian.
And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife,
because she was barren. And the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife
conceived. And the children struggled together within her.
And she said, "If it be so, why am I
thus?"
And she went to inquire of the Lord.
And the Lord said unto her, "Two nations are
in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And
the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall
serve the younger."
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,
behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like
an hairy garment. And they called his name Esau. And after that came his
brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel. And his name was called
Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
And the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter,
a man of the field. And Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac
loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison. But Rebekah loved Jacob.
And Jacob sod pottage. And Esau came from the
field, and he was faint.
And Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray
thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint."
Therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy
birthright."
And Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point to
die. And what profit shall this birthright do to me?"
And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day."
And he sware unto him. And he sold his birthright
unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat
and drink, and rose up, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
And there was a famine in the land, beside the
first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech
king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
And the Lord appeared unto him, and said,
"Go not down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee. For unto
thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform
the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. And I will make thy seed to
multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these
countries. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My
statutes, and My laws."
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
And the men of the place asked him of his wife.
And he said, "She is my sister," for he
feared to say, "She is my wife, lest,” said he, “the men of the place
should kill me for Rebekah,” because she was fair to look upon.
And it came to pass, when he had been there a
long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at a window, and
saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
And Abimelech called Isaac, and said,
"Behold, of a surety she is thy wife. And how saidst thou, 'She is my
sister?’"
And Isaac said unto him, "Because I said,
'Lest I die for her.'"
And Abimelech said, "What is this thou hast
done unto us? One of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife, and thou
shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us."
And Abimelech charged all his people, saying,
"He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in
the same year an hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed
great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great. For he had
possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants. And
the Philistines envied him.
For all the wells which his father’s servants had
digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and
filled them with earth.
And Abimelech said unto Isaac, "Go from us.
For thou art much mightier than we."
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent
in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which
they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had
stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the
names by which his father had called them.
And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and
found there a well of springing water.
And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s
herdmen, saying, "The water is ours."
And he called the name of the well Esek, because
they strove with him.
And they digged another well, and strove for that
also. And he called the name of it Sitnah.
And he removed from thence, and digged another
well. And for that they strove not. And he called the name of it Rehoboth.
And he said, "For now the Lord hath made
room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
And the Lord appeared unto him the same night,
and said, "I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with
thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham’s
sake."
And he builded an altar there, and called upon
the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants
digged a well.
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and
Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol, the chief captain of his army.
And Isaac said unto them, "Wherefore come ye
to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?"
And they said, "We saw certainly that the
Lord was with thee. And we said, 'Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even
betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us
no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but
good, and have sent thee away in peace.' Thou art now the blessed of the
Lord."
And he made them a feast, and they did eat and
drink. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another. And
Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s
servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said
unto him, "We have found water."
And he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of
the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife
Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon
the Hittite, which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and
his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau, his eldest son,
and said unto him, "My son."
And he said unto him, "Behold, here am
I."
And he said, "Behold now, I am old, I know
not the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy
quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison, and make
me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, that my
soul may bless thee before I die."
And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his
son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying,
"Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 'Bring me
venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the
Lord before my death.' Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that
which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good
kids of the goats, and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he
loveth. And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may
bless thee before his death."
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,
"Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father
peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver, and I shall
bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing."
And his mother said unto him, "Upon me be
thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch me them."
And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his
mother. And his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah
took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house,
and put them upon Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of
the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. And she gave the
savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son
Jacob.
And he came unto his father, and said, "My
father."
And he said, "Here am I. Who art thou, my
son?"
And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau
thy firstborn. I have done according as thou badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit
and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me."
And Isaac said unto his son, "How is it that
thou hast found it so quickly, my son?"
And he said, "Because the Lord thy God
brought it to me."
And Isaac said unto Jacob, "Come near, I
pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or
not."
And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father. And he
felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the
hands of Esau."
And he discerned him not, because his hands were
hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.
And he said, "Art thou my very son
Esau?"
And he said, "I am."
And he said, "Bring it near to me, and I
will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee." And he brought
it near to him, and he did eat. And he brought him wine, and he drank.
And his father Isaac said unto him, "Come
near now, and kiss me, my son."
And he came near, and kissed him.
And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and
blessed him, and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a
field which the Lord hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the dew of
heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. Let people
serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, and let
thy mother’s sons bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and
blessed be he that blesseth thee."
And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an
end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of
Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
And he also had made savory meat, and brought it
unto his father, and said unto his father, "Let my father arise, and eat
of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me."
And Isaac his father said unto him, "Who art
thou?"
And he said, "I am thy son, thy firstborn
Esau."
And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said,
"Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have
eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be
blessed."
And when Esau heard the words of his father, he
cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father,
"Bless me, even me also, O my father."
And he said, "Thy brother came with
subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing."
And he said, "Is not he rightly named Jacob?
For he hath supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and,
behold, now he hath taken away my blessing."
And he said, "Hast thou not reserved a
blessing for me?"
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau,
"Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to
him for servants, and with corn and wine have I sustained him. And what shall I
do now unto thee, my son?"
And Esau said unto his father, "Hast thou
but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father."
And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,
"Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of
heaven from above. And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother. And it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou
shalt break his yoke from off thy neck."
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing
wherewith his father blessed him.
And Esau said in his heart, "The days of
mourning for my father are at hand. Then will I slay my brother Jacob."
And these words of Esau her elder son were told
to Rebekah.
And she sent and called Jacob her younger son,
and said unto him, "Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth
comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice,
and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran. And tarry with him a few
days, until thy brother’s fury turn away, until thy brother’s anger turn away
from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then I will send,
and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one
day?"
And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my
life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of
Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my
life do me?"
And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and
charged him, and said unto him, "Thou shalt not take a wife of the
daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy
mother’s father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy
mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and
multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people, and give thee the
blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee, that thou mayest
inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto
Abraham."
And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to
Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah,
Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and
sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence, and that as he
blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, "Thou shalt not take a wife of
the daughters of Canaan," and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother,
and was gone to Padan-aram, and Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan
pleased not Isaac his father, then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the
wives which he had Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister
of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went
toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night,
because the sun was set. And he took of the stones of that place, and put them
for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God
ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said,
"I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land
whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall
be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to
the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall
all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will
keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this
land. For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to
thee of."
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said,
"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not."
And he was afraid, and said, "How dreadful
is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven."
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took
the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and
poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel, but
the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will
be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to
eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace,
then shall the Lord be my God. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar,
shall be God’s house. And of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the
tenth unto Thee."
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the
land of the people of the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field,
and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well
they watered the flocks. And a great stone was upon the well’s mouth. And
thither were all the flocks gathered. And they rolled the stone from the well’s
mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in
his place.
And Jacob said unto them, "My brethren,
whence be ye?"
And they said, "Of Haran are we."
And he said unto them, "Know ye Laban the
son of Nahor?"
And they said, "We know him."
And he said unto them, "Is he well?"
And they said, "He is well. And, behold,
Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep."
And he said, "Lo, it is yet high day,
neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the
sheep, and go and feed them."
And they said, "We cannot, until all the
flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s
mouth. Then we water the sheep."
And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came
with her father’s sheep, for she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw
Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban,
his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the
well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother.
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice,
and wept.
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s
brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son. And she ran and told her father.
And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings
of Jacob, his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and
kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
And Laban said to him, "Surely thou art my
bone and my flesh."
And he abode with him the space of a month.
And Laban said unto Jacob, "Because thou art
my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall
thy wages be?"
And Laban had two daughters. The name of the
elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed,
but Rachel was beautiful and well favored.
And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, "I will
serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter."
And Laban said, "It is better that I give
her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me."
And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they
seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
And Jacob said unto Laban, "Give me my wife,
for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her."
And Laban gathered together all the men of the
place, and made a feast.
And it came to pass in the evening, that he took
Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And he went in unto her.
And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah,
his maid, for an handmaid.
And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold,
it was Leah.
And he said to Laban, "What is this thou
hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast
thou beguiled me?"
And Laban said, "It must not be so done in
our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we
will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet
seven other years."
And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he
gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
And Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, Bilhah,
his handmaid, to be her maid.
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved
also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, He
opened her womb. But Rachel was barren.
And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she
called his name Reuben, for she said, "Surely the Lord hath looked upon my
affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me."
And she conceived again, and bare a son, and
said, "Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, He hath therefore
given me this son also."
And she called his name Simeon.
And she conceived again, and bare a son, and
said, "Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have
born him three sons."
Therefore, was his name called Levi.
And she conceived again, and bare a son, and she
said, "Now will I praise the Lord."
Therefore, she called his name Judah, and left
bearing.
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no
children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, "Give me
children, or else I die."
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and
he said, "Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of
the womb?"
And she said, "Behold my maid Bilhah, go in
unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by
her."
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife. And
Jacob went in unto her.
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
And Rachel said, "God hath judged me, and
hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son."
Therefore, called she his name Dan.
And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again, and
bare Jacob a second son.
And Rachel said, "With great wrestlings have
I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed."
And she called his name Naphtali.
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took
Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bare Jacob a son.
And Leah said, "A troop cometh," and
she called his name Gad.
And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bare Jacob a second son.
And Leah said, "Happy am I, for the
daughters will call me blessed," and she called his name Asher.
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and
found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah.
Then Rachel said to Leah, "Give me, I pray
thee, of thy son’s mandrakes."
And she said unto her, "Is it a small matter
that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes
also?"
And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie
with thee tonight for thy son’s mandrakes."
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening,
and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "Thou must come in unto me, for
surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes," and he lay with her
that night.
And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived,
and bare Jacob the fifth son.
And Leah said, "God hath given me my hire,
because I have given my maiden to my husband," and she called his name
Issachar.
And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the
sixth son.
And Leah said, "God hath endued me with a
good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six
sons," and she called his name Zebulun.
And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called
her name Dinah.
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to
her, and opened her womb.
And she conceived, and bare a son, and said,
"God hath taken away my reproach," and she called his name Joseph,
and said, "The Lord shall add to me another son."
And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph,
that Jacob said unto Laban, "Send me away, that I may go unto mine own
place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have
served thee, and let me go. For thou knowest my service which I have done
thee."
And Laban said unto him, "I pray thee, if I
have found favor in thine eyes, tarry. For I have learned by experience that
the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake."
And he said, "Appoint me thy wages, and I
will give it."
And he said unto him, "Thou knowest how I
have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For it was little which thou
hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude. And the Lord
hath blessed thee since my coming. And now when shall I provide for mine own
house also?"
And he said, "What shall I give thee?"
And Jacob said, "Thou shalt not give me
anything. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy
flock. I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence all the
speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the
spotted and speckled among the goats. And of such shall be my hire. So shall my
righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire
before thy face. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats,
and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me."
And Laban said, "Behold, I would it might be
according to thy word."
And he removed that day the he goats that were
ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted,
and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and
gave them into the hands of his sons. And he set three days’ journey betwixt
himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of
the hazel and chestnut tree, and pilled white streaks in them, and made the
white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had pilled
before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came
to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
And the flocks conceived before the rods, and
brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted.
And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the
faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the brown in the flock of
Laban. And he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s
cattle.
And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger
cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in
the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were
feeble, he put them not in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger
Jacob’s.
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much
cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying,
"Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s. And of that which was
our father’s hath he gotten all this glory."
And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and,
behold, it was not toward him as before.
And the Lord said unto Jacob, "Return unto
the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred. And I will be with thee."
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the
field unto his flock, and said unto them, "I see your father’s
countenance, that it is not toward me as before. But the God of my father hath
been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And
your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times. But God suffered
him not to hurt me. If he said thus, ‘The speckled shall be thy wages,’ then
all the cattle bare speckled. And if he said thus, ‘The ringstreaked shall be
thy hire,’ then bare all the cattle ringstreaked. Thus God hath taken away the
cattle of your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time
that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and,
behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstreaked, speckled, and
grizzled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I
said, ‘Here am I.’ And he said, ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams
which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled. For I have
seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou
anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto Me. Now arise, get
thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.’"
And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him,
"Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are
we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured
also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that
is ours, and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee,
do."
Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his
wives upon camels. And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which
he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram,
for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
And Laban went to shear his sheep. And Rachel had
stolen the images that were her father’s.
And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the
Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with all that he had.
And he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount
Gilead.
And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob
was fled. And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’
journey. And they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by
night, and said unto him, "Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either
good or bad."
Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched
his tent in the mount. And Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount Gilead.
And Laban said to Jacob, "What hast thou
done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters,
as captives taken with the sword? Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and
steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away
with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? And hast not suffered
me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt. But the God of your father spake unto
me yesternight, saying, ‘Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either
good or bad.’ And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore
longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my
gods?"
And Jacob answered and said to Laban,
"Because I was afraid. For I said, ‘Peradventure thou wouldest take by
force thy daughters from me.’ With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him
not live. Before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it
to thee." For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s
tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents. But he found them not. Then went he
out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.
Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in
the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but
found them not.
And she said to her father, "Let it not
displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is
upon me." And he searched, but found not the images.
And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban.
And Jacob answered and said to Laban, "What
is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy
household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may
judge betwixt us both. This twenty years have I been with thee. Thy ewes and
thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not
eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee. I bare the loss
of it. Of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by
night. Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night,
and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy
house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for
thy cattle. And thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my
father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely
thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor
of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight."
And Laban answered and said unto Jacob,
"These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and
these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do
this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and let it be for
a witness between me and thee."
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a
pillar.
And Jacob said unto his brethren, "Gather
stones." And they took stones, and made an heap. And they did eat there
upon the heap.
And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob
called it Galeed.
And Laban said, "This heap is a witness
between me and thee this day." Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,
and Mizpah, for he said, "The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are
absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt
take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us. See, God is witness
betwixt me and thee."
And Laban said to Jacob, "Behold this heap,
and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee. This heap be
witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to
thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for
harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge
betwixt us."
And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.
Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and
called his brethren to eat bread. And they did eat bread, and tarried all night
in the mount.
And early in the morning Laban rose up, and
kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and
returned unto his place.
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God
met him.
And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is
God’s host."
And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his
brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
And he commanded them, saying, "Thus shall
ye speak unto my lord Esau, ‘Thy servant Jacob saith thus, ‘I have sojourned
with Laban, and stayed there until now. And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and
menservants, and womenservants. And I have sent to tell my lord, that I may
find grace in thy sight.’’"
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying,
"We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four
hundred men with him."
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.
And he divided the people that was with him, and
the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands, and said, "If Esau
come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left
shall escape."
And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham,
and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, ‘Return unto thy
country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.’ I am not worthy
of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed
unto thy servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am
become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from
the hand of Esau. For I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the
mother with the children. And thou saidst, ‘I will surely do thee good, and
make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude.’"
And he lodged there that same night, and took of
that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother: two hundred she
goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milch
camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten
foals.
And he delivered them into the hand of his
servants, every drove by themselves, and said unto his servants, "Pass
over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove."
And he commanded the foremost, saying, "When
Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, ‘Whose art thou? And
whither goest thou? And whose are these before thee?’ Then thou shalt say,
‘They be thy servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent unto my lord Esau. And,
behold, also he is behind us.’"
And so commanded he the second, and the third,
and all that followed the droves, saying, "On this manner shall ye speak
unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, ‘Behold, thy servant Jacob is
behind us,’" for he said, "I will appease him with the present that
goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face. Peradventure he will accept
of me."
So went the present over before him. And himself
lodged that night in the company.
And he rose up that night, and took his two
wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford
Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he
had. And Jacob was left alone.
And there wrestled a man with him until the
breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he
touched the hollow of his thigh. And the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of
joint, as he wrestled with him.
And he said, "Let me go, for the day
breaketh."
And he said, "I will not let thee go, except
thou bless me."
And he said unto him, "What is thy
name?"
And he said, "Jacob."
And he said, "Thy name shall be called no
more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men,
and hast prevailed."
And Jacob asked him, and said, "Tell me, I
pray thee, thy name."
And he said, "Wherefore is it that thou dost
ask after my name?" and he blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,
for, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon
him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore, the children of Israel eat not of
the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day,
because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and,
behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children
unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the
handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and
Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself
to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to
meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And they wept.
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and
the children, and said, "Who are those with thee?"
And he said, "The children which God hath
graciously given thy servant."
Then the handmaidens came near, they and their
children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also with her children came near,
and bowed themselves. And after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed
themselves.
And he said, "What meanest thou by all this
drove which I met?"
And he said, "These are to find grace in the
sight of my lord."
And Esau said, "I have enough, my brother.
Keep that thou hast unto thyself."
And Jacob said, "Nay, I pray thee, if now I
have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand. For
therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou
wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee,
because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough."
And he urged him, and he took it.
And he said, "Let us take our journey, and
let us go, and I will go before thee."
And he said unto him, "My lord knoweth that
the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me. And
if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I
pray thee, pass over before his servant. And I will lead on softly, according
as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I
come unto my lord unto Seir."
And Esau said, "Let me now leave with thee
some of the folk that are with me."
And he said, "What needeth it? Let me find
grace in the sight of my lord."
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an
house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is
called Succoth.
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem,
which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram, and pitched his
tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread
his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an
hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it
El-elohe-Israel.
And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare
unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son
of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with
her, and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and
he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying,
"Get me this damsel to wife."
And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his
daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field. And Jacob held his
peace until they were come.
And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto
Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when
they heard it. And the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he
had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, which thing ought
not to be done.
And Hamor communed with them, saying, "The
soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you give her him to
wife. And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take
our daughters unto you. And ye shall dwell with us. And the land shall be
before you. Dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein."
And Shechem said unto her father, and unto her
brethren, "Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I
will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye
shall say unto me. But give me the damsel to wife."
And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor,
his father, deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,
and they said unto them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to
one that is uncircumcised. For that were a reproach unto us. But in this will
we consent unto you. If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be
circumcised, then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your
daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But
if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised, then will we take our
daughter, and we will be gone."
And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem,
Hamor’s son. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had
delight in Jacob’s daughter. And he was more honorable than all the house of
his father.
And Hamor and Shechem, his son, came unto the
gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
"These men are peaceable with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land,
and trade therein. For the land, behold, it is large enough for them. Let us
take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only
herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if
every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. Shall not their
cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? Only let us
consent unto them, and they will dwell with us."
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem, his son,
hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city. And every male was
circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
And it came to pass on the third day, when they
were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren,
took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
And they slew Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took
Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and
spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep,
and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which
was in the field, and all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their
wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Ye have
troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the
Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I being few in number, they shall gather
themselves together against me, and slay me. And I shall be destroyed, I and my
house."
And they said, "Should he deal with our
sister as with an harlot?"
And God said unto Jacob, "Arise, go up to
Bethel, and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto
thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother."
Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all
that were with him, "Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be
clean, and change your garments. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel. And I
will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress,
and was with me in the way which I went."
And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods
which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears. And
Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
And they journeyed. And the terror of God was
upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the
sons of Jacob.
So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of
Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built
there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el, because there God appeared
unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was
buried beneath Bethel under an oak. And the name of it was called
Allon-bachuth.
And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came
out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.
And God said unto him, "Thy name is Jacob.
Thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name,"
and He called his name Israel.
And God said unto him, "I am God Almighty.
Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall be of thee,
and kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and
Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the
land."
And God went up from him in the place where He
talked with him.
And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He
talked with him, even a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering
thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place
where God spake with him, Bethel.
And they journeyed from Bethel. And there was but
a little way to come to Ephrath. And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour,
that the midwife said unto her, "Fear not, thou shalt have this son
also."
And it came to pass, as her soul was in
departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni. But his father
called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath,
which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar
of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond
the tower of Edar. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that
Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard it.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
The sons of Leah, Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and
Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin.
And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, Dan
and Naphtali.
And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, Gad and
Asher.
These are the sons of Jacob, which were born to
him in Padan-aram.
And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre,
unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
And the days of Isaac were an hundred and
fourscore years. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto
his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Now these are the generations of Esau, who is
Edom.
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan.
Adah, the daughter of Elon, the Hittite, and Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah,
the daughter of Zibeon, the Hivite, and Bashemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister
of Nebajoth.
And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz. And Bashemath bare
Reuel. And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These are the sons of
Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.
And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his
daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his
beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan, and went
into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more
than that they might dwell together. And the land wherein they were strangers
could not bear them because of their cattle. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir.
Esau is Edom.
And these are the generations of Esau, the father
of the Edomites in mount Seir. These are the names of Esau’s sons. Eliphaz, the
son of Adah, the wife of Esau. Reuel, the son of Bashemath, the wife of Esau.
And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho,
and Gatam, and Kenaz.
And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son.
And she bare to Eliphaz Amalek. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
And these are the sons of Reuel. Nahath, and
Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Bashemath, Esau’s wife.
And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the
daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife. And she bare to Esau
Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
These were the dukes of the sons of Esau, the
sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau. Duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho,
duke Kenaz, duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek. These are the dukes that
came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Adah.
And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son. Duke
Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah. These are the dukes that came of
Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Bashemath, Esau’s wife.
And these are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s
wife. Duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah. These were the dukes that came of
Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.
These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and
these are their dukes.
These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, who
inhabited the land. Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and
Ezer, and Dishan. These are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in
the land of Edom.
And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam.
And Lotan’s sister was Timna.
And the children of Shobal were these: Alvan, and
Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
And these are the children of Zibeon, both Ajah,
and Anah. This was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed
the asses of Zibeon, his father.
And the children of Anah were these: Dishon, and
Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
And these are the children of Dishon. Hemdan, and
Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
The children of Ezer are these: Bilhan, and
Zaavan, and Akan.
The children of Dishan are these: Uz, and Aran.
These are the dukes that came of the Horites.
Duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke
Dishan. These are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of
Seir.
And these are the kings that reigned in the land
of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.
And Bela, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom. And
the name of his city was Dinhabah.
And Bela died. And Jobab, the son of Zerah of
Bozrah, reigned in his stead.
And Jobab died. And Husham, of the land of
Temani, reigned in his stead.
And Husham died. And Hadad, the son of Bedad, who
smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead. And the name of his
city was Avith.
And Hadad died. And Samlah, of Masrekah, reigned
in his stead.
And Samlah died. And Saul, of Rehoboth, by the
river, reigned in his stead.
And Saul died. And Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor,
reigned in his stead.
And Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, died. And
Hadar reigned in his stead. And the name of his city was Pau. And his wife’s
name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
And these are the names of the dukes that came of
Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names. Duke
Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, duke
Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These be the dukes of
Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. He is
Esau, the father of the Edomites.
And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father
was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being
seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the lad was
with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and
Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his
children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many
colours.
And when his brethren saw that their father loved
him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably
unto him.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his
brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
And he said unto them, "Hear, I pray you,
this dream which I have dreamed. For behold, we were binding sheaves in the
field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright, and behold, your
sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."
And his brethren said to him, "Shalt thou
indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?"
And they hated him yet the more for his dreams,
and for his words.
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his
brethren, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed a dream more, and behold, the
sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me."
And he told it to his father, and to his brethren,
and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, "What is this dream that
thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow
down ourselves to thee to the earth?"
And his brethren envied him, but his father
observed the saying.
And his brethren went to feed their father’s
flock in Shechem.
And Israel said unto Joseph, "Do not thy
brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them."
And he said to him, "Here am I."
And he said to him, "Go, I pray thee, see
whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and bring me
word again."
So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he
came to Shechem.
And a certain man found him, and behold, he was
wandering in the field, and the man asked him, saying, "What seekest
thou?"
And he said, "I seek my brethren. Tell me, I
pray thee, where they feed their flocks."
And the man said, "They are departed hence, for
I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’"
And Joseph went after his brethren, and found
them in Dothan.
And when they saw him afar off, even before he
came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
And they said one to another, "Behold, this
dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some
pit, and we will say, ‘Some evil beast hath devoured him,’ and we shall see
what will become of his dreams."
And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of
their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him."
And Reuben said unto them, "Shed no blood,
but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him,"
that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto
his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors,
that was on him. And they took him, and cast him into a pit, and the pit was
empty. There was no water in it.
And they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted
up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead
with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to
Egypt.
And Judah said unto his brethren, "What
profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us
sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our
brother and our flesh."
And his brethren were content.
Then there passed by Midianites, merchantmen. and
they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites
for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.
And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold,
Joseph was not in the pit. And he rent his clothes.
And he returned unto his brethren, and said,
"The child is not, and I, whither shall I go?"
And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of
the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.
And they sent the coat of many colours, and they
brought it to their father, and said, "This have we found. Know now
whether it be thy son’s coat or no."
And he knew it, and said, "It is my son’s
coat. An evil beast hath devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent in
pieces."
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth
upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
And all his sons, and all his daughters, rose up
to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I will
go down into the grave unto my son mourning."
Thus, his father wept for him.
And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.
And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went
down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was
Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was
Shuah, and he took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son,
and he called his name Er. And she conceived again, and bare a son, and she
called his name Onan. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son, and called
his name Shelah, and he was at Chezib when she bare him.
And Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn,
whose name was Tamar.
And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the
sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him.
And Judah said unto Onan, "Go in unto thy
brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother."
And Onan knew that the seed should not be his. And
it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on
the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which
he did displeased the Lord. Wherefore, He slew him also.
Then said Judah to Tamar, his daughter-in-law,
"Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah, my son, be grown,"
for he said, "lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did."
And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
And in process of time the daughter of Shuah,
Judah’s wife, died. And Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers
to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
And it was told Tamar, saying, "Behold, thy
father-in-law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep."
And she put her widow’s garments off from her,
and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place,
which is by the way to Timnath, for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was
not given unto him to wife.
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an
harlot, because she had covered her face.
And he turned unto her by the way, and said,
"Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee," (for he knew not that
she was his daughter-in-law.)
And she said, "What wilt thou give me, that
thou mayest come in unto me?"
And he said, "I will send thee a kid from
the flock."
And she said, "Wilt thou give me a pledge,
till thou send it?"
And he said, "What pledge shall I give
thee?"
And she said, "Thy signet, and thy
bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand."
And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she
conceived by him. And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her,
and put on the garments of her widowhood.
And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend,
the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he found her
not.
Then he asked the men of that place, saying,
"Where is the harlot, that was openly by the wayside?"
And they said, "There was no harlot in this
place."
And he returned to Judah, and said, "I
cannot find her. And also, the men of the place said that there was no harlot
in this place."
And Judah said, "Let her take it to her,
lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her."
And it came to pass, about three months after,
that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, thy daughter-in-law, hath played
the harlot. And also, behold, she is with child by whoredom."
And Judah said, "Bring her forth, and let
her be burnt."
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law,
saying, "By the man, whose these are, am I with child."
And she said, "Discern, I pray thee, whose
are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff."
And Judah acknowledged them, and said, "She
hath been more righteous than I, because that I gave her not to Shelah, my
son."
And he knew her again no more.
And it came to pass in the time of her travail,
that behold, twins were in her womb.
And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the
one put out his hand, and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet
thread, saying, "This came out first."
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand,
that behold, his brother came out.
And she said, "How hast thou broken forth?
This breach be upon thee."
Therefore his name was called Pharez.
And afterward came out his brother, that had the
scarlet thread upon his hand, and his name was called Zarah.
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him
of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.
And the Lord was with Joseph. And he was a
prosperous man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his
master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did
to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him.
And he made him overseer over his house. And all that he had, he put into his
hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had
made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed
the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. And the blessing of the Lord was upon
all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in
Joseph’s hand. And he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat.
And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored.
And it came to pass after these things, that his
master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."
But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife,
"Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath
committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than
I. Neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his
wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day
by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And
it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his
business. And there was none of the men of the house there within.
And she caught him by his garment, saying,
"Lie with me."
And he left his garment in her hand, and fled,
and got him out.
And it came to pass, when she saw that he had
left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men
of her house, and spake unto them, saying, "See, he hath brought in an
Hebrew unto us to mock us. He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with
a loud voice. And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and
cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out."
And she laid up his garment by her, until his
lord came home.
And she spake unto him according to these words,
saying, "The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto
me to mock me. And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he
left his garment with me, and fled out."
And it came to pass, when his master heard the
words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, "After this manner
did thy servant to me," that his wrath was kindled.
And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into
the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound. And he was there in
the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him
favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison
committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. And
whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked
not to anything that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him, and
that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
And it came to pass after these things, that the
butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord, the king of
Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of
the butlers and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the
house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was
bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served
them. And they continued a season in ward.
And they dreamed a dream, both of them, each man
his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream,
the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
And Joseph came in unto them in the morning and looked upon them, and behold,
they were sad.
And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with
him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, “Wherefore look ye so sadly
today?”
And they said unto him, “We have dreamed a dream,
and there is no interpreter of it.”
And Joseph said unto them, “Do not
interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.”
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and
said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me. And in the vine were
three branches. And it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth,
and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharaoh’s cup was in my
hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the
cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
And Joseph said unto him, “This is the
interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. Yet within three days
shall Pharaoh lift up thine head and restore thee unto thy place. And thou
shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou
wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show
kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring
me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the
Hebrews. And here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the
dungeon.”
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation
was good, he said unto Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three
white baskets on my head. And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner
of bakemeats for Pharaoh, and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my
head.”
And Joseph answered and said, “This is the
interpretation thereof. The three baskets are three days. Yet within three days
shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee and shall hang thee on a tree. And
the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.”
And it came to pass the third day, which was
Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants. And he lifted
up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And
he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he gave the cup
into Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted
to them.
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but
forgat him.
And it came to pass at the end of two full years,
that Pharaoh dreamed. And behold, he stood by the river. And behold, there came
up out of the river seven well-favored kine and fat-fleshed, and they fed in a
meadow. And behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river,
ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the
river. And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven
well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
And he slept and dreamed the second time. And
behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And behold,
seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the
seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and
behold, it was a dream.
And it came to pass in the morning that his
spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and
all the wise men thereof. And Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none
that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying,
“I do remember my faults this day. Pharaoh was wroth with his servants and put
me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker.
And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, we dreamed each man according to
the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, an
Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he
interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he did
interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was. Me he
restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.”
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself and changed his
raiment and came in unto Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “I have dreamed a
dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And I have heard say of thee,
that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.”
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not
in me. God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “In my dream,
behold, I stood upon the bank of the river. And behold, there came up out of
the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored, and they fed in a meadow.
And behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and
lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the
lean and the ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine. And when
they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they
were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream,
and behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good. And behold, seven
ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. And
the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I told this unto the magicians,
but there was none that could declare it to me.”
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, “The dream of
Pharaoh is one. God hath showed Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good
kine are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. The dream is
one. And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven
years, and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years
of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh. What God is
about to do He showeth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty
throughout all the land of Egypt. And there shall arise after them seven years
of famine, and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt. And the
famine shall consume the land. And the plenty shall not be known in the land by
reason of that famine following, for it shall be very grievous. And for that
the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is
established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let
Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land and take up the
fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them
gather all the food of those good years that come and lay up corn under the
hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be
for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the
land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.”
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and
in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, “Can we find
such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “Forasmuch as God
hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou
shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be
ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “See, I have set
thee over all the land of Egypt.”
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and
put it upon Joseph’s hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a
gold chain about his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which
he had, and they cried before him, “Bow the knee!” and he made him ruler over
all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and
without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah,
and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On. And
Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood
before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh
and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
And in the seven plenteous years, the earth
brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years
which were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities. The food of
the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph
gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering, for
it was without number.
And unto Joseph were born two sons before the
years of famine came, which Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On,
bare unto him.
And Joseph called the name of the firstborn
Manasseh, “For God,” said he, “hath made me forget all my toil and all my
father’s house.”
And the name of the second called he Ephraim,
“For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
And the seven years of plenteousness that was in
the land of Egypt were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come,
according as Joseph had said. And the dearth was in all lands, but in all the
land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the
people cried to Pharaoh for bread.
And Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, “Go unto
Joseph. What he saith to you, do.”
And the famine was over all the face of the
earth. And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold unto the Egyptians. And
the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt
to Joseph for to buy corn, because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt,
Jacob said unto his sons, “Why do ye look one upon another?”
And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is
corn in Egypt. Get you down thither and buy for us from thence, that we may
live and not die.”
And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn
in Egypt.
But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not
with his brethren, for he said, “Lest peradventure mischief befall him.”
And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among
those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the
governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land.
And Joseph’s brethren came and bowed down themselves before him with their
faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made
himself strange unto them and spake roughly unto them.
And he said unto them, “Whence come ye?”
And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy
food.”
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not
him.
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed
of them and said unto them, “Ye are spies. To see the nakedness of the land ye
are come.”
And they said unto him, “Nay, my lord, but to buy
food are thy servants come. We are all one man’s sons. We are true men. Thy
servants are no spies.”
And he said unto them, “Nay, but to see the
nakedness of the land ye are come.”
And they said, “Thy servants are twelve brethren,
the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. And behold, the youngest is this day
with our father, and one is not.”
And Joseph said unto them, “That is it that I
spake unto you, saying, ‘Ye are spies.’ Hereby ye shall be proved. By the life
of Pharaoh, ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come
hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept
in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you. Or
else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies.”
And he put them all together into ward three
days.
And Joseph said unto them the third day, “This
do, and live, for I fear God. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be
bound in the house of your prison. Go ye, carry corn for the famine of your
houses. But bring your youngest brother unto me. So shall your words be
verified, and ye shall not die,” and they did so.
And they said one to another, “We are verily
guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he
besought us, and we would not hear. Therefore is this distress come upon us.”
And Reuben answered them, saying, “Spake I not
unto you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the child,’ and ye would not hear?
Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.”
And they knew not that Joseph understood them,
for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them
and wept, and returned to them again and communed with them and took from them
Simeon and bound him before their eyes.
And Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with
corn and to restore every man’s money into his sack and to give them provision
for the way. And thus did he unto them.
And they laded their asses with the corn and
departed thence. And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender
in the inn, he espied his money, for behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.
And he said unto his brethren, “My money is
restored, and lo, it is even in my sack.”
And their heart failed them, and they were
afraid, saying one to another, “What is this that God hath done unto us?”
And they came unto Jacob their father unto the
land of Canaan and told him all that befell unto them, saying, “The man, who is
the lord of the land, spake roughly to us and took us for spies of the country.
And we said unto him, ‘We are true men. We are no spies. We be twelve brethren,
sons of our father. One is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in
the land of Canaan.’ And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, ‘Hereby
shall I know that ye are true men. Leave one of your brethren here with me, and
take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your
youngest brother unto me. Then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye
are true men. So will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the
land.’”
And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks,
that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when both they
and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
And Jacob their father said unto them, “Me have
ye bereaved of my children. Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take
Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, “Slay
my two sons if I bring him not to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will
bring him to thee again.”
And he said, “My son shall not go down with you,
for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the
way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to
the grave.”
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