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GENESIS
CHAPTER
1
1
¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep:
and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the
darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day.
6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let
it divide the waters from the waters.
7 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.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was
morning, a second day.
9 ¶ 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.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters
called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, [and] fruit
tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth:
and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and
tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind: and God saw
that it was good.
13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 ¶ 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:
15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon
the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the
lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 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.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 ¶ And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature
that hath life, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of
heaven.
21 And God created the great sea–monsters, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kinds, and every
winged fowl after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters
in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its
kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind: and it
was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after
their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and
God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ 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.
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them.
28 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.
29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding 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:
30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every
thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every
green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 ¶ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
CHAPTER
2
1 ¶ And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested
on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: because that in it he rested
from all his work which God had created and made.
4 ¶ These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were
created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.
5 And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had
yet sprung up: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and
there was not a man to till the ground;
6 but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the
ground.
7 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.
8 ¶ And the LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the
man whom he had formed.
9 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 the knowledge of good and evil.
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was
parted, and became four heads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon: that is it which compasseth the whole land
of Havilah, where there is gold;
12 and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the
whole land of Cush.
14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front
of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress
it and to keep it.
16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden
thou mayest freely eat:
17 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.
18 ¶ And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every
fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them:
and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to
every beast of the field; but for man there was not found an help meet for him.
21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept;
and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:
22 and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and
brought her unto the man.
23 And the man 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.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
CHAPTER
3
1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil 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 any tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden
we may eat:
3 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.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with
her, and he did eat.
7 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.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of
the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD
God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was
naked; and I hid myself.
11 ¶ 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?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of
the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 ¶ And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,
cursed art thou 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:
15 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.
16 ¶ 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.
17 ¶ 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 toil shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life;
18 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the
herb of the field;
19 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.
20 ¶ And the man called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of
all living.
21 ¶ And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and
clothed them.
22 ¶ 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 for ever:
23 therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the
ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the
Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of
the tree of life.
CHAPTER
4
1 ¶ And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said,
I have gotten a man with [the help of] the LORD.
2 And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain
was a tiller of the ground.
3 ¶ And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 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:
5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth,
and his countenance fell.
6 ¶ And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance
fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well,
sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule
over him.
8 ¶ And Cain told 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.
9 ¶ And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know
not: am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth
unto me from the ground.
11 And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to
receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her
strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.
13 ¶ And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and
from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the
earth; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall
be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, lest any
finding him should smite him.
16 ¶ And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of
Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 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.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat
Methushael: and Methushael begat Lamech.
19 ¶ And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the
name of the other Zillah.
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and [have]
cattle.
21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle
the harp and pipe.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal–cain, the forger of every cutting
instrument of brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal–cain was Naamah.
23 ¶ 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 for wounding me, And a
young man for bruising me:
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
25 ¶ And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name
Seth: For, [said she], God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for
Cain slew him.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh:
then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
CHAPTER
5
1 ¶ This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created
man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam,
in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own
likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 and the days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years: and he
begat sons and daughters.
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he
died.
6 ¶ And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enosh:
7 and Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat
sons and daughters:
8 and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
9 And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan:
10 and Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and
begat sons and daughters:
11 and all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12 And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel:
13 and Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and
begat sons and daughters:
14 and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15 And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16 And Mahalalel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and
begat sons and daughters:
17 and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and
he died.
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch:
19 and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 ¶ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and
begat sons and daughters:
23 and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
25 ¶ And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
26 and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two
years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he
died.
28 ¶ And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29 and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us for our work
and for the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and
begat sons and daughters:
31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he
died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
CHAPTER
6
1 ¶ And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground,
and daughters were born unto them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they
took them wives of all that they chose.
3 ¶ And the LORD said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that
he also is flesh: yet shall his days be an hundred and twenty years.
4 ¶ The Nephilim were 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 were the mighty men which were of old, the men of renown.
5 And the LORD 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.
6 ¶ And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved
him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
ground; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it
repeateth me that I have made them.
8 ¶ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, [and] perfect in
his generations: Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 ¶ And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence.
12 And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had
corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 ¶ 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.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt
pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred
cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it
upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower,
second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17 And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all
flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; every thing that is in
the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark,
thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
19 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.
20 Of the fowl after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every
creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto
thee, to keep them alive.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and
it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 ¶ Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
CHAPTER
7
1 ¶ 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.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his
female; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his female;
3 of the fowl also of the air, seven and seven, male and female: to keep seed
alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and
forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off
the face of the ground.
5 ¶ And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the
earth.
7 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.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every
thing that creepeth upon the ground,
9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God
commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were
upon the earth.
11 ¶ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the
great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 ¶ 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;
14 they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind,
and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every
fowl after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is
the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded
him: and the LORD shut him in.
17 ¶ 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.
18 And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark
went upon the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high
mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21 ¶ And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and
beast, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was
in the dry land, died.
23 And every living thing was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground,
both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were
destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in
the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
CHAPTER
8
1 ¶ And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that
were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the
waters assuaged;
2 the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the
rain from heaven was restrained;
3 and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of
an hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
4 ¶ And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
5 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.
6 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window
of the ark which he had made:
7 and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were
dried up from off the earth.
8 And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off
the face of the ground;
9 but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him
to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth
his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark.
10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of
the ark;
11 and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive leaf
pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned
not again unto him any more.
13 ¶ And it came to pass in the six hundred 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 dried.
14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the
earth dry.
15 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives
with thee.
17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both
fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that
they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the
earth.
18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with
him:
19 every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, whatsoever moveth upon the
earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.
20 ¶ 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.
21 And the LORD smelled the sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will
not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, for that the imagination
of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more
every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and
summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
CHAPTER
9
1 ¶ And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 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; with all wherewith the ground teemeth,
and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; as the green herb have I
given you all.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not
eat.
5 And surely your blood, [the blood] of your lives, will I require; at the hand
of every beast will I require it: and at the hand of man, even at the hand of
every man’s brother, will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image
of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth,
and multiply therein.
8 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, the cattle, and
every beast of the earth with you; of all that go out of the ark, even every
beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off
any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to
destroy the earth.
12 ¶ 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:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow
shall be seen in the cloud,
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 ¶ And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth
overspread.
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyard:
21 and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his
tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his
two brethren without.
23 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.
24 ¶ And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto
him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his
servant.
27 God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan
be his servant.
28 ¶ And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
CHAPTER
10
1 ¶ Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem Ham and Japheth:
and unto them were sons born after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and
Meshech, and Tiras.
3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
5 Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after
his tongue; after their families, in their nations.
6 ¶ And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan.
7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca:
and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a
mighty hunter before the LORD.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh,
in the land of Shinar.
11 Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and
Rehoboth–Ir, and Calah,
12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).
13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
14 and Pathrusim, and Casluhim (whence went forth the Philistines), and
Caphtorim.
15 ¶ And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth;
16 and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite;
17 and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite;
18 and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the
families of the Canaanite spread abroad.
19 And the border of the Canaanite was from Zidon, as thou goest toward Gerar,
unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, unto
Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in
their lands, in their nations.
21 ¶ And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother
of Japheth, to him also were children born.
22 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram.
23 And the sons of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
24 And Arpachshad begat Shelah; and Shelah begat Eber.
25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his
days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah;
27 and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah;
28 and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba;
29 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, the mountain
of the east.
31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in
their lands, after their nations.
32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their
nations: and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
CHAPTER
11
1 ¶ And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the
land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 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.
4 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.
5 ¶ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of
men builded.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one
language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden
from them, which they purpose to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another’s speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth:
and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore was 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.
10 ¶ These are the generations of Shem. Shem was an hundred years old, and
begat Arpachshad two years after the flood:
11 and Shem lived after he begat Arpachshad five hundred years, and begat sons
and daughters.
12 And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelah:
13 and Arpachshad lived after he begat Shelah four hundred and three years, and
begat sons and daughters.
14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
15 and Shelah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat
sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
17 and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat
sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
19 and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons
and daughters.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
21 and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat
sons and daughters.
22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
23 and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters.
24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
25 and Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat
sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 ¶ Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and
Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his
nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
29 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.
30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 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.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in
Haran.
CHAPTER
12
1 ¶ Now the LORD said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will shew thee:
2 and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and be thou a blessing:
3 and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse:
and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
4 ¶ So Abram went, 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.
5 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.
6 ¶ And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the oak
of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 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.
8 And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth–el, and
pitched his tent, having Beth–el on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he
builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
10 ¶ And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to
sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land.
11 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:
12 and 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.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy
sake, and that my soul may live because of thee.
14 ¶ And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians
beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman
was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16 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.
17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of
Sarai Abram’s wife.
18 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?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so that I took her to be my wife: now
therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20 And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him: and they brought him on the way,
and his wife, and all that he had.
CHAPTER
13
1 ¶ And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and
Lot with him, into the South.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the South even to Beth–el, unto the place
where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth–el and Ai;
4 unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there
Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 ¶ And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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 are brethren.
9 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 take]
the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 ¶ And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of Jordan, that it
was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like
the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar.
11 So Lot chose him all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they
separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the
Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly.
14 ¶ 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:
15 for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
for ever.
16 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.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it;
for unto thee will I give it.
18 And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are
in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
CHAPTER
14
1 ¶ 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 Goiim,
2 that they 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 (the
same is Zoar).
3 All these joined together in the vale of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they
rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with
him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth–karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the
Emim in Shaveh–kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El–paran, which is by the
wilderness.
7 And they returned, and came to En–mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and smote
all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon–tamar.
8 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 set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim;
9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king
of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five.
10 Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and
Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals,
and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his
goods, and departed.
13 ¶ And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he
dwelt by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner;
and these were confederate with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his
trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far
as Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote
them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot,
and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 ¶ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the
slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of
Shaveh (the same is the King’s Vale).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest
of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of
heaven and earth:
20 and blessed be God Most High, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy
hand. And he gave him a tenth of all.
21 ¶ And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the
goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD,
God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I will not take a thread nor a shoelatchet nor aught that is thine, lest
thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 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.
CHAPTER
15
1 ¶ 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.
2 ¶ And Abram said, O Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,
and he that shall be possessor of my house is Dammesek Eliezer?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my
house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This man shall not be
thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine
heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell
the stars, if thou be able to tell them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed
be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 ¶ 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.
8 And he said, O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 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.
10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half
over against the other: but the birds divided he not.
11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, and Abram drove them away.
12 ¶ And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an
horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 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;
14 and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward
shall they come out with great substance.
15 But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old
age.
16 And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity
of the Amorite is not yet full.
17 ¶ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold
a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
18 In that 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:
19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
CHAPTER
16
1 ¶ Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an
Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from
bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain
children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram
had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to
be his wife.
4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had
conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy
bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the
LORD judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that
which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from
her face.
7 ¶ And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest
thou? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit
thyself under her hands.
10 ¶ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed,
that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and
shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD hath
heard thy affliction.
12 And he shall be [as] a wild–ass among men; his hand [shall be] against
every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the
presence of all his brethren.
13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou art a God that
seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beer–lahai–roi; behold, it is between
Kadesh and Bered.
15 ¶ And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, which
Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
CHAPTER
17
1 ¶ And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram,
and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee
exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 ¶ As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father
of a multitude of nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be
Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and
kings shall come out of thee.
7 ¶ And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after
thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto
thee and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy
sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will
be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou,
and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed
after thee; every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a
token of a covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male
throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money
of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 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.
14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my
covenant.
15 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her
name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will
bless her, and she shall be [a mother of] nations; kings of peoples shall be of
her.
17 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?
18 And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt
call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an
everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
20 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.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee
at this set time in the next year.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 ¶ 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.
24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with
money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
CHAPTER
18
1 ¶ And the LORD appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent
door in the heat of the day;
2 and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him:
and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself
to the earth,
3 and said, My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I
pray thee, from thy servant:
4 let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves
under the tree:
5 and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your heart; after that ye
shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do,
as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly
three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it
unto the servant; and he hasted to dress it.
8 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.
9 ¶ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in
the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round;
and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door,
which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to
be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have
pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of
a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the set time I will return unto thee,
when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said,
Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16 ¶ And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went
with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do;
18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his
household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and
judgment; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath
spoken of him.
20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and
because their sin is very grievous;
21 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.
22 And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet
before the LORD.
23 ¶ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the
wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and
not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the
wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee:
shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I
will spare all the place for their sake.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy
all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find
there forty and five.
29 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 the forty’s sake.
30 And he said, 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.
31 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 the twenty’s sake.
32 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 the ten’s sake.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and
Abraham returned unto his place.
CHAPTER
19
1 ¶ And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom:
and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face
to the earth;
2 and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, 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 way. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street
all night.
3 And he urged 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.
4 ¶ But before they lay down, the men of the city, [even] the men of Sodom,
compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every
quarter;
5 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.
6 And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him.
7 And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 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; forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said, 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 drew near to break the door.
10 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and
shut to the door.
11 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.
12 ¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy
sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city; bring them out of
the place:
13 for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before
the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14 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
the city. But he seemed unto his sons in law as one that mocked.
15 ¶ 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.
16 But he lingered; and 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.
17 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.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord:
19 behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast
magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I
cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die:
20 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.
21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also,
that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken.
22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come
thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar.
24 ¶ Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from
the LORD out of heaven;
25 and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of
the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 ¶ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 ¶ And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood
before the LORD:
28 and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the
Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a
furnace.
29 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.
30 ¶ 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.
31 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:
32 come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we
may preserve seed of our father.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in,
and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34 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.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose,
and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the
father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 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.
CHAPTER
20
1 ¶ And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt
between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of
Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3 ¶ But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold,
thou art but a dead man, because of the woman which thou hast taken; for she is
a man’s wife.
4 Now Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a
righteous nation?
5 Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said,
He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and the innocency of my hands
have I done this.
6 And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the integrity of thy
heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me:
therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man’s 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.
8 ¶ And 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.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us?
and wherein have I sinned against 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.
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this
thing?
11 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.
12 And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the
daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
13 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 shew unto me; at
every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14 ¶ And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and menservants and womenservants, and
gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth
thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of
silver: behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee;
and in respect of all thou art righted.
17 And Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his
maidservants; and they bare children.
18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech,
because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
CHAPTER
21
1 ¶ And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as
he had spoken.
2 And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of
which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare
to him, Isaac.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had
commanded him.
5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh; every one that heareth will laugh
with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give
children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age.
8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day
that Isaac was weaned.
9 ¶ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto
Abraham, mocking.
10 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.
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.
12 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 saith unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy
seed.
14 ¶ 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.
15 And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of
the shrubs.
16 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 look upon the death of the child. And she sat
over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 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.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a
great nation.
19 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.
20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and
became an archer.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out
of the land of Egypt.
22 ¶ And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of
his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23 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.
24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which
Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
26 And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou
tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but today.
27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two
made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou
hast set by themselves?
30 And he said, These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be
a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
31 Wherefore he called that place Beer–sheba; because there they sware both of
them.
32 So they made a covenant at Beer–sheba: and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol
the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
33 ¶ And [Abraham] planted a tamarisk tree in Beer–sheba, and called there on
the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
34 And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
CHAPTER
22
1 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and
said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac,
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.
3 ¶ And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of
his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt
offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the
lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his
son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them
together.
7 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?
8 And Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my
son: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him
on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto
him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son, from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind [him] a ram
caught in the 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.
14 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 provided.
15 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 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;
18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou
hast obeyed my voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to
Beer–sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer–sheba.
20 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying,
Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor;
21 Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram;
22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham’s
brother.
24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she also bare Tebah, and Gaham, and
Tahash, and Maacah.
CHAPTER
23
1 ¶ And the life of Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years: these were
the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kiriath–arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan:
and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 ¶ And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spake unto the children of
Heth, saying,
4 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.
5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 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.
7 And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the
children of Heth.
8 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,
9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end
of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a
possession of a buryingplace.
10 Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of 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,
11 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.
12 And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.
13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying,
But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take
it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of
silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 ¶ And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the
silver, which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred
shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
17 So 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 border thereof round about, were made sure
18 unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before
all that went in at the gate of his city.
19 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.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for
a possession of a buryingplace by the children of Heth.
CHAPTER
24
1 ¶ And Abraham was old, [and] well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed
Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all
that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3 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 for my son of the daughters of the
Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my
son Isaac.
5 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?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither
again.
7 The LORD, the God of heaven, that took me from my father’s house, and from
the land of my nativity, and that 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 for my son from thence.
8 And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from
this my oath; only thou shalt not bring my son thither again.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware
to him concerning this matter.
10 ¶ And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and
departed; having all goodly things of his master’s in his hand: and he arose,
and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11 And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at
the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water.
12 And he said, O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray thee, good
speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the
city come out to draw water:
14 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 shewed kindness unto my
master.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came
out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s
brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man
known her: and she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came
up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a
little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon
her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels
also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto
the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man looked stedfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the
LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a
golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten
shekels weight of gold;
23 and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy
father’s house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which
she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room
to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not
forsaken his mercy and his truth toward my master: as for me, the LORD hath led
me in the way to the house of my master’s brethren.
28 And the damsel ran, and told her mother’s house according to these words.
29 ¶ And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto
the man, unto the fountain.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the ring, and the 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 fountain.
31 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.
32 And the man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels; and he gave
straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the men’s
feet that were with him.
33 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.
34 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.
35 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.
36 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.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of
the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 but thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a
wife for my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 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:
41 then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if
they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, O LORD, the God of my master
Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the
maiden which cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say, Give me, I pray thee, a
little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 and she shall 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 for my master’s
son.
45 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 fountain, and drew: and
I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 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.
47 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
ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God
of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s
brother’s daughter for his son.
49 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.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD:
we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy
master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he
bowed himself down to the earth unto the LORD.
53 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.
54 ¶ 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.
55 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.
56 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.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And
she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s
servant, and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister, be thou [the mother]
of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which
hate them.
61 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.
62 ¶ And Isaac came from the way of Beer–lahai–roi; for he dwelt in the
land of the South.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up
his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the
camel.
65 And she said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to
meet us? And the servant said, It is my master: and she took her veil, and
covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67 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.
CHAPTER
25
1 ¶ And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and
Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and
Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah.
All these were the children of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts;
and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the
east country.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an
hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8 And 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.
9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the
field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth: there was Abraham
buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 ¶ And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his
son; and Isaac dwelt by Beer–lahai–roi.
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the
Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13 and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to
their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel,
and Mibsam,
14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa;
15 Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages,
and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations.
17 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.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest
toward Assyria: he abode in the presence of all his brethren.
19 ¶ And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat
Isaac:
20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel
the Syrian of Paddan–aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.
21 And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the
LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so,
wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples
shall be separated even from thy bowels: And the one people shall be stronger
than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in
her womb.
25 And the first came forth red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called
his name Esau.
26 And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau’s
heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she
bare them.
27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and
Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: and Rebekah loved
Jacob.
29 ¶ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint:
30 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.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall the
birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his
birthright unto Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink,
and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.
CHAPTER
26
1 ¶ 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.
2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the
land which I shall tell thee of:
3 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 lands, and I will establish the
oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4 and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy
seed all these lands; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed;
5 because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my
statutes, and my laws.
6 ¶ And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7 and the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister:
for he feared to say, My wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill
me for Rebekah: because she was fair to look upon.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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.
11 And Abimelech charged all the people, saying, He that toucheth this man or
his wife shall surely be put to death.
12 ¶ And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year an hundredfold:
and the LORD blessed him.
13 And the man waxed great, and grew more and more until he became very great:
14 and he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great
household: and the Philistines envied him.
15 Now 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.
16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than
we.
17 And Isaac departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt
there.
18 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.
19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of
springing water.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is
ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they contended with him.
21 And they digged another well, and they strove for that also: and he called
the name of it Sitnah.
22 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.
23 And he went up from thence to Beer–sheba.
24 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.
25 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.
26 ¶ Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol
the captain of his host.
27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore are ye come unto me, seeing ye hate me,
and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw plainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let
there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a
covenant with thee;
29 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.
30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31 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.
32 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.
33 And he called it Shibah: therefore the name of the city is Beer–sheba unto
this day.
34 ¶ And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of
Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
35 and they were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
CHAPTER
27
1 ¶ 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 elder son, and said unto him, My son:
and he said unto him, Here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death.
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go
out to the field, and take me venison;
4 and make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat;
that my soul may bless thee before I die.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field
to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 ¶ And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father
speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee
before the LORD before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and
I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless
thee before his death.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man,
and I am a smooth man.
12 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.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my
voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made
savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took the goodly raiment of Esau her elder son, which were with
her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the
smooth of his neck:
17 and she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the
hand of her son Jacob.
18 ¶ And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I;
who art thou, my son?
19 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.
20 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 sent me good speed.
21 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.
22 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.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother
Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 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.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 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:
28 And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And
plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let peoples 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 every one that blesseth thee.
30 ¶ 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.
31 And he also made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father; and he said
unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy
soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son,
thy firstborn, Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who then 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.
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and
bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 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?
37 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 then shall I do for thee, my son?
38 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.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, of the fatness of
the earth shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother; And it
shall come to pass when thou shalt break loose, That thou shalt shake his yoke
from off thy neck.
41 ¶ 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.
42 And the 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.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my
brother to Haran;
44 and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;
45 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 bereaved of you both in one day?
46 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, of the
daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
CHAPTER
28
1 ¶ 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.
2 Arise, go to Paddan–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.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that
thou mayest be a company of peoples;
4 and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee;
that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto
Abraham.
5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan–aram unto Laban, son of
Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6 ¶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan–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;
7 and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan–aram:
8 and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9 and Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the
daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
10 ¶ And Jacob went out from Beer–sheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the
sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his
head, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 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.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD, the 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;
14 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.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever 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.
16 ¶ And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this
place; and I knew it not.
17 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.
18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put
under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Beth–el: but the name of the city was
Luz at the first.
20 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,
21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then shall the LORD be
my God,
22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and
of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
CHAPTER
29
1 ¶ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the
east.
2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep
lying there by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and the stone
upon the well’s mouth was great.
3 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 its place.
4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran
are we.
5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know
him.
6 And he said unto them, Is it well with him? And they said, It is well: and,
behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
7 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.
8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they
roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.
9 ¶ While he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for
she kept them.
10 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.
11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12 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.
13 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.
14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode
with him the space of a month.
15 ¶ And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou
therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of
the younger was Rachel.
17 And Leah’s eyes were tender; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel
thy younger daughter.
19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give
her to another man: abide with me.
20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few
days, for the love he had to her.
21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I
may go in unto her.
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23 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.
24 And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for an handmaid.
25 And it came to pass in the morning that, 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?
26 And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before
the firstborn.
27 Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the
service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter
to wife.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid.
30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and
served with him yet seven other years.
31 ¶ And the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb: but Rachel
was barren.
32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she
said, Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will
love me.
33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath
heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also: and she
called his name Simeon.
34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my
husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons: therefore was
his name called Levi.
35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, This time will I
praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and she left bearing.
CHAPTER
30
1 ¶ And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her
sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 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?
3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my
knees, and I also may obtain children by her.
4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6 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.
7 And Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and
have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and
gave her to Jacob to wife.
10 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bare Jacob a son.
11 And Leah said, Fortunate! and she called his name Gad.
12 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bare Jacob a second son.
13 And Leah said, Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: and she
called his name Asher.
14 ¶ 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.
15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my
husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said,
Therefore he shall lie with thee to–night for thy son’s mandrakes.
16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him,
and said, Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my
son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son.
18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my
husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob.
20 And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband
dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name
Zebulun.
21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24 and she called his name Joseph, saying, The LORD add to me another son.
25 ¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto
Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go:
for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.
27 And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry]:
[for] I have divined that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle
hath fared with me.
30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased unto
a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned: and now when
shall I provide for mine own house also?
31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me
aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep
it.
32 I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence every speckled
and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and
speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire.
33 So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when thou shalt come
concerning my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and
spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that [if found] with me
shall be counted stolen.
34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
35 And he removed that day the he–goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and
all the she–goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in
it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his
sons;
36 and he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the
rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 ¶ And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the
plane tree; and peeled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which
was in the rods.
38 And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the
gutters in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they
conceived when they came to drink.
39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth
ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the
ringstraked and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves
apart, and put them not unto Laban’s flock.
41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that
Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might
conceive among the rods;
42 but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were
Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and
menservants, and camels and asses.
CHAPTER
31
1 ¶ 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.
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him
as beforetime.
3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy
kindred; and I will be with thee.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
5 and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward
me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me.
6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God
suffered him not to hurt me.
8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bare
speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy wages; then bare all
the flock ringstraked.
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.
10 And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up
mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he–goats which leaped upon the
flock were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.
11 And the angel of God said unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he–goats which leap
upon the flock are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that
Laban doeth unto thee.
13 I am the God of Beth–el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst
a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land
of thy nativity.
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or
inheritance for us in our father’s house?
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite
devoured our money.
16 For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours
and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
17 ¶ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;
18 and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had
gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan–aram, for
to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that
were her father’s.
20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not
that he fled.
21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River,
and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’
journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said unto him,
Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
25 ¶ And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the
mountain: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.
26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away
unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the sword?
27 Wherefore didst thou flee 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;
28 and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done
foolishly.
29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father
spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to
Jacob either good or bad.
30 And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst
after thy father’s house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?
31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Lest
thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force.
32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall 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.
33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent
of the two maidservants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah’s
tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the camel’s furniture,
and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not.
35 And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up
before thee; for the manner of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not
the teraphim.
36 ¶ 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 hotly pursued after
me?
37 Whereas thou hast felt about 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 two.
38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she–goats have
not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten.
39 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.
40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and
my sleep fled from mine eyes.
41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for
thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock: and thou hast changed my wages
ten times.
42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had
been with me, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine
affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
43 ¶ And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters,
and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, 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 borne?
44 And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness
between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and
made an heap: and they did eat there by the heap.
47 And Laban called it Jegar–sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, This heap is witness between me and thee this day. Therefore
was the name of it called Galeed:
49 and Mizpah, for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are
absent one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my
daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I
have set betwixt me and thee.
52 This heap be witness, and the 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.
53 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.
54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat
bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain.
55 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.
CHAPTER
32
1 ¶ And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God’s host: and he called the name
of that place Mahanaim.
3 ¶ And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of
Seir, the field of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau; Thus saith
thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now:
5 and I have oxen, and asses [and] flocks, and menservants ard maidservants: and
I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and
moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people
that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two
companies;
8 and he said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company
which is left shall escape.
9 ¶ And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O
LORD, which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I
will do thee good:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which
thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan;
and now I am become two companies.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau:
for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children.
12 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.
13 ¶ And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a
present for Esau his brother;
14 two hundred she–goats and twenty he–goats, two hundred ewes and twenty
rams,
15 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty
she–asses and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself;
and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove
and drove.
17 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?
18 then thou shalt say, [They be] thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent
unto my lord Esau: and, behold, he also is behind us.
19 And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the
droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him;
20 and ye shall say, 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 me.
21 So the present passed over before him: and he himself lodged that night in
the company.
22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and
his eleven children, and passed over the ford of Jabbok.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that he had.
24 ¶ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the
breaking of the day.
25 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 strained, as he wrestled with
him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let
thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou
hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 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.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, [said he], I have seen
God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he halted upon his
thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon
the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of
Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
CHAPTER
33
1 ¶ 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.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her
children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven
times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed
him: and they wept.
5 ¶ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said,
Who are these with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously
given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed
themselves.
7 And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came
Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said,
To find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough; my brother, let that thou hast be thine.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight,
then receive my present at my hand: forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one
seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my gift 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.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before
thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that
the flocks and herds with me give suck: and if they overdrive them one day, all
the flocks will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on
softly, according to the pace of the cattle that is before me and according to
the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15 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.
16 ¶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
17 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.
18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of
Canaan, when he came from Paddan–aram; and encamped before the city.
19 And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand
of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El–elohe–Israel.
CHAPTER
34
1 ¶ And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see
the daughters of the land.
2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and
he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.
3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel,
and spake kindly unto the damsel.
4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with
his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came.
6 ¶ And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7 And the sons of Jacob came in from 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.
8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for
your daughter: I pray you give her unto him to wife.
9 And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our
daughters unto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade
ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
11 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.
12 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.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and
spake, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,
14 and said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that
is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
15 Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we be, that
every male of you be circumcised;
16 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.
17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our
daughter, and we will be gone.
18 ¶ And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in
Jacob’s daughter: and he was honoured above all the house of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed
with the men of their city, saying,
21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and
trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their
daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22 Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to
become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are
circumcised.
23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only
let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
24 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.
25 ¶ 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 unawares, and slew all the males.
26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took
Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went forth.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had
defiled their sister.
28 They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in
the city, and that which was in the field;
29 and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they
captive and spoiled, even all that was in the house.
30 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 will gather themselves together against me and smite
me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
CHAPTER
35
1 ¶ And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth–el, and dwell there: and
make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the
face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away
the strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your
garments:
3 and let us arise, and go up to Beth–el; 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.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and
the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was
by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed: and a great terror was upon the cities that were round
about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
6 ¶ So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is
Beth–el), he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El–beth–el: because
there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
8 And Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried below Beth–el under
the oak: and the name of it was called Allon–bacuth.
9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan–aram, and
blessed him.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any
more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 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;
12 and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and
to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
13 And God went up from him in the place where he spake with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spake with him, a pillar of
stone: and he poured out a drink offering thereon, and poured oil thereon.
15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth–el.
16 ¶ And they journeyed from Beth–el; and there was still some way to come to
Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto
her, Fear not; for now thou shalt have another son.
18 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.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth–lehem).
20 And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of
Rachel’s grave unto this day.
21 ¶ And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22 And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and
lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard of it. Now the sons
of Jacob were twelve:
23 the sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and
Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
24 the sons of Rachel; Joseph and Benjamin:
25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan and Naphtali:
26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad and Asher: these are the sons
of Jacob, which were born to him in Paddan–aram.
27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath–arba (the same is
Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old
and full of days: and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.
CHAPTER
36
1 ¶ Now these are the generations of Esau (the same is Edom).
2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the
Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
3 and Basemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bare Reuel;
5 and Oholibamah bare Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau,
which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.
6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of
his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he
had gathered in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother
Jacob.
7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of
their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.
8 And Esau dwelt in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.
9 ¶ And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount
Seir:
10 these are the names of Esau’s sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of
Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.
11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz
Amalek: these are the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.
13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah:
these were the sons of Basemath Esau’s wife.
14 And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of
Zibeon, Esau’s wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of
Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
16 duke Korah, duke Gatam, duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz
in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
17 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 Basemath Esau’s wife.
18 And these are the sons of Oholibamah Esau’s wife; duke Jeush, duke Jalam,
duke Korah: these are the dukes that came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah,
Esau’s wife.
19 These are the sons of Esau, and these are their dukes: the same is Edom.
20 ¶ These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land; Lotan
and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah,
21 and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan: these are the dukes that came of the Horites,
the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
23 And these are the children of Shobal; Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and
Onam.
24 And these are the children of Zibeon; Aiah and Anah: this is Anah who found
the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
25 And these are the children of Anah; Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of
Anah.
26 And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran.
27 These are the children of Ezer; Bilhan and Zaavan and Akan.
28 These are the children of Dishan; Uz and Aran.
29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke
Zibeon, duke Anah,
30 duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of the
Horites, according to their dukes in the land of Seir.
31 ¶ And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there
reigned any king over the children of Israel.
32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was
Dinhabah.
33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.
35 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.
36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
37 And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead.
38 And Shaul died, and Baal–hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
39 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 Me–zahab.
40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their
families, after their places, by their names; duke Timna, duke Alvah, duke
Jetheth;
41 duke Oholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon;
42 duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar;
43 duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their
habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau the father of the
Edomites.
CHAPTER
37
1 ¶ And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of
Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was
feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah,
and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought the evil
report of them unto their father.
3 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.
4 And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren;
and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5 ¶ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated
him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose,
and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made
obeisance to my sheaf.
8 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.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said,
Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven
stars made obeisance to me.
10 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?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 ¶ And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 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.
14 And he said to him, Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and
well with the flock; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of
Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and
the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding
[the flock].
17 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.
18 And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired
against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits,
and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will
become of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand; and said, Let us
not take his life.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in
the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out of their
hand, to restore him to his father.
23 ¶ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they
stript Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him;
24 and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there
was no water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked,
and, behold, a travelling company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their
camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother
and conceal his blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon
him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him.
28 And 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.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and
he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither
shall I go?
31 ¶ And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a he–goat, and dipped the coat
in the blood;
32 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 not.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured
him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
34 And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned
for his son many days.
35 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 to the grave to my son
mourning. And his father wept for him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
CHAPTER
38
1 ¶ 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.
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and
he took her, and went in unto her.
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
5 And she yet again bare a son, and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib,
when she bare him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD
slew him.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the
duty of an husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9 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 he
should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the LORD: and he slew him
also.
11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow in thy
father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown up: for he said, Lest he also die,
like his brethren. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12 ¶ And in process of time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and
Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his
friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father in law goeth up to Timnah
to shear his sheep.
14 And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself
with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by
the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given
unto him to wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; for she had covered her
face.
16 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?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she
said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy
cord, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave them to her, and came in
unto her, and she conceived by him.
19 And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the
garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite,
to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
21 Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was at
Enaim by the way side? And they said, There hath been no harlot here.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of
the place said, There hath been no harlot here.
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be put to shame: behold, I
sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
24 ¶ 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 moreover, behold,
she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be
burnt.
25 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 the cords, and the staff.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I;
forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in
her womb.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the
midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out
first.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came
out: and she said, Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself? therefore his
name was called Perez.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his
hand: and his name was called Zerah.
CHAPTER
39
1 ¶ And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of
the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.
2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the
house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that
he did to prosper in his hand.
4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made
him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5 And it came to pass from the time that he 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.
6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not aught [that
was] with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well
favoured.
7 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her
eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master knoweth
not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand;
9 there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any
thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God?
10 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.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his
work; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
12 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.
13 ¶ And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her
hand, and was fled forth,
14 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:
15 and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that
he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out.
16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.
17 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:
18 and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his
garment by me, and fled out.
19 ¶ 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.
20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where
the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed kindness unto him, and gave him
favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 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.
23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand,
because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made it to
prosper.
CHAPTER
40
1 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of
Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the
butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the
prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto
them: and they continued a season in ward.
5 ¶ 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.
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they
were sad.
7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in ward in his master’s
house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can
interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God?
tell it me, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream,
behold, a vine was before me;
10 and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, [and]
its blossoms shot forth; [and] the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
11 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.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the three
branches are three days;
13 within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto
thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the
former manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and shew
kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring
me out of this house:
15 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.
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto
Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were
on my head:
17 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.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: the three
baskets are three days;
19 within yet 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.
20 ¶ 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 the head of the chief baker among his servants.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the
cup into Pharaoh’s hand:
22 but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
CHAPTER
41
1 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed:
and, behold, he stood by the river.
2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well favoured and
fatfleshed; and they fed in the reed–grass.
3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill
favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the
river.
4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured
and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came
up upon one stalk, rank and good.
6 And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after
them.
7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh
awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
8 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.
9 ¶ Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults
this day:
10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the
captain of the guard, me and the chief baker:
11 and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according
to the interpretation of his dream.
12 And there was with us there 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.
13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto
mine office, and him he hanged.
14 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.
15 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 when thou hearest a dream
thou canst interpret it.
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh
an answer of peace.
17 ¶ And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink
of the river:
18 and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well
favoured; and they fed in the reed–grass:
19 and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured
and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
20 and the lean and ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
21 and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten
them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full
and good:
23 and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, [and] blasted with the east wind,
sprung up after them:
24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it unto the
magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about
to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh.
26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years:
the dream is one.
27 And the seven lean and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven
years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be
seven years of famine.
28 That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath
shewed unto Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of
Egypt:
30 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;
31 and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which
followeth; for it shall be very grievous.
32 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.
33 ¶ Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him
over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do [this], and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take
up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up
corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
36 And the food shall be for a 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.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his
servants.
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in
whom the spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this,
there is none so discreet and wise as thou:
40 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.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of
Egypt.
42 And Pharaoh took off his signet 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;
43 and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried
before him, Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man
lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath–paneah; and he gave him to
wife Asenath the daughter of Poti–phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over
the land of Egypt.
46 ¶ 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.
47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
48 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.
49 And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left
numbering; for it was without number.
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, which
Asenath the daughter of Poti–phera priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For, [said he], God
hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful
in the land of my affliction.
53 And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end.
54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said:
and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 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.
56 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 was sore in the land of
Egypt.
57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because the
famine was sore in all the earth.
CHAPTER
42
1 ¶ Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons,
Why do ye look one upon another?
2 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.
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt.
4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he
said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for the famine was
in the land of Canaan.
6 And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the
people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves to
him with their faces to the earth.
7 ¶ And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange
unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye?
And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
9 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.
10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
13 And they said, We 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.
14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are
spies:
15 hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth
hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that
your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you: or else by the life of
Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
17 And he put them all together into ward three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
19 if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison house;
but go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
20 and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and
ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 ¶ And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother,
in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not
hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin
against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is
required.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter
between them.
24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and
spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every
man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus
was it done unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with their corn, and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging
place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
28 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 turned trembling one to another,
saying, What is this that God hath done unto us?
29 ¶ And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told
him all that had befallen them; saying,
30 The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies
of the country.
31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
32 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.
33 And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye
are true men; leave one of your brethren with me, and take [corn for] the famine
of your houses, and go your way:
34 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 traffick in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s
bundle of money was in his sack: and when they and their father saw their
bundles of money, they were afraid.
36 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.
37 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.
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and
he only is left: 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.
CHAPTER
43
1 ¶ And the famine was sore in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought
out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us,
saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
5 but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us,
Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether
ye had yet a brother?
7 And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our
kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye [another] brother? and we
told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that
he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise
and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little
ones.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him
not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
10 for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time.
11 ¶ And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this; take of
the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present,
a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12 and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the
mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
13 take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you
your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am
bereaved.
15 ¶ And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand,
and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house,
Bring the men into the house, and slay, and make ready; for the men shall dine
with me at noon.
17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s
house.
18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and
they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time
are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and
take us for bondmen, and our asses.
19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spake unto
him at the door of the house,
20 and said, Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
21 and it came to pass, when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our
sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money
in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
22 And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who
put our money in our sacks.
23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father,
hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon
out unto them.
24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and
they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard
that they should eat bread there.
26 ¶ And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their
hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth.
27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old
man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
28 And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they
bowed the head, and made obeisance.
29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son,
and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said,
God be gracious unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he
sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
31 And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said, Set
on bread.
32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the
Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might
not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the
youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one with another.
34 And he took [and sent] messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s
mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry
with him.
CHAPTER
44
1 ¶ And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks
with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his
sack’s mouth.
2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his
corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their
asses.
4 [And] when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph
said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake
them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye
have done evil in so doing.
6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these words.
7 And they said unto him, Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? God
forbid that thy servants should do such a thing.
8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again
unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy
lord’s house silver or gold?
9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be
my lord’s bondmen.
10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is
found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless.
11 Then they hasted, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened
every man his sack.
12 And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the
cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to
the city.
14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; and he was yet there:
and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not
that such a man as I can indeed divine?
16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how
shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants:
behold, we are my lord’s bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup
is found.
17 And he said, God forbid that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is
found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your
father.
18 ¶ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I
pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn
against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his
old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his
mother, and his father loveth him.
21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set
mine eyes upon him.
22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should
leave his father, his father would die.
23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down
with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him
the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.
26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will
we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be
with us.
27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two
sons:
28 and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I
have not seen him since:
29 and if ye take this one also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring
down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with
us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;
31 it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not [with us], that he
will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our
father with sorrow to the grave.
32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring
him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever.
33 Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a
bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest I see
the evil that shall come on my father.
CHAPTER
45
1 ¶ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him;
and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with
him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And
his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came
near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for
God did send me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five
years, in the which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save
you alive by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of
Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph,
God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10 and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me,
thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy
herds, and all that thou hast:
11 and there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest
thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is
my mouth that speaketh unto you.
13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have
seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept
upon his neck.
15 And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his
brethren talked with him.
16 ¶ And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s
brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your
beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
18 and take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give
you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt
for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21 And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the
commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave
three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.
23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good
things of Egypt, and ten she–asses laden with corn and bread and victual for
his father by the way.
24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See
that ye fall not out by the way.
25 ¶ And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob
their father.
26 And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the
land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he believed them not.
27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and
when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob
their father revived:
28 and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see
him before I die.
CHAPTER
46
1 ¶ And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer–sheba,
and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob.
And he said, Here am I.
3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt;
for I will there make of thee a great nation:
4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up
again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
5 ¶ And Jacob rose up from Beer–sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob
their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which
Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land
of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:
7 his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’
daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt,
Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar,
and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
11 And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah: but Er
and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.
14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Paddan–aram, with
his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and
three.
16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi,
and Areli.
17 And the sons of Asher; Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah
their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, which Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and
these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which
Asenath the daughter of Poti–phera priest of On bare unto him.
21 And the sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi,
and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were
fourteen.
23 And the sons of Dan; Hushim.
24 And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and
these she bare unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins,
besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;
27 and the sons of Joseph, which were born to him in Egypt, were two souls: all
the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
28 ¶ And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to shew the way before him unto
Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to
Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his
neck a good while.
30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that
thou art yet alive.
31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go
up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s
house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they
have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What
is your occupation?
34 that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth
even until now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of
Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
CHAPTER
47
1 ¶ Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren,
and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the
land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
2 And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said
unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.
4 And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is
no pasture for thy servants’ flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of
Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of
Goshen.
5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come
unto thee:
6 the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and
thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest
any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob
blessed Pharaoh.
8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are the days of the years of thy life?
9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an
hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my
life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my
fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in
the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh
had commanded.
12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s
household, with bread, according to their families.
13 ¶ And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so
that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and
in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the
money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of
Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why
should we die in thy presence? for [our] money faileth.
16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if
money fail.
17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in
exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the
asses: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that
year.
18 And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said
unto him, We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and
the herds of cattle are my lord’s; there is nought left in the sight of my
lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and
our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give
us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold
every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them: and the land became
Pharaoh’s.
21 And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the
border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
22 Only the land of the priests bought he not: for the priests had a portion
from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they
sold not their land.
23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your
land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
24 And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth
unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for
your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of
my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
26 And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that
Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not
Pharaoh’s.
27 ¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gat
them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the days of Jacob,
the years of his life, were an hundred forty and seven years.
29 And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph,
and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy
hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray
thee, in Egypt:
30 but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury
me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
31 And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself
upon the bed’s head.
CHAPTER
48
1 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold,
thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and
Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land
of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I
will make of thee a company of peoples; and will give this land to thy seed
after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I
came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and
Simeon, shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be
called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of
Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath: and I
buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth–lehem).
8 ¶ And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me
here. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he
brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God
hath let me see thy seed also.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he bowed himself with
his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left
hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought
them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head,
who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands
wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and
Isaac did walk, the God which hath fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 the angel which hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let
them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it
from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the
firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know [it], my son, I know [it]: he also
shall become a people, and he also shall be great: howbeit his younger brother
shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God
make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and
bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took
out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
CHAPTER
49
1 ¶ And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: Gather yourselves together, that
I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.
2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your
father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The
excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not have the excellency; Because thou wentest up
to thy father’s bed: Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 ¶ Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be
not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their selfwill they
houghed an ox.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel: I
will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.
8 ¶ Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise: Thy hand shall be on the neck of
thine enemies; Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: He stooped
down, he couched as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between
his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; He
hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk.
13 ¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea: And he shall be for an haven
of ships; And his border shall be upon Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:
15 And he saw a resting place that it was good, And the land that it was
pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.
16 Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the
horse’s heels, So that his rider falleth backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad, a troop shall press upon him: But he shall press upon their heel.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.
22 ¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches
run over the wall.
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecuted him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By
the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of
Israel,)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, And by the Almighty, who
shall bless thee, With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that
coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.
26 The blessings of thy father Have prevailed above the blessings of my
progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the
head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his
brethren.
27 Benjamin is a wolf that ravineth: In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at even he shall divide the spoil.
28 ¶ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their
father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he
blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people:
bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the
land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for
a possession of a buryingplace:
31 there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and
Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah:
32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children
of Heth.
33 And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into
the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
CHAPTER
50
1 ¶ And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed
him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the
physicians embalmed Israel.
3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of
embalming: and the Egyptians wept for him threescore and ten days.
4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spake unto the house of
Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in
the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged
for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go
up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7 ¶ And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the
servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of
Egypt,
8 and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only
their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of
Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great
company.
10 And they came to the threshing–floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and
there they lamented with a very great and sore lamentation: and he made a
mourning for his father seven days.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the
floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians:
wherefore the name of it was called Abel–mizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13 for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave
of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession
of a buryingplace, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up
with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15 ¶ And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, It
may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil which we
did unto him.
16 And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he
died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of
thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray
thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father. And
Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said,
Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring
to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he
comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
22 ¶ And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived
an hundred and ten years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children
also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: but God will surely visit you, and
bring you up out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely
visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him,
and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
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