# verses

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The Beginning of the World ·In the beginning [or In the beginning when] God created [this Hebrew verb is used only when God is the one creating] the ·sky [heavens] and the earth.


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·The [or…the] earth ·had no form and was empty [or was a formless void]. Darkness covered the ·ocean [deep], and ·God’s Spirit [or a mighty wind] was ·moving [hovering] over the water.


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God ·named [called] the light “day” and the darkness “night.” ·Evening passed, and morning came [There was evening and there was morning; in the OT a day begins at nightfall]. This was the first day.


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Then God said, “Let there be ·something to divide the water in two [a firmament/dome/expanse in the midst of the waters to separate/divide the waters from the waters].”


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So God made the ·air [firmament; dome; expanse; rain clouds] and placed some of the water above the ·air [firmament; dome; expanse] and some below it [referring to the rain and the oceans, lakes, and rivers].


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God ·named [called] the ·air [firmament/dome/expanse] “·sky [heaven].” Evening passed, and morning came []. This was the second day.


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Then God said, “Let the water under the ·sky [heavens] be gathered together so the dry land will appear.” And it happened.


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God ·named [called] the dry land “earth” and [he called] the water that was gathered together “seas.” God saw that this was good.


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Then God said, “Let the earth produce ·plants [vegetation]—some to make grain for seeds and ·others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant [fruit trees on earth bearing fruit according to its own kind/species that has seed in them].” And it happened.


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The earth ·produced [brought forth] plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. ·Each seed grew its own kind of plant […according to its kind/species]. God saw that all this was good.


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Then God said, “Let there be lights in the ·sky [firmament/dome/expanse of the heavens] to ·separate [divide] day from night. ·These lights will be used for [They will be] signs, seasons, days, and years.


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So God made the two ·large [great] lights. He made the ·brighter [greater] light to rule the day and made the ·smaller [lesser] light to rule the night. ·He also made the stars […and the stars].


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to rule over the day and over the night, and to ·separate [divide] the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good.


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Then God said, “Let the water ·be filled with living things [swarm with living creatures], and let birds fly in the ·air [firmament/dome/expanse] above the earth.”


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So God created [] the large sea ·animals [or monsters] and every living thing that ·moves [swarms] in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each one ·producing more of its own kind [according to its kind/species]. He also ·made [or created; ] every bird that flies, and each bird ·produced more of its own kind [according to its kind/species]. God saw that this was good.


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God blessed them and said, “·Have many young ones so that you may grow in number [Be fruitful and multiply]. ·Fill […and fill] the water of the seas, and let the birds ·grow in number [multiply] on the earth.”


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Then God said, “Let the earth be filled with ·animals [living creatures], ·each producing more of its own kind [according to their kind/species]. Let there be ·tame animals [beasts; livestock] and small crawling animals and wild animals, ·and let each produce more of its kind [according to their kind/species].” And it happened.


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So God made the wild animals, the ·tame animals [beasts; livestock], and all the small crawling animals ·to produce more of their own kind [according to their kind/species]. God saw that this was good.


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Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them ·rule [have dominion] over the fish in the sea and the birds in the ·sky [heavens], over the ·tame animals [beasts; livestock], over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.”


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So God created [] ·human beings [man; the Hebrew adam can mean human beings, humankind, person, man, or the proper name Adam] in his image [reflecting God’s nature/character and representing him in the world]. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.


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God blessed them and said [to them], “·Have many children and grow in number [Be fruitful and multiply]. ·Fill […and fill] the earth and ·be its master [subdue it]. ·Rule [Have dominion] over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the ·sky [heavens] and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”


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God said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds [on the face of the earth] and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you.


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I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the ·air [sky; heavens], and every small ·crawling [creeping] animal.” And it happened.


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God looked at everything he had made, and it was ·very [exceedingly] good. Evening passed, and morning came []. This was the sixth day.


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The Seventh Day—Rest So the ·sky [heavens], the earth, and all ·that filled them [their hosts] were ·finished [completed].


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By the seventh day God ·finished [completed] the work he had been doing, so he ·rested [or ceased] from all his work [he had done].


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God blessed the seventh day and ·made it a holy day [consecrated it; set it apart], because on that day he ·rested [or ceased] from all the work he had done in creating [] the world.


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The First People ·This is the story [These are the generations; introduces a new section of the book; see also ; ; ; , ; , ; , ] of the creation of the ·sky [heavens] and the earth. When the ·Lord God [Yahweh Elohim; Elohim is the common term for God; Lord (capital letters) represents the divine name YHWH, usually pronounced “Yahweh”; see ] first made the earth and the ·sky [heavens],


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there were still no plants on the earth. Nothing was growing in the fields because the Lord God had not yet made it rain on the land. And there was no person to ·care for [or till; work] the ground,


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Then the Lord God took dust from the ground and formed a man from it [there is wordplay between “ground” (adama) and “man” (adam)]. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nose, and the man became a living person.


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·Then the Lord God [or The Lord God had] planted a garden in the east [probably east of Palestine], in a place called Eden [related to a word meaning “luxurious”], and put the man he had formed into it.


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The Lord God caused every ·beautiful [desirous to see] tree and every tree that was good for food to grow out of the ground. In the middle of the garden, God put the tree ·that gives life [of life] and also the tree ·that gives the knowledge [of the knowledge] of good and evil.


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A river flowed through Eden and watered the garden. From there the river ·branched out [divides] to become four ·rivers [heads].


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The first river, named Pishon [otherwise unknown], flows around the whole land of Havilah [otherwise unknown], where there is gold.


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The gold of that land is excellent. Bdellium [a sweet-smelling resin like myrrh] and onyx [a precious stone] are also found there.


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The second river, named Gihon [a small stream in Jerusalem (), but here perhaps referring to another river], flows around the whole land of Cush [often referring to Ethiopia, but here likely a place in Mesopotamia; see ].


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The third river, named Tigris [a major river in Mesopotamia], flows out of Assyria [in northern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq)] toward the east. The fourth river is the Euphrates [a major river in Mesopotamia; the location of Eden is uncertain, but this passage suggests Mesopotamia].


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The Lord God [took and] put ·the man [or Adam; ] in the garden of Eden to ·care for [or till] it and ·work [take care of; look after] it.


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but you must not eat the fruit from the tree ·which gives the [of the] knowledge of good and evil [eating from this tree would make Adam, not God, the determiner of right and wrong]. If you ever eat fruit from that tree, you will [certainly] die!”


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The First Woman Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper [in the sense of a partner or ally; the word does not imply subordinate status; see ] who ·is right for [is suitable for; corresponds with] him.”


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From the ground God formed every ·wild animal [animal of the field] and every bird in the ·sky [heavens], and he brought them to the man ·so the man could name them [to see what he would call them]. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name.


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The man gave names to all the ·tame animals [beasts; livestock], to the birds in the ·sky [heavens], and to all the ·wild animals [animals of the field]. But ·Adam [or the man; ] did not find a helper that was right for him [].


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So the Lord God caused ·the man to sleep very deeply [a deep sleep to fall on the man/Adam], and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man’s ·ribs [or sides]. Then God closed up the man’s skin at the place where he took the ·rib [or side].


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The Lord God used the ·rib [or side] from the man to ·make [build; construct] a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man.


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And the man said, “·Now, this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body came from my body [At last, this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh]. ·I will call her [She will be called] ‘woman [Hebrew ‘ishshah],’ because she was taken out of man [Hebrew ‘ish].”


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So a man will leave his father and mother [in the sense of a new primary loyalty] and be united with his wife, and the two will become one ·body [flesh].


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The Beginning of Sin Now the ·snake [serpent] was the most ·clever [shrewd; cunning; crafty] of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, “Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”


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But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil]. You must not even touch it [Eve was adding to the divine command], or you will die.’ ”


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[For] God knows that if you eat ·the fruit from that tree [from it], [your eyes will be opened and] you will ·learn about [experience; know about] good and evil and you will be like God!”


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The woman saw that the tree was ·beautiful [pleasing to the eyes], that its fruit was good ·to eat [for food], and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her [apparently he was present but silent while the woman spoke to the snake], and he ate it.


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Then, ·it was as if their eyes [the eyes of both of them] were opened. They ·realized [knew] they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made ·something to cover [loincloths for] themselves [].


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Then they heard the [sound of the] Lord God walking in the garden during the cool part of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden.


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The man answered, “I heard ·you walking in the garden [your voice/sound], and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”


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·God [He] asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”


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Then the Lord God said to the woman, “·How could you have done such a thing [What is this you have done]?” She answered, “The snake ·tricked [deceived; ] me, so I ate the fruit.”


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The Lord God said to the ·snake [serpent], “Because you did this, a curse will be put on you. You will be cursed as no other animal, ·tame [beasts; livestock] or ·wild [of the field], will ever be. You will ·crawl [go] on your ·stomach [belly], and you will eat dust all the days of your life.


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I will ·make you and the woman enemies to each other [place hostility/enmity between you and the woman]. Your ·descendants [seed] and her ·descendants [seed] will be enemies. ·One of her descendants [He] will crush your head, and you will ·bite [strike; bruise; crush] his heel [; ].”


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Then God said to the woman, “I will ·cause you to have much trouble [or increase your pain] ·when you are pregnant [in childbearing], and when you give birth to children, you will have great pain. You will greatly desire [the word implies a desire to control; ] your husband, but he will rule over you.”


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Then God said to ·the man [or Adam; ], “You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat. “·So I will put a curse on [Cursed is] the ground, and you will have to ·work very hard [toil; labor] for your food. In pain you will eat its food all the days of your life.


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The ground will produce thorns and ·weeds [thistles] for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.


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·You will sweat and work hard for [By the sweat of your brow you will eat] your food. Later you will return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and ·when you die, you will return to the dust [to dust you will return; , ].”


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The man named his wife Eve [the name derives from an early form of the verb “to live”], because she was the mother of all the living.


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Then the Lord God said, “Humans have become like one of us [referring to the supernatural heavenly beings, God and the angels]; they know good and evil. We must keep them from [putting forth their hand and taking and] eating some of the fruit from the tree of life, or they will live forever.”


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So the Lord God ·forced [expelled] Adam out of the garden of Eden to ·work [till; or care for; ] the ground from which he was taken.


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After God ·forced [drove] humans out of the garden, he placed ·angels [cherubim; particularly powerful spiritual beings] and a sword of fire that flashed around in every direction on its eastern border. ·This kept people from getting […to guard the way] to the tree of life.


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The First Family ·Adam [The man; ] ·had sexual relations with [knew] his wife Eve, and she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to Cain. Eve said, “With the Lord’s help, I have ·given birth to [produced; or acquired; the verb resembles Cain’s name] a man.”


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After that, Eve gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel [resembles the word for vapor or breath]. Abel took care of flocks, and Cain ·became a farmer [was a tiller/worker of the ground].


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·Later [In due course; At the end of the days], Cain brought some ·food [produce; fruit] from the ground as a ·gift [tribute; ] to God.


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Abel brought the ·best parts [fat portions; ] from some of the firstborn of his flock []. The Lord ·accepted [looked with favor on] Abel and his ·gift [tribute],


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but he did not ·accept [look with favor on] Cain and his ·gift [tribute]. So Cain became very angry and ·felt rejected [or felt dejected; his face/countenance fell].


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The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why ·do you look so unhappy [has your face/countenance fallen; ]?


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If you do things ·well [correctly; appropriately], ·I will [will I not…?] accept you, but if you do not do them ·well [correctly; appropriately], sin is ·ready to attack you [crouching at the door]. Sin ·wants [desires to control; ] you, but you must rule over it.”


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Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out into the field.” While they were out in the field, Cain ·attacked [rose up against] his brother Abel and killed him [; ; ; ; ].


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Later, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain answered, “I don’t know. ·Is it my job to take care of my brother [Am I my brother’s keeper]?”


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And now you will be cursed ·in your work with [and banished from] the ground, ·the same ground where your brother’s blood fell and where your hands killed him [which has opened its mouth to take the blood of your brother from your hand].


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You will ·work [till] the ground, but it will not ·grow good crops [yield its strength] for you anymore, and you will ·wander around [be a fugitive and a wanderer/homeless wanderer] on the earth.”


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Today you have forced me ·to stop working [from] the ground, and now I ·must hide from you [or will be hidden from your face]. I ·must wander around [will be a fugitive and wanderer/homeless wanderer] on the earth, and anyone who ·meets [finds] me can kill me.”


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The Lord said to Cain, “No! If anyone kills you, I will ·punish [avenge] that person seven times more.” Then the Lord put a mark [the nature of the mark is uncertain] on Cain warning anyone who ·met [finds] him not to kill him.


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Cain’s Family So Cain went away from the Lord and lived in the land of Nod [resembles a Hebrew word meaning “wanderer”], east of Eden.


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He ·had sexual relations with [knew; ] his wife, and she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to Enoch. At that time ·Cain [he] was building a city, which he named after his son Enoch.


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·Enoch had a son named [To Enoch was born; and so through the rest of the genealogy] Irad, Irad had a son named Mehujael, Mehujael had a son named Methushael, and Methushael had a son named Lamech.


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Lamech ·married [took] two ·women [or wives], [the name of the first was] Adah and [the name of the second was] Zillah.


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Adah gave birth to Jabal, who ·became the first person to [was the father of those who] live in tents and raise ·cattle [livestock].


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Jabal’s brother was Jubal, the ·first person to [father of all who] play the ·harp [or lyre] and ·flute [pipe].


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Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who made tools out of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.


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Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice! You wives of Lamech, listen to what I say. I killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hitting me.


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If ·Cain’s killer is punished [Cain is avenged] seven times [], then ·Lamech’s killer will be punished [Lamech will be avenged] seventy-seven times.” [Lamech falsely thought he could get away with murder.]


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Adam and Eve Have a New Son Adam ·had sexual relations with [knew; ] his wife Eve again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth [related to the Hebrew word for “give” or “appoint”] and said, “God has ·given [appointed for] me another child. He will take the place of Abel, who was killed by Cain.”


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Seth also had a son, and they named him Enosh. At that time people began to ·pray to [call on the name of] the Lord.


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Adam’s Family History This is the ·family history [book of the generations; see ] of Adam. When God created ·human beings [humankind; man; Hebrew Adam; ], he made them in his own likeness.


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He created them male and female, and on that day he blessed them and named them ·human beings [humankind; or Adam; man].


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When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of another son in his likeness and image [indicating he was like Adam and that he also bore God’s image], and Adam named him Seth [].


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So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died [the long lives in this genealogy indicate God’s blessing; these names are also in Jesus’ genealogy in ].


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Enoch walked with God [he had a close relationship with God; ]; one day Enoch could not be found, because God took him [like Elijah (), he did not die].


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Lamech named his son Noah [the name resembles the Hebrew word for “rest”] and said, “He will ·comfort us in [or give us rest from] our work, which comes from the ground the Lord has cursed [].”


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The Human Race Grows More Evil The number of people on earth began to ·grow [multiply], and daughters were born to them.


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When the ·sons of God [may refer to godly men among Seth’s descendants (), or noble men, or angels] saw that ·these girls [the daughters of men/human beings; either evil women among Cain’s descendants (), poor women, or simply mortal women] were beautiful, they married any of them they chose [though their identity is unclear, their marriage clearly violated a boundary].


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The Lord said, “My Spirit will not ·remain in [or contend with] human beings forever, because they are ·flesh [mortal]. ·They will live [Their days will be] only 120 years.”


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The ·Nephilim [fallen ones; the significance of the name is unclear] were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God ·had sexual relations with [came in to] the daughters of ·human beings [man; Hebrew: Adam; ]. These women gave birth to children ·who became famous [men of a name] and were the mighty warriors of long ago. [The Nephilim of , though not related genealogically, were giants, suggesting these pre-flood Nephilim were also.]


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The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very ·wicked [evil] and that ·everything they thought about [every inclination of their mind/heart] was ·evil [wicked].


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He ·was sorry [regretted] he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.


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So the Lord said, “I will ·destroy [wipe/blot out; exterminate] all human beings that I ·made [created; ] on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that ·crawls [creeps] on the earth and the birds of the ·air [sky; heavens], because I ·am sorry [regret] I have made them.”


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Noah and the Great Flood This is the family history [] of Noah. Noah was a ·good [righteous; just] man, the most ·innocent [blameless; ] man of his ·time [generation], and he walked with God [].


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·People on earth [The earth] did what ·God said was evil [was corrupt before God], and ·violence was everywhere [the earth was filled with violence].


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When God saw that [the earth was corrupt because] ·everyone [all flesh] on the earth ·did only evil [was corrupt],


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God said to Noah, “·I have decided to bring an end to all living creatures [The end of all flesh is coming before me]. Because people have made the earth full of violence, I will destroy all of them from the ·earth [land].


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·Build [Make] ·a boat [an ark] of ·cypress [or gopher; the precise meaning is uncertain] wood for yourself. Make rooms in it and cover it inside and outside with ·tar [pitch].


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This is how ·big I want you to build the boat [you should make it]: ·four hundred fifty feet [three hundred cubits] long, ·seventy-five feet [fifty cubits] wide, and ·forty-five feet [thirty cubits] high.


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Make an opening around the top of the boat [probably a window] that is ·eighteen inches [a cubit] high from the edge of the roof down. Put a door in the side of the boat. Make an ·upper, middle, and lower [lower, second, and third] deck in it.


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I will bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy all ·living things [flesh] that live under ·the sky [heaven], including everything that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will die.


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But I will ·make [establish] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives will all go into the boat.


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Also, you must bring into the ·boat [ark] two of ·every living thing [all flesh], male and female. Keep them alive with you.


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Two of every kind of bird, animal, and ·crawling [creeping] thing will come to you to be kept alive.


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Also ·gather [take] some of every kind of food and store it on the boat as food for you and the animals.”


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The Flood Begins Then the Lord said to Noah, “I have seen that you ·are the best person [alone are righteous] among ·the people of this time [this generation], so you and your ·family [household] can go into the ·boat [ark].


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Take with you seven pairs, each male with its female, of every kind of clean [in a ritual sense; ] animal, and take one pair, each male with its female, of every kind of unclean animal.


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Take seven pairs of all the birds of the ·sky [heavens], each male with its female. This will allow all these animals to continue living on the earth after the flood.


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Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth. It will rain forty days and forty nights, and I will ·wipe off [blot out] from the ·earth [face of the ground] every living thing that I have made.”


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He and his wife and his sons and their wives went into the ·boat [ark] to escape the waters of the flood.


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The clean animals [], the unclean animals, the birds, and everything that ·crawls [creeps] on the ground


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came to Noah. They went into the ·boat [ark] in groups of two, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.


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When Noah was six hundred years old, the flood started. On the seventeenth day of the second month of that year the ·underground springs [fountains/springs of the deep] ·split [burst] open, and the ·clouds [floodgates; windows] in the ·sky [heavens] ·poured out rain [were opened].


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On that same day Noah and his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth [], and their wives went into the ·boat [ark].


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They had every kind of wild and tame animal, every kind of animal that ·crawls [creeps] on the earth, and ·every kind of bird [every bird, every winged creature].


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·Every creature [All flesh] that had the breath of life came to Noah in the ·boat [ark] in groups of two.


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One male and one female of ·every living thing [all flesh] came, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord ·closed the door behind them [shut them in].


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·Water flooded the earth [The flood continued] for forty days, and as it rose it lifted the ·boat [ark] off the ground.


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The water continued to rise [and increase], and the ·boat [ark] floated on ·it above the earth [the face of the waters].


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The water rose so much [over the earth] that even the highest mountains under the ·sky [heavens] were covered by it.


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All ·living things [flesh] that moved on the earth died. This included all the birds, tame animals, wild animals, and [swarming] creatures that swarm on the earth, as well as all human beings.


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God ·destroyed [blotted/wiped out] from the earth every living thing that was on the ·land [face of the ground]—every man, animal, ·crawling [creeping] thing, and bird of the ·sky [heavens]. All that ·was left [survived] was Noah and what was with him in the ·boat [ark].


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The Flood Ends But God remembered Noah and all the ·wild [beasts] and ·tame animals [cattle] with him in the ·boat [ark]. He made a wind ·blow [pass] over the earth, and the water ·went down [subsided].


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The ·underground springs [fountains/springs of the deep] stopped flowing, and the ·clouds [floodgates; windows] in the ·sky [heavens] ·stopped pouring down rain [were closed and the rain from the sky/heavens were restrained].


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The water that covered the earth began to ·go down [recede]. After one hundred fifty days ·it [the waters] had ·gone down [abated] so much that the ·boat [ark] touched land again. It came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat [in ancient Urartu, present-day eastern Turkey] on the seventeenth day of the seventh month.


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The water continued to ·go down [recede] so that by the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains could be seen.


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The dove could not find a place to ·land [set/rest its foot] because water still covered the earth, so it came back to the ·boat [ark]. Noah reached out his hand and took the bird and brought it back into the boat.


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and that evening it came back to him with a fresh olive leaf in its ·mouth [beak]. Then Noah knew that the ·ground was almost dry [waters had subsided from the ground].


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·Seven days later [After waiting another seven days] he sent the dove out again, but this time it did not come back.


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When Noah was six hundred and one years old, in the first day of the first month of that year, the water was dried up from the ·land [earth]. Noah removed the covering of the ·boat [ark] and saw that the ·land [face of the ground] was dry.


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Bring every ·animal [living thing of all flesh] out of the ·boat [ark] with you—the birds, ·animals [beasts; livestock], and everything that crawls on the earth. ·Let them have many young ones so that they might […so they may swarm on earth and be fruitful and] ·grow in number [multiply; ].”


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Every ·animal [living thing], everything that ·crawls [creeps] on the earth, and every bird [and everything that crawls/creeps] went out of the ·boat [ark] by families.


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Then Noah built an altar [a place to offer sacrifices] to the Lord. He took some of all the clean [in a ritual sense] birds and ·animals [beasts; livestock], and he ·burned them on the altar as offerings to God [offered a whole burnt offering on the altar; ].


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The Lord ·was pleased with these sacrifices [smelled the sweet savor/smell] and said ·to himself [in his heart], “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings. ·Their thoughts [The inclination of their hearts] are evil even ·when [from the time] they are young, but I will never again destroy every living thing on the earth as I did this time.


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“As long as the earth continues, planting and harvest, cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night will not stop.”


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The New Beginning Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “·Have many children; grow in number [Be fruitful and multiply] and fill the earth [, ].


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Every ·animal [living thing] on earth, every bird in the ·sky [heavens], every animal that crawls on the ground, and every fish in the sea will ·respect [fear] and ·fear [dread; be terrified of] you. I have given them ·to you [into your hand].


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“Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants [], but now I give you everything for food.


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But you must not eat ·meat [flesh] that still has blood in it, because blood ·gives [is] life [; ; ].


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I will ·demand [require; seek] blood for life. I will ·demand [require; seek] the life of any animal that kills a person, and I will ·demand [require; seek] the life of anyone who takes another person’s life.


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“Whoever ·kills [sheds the blood of] a human being will ·be killed [have his blood shed] by a human being, because God made humans in ·his own image [the image of God; ].


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“As for you, Noah, ·I want you and your family to have many children, to grow in number on the earth, and to become many [be fruitful and multiply, swarm/teem over the earth and multiply on it; ].”


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“·Now [or Look] I am making my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with you and your ·people [seed] ·who will live after you [after you],


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and with every living thing that is with you—the birds, the ·tame [livestock; cattle] and the wild animals, and with everything that came out of the ·boat [ark] with you—with every living thing on earth.


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I ·make [establish] this ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with you: ·I will never again destroy all living things by a flood [a flood will never again cut off all flesh]. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”


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And God said, “This is the sign [a symbol that represents this relationship between God and Noah; ; , ] of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] between me and you and every living creature that is with you for all future generations.


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I am putting my ·rainbow [bow; may represent God hanging up his weapon after warring against humanity] in the clouds as the sign of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] between me and the earth.


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I will remember my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] between me and you and every living thing [of all flesh]. [The waters of the] Floods will never again destroy all ·life on the earth [flesh].


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When the ·rainbow [bow] appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the ·agreement that continues forever [eternal covenant] between me and every living thing [of all flesh] on the earth.”


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So God said to Noah, “·The rainbow [This] is a ·sign [] of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] that I made with all living things on earth.”


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Noah and His Sons The sons of Noah who came out of the ·boat [ark] with him were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)


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These three men were Noah’s sons, and all the people on earth ·came [spread out; see the genealogy in ] from these three sons.


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When he drank ·wine made from his grapes [the wine], he became drunk and lay ·naked [uncovered] in his tent.


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Ham, the father of Canaan, looked at his naked father and told his [two] brothers outside [an act of disrespect; he should have helped his father, as in the next verse].


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Then Shem and Japheth got a coat and, carrying it on both their shoulders, they walked backwards into the tent and covered [the nakedness of] their father. They turned their faces away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness [they acted appropriately according to ancient custom].


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Noah ·was sleeping because of the wine. When he woke up [woke up from his wine] and ·learned [he knew] what his youngest son, Ham, had done to him,


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he said, “May there be a curse on Canaan [the ancestor and representative of the inhabitants of Palestine that Israel displaced at the time of the conquest of the Promised Land; ]! May he be the lowest ·slave [servant] to his brothers.”


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Noah also said, “May the Lord, the God of Shem, be ·praised [blessed]! May Canaan be Shem’s ·slave [servant; Shem is the ancestor of Israel].


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May God ·give more land to [make space for; the verb sounds like his name] Japheth. May Japheth live in Shem’s tents, and may Canaan be their slave [; ].”


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Nations Grow and Spread ·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. After the flood ·these three men had sons [sons were born to them].


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Japheth’s Sons The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai [ancestor of the Medes], Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.


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The sons of Gomer [ancestor of the Cimmerians] were Ashkenaz [ancestor of the Scythians], Riphath, and Togarmah.


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The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim [ancestor of the people of Cyprus], and ·Rodanim [Dodanim; see ].


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·Those who lived in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea [The people of the coastlands] ·came [spread] from these sons of Japheth. All the ·families [clans] grew and became different nations, each nation with its own land and its own language.


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Ham’s Sons The sons of Ham [ancestors of near neighbors and rivals of Israel] were Cush [ancestor of the Ethiopians], Mizraim [ancestor of the Egyptians], Put [perhaps ancestor of the Libyans], and Canaan.


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The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan [some of their descendants were the people around the Red Sea and southern Arabia].


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He was a ·great [mighty] hunter before the Lord, which is why people say someone is “like Nimrod, a ·great [mighty] hunter before the Lord.”


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·At first Nimrod’s kingdom covered [The beginning of his kingdom was] Babylon, ·Erech [or Uruk], Akkad, and Calneh [well-known cities in southern Mesopotamia] in the land of ·Babylonia [Shinar].


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From there he went to Assyria [in northern Mesopotamia], where he built the cities of Nineveh, ·Rehoboth Ir [or that is a great city], and Calah.


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Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the ·people of Crete [Caphtorites]. (The Philistines came from the ·Casluhites [or Caphtorites].)


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Canaan [the son of Ham whom Noah cursed; ] was the father of Sidon [name of a famous coastal city in Syria], his first son, and of Heth [ancestor of the Hittites, important inhabitants of Asia Minor].


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He was also the father of the Jebusites [pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem], Amorites, Girgashites,


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Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites [peoples who lived in Syria-Palestine before the Israelites]. The ·families [clans] of the Canaanites scattered.


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Their land reached from Sidon to Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.


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All these people were the sons of Ham, and all these ·families [clans] had their own languages, their own lands, and their own nations.


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Shem’s Sons Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. One of his descendants was the father of all the sons of Eber [the Israelites were descended from Shem through Eber].


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The sons of Shem were Elam [a country east of Mesopotamia], Asshur [in northern Mesopotamia], Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram [north of Israel in Syria].


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Eber was the father of two sons—one named Peleg [related to the Hebrew word for “divided”], because the earth was divided during his life, and the other was named Joktan.


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These are the people from the ·family [clans] of Shem, arranged by ·families [clans], languages, countries, and nations.


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This is the list of the ·families [clans] from the sons of Noah, arranged according to their nations. From these ·families [clans] came all the nations who ·spread [branched out] across the earth after the flood.


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The Languages Confused At this time the whole world spoke one language, and everyone used the same words.


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As people ·moved [migrated] ·from the east [or eastward; ; ], they found a plain in the land of ·Babylonia [Shinar] and settled there.


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They said to each other, “Let’s make bricks and ·bake [burn; fire] them ·to make them hard [thoroughly; in ancient times builders used mudbrick].” So they used bricks instead of stones, and ·tar [bitumen] instead of mortar.


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Then they said to each other, “Let’s build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into ·the sky [heaven; a ziggurat or stepped pyramid at whose top was a temple thought to be in heaven]. We will ·become famous [make for ourselves a reputation/name]. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth.”


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The Lord said, “Now, these people are ·united [one], all speaking ·the same [one] language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. ·They will be able to do anything they want [Nothing they want to do will be impossible for them].


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Come, let us go down and confuse their language [there] so they will not be able to understand each other.”


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So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they ·stopped [ceased] building the city.


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The place is called Babel [sounds like the Hebrew word for “confused”] since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.


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The Story of Shem’s Family This is the ·family history [book of the generations; ] of Shem [; ]. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad [] was born.


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The Story of Terah’s Family ·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.


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While his father, Terah, was still alive, Haran died in Ur [a major city in southern Mesopotamia] ·in Babylonia [of the Chaldeans; Chaldea was another name for Babylon], where he was born.


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Abram and Nahor both ·married [took wives]. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.


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Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram’s wife) and moved out of Ur of ·Babylonia [the Chaldeans; ]. They had planned to go to the land of Canaan, but when they reached the city of Haran [a city in northern Syria], they settled there.


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God Calls Abram The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s ·family [house], and go to the land I will show you [Canaan, the Promised Land].


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I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make ·you famous [your name great], ·and [or so that] you will be a blessing to others.


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I will bless those who bless you, and I will place a curse on those who ·harm [or curse] you. And all the ·people [families; clans] on earth will be blessed through you [the promises of the Abrahamic covenant].”


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So Abram left Haran [] as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. At this time Abram was 75 years old.


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He took his wife Sarai, ·his nephew [the son of his brother] Lot, and everything they owned, as well as all the ·servants [people] they had gotten in Haran. They set out from Haran, planning to go to the land of Canaan, and in time they arrived there.


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Abram ·traveled [passed] through that land as far as the great oak [or terebinth] tree of Moreh at Shechem [a town in northern Palestine]. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time.


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The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your ·descendants [seed].” So Abram built an altar [a place to offer sacrifices] there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.


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Then he traveled from Shechem to the mountain east of Bethel [a town in the central hill country south of Shechem] and set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai [a town near Bethel] was to the east. There Abram built another altar to the Lord and ·worshiped him [called on the name of the Lord].


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Abram Goes to Egypt At this time there was ·not much food [a famine] in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to ·live [sojourn] because ·there was so little food [the famine was severe].


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Just before they arrived in Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know you are a very beautiful woman.


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When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This woman is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but let you live.


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Tell them you are my sister so that things will go well with me and I may be allowed to live because of you [; ; Abram did not trust God to protect him].”


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The Egyptian officers saw her and ·told the king of Egypt how beautiful she was [they praised her]. They took her to the king’s palace, and


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the king was kind to Abram ·because he thought Abram was her brother [on account of her]. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.


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But the Lord sent terrible ·diseases [plagues] on the king and all the people in his house because of Abram’s wife Sarai.


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So the king sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me Sarai was your wife?


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Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’ so that I made her my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take ·her [your wife] and ·leave [go]!”


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Then the king commanded his men to make Abram leave Egypt; so Abram and his wife left with everything they owned.


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Abram and Lot Separate So Abram, his wife, and Lot ·left [came up from] Egypt, taking everything they owned, and traveled ·to southern Canaan [into the Negev; a somewhat desolate area].


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He ·left [went by stages from] ·southern Canaan [the Negev] and went back to Bethel where ·he had camped before [his tent had been], between Bethel and Ai [],


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and where he had built an altar [at first]. So he ·worshiped [called on the name of] the Lord there.


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Abram and Lot had so many ·animals [possessions] that the land could not support both of them together,


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so Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen began to argue. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at this time.


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Abram said to Lot, “There should be no arguing between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, because we are ·brothers [relatives].


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We should separate. ·The whole land is [Is not the whole land…?] there in front of you. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left.”


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Lot looked all around and saw the whole Jordan ·Valley [or plain; region] and that there was much water there. It was like the Lord’s garden [the garden of Eden], like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar [name meaning “small,” in the vicinity of Sodom and Gomorrah; , ; ]. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah [].)


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Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived among the cities in the Jordan Valley [], ·very near to [he moved his tent near] Sodom.


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After Lot ·left [had separated from him], the Lord said to Abram, “Look all around you—to the north and south and east and west.


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I will make your ·descendants [seed] as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your ·people [seed].


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So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great ·trees [oaks; or terebinths] of Mamre [an area near Hebron, named after an Amorite leader; , ] at the city of Hebron [nineteen miles south of Jerusalem]. There he built an altar to the Lord.


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Lot Is Captured Now Amraphel was king of ·Babylonia [Shinar], Arioch was king of Ellasar [possibly in Mesopotamia], Kedorlaomer was king of Elam [located on the Iranian plateau], and Tidal was king of Goiim [possibly a people otherwise known as the Umman-manda].


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All these kings went to war against several other kings: Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.) [Sodom and Gomorrah were located in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, and the other named cities are thought to have been nearby.]


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These kings who were attacked united their armies in the Valley of Siddim (·now [that is] the ·Dead [Salt] Sea).


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They had served Kedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year, they all ·turned [rebelled] against him.


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Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings with him came and ·defeated [subdued] the ·Rephaites [or Rephaim; an especially warlike tribe in Canaan] in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim [the Zuzites and Emites were likely related to the Rephaites; ].


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They also defeated the Horites in the mountains of ·Edom [Seir; a region outside of Palestine on the southeastern coast of the Dead Sea] to El Paran (near the ·desert [wilderness]).


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Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). They ·defeated [subdued] all the Amalekites [a fearsome tribe in pre-Israelite Canaan], as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Tamar.


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At that time the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela went out to fight in the Valley of Siddim. (Bela is called Zoar.)


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They fought against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of ·Babylonia [Shinar], and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings fighting against five.


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There were many ·tar [bitumen] pits in the Valley of Siddim. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ·ran away [fled], some of the soldiers fell into the tar pits, but the others ·ran away [fled] to the mountains.


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Now Kedorlaomer and his armies took everything the people of Sodom and Gomorrah owned, including their food, and left.


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They took Lot, Abram’s ·nephew [son of his brother] who was living in Sodom, and ·everything he owned [his possessions/goods]. Then they left.


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One of the men who was not captured went to Abram, the Hebrew, and told him what had happened. At that time Abram was camped near the ·great trees [oaks; or terebinths] of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre was a brother of Eshcol and Aner, and they had all made an ·agreement to help [covenant/treaty with] Abram.


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Abram Rescues Lot When Abram learned that ·Lot [his relative/brother] had been captured, he called out his 318 trained men who had been born in his camp. He led the men and ·chased the enemy [went in pursuit] all the way to the town of Dan [in the far north of Palestine].


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That night he divided his men into groups, and ·they made a surprise attack against the enemy [he subdued/defeated/struck them]. They chased them all the way to Hobah, north of Damascus [a major city in Syria].


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Then Abram brought back ·everything the enemy had stolen [all their possessions/goods], the women and the other people, and Lot, and ·everything Lot owned [his goods/possessions].


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After defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, Abram ·went home [returned]. As he was returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (now called King’s Valley [somewhere in the vicinity of Jerusalem]).


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Melchizedek king of ·Salem [probably an old name of Jerusalem] brought out bread and wine. He was a priest for God Most High [; ; ]


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and blessed Abram, saying, “Abram, may you be blessed by God Most High, the ·God [one] who made heaven and earth.


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And ·we praise [blessed be] God Most High, who has ·helped you to defeat your enemies [delivered your enemies into your hand].” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a ·tenth [tithe] of everything he had brought back from the battle.


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The king of Sodom said to Abram, “You may keep ·all these things [the goods/possessions] for yourself. Just give me my people who were captured.”


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But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I ·make a promise [lifted my hand; a gesture of swearing] to the Lord, the God Most High, who made heaven and earth.


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I promise that I will not keep anything that is yours. I will not keep even a thread or a sandal strap [that is, not the smallest thing] so that you cannot say, ‘I made Abram rich.’


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I will keep nothing but the food my young men have eaten. But give Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre their share of what we won, because they went with me into battle.”


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God’s Covenant with Abram After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will ·defend [be a shield to] you, and ·I will give you a great reward [your reward will be great].”


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But Abram said, “Lord God [Hebrew Adonai Yahweh; combination of covenant name YHWH () with common Hebrew word for “sir,” “lord,” or “master”], what can you give me? I ·have no son [am childless], so my ·slave [servant] Eliezer from Damascus [a major city in Syria] will ·get everything I own after I die [be my heir; a household servant would take care of a childless couple in their old age and in turn inherit their possessions].”


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Abram said, “Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will ·inherit everything I have [be my heir].”


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Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”


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Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the ·sky [heavens]. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your ·descendants [seed] also will be too many to count.”


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Abram ·believed [put his trust/faith in] the Lord. And the Lord ·accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [counted/credited it as righteousness; , , ; ; ].


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God said to Abram, “I am the Lord who led you out of Ur of ·Babylonia [the Chaldeans] so that I could give you this land ·to own [as a possession; ].”


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But Abram said, “Lord God, how can I ·be sure [know] that I will ·own this land [possess/inherit it]?”


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·The Lord [He] said to Abram, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ·male sheep [ram], a ·dove [turtledove], and a young pigeon.”


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Abram brought them all to God. Then Abram ·killed the animals and cut each of them into two pieces [split them down the middle], laying each half opposite the other half. But he did not cut the birds in half.


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Later, ·large birds [or birds of prey] flew down to eat the ·animals [carcasses], but Abram chased them away [perhaps representing later enemies of Israel].


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As the sun was ·going down [setting], Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he was asleep, a very ·terrible [or frightening] darkness came.


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Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your ·descendants [seed] will be ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves and ·be cruel to [oppress] them for four hundred years.


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But I will ·punish [judge] the nation ·where they are slaves [which they serve]. Then your ·descendants [seed] will leave that land, taking great ·wealth [possessions] with them.


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·After your great-great-grandchildren are born [After the fourth generation], ·your people [they] will come ·to this land [here] again. It will take that long, because ·I am not yet going to punish the Amorites for their evil behavior [the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete; Amorites is one name for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan].”


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After the sun went down, it was very dark. Suddenly a smoking firepot and a blazing torch [fire and smoke often represent God] passed between the ·halves of the dead animals [pieces; a self-curse ritual; by passing between the pieces of the sacrifice, one vowed to keep an agreement or suffer the same fate as the animals].


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So on that day the Lord ·made an agreement [cut a covenant/treaty; ] with Abram and said, “I will give to your ·descendants [seed] the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.


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Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites [the name of peoples who lived in pre-Israelite Canaan].”


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Ishmael Is Born Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.


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Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the Lord has ·not allowed me to have [prevented/restrained me from having] children, so ·have sexual relations with [go to] my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can ·have my own family [reproduce; have a child; build] through her [taking a second wife or concubine was common for a childless couple at the time].” Abram did what Sarai said.


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It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram as a ·wife [or concubine]. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)


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Abram ·had sexual relations with [went in to] Hagar, and she ·became pregnant [conceived]. When Hagar learned she ·was pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] her mistress Sarai ·badly [with contempt].


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Then Sarai said to Abram, “·This is your fault [May the wrong/violence done to me be on you]. I gave my slave girl ·to you [into your embrace; into your lap], and when she ·became pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] me ·badly [with contempt]. Let the Lord ·decide who is right—[judge between] you or me.”


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But Abram said to Sarai, “·You are Hagar’s mistress [Your slave girl is in your hand/power]. Do ·anything you want [what is good in your eyes] to her.” Then Sarai ·was hard on [afflicted; abused] Hagar, and Hagar ·ran away [fled from her presence].


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The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [the angel of the Lord was either a representative of the Lord or the Lord himself; ; , ] found Hagar beside a spring of water in the ·desert [wilderness], by the road to Shur [likely a location in southern Canaan; ; ; ; ].


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·The angel [He] said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?” Hagar answered, “I am ·running away [fleeing] from my mistress Sarai.”


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The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [] said to her, “Go home to your mistress and ·obey [submit to] her.”


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The angel of the Lord also said, “I will ·give you so many descendants [greatly multiply your seed so that] they cannot be counted.”


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The ·angel [messenger] added, “You ·are now pregnant [have conceived], and you will ·have [give birth to] a son. You will name him Ishmael [sounds like the verb “to hear”], because the Lord has heard ·your cries [of your affliction].


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Ishmael will be ·like a wild donkey [a wild donkey/ass of a man]. ·He [His hand] will be against everyone, and ·everyone [everyone’s hand] will be against him. He will ·attack [dwell against] all his brothers.”


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The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are ‘·God who sees me [or God of seeing; Hebrew El-Roi]’ ” because she said to herself, “Have I really seen God who sees me?”


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So the well there, between Kadesh [also known as Kadesh Barnea in northeast Sinai] and Bered [location unknown], was called Beer Lahai Roi [the well of the Living One who sees me].


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Proof of the Covenant When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am ·God Almighty [El Shaddai]. ·Obey [Walk before] me and ·do what is right [be innocent/blameless; ].


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I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] between ·us [me and you], and I will make you ·the ancestor of many people [exceedingly numerous].”


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“I am making my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with you: I will make you the father of ·many [a host/multitude of] nations.


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I am changing your name from Abram [meaning “exalted father”] to Abraham [sounds like “father of a multitude” in Hebrew] because I am making you a father of ·many [a host/multitude of] nations.


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I will ·give you many descendants [cause you to be exceedingly fruitful; ]. ·New nations will be born from you [I will make nations of you], and kings will come from you.


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And I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] between me and you and all your ·descendants [seed] ·from now on [or forever]: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.


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You live in the land of Canaan now as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien], but I will give you and your ·descendants [seed] all this land ·forever [as a permanent possesssion]. And I will be the God of your ·descendants [seed].”


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Then God said to Abraham, “You and your ·descendants [seed] must ·keep [obey; guard] this ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] ·from now on [throughout their generations].


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This is my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with you and all your ·descendants [seed], which you must ·obey [keep; guard]: Every male among you must be circumcised [the ritual of membership in the covenant/treaty].


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·Cut away [Circumcise] [the flesh of] your foreskin ·to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement [as a sign of the covenant/treaty] between me and you.


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·From now on [Throughout your generations] when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any ·boy born among your people [house-born slave] or any who is ·your slave [bought with money from a foreigner], who is not one of your ·descendants [seed].


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Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your ·family [house] or bought ·as a slave [with money from a foreigner]. ·Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement […so that my covenant/treaty might be in your flesh as a covenant/treaty] that lasts forever.


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Any [uncircumcised] male ·who [whose foreskin] is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ].”


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Isaac—the Promised Son God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai [meaning “princess” in her native dialect; ], your wife, to Sarah [also meaning “princess,” but in a dialect of Canaan, signifying her transition to the Promised Land].


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I will bless her and give ·her a son, and you will be the father [from her to you a son]. She will ·be the mother of [give rise to] many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”


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Abraham ·bowed facedown on the ground [fell on his face] and laughed. He ·said to himself [thought; said in his heart], “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?”


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God said, “·No, [or Yes, but] Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac [related to the verb meaning “to laugh”]. I will make my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with him to be an ·agreement that continues forever [eternal covenant/treaty] with all his ·descendants [seed].


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“As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and ·give him many descendants [make him fruitful]. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great ·leaders [princes; chiefs; ], and I will make him into a great nation.


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But I will make my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ] with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.”


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Then Abraham ·gathered [took] Ishmael, all the males ·born in his camp [of his house], and ·the slaves he had bought [those bought with money]. So that day Abraham circumcised [the flesh of his foreskin of] every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do.


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And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised [in the flesh of his foreskin].


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Also on that day all the men in Abraham’s camp were circumcised, including all those born in his ·camp [house] and all ·the slaves he had bought from other nations [all those bought of a stranger].


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The Three Visitors Later, the Lord again appeared to Abraham near the ·great trees [oaks; or terebinths] of Mamre [an area near Hebron, named after Amorite leader; , ]. Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent ·during the hottest part [in the heat] of the day.


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He ·looked up [raised his eyes] and saw three men standing near him. When Abraham saw them, he ran from [the entrance of] his tent to meet them. He bowed facedown on the ground before them


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and said, “·Sir [My lord], if ·you think well of me [I have found grace in your eyes], please ·stay awhile with me, [do not pass by] your servant.


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and I will get some bread for you so you can regain your strength. Then you may ·continue your journey [pass by].” The three men said, “That is fine. Do as you said.” [In the ancient Near East, hospitality towards strangers was a very imporant value.]


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Abraham hurried to the tent where Sarah was and said to her, “Hurry, ·prepare [take and knead] ·twenty quarts [three seahs] of fine flour, and make ·it into loaves of bread [cakes].”


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Then Abraham ran to his herd and took one of his ·best [tender and good/choice] calves. He gave it to a servant, who hurried ·to kill it and to prepare it for food [to prepare it].


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Abraham gave the three men the calf that had been ·cooked [prepared] and milk curds and milk. While they ate, he stood under the tree near them.


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Then ·the Lord [he] said, “I will certainly return to you ·about this time a year from now [or in due time; about the living time]. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him.


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Abraham and Sarah were very old. Since ·Sarah was past the age when women normally have children [it had stopped being with Sarah after the manner of women; she had reached menopause],


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she laughed ·to herself [inwardly], “·My husband and I are too old [I am worn out and my husband is too old] to have ·a baby [pleasure].”


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Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘I am too old to have a baby’?


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Is anything too hard for the Lord? No! I will return to you ·at the right time a year from now [or in due time; about the living time], and Sarah will have a son.”


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Sarah was afraid, so she ·lied [denied it] and said, “I didn’t laugh.” But the Lord said, “No. You did laugh.”


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Then the men got up to leave and ·started out [looked] toward Sodom. Abraham walked along with them a short time to send them on their way.


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Abraham’s Bargain with God The Lord said, “Should I ·tell [hide from] Abraham what I am going to do now?


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·Abraham’s children [Abraham] will certainly become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him [].


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I have ·chosen [known] him so he would command his children and his ·descendants [household] to ·live [keep] the way the Lord wants them to, ·to live right and be fair […by doing righteousness and justice]. Then I, the Lord, will give Abraham what I promised him.”


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Then the Lord said, “·I have heard many complaints [The outcry is great] against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah []. ·They are very evil [Their sin is very great/heavy].


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I will go down and see if they ·are as bad as I have heard [have done according to the outcry which has come to me]. If not, I will know.”


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Then Abraham approached him and asked, “Do you plan to ·destroy [sweep away] the ·good people [righteous] along with the ·evil ones [wicked]?


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What if there are fifty ·good people [righteous] in that city? Will you still ·destroy it [sweep it away]? Surely you will ·save [spare] the ·city [place] for the fifty ·good people [righteous] living there.


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·Surely [It would be a desecration for you!] you will not ·destroy [kill; slay] the ·good people [righteous] along with the ·evil ones [wicked]; then they would be treated the same. You are the judge of all the earth. Won’t you do what is ·right [just]?”


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The Lord said, “If I find fifty ·good people [righteous] in the city of Sodom, I will ·save [spare] the whole ·city [place] because of them.”


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Then Abraham [answered and] said, “Though I am only dust and ashes, I have been brave to speak to the Lord.


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What if ·there are only forty-five good people [five of the fifty righteous are lacking] in the city? Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five ·good people [righteous]?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy the city.”


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Again Abraham said to him, “If you find only forty ·good people [righteous] there, will you destroy the city?” The Lord said, “If I find forty, I will not destroy it.”


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Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me, but let me ask you this. If you find only thirty ·good people [righteous] in the city, will you destroy it?” He said, “If I find thirty ·good people [righteous] there, I will not destroy the city.”


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Then Abraham said, “I have been brave to speak to the Lord. But what if there are twenty ·good people [righteous] in the city?” He answered, “If I find twenty there, I will not destroy the city.”


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Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me, but let me bother you this one last time. What if you find ten there?” He said, “If I find ten there, I will not destroy it.”


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Lot Leaves Sodom The two ·angels [messengers] came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting near the ·city gate [gate of Sodom; the administrative center of a city]. When he saw them, he got up ·and went to [to meet] them and bowed facedown on the ground.


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Lot said, “·Sirs [My lords], please come to ·my [your servant’s] house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then ·tomorrow you may [you can get up early and] continue your journey.” The ·angels [messengers] answered, “No, we will spend the night in the city’s public square.”


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But Lot ·begged them [entreated/urged them strongly] to come, so they ·agreed [turned aside to him] and went to his house. Then Lot prepared a ·meal [feast; banquet] for them. He baked ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread], and they ate it.


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Before ·bedtime [they lay down], men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house.


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They called to Lot, “Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can ·have sexual relations with [know] them.”


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Look! I have two daughters who have never ·slept with [had sexual relations with; known] a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don’t do anything to these men. They have come ·to my house, and I must protect them [under the shelter/shade of my roof].”


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The men around the house answered, “·Move out of the way [Stand back]!” Then they said to each other, “This ·man Lot [fellow; one] came to our city as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien], and now he wants to ·tell us what to do [judge us]!” They said to Lot, “We will do worse things to you than to them.” They started pushing him back and were ready to break down the door.


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But ·the two men staying with Lot [the men] ·opened the door, [reached out their hands and] pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door.


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They struck those outside the door with ·blindness [a blinding flash], so the men, both ·young and old [small and great], could not find the door.


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The two men said to Lot, “Do you have ·any other relatives in this city [anyone else here]? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any other relatives? If you do, ·tell them to leave now [get them out of this place],


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because we are about to destroy this ·city [place]. ·The Lord has heard of all the evil that is here [Great is the outcry against them before the Lord], so he has sent us to destroy it.”


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So Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters, “·Hurry and leave this city [Get up and get out of this place]! The Lord is about to destroy it!” But ·they [his sons-in-law] thought Lot was joking.


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·At dawn the next morning [As morning dawned], the ·angels [messengers] ·begged [urged] Lot to hurry. They said, “Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be ·destroyed [swept away] when the city is punished.”


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But Lot ·delayed [lingered; dawdled]. So the two men ·took [grabbed; seized] the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family.


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After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, “·Run [Flee] for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the ·valley [or plain]. Run to the mountains, or you will be ·destroyed [swept away].”


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·You have been merciful [Your servant has found grace in your eyes] and ·kind to me [you have shown great kindness to me] and have saved my life. But I can’t ·run [flee] to the mountains. The disaster will catch me, and I will die.


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Look, that little town over there is ·not too far away [near enough to flee to]. Let me run there. It’s really just a little town, and ·I’ll be safe there [my life will be saved/spared].”


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The angel said to Lot, “Very well, I will ·allow you to do this also [show you this favor; lift up your face]. I will not ·destroy that town [overthrow the town of which you speak].


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But run there fast, because I cannot ·destroy Sodom [do anything] until you are safely in that town.” (That town is named Zoar, because it is little [Zoar sounds like the Hebrew word for “little”].)


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Sodom and Gomorrah Are Destroyed The sun had already ·come up [risen over the earth] when Lot entered Zoar.


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The Lord sent a rain of ·burning sulfur [sulfur and fire] down from ·the sky [heaven] on Sodom and Gomorrah


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and ·destroyed [overturned] those cities. He also ·destroyed [overturned] the whole ·Jordan Valley [valley; or plain], everyone living in the cities, and even all the plants.


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He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the ·Jordan Valley [valley; or plain] and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.


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God destroyed the cities in the ·valley [or plain], but he remembered what Abraham had asked. So ·God saved Lot’s life, but he [he sent Lot out of the overthrow/upheaval when he] ·destroyed [overturned] the city where Lot had lived [; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ].


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Lot and His Daughters Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave.


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One day the ·older daughter [firstborn] said to the younger, “Our father is old. ·Everywhere on the earth women and men marry, but there are no men around here for us to marry [There is no man on earth to come into us according to the way of all the earth].


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Let’s get our father ·drunk [to drink wine] and ·have sexual relations [we will lie] with him. ·We can use him to have children and continue our family […so we may preserve offspring/seed through our father].”


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That night the two girls ·got their father drunk [made their father drink wine], and the ·older daughter [firstborn] went and ·had sexual relations [lay] with him. But Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.


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The next day the ·older daughter [firstborn] said to the younger, “Last night I ·had sexual relations [lay] with my father. Let’s get him ·drunk [to drink wine] again tonight so you can go and ·have sexual relations [lay] with him, too. In this way we can ·use our father to have children to continue our family [preserve offspring/seed through our father].”


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So that night they got their father ·drunk [to drink wine] again, and the younger daughter went and ·had sexual relations [lay] with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.


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The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of all the Moabite people who are still living today [located to the east of the Dead Sea in what is today Jordan; the name sounds like “from the father” in Hebrew].


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The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi [sounds like “son of my relative” in Hebrew]. He is the father of all the Ammonite people [located just north of Moab; Moab and Ammon were enemies of Israel] who are still living today [at the time this was written].


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Abraham Tricks Abimelech Abraham left Hebron [] and traveled to ·southern Canaan [the Negev; ] where he stayed awhile between Kadesh [] and Shur []. When he ·moved to [sojourned/lived as an alien in] Gerar [north of Kadesh and Shur; present-day Tell Abu Hureirah],


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he said to people about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister” [; ]. Abimelech king of Gerar heard this, so he sent some servants to take her.


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But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You will die. The woman you took is married.”


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But Abimelech had not gone near Sarah, so he said, “Lord, would you ·destroy [kill; slay] an innocent nation?


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·Abraham himself told [Did he not tell…?] me, ‘This woman is my sister,’ and ·she also said [did she not also say…?], ‘He is my brother.’ I ·am innocent and did not know I was doing anything wrong [did this with a pure conscience/blameless heart and innocent hands].”


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Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know you did ·not realize what you were doing [this with a pure conscience/blameless heart]. So I ·did not allow you to sin [restrained you from sinning] against me and touch her.


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Give ·Abraham [the man] his wife back. He is a prophet [one who interceded for others]. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all ·your family [who belong to you] will surely die.”


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So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his ·officers [servants] and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid.


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Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, “What have you done to us? What ·wrong [offense; sin] did I do against you? Why did you bring this ·trouble [great offense/guilt; great sin] to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me.


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Then Abraham answered, “I thought no one in this place ·respected [feared] God and that someone would kill me to get ·Sarah [my wife].


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And it is true that she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but she is not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.


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When God ·told me to leave my father’s house and wander in many different places [caused me to wander from my father’s home; ], I told Sarah, ‘You must ·do a special favor for [or show loyalty to] me. Everywhere we go tell people, “He is my brother.”’”


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Then Abimelech gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves. He also gave Sarah, Abraham’s wife, back to him


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Abimelech said to Sarah, “I gave your brother Abraham ·twenty-five pounds [one thousand pieces] of silver ·to make up for any wrong that people may think about you [—a covering of the eyes to all who are with you; an indication that nothing improper happened]. I want everyone to know that you are innocent.”


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Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servant girls so they could have children.


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The Lord had ·kept all the women in Abimelech’s house from having children [closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech] ·as a punishment on Abimelech for taking [on account of] Abraham’s wife Sarah.


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A Baby for Sarah The Lord ·cared for [visited] Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised.


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Sarah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would.


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And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh [the name Isaac is related to a Hebrew word meaning “laugh”]. Everyone who hears about this will laugh ·with [or at] me.


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No one thought that I would ·be able to have Abraham’s child [suckle/nurse children], but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son.”


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Hagar and Ishmael Leave Isaac grew, and when he ·became old enough to eat food [was weaned], Abraham gave a great feast [on the day of his weaning].


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So Sarah said to Abraham, “·Throw [Drive] out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all [].”


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But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be ·troubled [distressed; upset] about the boy and the slave woman. Do ·whatever [all] Sarah tells you. ·The descendants I promised you will be from [The seed will be named for you through] Isaac.


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I will also make the ·descendants of Ishmael [the son of your slave woman] into a great nation because he is your ·son [seed], too.”


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Early the next morning Abraham [got up and] took some food and a ·leather bag full [skin] of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Carrying these things and her son [on her shoulder], Hagar went and wandered [the verb may imply moving aimlessly and without hope] in the ·desert [wilderness] of Beersheba [an area in the northern part of the Negev, southern Canaan].


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Later, when all the water was ·gone [finished] from the ·bag [skin], Hagar put her son under a bush.


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Then she went a good way off, the distance of a bowshot, and sat down across from him. She thought, “My son will die, and I cannot watch this happen.” She sat there across from him and began to cry.


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God heard the ·boy crying [sound/voice of the boy], and God’s ·angel [messenger; ] called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the ·boy crying [the sound/voice of the boy] there.


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·Help [Get up and lift] him up and take him by the hand. I will make ·his descendants [him] into a great nation.” [Ishmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people.]


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Then God [opened her eyes and] showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her ·bag [skin] with water and gave the boy a drink.


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He lived in the Desert of Paran [a region in the eastern Sinai peninsula], and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt [Hagar’s original homeland].


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Abraham’s Bargain with Abimelech ·Then [At that time] Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.


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So ·make a promise to me here before [swear to me by] God that you will ·be fair [not deal falsely] with me and my children and my descendants. Be ·kind [loyal] to me and to this land where you have lived as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien]—as ·kind [loyal] as I have been to you.”


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Then Abraham ·complained to [reproved; reproached] Abimelech about Abimelech’s servants who had seized a well of water.


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But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me [and I have not heard] about this before today.”


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Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from ·me [my hand] to ·prove that you believe [verify/witness that] I dug this well.”


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So that place was called Beersheba [; meaning either “well of seven” or “well of promise”] because they ·made a promise to each other [swore an oath] there.


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After Abraham and Abimelech ·made the agreement [cut a covenant/treaty] at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines [a region on the southern Mediterranean coast of Canaan].


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Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord, the ·God who lives forever [eternal God].


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And Abraham lived as a ·stranger [wanderer; sojourner; resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for ·a long time [many days].


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God Tests Abraham After these things God tested ·Abraham’s faith [Abraham]. God said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”


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Then God said, “Take your ·only [or precious] son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah [; the temple would later be built here]. Offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”


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Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two ·servants [or young men] with him. After he cut the wood for the sacrifice, they went to the place God had told them to go.


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He said to his ·servants [or young men], “Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”


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Abraham took the wood for the ·sacrifice [whole burnt offering] and ·gave it to his son to carry [placed it on his son], but he himself took the knife and the ·fire [or tinder]. So he and his son went on together.


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Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” Abraham answered, “Yes, my son.” Isaac said, “We have the ·fire [or tinder] and the wood, but where is the ·lamb [sheep] ·we will burn as a sacrifice [for the whole burnt offering]?”


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Abraham answered, “God will ·give us [provide; see for] the ·lamb [sheep] for the ·sacrifice [whole burnt offering], my son.” So Abraham and his son went on together


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and came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar there. He ·laid [arranged] the wood on it and then ·tied up [bound] his son Isaac and laid him on the wood on the altar.


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But the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [] called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” Abraham answered, “Yes.”


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The angel said, “Don’t ·kill [send out your hand against] your son or ·hurt [do anything to] him in any way. Now I can see that you ·trust [fear] God and that you have not ·kept [withheld] your son, your ·only [or precious] son, from me [; ].”


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Then Abraham ·looked up [lifted his eyes] and saw ·a [or another] ·male sheep [ram] caught in a ·bush [thicket] by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, ·and his son was saved [ … in the place of his son].


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So Abraham named that place The Lord ·Provides [or Sees; Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be ·provided [or seen].”


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and said, “The Lord says, ‘Because you did not ·keep back [withhold] your son, your ·only [precious] son, from me, I ·make you this promise by my own name [swear by myself]:


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I will surely bless you and ·give you many descendants [multiply your seed]. They will be as many as the stars in the ·sky [heavens] and the sand on the seashore, and they will ·capture [possess] the ·cities [gates] of their enemies.


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Through your ·descendants [seed] all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you ·obeyed [listened to] me [].’ ”


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Then Abraham returned to his ·servants [young men]. They all traveled back to Beersheba, and Abraham ·stayed there [resided in Beersheba; ].


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After these things happened, someone told Abraham: “·Your brother Nahor and his wife Milcah have children now [Milcah has born sons to Nahor your brother; ].


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The ·first son [firstborn] is Uz, and ·the second [his brother] is Buz. ·The third son is […and] Kemuel (the father of Aram).


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Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah was the mother of these eight sons, and Nahor, Abraham’s brother, was the father.


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Also Nahor had four other sons by his ·slave woman [concubine; a secondary wife] Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah [Nahor’s offspring may have been the ancestors of the Aramaean tribes in Syria].


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Sarah Dies Sarah lived to be one hundred twenty-seven years old [such were the years of Sarah’s life].


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She died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron [city nineteen miles south of Jerusalem]) in the land of Canaan. Abraham ·was very sad [mourned] and cried because of her.


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After a while he got up from the side of his ·wife’s body [dead] and went to talk to the Hittites [one of the many groups that made up the population of Canaan at the time, notable in that they were not Semitic as the others were]. He said,


text:
“I am only a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] and a ·foreigner [settler; the combination of terms indicates a resident alien] here. Sell me some ·of your land [property for a burial place] so that I can bury my ·dead wife [dead].”


text:
“·Sir [My lord], you are a ·great leader [mighty prince; or prince of God; a man of wealth and power even though he owned no land] among us. You may have the ·best [choicest] place we have to bury your dead. You may have any of our burying places that you want, and none of us will stop you from burying your ·dead wife [dead].”


text:
He said to them, “If you truly ·want to help me [are willing for me to] bury my ·dead wife [dead] here, ·speak to [entreat] Ephron, the son of Zohar for me.


text:
Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah at the edge of his field. I will pay him the full price. You can be the witnesses that I am buying it as a burial place.”


text:
Ephron was sitting among the Hittites at the city gate [place where commercial transactions took place]. He answered Abraham [in the hearing of the Hittites],


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“No, ·sir [my Lord]. [Hear me,] I will give you the ·land [field] and the cave that is in it, with these people as witnesses. Bury your ·dead wife [dead].”


text:
He said to Ephron ·before [in the hearing of] all the people, “·Please let me [Listen to me. I will] pay you the full price for the field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead there.”


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“·Sir [My Lord], [Listen to me,] the land is worth ·ten pounds [400 shekels] of silver, ·but I won’t argue with you over the price [what is that between you and me?]. Take the land, and bury your ·dead wife [dead].”


text:
Abraham ·agreed [listened] and paid Ephron in front of the Hittite witnesses. He weighed out the full price, ·ten pounds [400 shekels] of silver, and they counted the weight as the traders normally did.


text:
So Ephron’s field in Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold. Abraham became the owner of the field, the cave in it, and all the trees that were in the field. The sale was made at the city gate, with the Hittites as witnesses [the first land actually owned by Abraham].


text:
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. (Mamre was later called Hebron in the land of Canaan.)


text:
A Wife for Isaac Abraham was now very old, ·along in years [going in days], and the Lord had blessed him in every way.


text:
Abraham said to his oldest servant [in his house], who was in charge of everything he owned, “Put your hand under my ·leg [thigh; a euphemism for male genitalia, expressing commitment to keep a promise].


text:
·Make a promise to me before [Swear to me by] the Lord, the God of heaven and [the God of] earth. Don’t get a wife for my son from the ·Canaanite girls [daughters of the Canaanites] who live around here.


text:
The servant said to him, “·What if [Perhaps] this woman does not want to return with me to this land? Then, should I take your son with me back to your homeland?”


text:
The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and the land of my relatives. And he ·promised [swore to] me, ‘I will give this land to your ·descendants [seed].’ The Lord will send his ·angel [messenger] before you to help you get a wife for my son there.


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If the ·girl [woman] won’t come back with you, you will be ·free [declared innocent] from this promise. But you must not take my son back there.”


text:
So the servant put his hand under his master’s ·leg [thigh; ] and ·made a promise [swore] to Abraham about this.


text:
The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels and left, carrying with him many ·different kinds of beautiful gifts [goods of his master]. He went to ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Aram-Naharaim; a region near the Habor and Euphrates rivers, about a month’s journey away] to ·Nahor’s city [or the city of Nahor].


text:
In the evening, when the women come out to get water [most ancient towns had a single source of water for the community], he made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city.


text:
The servant said, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, ·allow me to find a wife for his son [grant me good fortune] today. Please show this ·kindness [loyalty] to my master Abraham.


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Here I am, standing by the spring, and the ·girls [daughters of the men] from the city are coming out to get water.


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·I will say to one of them [Let the girl to whom I will say…], ‘Please put your jar down so I can drink.’ Then let her say, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels.’ If that happens, I will know she is the ·right one [the one appointed/selected] for your servant Isaac and that you have shown ·kindness [loyalty] to my master.”


text:
Before the servant had finished ·praying [speaking], Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, came out of the city. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham’s brother [].) Rebekah was carrying her water jar on her shoulder.


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She was ·very pretty [extremely beautiful], a virgin; she had never ·had sexual relations with [known] a man. She went down to the spring and filled her jar, then came back up.


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Rebekah said, “Drink, ·sir [my master].” She quickly lowered the jar ·from her shoulder [on her hand] and gave him a drink.


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After ·he finished drinking [she let him drink all he wanted], Rebekah said, “I will also pour some water for your camels [until they have finished drinking].”


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So she quickly ·poured [emptied] all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels. Then she kept running to the well until she had given all the camels enough to drink.


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The ·servant [man] quietly ·watched [stared at] her. He wanted to ·be sure [learn whether or not] the Lord had made his trip successful.


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After the camels had finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ·ring [nose-ring; or earring] weighing ·one-fifth of an ounce [one half shekel] and two gold arm bracelets weighing about ·four ounces [ten shekels] each.


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He asked, “·Who is your father [Tell me whose daughter you are]? Is there a place in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”


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Then she said, “And, yes, we have ·straw for your camels [plenty of straw and feed] and a place for you to spend the night.”


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and said, “Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord ·has been kind and truthful to him [has not abandoned his kindness/loyalty and truthfulness/faithfulness to my master] and has led me to my master’s relatives.”


text:
Laban had heard what she had said and had seen the ·ring [nose-ring; or earring] and the bracelets on his sister’s arms. So he ran out to the well, and there was the man standing by the camels at the spring.


text:
Laban said, “·Sir [O blessed one], ·you are welcome to come in [come]; ·you don’t have to stand [why are standing…?] outside. I have ·prepared [cleared out] the house for you and also a place for your camels.”


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So Abraham’s servant went into the house. After Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and ·food [fodder], he gave water to Abraham’s servant so he and the men with him could wash their feet.


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Then ·Laban gave the servant food [the food was set before him], but the servant said, “I will not eat until I have told you why I came.” So Laban said, “Then tell us.”


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The Lord has greatly blessed my master in everything [], and he has become a rich man. The Lord has given him many flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels, and horses.


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Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to a son when she was old [], and my master has given everything he owns to that son.


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My master had me ·make a promise to him [swear] and said, ‘Don’t get a wife for my son from the Canaanite ·girls [daughters] ·who live around here [in whose land I live].


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Instead, you must go to my father’s ·people [house] and to my family. There you must ·get [take] a wife for my son.’


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But he said, ‘I ·serve [walk before] the Lord, who will send his ·angel [or messenger] with you and will ·help you [make your way successful]. You will ·get [take] a wife for my son from my family and my father’s ·people [house].


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Then you will be ·free [innocent] from ·the promise [my oath]. But if they will not give you a wife for my son, you will be ·free [innocent] from ·this promise [my oath].’


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“Today I came to this spring. I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, please make my ·trip [way] successful.


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I am standing by this spring. I will wait for a young woman to come out to ·get [draw] water, and I will say, “Please give me water from your jar to drink.”


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Then let her say, “Drink this water, and I will also draw water for your camels.” By this I will know the Lord has chosen her for my master’s son.’


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“Before I finished ·my silent prayer [speaking in my heart/mind], Rebekah came out of the city with her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’


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She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink this. I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she watered my camels too.


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When I asked her, ‘·Who is your father [Whose daughter are you]?’ she answered, ‘·My father is [The daughter of] Bethuel son of Milcah and Nahor.’ Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms,


text:
and I bowed my head and ·thanked [worshipped] the Lord. I ·praised [blessed] the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, because he ·led [guided] me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.


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Now, tell me, will you be ·kind [loyal] and ·truthful [faithful] to my master? And if not, tell me so. Then I will ·know what I should do [turn to the right hand or to the left].”


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Laban and Bethuel answered, “This ·is clearly [has come out] from the Lord, and we cannot ·change what must happen [speak to you good or evil].


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Rebekah is ·yours [before you]. Take her and go. Let her marry your master’s son as the Lord has ·commanded [spoken].”


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Then he gave Rebekah gold and silver jewelry and clothes. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.


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The servant and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, the servant said, “·Now let me go [Send me] back to my master.”


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Rebekah’s mother and her brother said, “Let ·Rebekah [the girl] stay with us at least ten days. After that she may go.”


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But the servant said to them, “Do not ·make me wait [delay/hinder], because the Lord has made my ·trip [way] successful. Now ·let me go [send me] back to my master.”


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Rebekah’s brother and mother said, “We will call Rebekah and ask her ·what she wants to do [at her mouth].”


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They called her and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man now?” She said, “·Yes, I do [I will go].”


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So they ·allowed Rebekah and her nurse to go [sent Rebekah their sister and her nurse] with Abraham’s servant and his men.


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They blessed Rebekah and said, “Our sister, may you ·be the mother of thousands of people [thousands of myriads], and may your ·descendants [seed] ·capture [inherit; possess] the ·cities of their enemies [gates of those who hate us].”


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Then Rebekah and her servant girls ·got on [rose up and mounted] the camels and followed the servant and his men. So the servant took Rebekah and left.


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One evening when he went out to the field to ·think [meditate; reflect; or walk], he ·looked up [raised his eyes] and saw camels coming.


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and asked the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant answered, “That is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.


text:
Then Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and she became his wife. Isaac loved her very much, and so he was comforted after his mother’s death.


text:
She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian [ancestor of the Midianites, the tribe into which Moses married; ], Ishbak, and Shuah [ancestor of the tribe of Job’s friend Bildad; ].


text:
Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan [; ; ]. Dedan’s descendants were the people of Assyria, Letush, and Leum.


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The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.


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But ·before Abraham died [while he was still alive], he did give gifts to the sons of his ·other wives [concubines], then sent them to the East to be away from Isaac [to prevent rivalry over Abraham’s inheritance].


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·Abraham lived to be [These are the days of the years of the life of Abraham] one hundred seventy-five years old.


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He ·breathed his last breath [expired] and died at an old age, ·after a long and satisfying life [an old man and full of years; he was gathered to his people/relatives; buried in the family plot, though may imply joining his ancestors in the afterlife].


text:
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron east of Mamre. (Ephron was the son of Zohar the Hittite.)


text:
So Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah in the same field that he had bought from the Hittites [].


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·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. (Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, ·was Ishmael’s mother [bore him to Abraham].)


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These are the names of Ishmael’s sons in the order they were born: Nebaioth, the ·first son [firstborn], then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,


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These were Ishmael’s sons, and these are the names of the ·tribal leaders [twelve princes/chieftains according to their tribes; ] listed according to their ·settlements [villages] and camps.


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·Ishmael lived [These are the years of the life of Ishmael] one hundred thirty-seven years and then ·breathed his last breath [expired] and died [and was gathered to his people/relatives; ].


text:
His descendants lived from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt stretching toward Assyria [the area from the northern Sinai to the border of western Mesopotamia, the area of Arab tribes]. They often ·attacked [or settled among; fell on] the descendants of his brothers.


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Isaac’s Family ·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Isaac. Abraham ·had a son named [or was the father of] Isaac.


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When Isaac was forty years old, he ·married [took as a wife] Rebekah [], ·who came from northwestern Mesopotamia [the Aramean from Paddan-aram]. She was Bethuel’s daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean.


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Isaac’s wife ·could not have children [was barren], so Isaac ·prayed to [entreated; interceded with] the Lord for her. The Lord heard Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah ·became pregnant [conceived].


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While she was pregnant, the ·babies [children] struggled inside her. She asked, “·Why is this happening to me [If thus, why this, I—; the Hebrew is uncertain]?” Then she went to ·get an answer from [seek; inquire of] the Lord.


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The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your ·body [womb], and two groups of people ·will be taken from you [are being divided within your body]. One group will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger [].”


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The first baby ·was born [came out] red. Since his skin was like a hairy robe, he was named Esau [sounds like “hairy” in Hebrew].


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When ·the second baby [his brother] ·was born [came out], ·he [his hand] was ·holding on to [gripping; grabbing] Esau’s heel, so that baby was named Jacob [sounds like Hebrew for “heel”; grabbing a heel is a Hebrew idiom for tricking someone]. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.


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When the boys grew up, Esau became a ·skilled [experienced] hunter. He ·loved to be out in the fields [was a man of the fields]. But Jacob was a ·quiet [or mild; or blameless] man ·and stayed among the [living in] tents.


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Isaac loved Esau because ·he hunted the wild animals that Isaac enjoyed eating [game was in his (Isaac’s) mouth]. But Rebekah loved Jacob.


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One day Jacob was ·boiling a pot of vegetable soup [or preparing stew]. Esau came in from hunting in the fields, ·weak from hunger [famished; starving].


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So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me ·eat [gulp down] some of that red ·soup [or stuff], because I am ·weak with hunger [famished; starving].” (That is why people call him Edom [sounds like Hebrew for “red”].)


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But Jacob said, “·First [As the day; an idiom meaning, “First of all…”] ·sell [or exchange with] me your ·rights as the firstborn son [birthright; the firstborn had special inheritance rights and became the head of the family in the next generation].”


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Esau said, “I am ·almost dead from hunger [going to die]. ·If I die, all of my father’s wealth will not help me [What will my birthright be to me?].”


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But Jacob said, “First [], ·promise [swear to] me that you will give it to me.” So Esau ·made a promise to Jacob [swore to him] and ·sold [exchanged] his ·part of their father’s wealth [birthright] to Jacob.


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Then Jacob gave Esau bread and ·vegetable soup [stew], and he ate and drank, and then left. So Esau ·showed how little he cared about his rights as the firstborn son [despised/showed contempt toward his birthright; ].


text:
Isaac Lies to Abimelech Now there was a ·time of hunger [famine] in the land, besides the ·time of hunger [former famine] that happened during Abraham’s life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar [] to see Abimelech king of the Philistines.


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The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Don’t go down to Egypt, but ·live [settle; dwell] in the land where I tell you to live.


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·Stay [Sojourn; Live as an alien] in this land, and I will be with you and bless you []. I will give you and your ·descendants [seed] all these lands, and I will ·keep [fulfill] the oath I made to Abraham your father.


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I will ·give you many descendants [multiply your seed], as hard to count as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. Through your ·descendants [seed] all the nations on the earth will be blessed [].


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I will do this because your father Abraham ·obeyed me [listened to my voice]. He did what I said and obeyed my ·instructions [charge], my commands, my teachings, and my ·rules [instructions; laws].”


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His wife Rebekah was very beautiful, and the men of that place asked Isaac about her. Isaac said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to tell them she was his wife. He thought they might kill him so they could have her [; ].


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Isaac lived there a long time. One day as Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out his window, he saw Isaac ·holding [fondling; playing with; a word related to the name Isaac] his wife Rebekah tenderly.


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Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “This woman is your wife. Why did you say she was your sister?” Isaac said to him, “I ·was afraid you would kill me so you could have [thought I might die because of] her.”


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Abimelech said, “What have you done to us? One of our ·men [people] might have ·had sexual relations [lain] with your wife. Then ·we would have been guilty of a great sin [you would have brought guilt/punishment on us].”


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So Abimelech ·warned [commanded] ·everyone [all the people], “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death.”


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Isaac Becomes Rich Isaac planted seed in that land, and that year he gathered ·a great harvest [a hundredfold]. The Lord blessed him very much,


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and ·he [the man] became rich. He ·gathered more wealth [grew richer and richer] until he became a very rich man.


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So they stopped up all the wells the servants of Isaac’s father Abraham had dug. (They had dug them ·when Abraham was alive [in the days of Abraham his father].) The Philistines filled those wells with ·dirt [dust].


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And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave ·our country [my people] because you have become much more powerful than we are.”


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So Isaac ·left that place [went from there] and camped in the ·Valley [Wadi] of Gerar and ·lived [resided; settled] there.


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·Long before this time Abraham [In the days of Abraham his father they] had dug many wells, but after he died, the Philistines filled them with ·dirt [dust]. So Isaac dug those wells again and gave them the same names his father had given them.


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Isaac’s servants dug a well in the ·valley [wadi], ·from which a spring of water flowed [and discovered springing/living water].


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But the ·herdsmen [shepherds] of Gerar ·argued [contended] with ·them [the shepherds of Isaac] and said, “This water is ours.” So Isaac named that well ·Argue [Contention; Hebrew: Esek] because they ·argued [contended] with him.


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Then ·his servants [they] dug another well. When the people also ·argued about it [contended], Isaac named that well ·Fight [Hebrew: Sitnah].


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He moved from there and dug another well. No one ·argued about [contended] this one, so he named it Room Enough [Hebrew: Rehoboth]. Isaac said, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and we will be ·successful [fruitful; ] in this land.”


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The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you [indicating that the covenant with Abraham would be continued with Isaac]. I will bless you and ·give you many descendants [multiply your seed] because of my servant Abraham.”


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So Isaac built an altar [a place of sacrifice] and ·worshiped [called on the name of] the Lord there. He also ·made a camp [pitched his tent] there, and his servants dug a well.


text:
Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought with him Ahuzzath, ·who advised him [his advisor/friend], and Phicol, the commander of his army.


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Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to see me? You ·were my enemy [hate me] and ·forced me to leave your country [sent me away from you].”


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They answered, “Now we ·know [clearly see] that the Lord is with you. Let us swear an oath to each other. Let us ·make [cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you


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that since we did not ·hurt [touch] you, you will not ·hurt [harm] us. We were good to you and sent you away in peace. Now the Lord has blessed you.”


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So Isaac ·prepared food [made a banquet/feast] for them, and they all ate and drank [customary to celebrate the signing of the treaty].


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Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left in peace.


text:
That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug, saying, “We found water in that well.”


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So Isaac named it Shibah [sounds like Hebrew for “seven” or “promise”] and that city is called Beersheba [] even now.


text:
When Esau was forty years old, he married two Hittite women—Judith daughter of Beeri and Basemath daughter of Elon.


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These women brought much ·sorrow [bitterness] to Isaac and Rebekah [because Esau had married outside the people of God].


text:
Jacob Tricks Isaac When Isaac was old, his ·eyesight was poor [eyes were dim], so he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, “[My] Son.” Esau answered, “Here I am.”


text:
So take your weapons, your ·bow and arrows [quiver and your bow], and go hunting in the field for ·an animal for me to eat [game for me].


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When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die.”


text:
So Esau went out in the field to hunt [for game to bring it]. Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau.


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‘·Kill an animal [Bring me game] and prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’


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Go out to our ·goats [flock] and bring me two ·of the best young ones [choice goats]. I will prepare them just the way your father ·likes [loves] them.


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If my father ·touches me, he will know I am not Esau [feels me…]. Then he will not bless me but will place a curse on me because ·I tried to trick him [he will think I am mocking him].”


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So ·Rebekah [his mother] said to him, “·If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame [Let your curse be on me]. Just do what I said. Go get the goats for me.”


text:
So Jacob went out and got ·two goats [them] and brought them to his mother, and ·she cooked them in the special way [his mother prepared a tasty meal just as] ·Isaac [his father] ·enjoyed [loved].


text:
She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house and put them on the younger son Jacob.


text:
She also took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and [the smoothness of his] neck.


text:
Jacob went in to his father and said, “[My] Father.” And his father said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?”


text:
Jacob said to him, “I am Esau, your ·first son [firstborn]. I have done what you told me. Now ·sit up [get up and sit down] and eat some ·meat of the animal [game] I hunted for you. Then bless me.”


text:
But Isaac asked his son, “How did you find ·and kill the animal [it] so quickly?” Jacob answered, “Because the Lord your God ·helped me to find it [went before me].”


text:
Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can ·touch [feel] you, my son. Then I will know if you are really my son Esau [or not].”


text:
So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac ·touched [felt] him and said, “Your voice ·sounds like [is] Jacob’s voice, but your hands ·are hairy like [are] the hands of Esau.”


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Isaac did not ·know it was [recognize] Jacob, because his hands were hairy like Esau’s hands, so Isaac blessed him.


text:
Then Isaac said, “Bring ·me the food [it to me], and I will eat ·it [my son’s game] and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate. Jacob gave him wine, and he drank.


text:
So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed him and said, “[See,] The smell of my son is like the smell of the field that the Lord has blessed.


text:
May God give you ·plenty of rain [the dew of heaven] and ·good soil [the fatness/richness/fertility of the earth] so that you will have plenty of grain and new wine.


text:
May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. May you be master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. May everyone who curses you be cursed, and may everyone who blesses you be blessed [; ].”


text:
Isaac [had just] finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting.


text:
He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. He said [to his father], “Father, rise and eat ·the food that your son killed for you [your son’s game] and then bless me.”


text:
Then Isaac trembled ·greatly [violently] and said, “Then who was it that hunted ·the animals [game] and brought me food before you came? I ate it, and I blessed him, and ·it is too late now to take back my blessing [he will indeed be blessed].”


text:
When Esau heard the words of his father, he let out a loud and bitter cry. He said to his father, “Bless me—me, too, my father []!”


text:
But Isaac said, “Your brother came and ·tricked [deceived; defrauded] me. He has taken your blessing.”


text:
Esau said, “Jacob [sounds like Hebrew for “heel” or “deceive”; ] is the right name for him. He has ·tricked me [deceived me; been at my heel] these two times. He took away my ·share of everything you own [birthright], and now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau asked, “Haven’t you ·saved [reserved] a blessing for me?”


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Isaac answered [and said to Esau], “I gave Jacob the power to be master over you, and all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept ·him strong [sustained him] with grain and new wine. ·There is nothing left to give you [What can I do for you…?], my son.”


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But Esau ·continued [said to his father], “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me, too, Father!” Then Esau ·began to cry out loud [lifted his voice and wept; ].


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Isaac his father said to him, “You will live far away from the ·best [fatness; richness; fertility of the] land, far from the ·rain [the dew of heaven; ].


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You will live by using your sword, and you will ·be a slave to [serve] your brother. But when you ·struggle [or become restless], you will break ·free from him [his yoke from your neck; ].”


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After that Esau ·hated [held a grudge against] Jacob because of the blessing ·from Isaac [with which his father blessed him]. He thought ·to himself [in his heart], “·My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him [The days of mourning for my father are near]. Then I will kill Jacob [my brother].”


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Rebekah ·heard about Esau’s plan to kill Jacob [was told the words of Esau her oldest son]. So she sent for Jacob [her younger son] and ·said to [informed] him, “Listen, your brother Esau is ·comforting himself [consoling himself; or wants to execute his anger against you] by planning to kill you.


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So, my son, ·do what I say [listen to my voice]. My brother Laban is living in Haran. ·Go to him at once [Get up and flee to him]!


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In time, your brother will not be angry, and he will forget what you did to him. Then I will send a servant to bring you back. I don’t want to lose both of my sons on the same day.”


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Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am ·tired of [weary of my life due to] ·Hittite women [the daughters of the Hittites]. If Jacob marries one of ·these Hittite women [the daughters of the Hittites] here in this land, ·I want to die [why would I want to live?].”


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Jacob Searches for a Wife Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him [and said to him], “You must not marry a ·Canaanite woman [daughter of Canaan].


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·Go [Get up and go] to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, in ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram; ]. Laban, your mother’s brother, lives there. Marry one of his daughters.


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May God Almighty bless you and ·give you many children [make you fruitful and multiply you; ], and may you become a ·group [assembly; congregation; company] of many peoples.


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May he give you and your ·descendants [seed] the blessing of Abraham so that you may ·own [possess] the land ·where you are now living as a stranger [of your wandering/sojourn/alien status], the land God gave to Abraham.”


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So Isaac sent Jacob to ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram], to Laban the brother of Rebekah. Bethuel the Aramean was the father of Laban and Rebekah, and Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.


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Esau ·learned [saw] that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram] to find a wife there. He also ·learned [saw] that Isaac had commanded Jacob not to marry a ·Canaanite woman [daughter of Canaan]


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and that Jacob had ·obeyed [listened to] his father and mother and had gone to ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram].


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So Esau saw that ·his father Isaac did not want his sons to marry Canaanite women [the daughters of Canaan were bad/evil in the eyes of his father Isaac].


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Now Esau already had wives, but he went to Ishmael son of Abraham, and he married Mahalath, Ishmael’s daughter. Mahalath was the sister of Nebaioth.


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When he came to a place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. He found a stone and laid his head on it ·to go to sleep [and lay down in that place].


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Jacob dreamed that there was a ·ladder [or stairway; or ramp] resting on the earth and reaching up into heaven, and he saw ·angels [messengers] of God ·going up and coming down [ascending and descending on] ·the ladder [it; ].


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Then Jacob saw the Lord standing above the ladder [], and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your grandfather, and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your ·descendants [seed] the ·land [ground] on which you are now ·sleeping [lying; ].


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Your ·descendants [seed] will be as many as the dust of the earth []. They will spread west and east, north and south, and all the ·families [clans] of the earth will ·be blessed [or bless themselves] through you and your ·descendants [seed].


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I am with you and will ·protect [guard] you everywhere you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not ·leave [abandon; forsake] you until I have done what I have promised you.”


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He was afraid and said, “This place frightens me! It is surely the house of God and the gate of heaven.”


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Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone ·he had slept on [which was under his head] and set it up ·on its end [as a pillar; , ; , ; ; a practice later prohibited because similar to Canaanite religion (; ; )]. Then he poured olive oil on the top of it.


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Then Jacob ·made a promise [vowed a vow]. He said, “I want God to be with me and to ·protect [guard] me on this journey. I want him to give me food to eat and clothes to wear


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so I will be able to return ·in peace [or safely] to my father’s house. If the Lord does these things, he will be my God.


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This stone which I have set up ·on its end [as a pillar] will be the house of God. And I will give God ·one-tenth [a tithe] of all he gives me.”


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Jacob Arrives in Northwestern Mesopotamia Then Jacob ·continued his journey [lifted his feet] and came to the land of the people of the East [the area of the Arameans on the northern Euphrates].


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He looked and saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, because they drank water from this well. A large stone covered the mouth of the well.


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When all the flocks would gather there, ·the shepherds [they] would roll the stone away from the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place.


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Jacob said to the shepherds there, “My brothers, where are you from?” They answered, “We are from Haran [].”


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Then Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban, ·grandson [descendant] of Nahor?” They answered, “We know him.”


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Then Jacob asked, “How is he?” They answered, “He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming now with his sheep.”


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Jacob said, “But look, it is still ·the middle of the day [broad daylight]. It is not time for the sheep to be gathered for the night, so give them water and let them go back into the pasture.”


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But they said, “We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered. Then we will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep.”


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While ·Jacob [he] was talking with ·the shepherds [them], Rachel came with her father’s sheep, because ·it was her job to care for the sheep [she was a shepherdess].


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When Jacob saw Laban’s daughter Rachel and Laban’s sheep, he went to the well and rolled the stone from its mouth and watered Laban’s sheep. Now Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother.


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He told her that he was from her father’s family and that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.


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When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.


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Then Laban said, “You are my own ·flesh and blood [bone and flesh].” Jacob Is Tricked Jacob stayed there a month.


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Then Laban said to Jacob, “You are my relative, but ·it is not right for you to work for me without pay [should you serve me for nothing?]. What ·would you like me to pay you [will your wages be]?”


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Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, “·Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you [I will work for seven years for your younger daughter Rachel].”


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Laban said, “It would be better for ·her to marry you [me to give her to you] than someone else, so stay here with me.”


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So Jacob worked for Laban seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like just a few days to him because he loved Rachel very much.


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After seven years Jacob said to Laban, “Give me ·Rachel [my woman/wife] so that I may ·marry [go to] her. ·The time I promised to work for you is over [My days are fulfilled].”


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That evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and ·they had sexual relations [he (Jacob) went into her].


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In the morning when Jacob saw that ·he had had sexual relations with [it was] Leah, he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel! Why did you ·trick [deceive; defraud] me?”


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Laban said, “In our ·country [place] we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the ·older daughter [firstborn].


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But complete the full week of ·the marriage ceremony with Leah [this one], and I will give you ·Rachel [the other one] to marry also. But you must serve me another seven years.”


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So Jacob did this, and when he had completed the week ·with Leah [of this one], Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.


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So Jacob ·had sexual relations with [went to] Rachel also, and Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.


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Jacob’s Family Grows When the Lord saw ·that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah [Leah was unloved/hated], he ·made it possible for Leah to have children [opened up her womb], but ·not Rachel [Rachel was barren].


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Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben [sounds like “seen my troubles” in Hebrew], because she said, “The Lord has seen my ·troubles [distress]. Surely now my husband will love me.”


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Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon [sounds like “has heard” in Hebrew] and said, “The Lord has heard that I am ·not loved [or hated], so he has given me this son.”


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Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi [sounds like “be close to” in Hebrew] and said, “Now, surely my husband will ·be close [bind/attach himself] to me, because I have given him three sons.”


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Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named him Judah [sounds like “praise” in Hebrew], because she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Then Leah stopped having children.


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When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she ·envied [was jealous of] her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”


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Jacob became angry with her and said, “·Can I do what only God can do [Am I in the place of God]? He ·is the one who has kept you from having children [has withheld the fruit of your womb].”


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Then Rachel said, “Here is my slave girl Bilhah. ·Have sexual relations with [Go to] her so she can ·give birth to a child for me [bear a child on my knees]. Then I can ·have my own family [be built up] through her.”


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So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine], and he ·had sexual relations with [went to] her.


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Rachel said, “God has ·judged me innocent [vindicated me]. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son,” so she named him Dan [sounds like “he has judged” in Hebrew].


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Rachel said, “I have ·struggled [or wrestled] hard with my sister, and I have won.” So she named that son Naphtali [sounds like “my struggle/wrestling” in Hebrew].


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Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine].


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and Leah said, “I am very ·happy [or blessed]! Now women will call me ·happy [or blessed],” so she named him Asher [sounds like “happy/blessed” in Hebrew].


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During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandrake plants [an aphrodisiac, also thought to increase fertility] and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”


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Leah answered, “·You have already [Is it a minor matter that you have] taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son’s mandrakes.” But Rachel answered, “If you will give me your son’s mandrakes, you may ·sleep [lie] with Jacob tonight.”


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When Jacob came in from the field ·that night [in the evening], Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You will ·have sexual relations with [come to] me tonight because I have ·paid for [bought; hired] you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob ·slept [lay] with her that night.


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Then God ·answered Leah’s prayer [heard Leah], and she ·became pregnant [conceived] again. She gave birth to a fifth son


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and said, “God has given me what I ·paid for [bought; hired], because I gave my slave girl to my husband.” So Leah named her son Issachar [sounds like “paid for” in Hebrew].


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·She [Leah] said, “God has given me a fine ·gift [dowry]. Now surely Jacob will ·honor [exalt] me, because I have given him six sons,” so she named him Zebulun [sounds like “honor” in Hebrew].


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Then God remembered Rachel and ·answered her prayer [heard her], ·making it possible for her to have children [and opened her womb].


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When she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son, she said, “God has taken away my ·shame [reproach],”


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and she named him Joseph [sounds like “he adds” in Hebrew]. Rachel said, “I wish the Lord would ·give [add to] me another son.”


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Jacob Tricks Laban ·After the birth of [At the time that Rachel gave birth to] Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Now ·let me [send me away that I might] go to my own home and country.


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Give me my wives and my children and let me go. I have earned them by working for you, and you know that I have served you well.”


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Laban said to him, “If I have ·pleased you [found grace in your eyes], please stay. I ·know [or have learned by divination that] the Lord has blessed me because of you.


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Jacob answered, “You know that I have worked hard for you, and [how] your ·flocks [herds; or cattle] have ·grown while I cared for them [have done with me].


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When I came, you had little, but now you have ·much [increased many times]. ·Every time I did something for you [Wherever I turned; At my feet], the Lord blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own ·family [household; house]?”


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Laban asked, “Then what should I give you?” Jacob answered, “I don’t want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I will come back and ·take care of [feed and watch] your flocks.


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Today let me ·go [pass] through all your flocks. I will ·take [remove] every speckled or spotted sheep, every black lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. That will be my ·pay [wage; hire].


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In the future ·you can easily see if I am honest [my honesty/righteousness will answer for me]. When you come to look at my flocks, if I have any goat that isn’t speckled or spotted or any lamb that isn’t black, you will know I stole it.”


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But that day Laban ·took away [removed] all the male goats that had streaks or spots, all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them), and all the black sheep. He told his sons to ·watch over [take charge of] them.


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Then he took these animals to a place that was three days’ journey away from Jacob. Jacob ·took care of [pastured] all the flocks that were left.


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So Jacob cut ·green [fresh] ·branches [rods] from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off some of the bark so that the ·branches [rods] had white stripes on them.


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He put the ·branches [rods] in front of the flocks at the watering ·places [troughs]. When the animals came to drink, they ·also mated there [were in heat],


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so the flocks mated in front of the branches [rods]. Then the young that were born were streaked, speckled, or spotted [since nothing in Jacob’s strategy would have produced this result, God must have done it].


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Jacob separated the young animals from the others, and he made them face the streaked and dark animals in Laban’s flock. Jacob kept his animals separate from Laban’s.


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When the stronger animals in the flock were ·mating [in heat], Jacob put the ·branches [rods] before their eyes so they would mate near the branches.


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But when the ·weaker [feebler] animals ·mated [were in heat], Jacob did not put the ·branches [rods] there. So the animals born from the ·weaker [feebler] animals were Laban’s, and those born from the stronger animals were Jacob’s.


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In this way ·Jacob [the man] became very rich. He had large flocks, many male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.


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Jacob Runs Away One day Jacob heard Laban’s sons talking. They said, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned, and ·in this way he has become rich [he has gotten all this wealth from our father].”


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The Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land ·where your ancestors lived [of your fathers and your birthplace], and I will be with you [indicating Jacob’s covenant with God].”


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He said to them, “I have seen that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God of my father has been with me.


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You both know that I have ·worked [served] ·as hard as I could [with all my power/strength] for your father,


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but he ·cheated [mocked; deceived] me and changed my ·pay [wages] ten times. But God has not allowed your father to harm me.


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When Laban said, ‘You can have all the speckled animals as your ·pay [wages],’ all the animals gave birth to speckled young ones. But when he said, ‘You can have all the streaked animals as your ·pay [wages],’ all the flocks gave birth to streaked babies [].


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“I had a dream during the season when the flocks were ·mating [in heat]. I saw that the only male goats who were ·mating [mounting; going up] were streaked, speckled, or spotted.


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The ·angel [messenger] said, ‘·Look [Raise up your eyes and see]! Only the streaked, speckled, or spotted male goats are ·mating [mounting; going up]. I have seen all ·the wrong things [that which] Laban has been doing to you.


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I am the God ·who appeared to you at [of] Bethel, where you ·poured olive oil on [anointed] the ·stone you set up on end [pillar; ] and where you made a ·promise [vow] to me. Now I want you to leave ·here [this land] and go back to the land where you were born.’ ”


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Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, “·Our father has nothing to give us when he dies [Is there any lot/portion or inheritance still in our father’s house?].


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He has ·treated [considered] us like ·strangers [or foreigners]. He sold us to you, and ·then he spent all of the money you paid for us [devoured the money].


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God took all this wealth from our father, and now it belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you to do.”


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and they began their journey back to Isaac, his father, in the land of Canaan. All the flocks of animals that Jacob owned walked ahead of them. He carried ·everything [all the property] with him that he had gotten while he lived in ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram].


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While Laban was gone to ·cut the wool from [shear] his sheep, Rachel stole the ·idols [teraphim; probably his household gods] that belonged to ·him [her father].


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And Jacob ·tricked [deceived; stole the heart of] Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was ·leaving [fleeing].


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·Jacob and his family [He and all that was his] ·left quickly [fled], crossed the ·Euphrates River [River; the northern Euphrates separated Mesopotamia from Syria], and traveled toward the mountains of Gilead [the northernmost part of Palestine].


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so he ·gathered [took] his ·relatives [brothers] and began to ·chase [pursue] him. After seven days Laban ·found [caught up with] him in the mountains of Gilead.


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That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful! Do not say anything to Jacob, good or bad.”


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The Search for the Stolen Idols So Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had ·made his camp [pitched his tent] in the mountains, so Laban and his ·relatives [brothers] ·set up their camp [pitched] in the mountains of Gilead.


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Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You ·cheated me [deceived me; stole my heart] and ·took [carried away] my daughters as if you had captured them ·in a war [with a sword].


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Why did you ·run away secretly [sneak off] and ·trick [deceive; steal from] me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away with joy and singing and with the music of tambourines and ·harps [lyres].


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You did not even let me kiss my ·grandchildren [sons] and my daughters good-bye. You were very foolish to do this!


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I have the power to harm you, but last night the God of your father spoke to me and warned me not to say anything to you, good or bad.


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I know you want to go back to ·your home [the house of your father], but why did you steal my ·idols [gods; ]?”


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Jacob answered [and said to] Laban, “I left without telling you, because I was afraid you would ·take [forcibly remove] your daughters away from me.


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If you find anyone here who has taken your ·idols [gods], that person will ·be killed [not live]! ·Your [Our] ·relatives [brothers] will be my witnesses. You may look for anything that belongs to you and take anything that is yours.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols.)


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So Laban ·looked [went] in Jacob’s tent, in Leah’s tent, and in the tent where the two slave women stayed, but he did not find his idols. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent.


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Rachel had hidden the ·idols [teraphim; ] inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Although Laban looked through the whole tent, he did not find them.


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Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you because ·I am having my monthly period [the way of women is on me].” So Laban ·looked through the camp [searched], but he did not find ·his idols [the teraphim].


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Then Jacob became very angry and accused Laban and said, “What ·wrong have I done [is my offense]? What ·law have I broken [is my sin] to cause you to ·chase [hotly pursue] me?


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You have ·looked [felt] through everything I own, but you have found nothing that belongs to you. If you have found anything, show it to everyone. Put it in front of your ·relatives [brothers] and my ·relatives [brothers], and let them ·decide which one of us is right [judge between us].


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I have ·worked for [been with] you now for twenty years. During all that time none of the ·lambs [ewes] and kids ·died during birth [miscarried], and I have not eaten any of the ·male sheep [rams] from your flocks.


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Any time an animal was killed by wild beasts, I did not bring it to you, but made up for the loss myself. You made me pay for any animal that was stolen during the day or night.


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In the daytime the ·sun [heat] ·took away my strength [consumed me], and at night I was cold and ·could not sleep [sleep fled from my eyes].


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I [was in your house and] worked like a slave for you for twenty years—the first fourteen to get your two daughters and the last six to earn your flocks. During that time you changed my ·pay [wages] ten times.


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But the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the ·God [Fear; a title for God; ] of Isaac, was with me. Otherwise, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the ·trouble [affliction] I had and the hard work I did, and last night he ·corrected [admonished; reproved] you.”


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Jacob and Laban’s Treaty Laban said to Jacob, “·These girls [The daughters] are my daughters. ·Their children belong to me [The sons are my sons], and ·these flocks are mine [the flocks are my flocks]. Everything you see here belongs to me, but ·I can do nothing to keep [what can I do about…?] my daughters and their children.


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·Let us make [Come, let us cut] ·an agreement [a covenant/treaty; ], and let ·us set up a pile of stones to remind us of it [it be a witness between us].”


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·He [Jacob] told his ·relatives [brothers] to gather rocks, so they took the rocks and ·piled them up [made a pile/mound/heap]; then they ·ate [feasted] beside the pile [treaties were often celebrated by a feast].


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Laban named that place in his language A Pile to Remind Us [Jegar-sahadutha; he spoke Aramaic], and Jacob called the place Galeed [the Hebrew version of the Aramaic name].


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Laban said to Jacob, “This ·pile of rocks [mound; heap] will ·remind us of the agreement [be a witness] between us.” That is why the place was called ·A Pile to Remind Us [Galeed].


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It was also called Mizpah [sounds like “watch” in Hebrew], because Laban said, “Let the Lord watch over us while we are ·separated [absent] from each other.


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Remember that God is our witness even if no one else is around us. He will know if you ·harm [abuse] my daughters or ·marry [take] other women.


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Here is the ·pile of rocks [mound; heap] that I have ·put [thrown up] between us and here is the ·rock I set up on end [pillar].


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This ·pile of rocks [mound; heap] and this ·rock set on end [pillar] will ·remind us of our agreement [be a witness]. I will never go past this ·pile [mound; heap] to hurt you, and you must never come to my side of them to hurt me.


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Let the God of Abraham, who is the God of Nahor and the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], ·punish either of us if we break this agreement [judge between us].” So Jacob made a promise ·in the name of the God whom his father Isaac worshiped [by the fear of his father Isaac].


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Then Jacob ·killed an animal and offered it as [offered] a sacrifice on the mountain, and he invited his ·relatives [brothers] to share in the meal []. After they finished eating, they spent the night on the mountain.


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Early the next morning Laban kissed his ·grandchildren [sons] and his daughters and blessed them, and then he left to return ·home [to his place].


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When he saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim [sounds like “two camps” in Hebrew; a city in the hill country of Gilead; , ].


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Jacob’s brother Esau was living in the area called Seir in the country of Edom []. Jacob sent messengers to Esau,


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telling them, “Give this message to my ·master [lord] Esau: ‘This is what Jacob, your servant, says: I have ·lived [sojourned; lived as an alien] with Laban and have ·remained [or been detained] there until now.


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I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants. I send this message to ·you [my master/lord] ·and ask you to accept us [to find grace in your eyes].’ ”


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The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”


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Then Jacob was very afraid and ·worried [distressed]. He divided the people who were with him and all the flocks, herds, and camels into two camps.


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Jacob thought, “Esau might come and ·destroy [strike; attack] one camp, but the ·other camp can run away and [the camp that is left] ·be saved [escape].”


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Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham! God of my father Isaac! Lord, ·you told [did you not tell…?] me to return to my country and my family. You said that you would treat me well.


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I am not worthy of the ·kindness [loyalty; covenant love] and ·continual goodness [faithfulness] you have shown ·me [your servant]. The first time I traveled across the Jordan River, I had only my walking stick, but now I own enough to have two camps.


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Please ·save [rescue; deliver] me from [the hand of] my brother Esau. I am afraid he will come and ·kill [strike; attack] all of us, even the mothers with the children.


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You said to me, ‘I will treat you well and will make your ·children [seed] as many as the sand of the seashore []. There will be too many to count.’ ”


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Jacob stayed there for the night and prepared ·a gift [or tribute] for Esau from what he had with him:


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two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ·female sheep [ewes] and twenty ·male sheep [rams],


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thirty female camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.


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Jacob gave each separate flock of animals to one of his servants and said to them, “·Go [Pass] ahead of me and keep some space between each herd.”


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Jacob gave them their orders. To the servant with the first group of animals he said, “My brother Esau will come to you and ask, ‘·Whose servant are you [To whom do you belong]? Where are you going and whose ·animals are these [are these ahead of you]?’


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Then you will answer, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. He sent them as a ·gift [or tribute] to you, my ·master [lord] Esau, and he also is coming behind us.’ ”


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Jacob ordered the second servant, the third servant, and all the ·other servants [others who followed the droves of animals] to do the same thing. He said, “Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.


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Say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” Jacob thought, “If I send ·these gifts [or this tribute] ahead of me, maybe ·Esau will forgive me [I will appease/propitiate him]. Then when I see ·him [his face], perhaps he will accept me.”


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So Jacob ·sent [passed ahead of him] the ·gifts [or tribute] to Esau, but he himself stayed that night in the camp.


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Jacob Wrestles with God During the night Jacob rose and crossed the Jabbok River [a tributary of the Jordan about 15 miles north of the Dead Sea in the Transjordan] at the crossing, taking with him his two wives, his two slave girls, and his eleven sons.


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When the man saw he could not defeat Jacob, he struck Jacob’s ·hip [hip socket] and put it out of joint [as he wrestled with him].


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Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go. ·The sun is coming up [Daybreak is coming].” But Jacob said, “I will ·let you go if you will [not let you go unless you] bless me.”


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Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel [sounds like “he wrestled/fought/strove with God” in Hebrew], because you have ·wrestled [fought; strove] with God and with people, and you have ·won [prevailed].”


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Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But ·the man [he] said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.


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So Jacob named that place Peniel [sounds like “face of God” in Hebrew], saying, “I have seen God face to face, but my life was ·saved [spared].”


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So even today the people of Israel do not eat the muscle that is on the hip joint of animals [the sciatic muscle], because Jacob was touched there.


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Jacob Shows His Bravery Jacob ·looked up [raised his eyes] and saw Esau coming, and with him were four hundred men. So Jacob divided his children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave girls.


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Jacob put the slave girls with their children first, then Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph last [least favorite to most favorite].


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Jacob himself ·went out [passed] in front of them and bowed down flat on the ground seven times ·as he was walking toward [or until he came near] his brother.


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But Esau ran to meet Jacob and ·put his arms around [hugged] him and ·hugged him [fell on his neck]. Then Esau kissed him, and they both cried.


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When ·Esau looked up [he raised his eyes] and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given me, your servant.”


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Then the two slave girls and their children came up to Esau and bowed down flat on the earth before him.


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Leah and her children also came up to Esau and also bowed down flat on the earth. Last of all, Joseph and Rachel came up to Esau, and they, too, bowed down flat before him.


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Esau said, “·I saw many herds as I was coming here. Why did you bring them [What is all this camp that I encountered]?” Jacob answered, “They were to ·please you, my master [find grace/favor in the eyes of my master/lord].”


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Jacob said, “No! Please! If I have ·pleased you [found grace/favor in your eyes], then ·accept the gift I give you [take my gift/tribute from my hand]. ·I am very happy to see your face again. It [Seeing your face] is like seeing the face of God, because you have accepted me.


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So I beg you to accept the ·gift [present; blessing] I give you. God has been very ·good [gracious; favorable] to me, and I have ·more than [all that] I need.” And because ·Jacob begged [he urged him], Esau ·accepted [took] the gift.


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But Jacob said to him, “My ·master [lord], you know that the children are ·weak [soft; frail]. And I must be careful with my flocks ·and their young ones [and herds that are nursing]. If I ·force them to go too far [push them too fast] in one day, ·all the animals [the entire flock] will die.


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So, my ·master [lord], you ·go [pass] on ahead of me, your servant. I will follow you slowly and let the animals and the children set the speed at which we travel. I will meet you, my ·master [lord], in ·Edom [Seir; ].”


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So Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my people with you.” “No, thank you,” said Jacob. “·I only want to please you, my master [Why should I find such grace/favor in the eyes of my master/lord?].”


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But Jacob went to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and ·shelters [booths] for his animals. That is why the place was named Succoth [sounds like “shelter” in Hebrew].


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Jacob left ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram] and arrived safely at the city of Shechem [] in the land of Canaan. There he camped ·east of [before] the city.


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He bought a ·part [parcel; portion] of the field where he had camped from the sons of Hamor father of Shechem for one hundred ·pieces of silver [qesitah; an uncertain monetary unit; ; , , ; ].


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Dinah Is Attacked At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah ·and [whom she bore to] Jacob [], went out to ·visit [see; or be seen with] the ·women [daughters] of the land.


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When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite [one of the tribes that inhabited Canaan], the ·ruler [prince] of the land, saw her, he took her and ·forced her to have sexual relations with him [lay with her and humiliated/violated her].


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·Shechem fell in love with Dinah [His soul was bound to Dinah daugher of Jacob and he loved her], and he spoke kindly to her.


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Jacob ·learned how [heard that] ·Shechem [he] had ·disgraced [defiled; made unclean] his daughter, but since his sons were out in the field with the cattle, Jacob ·said nothing [was silent] until they came home.


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When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were [upset/shocked/pained and] very angry that Shechem had done ·such a wicked thing [sacrilege; folly] to Israel. It was wrong for him to ·have sexual relations [lie] with Jacob’s daughter; a thing like this should not be done.


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But Hamor talked to Dinah’s brothers and said, “My son Shechem is deeply ·in love with [attached/bound to] Dinah. Please ·let him marry her [give her to him as a wife].


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·Marry [Make marriages/Intermarry with] our people. Give your women [daughters] to ·our men as wives [us] and take our ·women [daughters] for ·your men as wives [yourselves].


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Shechem also talked to ·Jacob [her father] and to Dinah’s brothers and said, “·Please accept my offer [Let me find grace/favor in your eyes]. I will give anything you ask.


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Ask as much as you want for the ·payment for the bride [bridal payment and gift; traditional payments to the family], and I will give it to you. Just ·let me marry Dinah [give me the girl as a wife].”


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Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father ·with lies [deceitfully; with duplicity], because Shechem had ·disgraced [defiled; made unclean] their sister Dinah.


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The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow you [to do this thing] to ·marry our sister [give our sister as a wife], because you are not circumcised. That would be a ·disgrace [reproach; shame] to us.


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But we will ·allow you to marry her [consent] if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us [].


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Then ·your men can marry our women [we will give our daughers to you], and ·our men can marry your women [we will take your daughters for ourselves], and we will live in your land and become one people.


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If you ·refuse [do not listen/obey us] to be circumcised, we will take ·Dinah [our daughter] and ·leave [go].”


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So ·Shechem quickly went to be circumcised [the man did not delay to do this thing] because he ·loved [delighted in] Jacob’s daughter. Now Shechem was the most ·respected [honored] man in ·his family [his father’s house].


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So Hamor and Shechem [his son] went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,


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“These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. ·There is enough land [The land is broad on both sides] for all of us. Let us ·marry their women [take their daughters as wives for ourselves], and ·we can let them marry our women [give them our daughters].


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But we must agree to one thing: All our men must be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land, and we will be one people.


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If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land.”


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All the people who had come to the city gate heard this. They agreed with Hamor and Shechem [his son], and every man was circumcised.


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Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers), took their swords and made a ·surprise [or bold] attack on the city, killing all the men there.


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Jacob’s sons came upon the dead bodies and ·stole everything that was in [plundered] the city, ·to pay them back for what Shechem had done to [because they had disgraced/defiled/made unclean] their sister.


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They ·took [captured and plundered] every valuable thing the people owned, even their wives and children and everything in the houses.


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Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. ·Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me [I will be a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites]. Since there are only a few of us, if they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed.”


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But the brothers said, “·We will not allow our sister to be treated [Should they treat our sister…?] like a ·prostitute [whore].”


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Jacob in Bethel God said to Jacob, “·Go [Rise up and go up] to the city of Bethel [] and live there. Make an altar to the God who appeared to you there when you were ·running away [fleeing] from your brother Esau [].”


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So Jacob said to his ·family [household] and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods you have, and ·make yourselves clean [purify yourselves], and change your clothes.


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We will ·leave here and go [rise up and go up] to Bethel. There I will build an altar to God, who ·has helped [answered] me ·during my time of trouble [in the day of my distress]. He has been with me [an indication of a covenant relationship] everywhere I have gone.”


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So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods ·they had [in their possession; in their hands], and the earrings ·they were wearing [on their ears], and he hid them under the ·great tree [oak; or terebinth; ] near the town of Shechem.


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Then Jacob and his sons left there. But ·God caused the people in the nearby cities to be afraid [the terror of God was on the surrounding cities], so they did not ·follow [pursue] them.


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And Jacob and all the people who were with him went to Luz, which is now called Bethel, in the land of Canaan.


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There Jacob built an altar and named the place ·Bethel, after God [El-Bethel; or “God of Bethel”], because God had appeared to him there when he was ·running [fleeing] from his brother.


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Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak tree at Bethel, so they named that place ·Oak of Crying [Allon-bacuth].


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Jacob’s New Name When Jacob came back from ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram], God appeared to him again and blessed him.


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God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. Your new name will be Israel.” So he called him Israel [].


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God said to him, “I am ·God Almighty [El Shaddai]. ·Have many children [Be fruitful] and ·grow in number [multiply; ] as a nation. ·You will be the ancestor of many nations [A company/assembly of nations will come from you] and kings [will spring from your loins].


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Jacob set up a ·stone on edge [pillar, a stone pillar] in that place where God had talked to him, and he poured a drink offering and olive oil on it to make it special for God.


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Rachel Dies Giving Birth ·Jacob and his group [They] ·left [departed from] Bethel. ·Before they came to [or While still some distance from] Ephrath [near Bethlehem four miles south of Jerusalem; ], Rachel began giving birth to her baby [and had hard labor],


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but she was having ·much trouble [hard labor]. When ·Rachel’s nurse [the midwife] saw this, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son.”


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Rachel gave birth to the son, but she herself died. As she lay dying, she named the boy ·Son of My Suffering [Ben-oni], but Jacob called him Benjamin [“son of my right hand/the south”].


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Then Israel [Jacob’s new name] continued his journey and ·camped [pitched his tent] just south of ·Migdal Eder [or the tower of Eder; Eder means “the flock”; perhaps located near Jerusalem; ].


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While Israel was there, Reuben ·had sexual relations [lay] with Israel’s ·slave woman [concubine] Bilhah, and Israel heard about it []. The Family of Israel Jacob had twelve sons.


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He had six sons by his wife Leah: Reuben, his ·first son [firstborn], then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.


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And he had two sons by Leah’s slave girl Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These are Jacob’s sons who were born in ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram].


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Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre near Hebron [; ; ; ], where Abraham and Isaac had ·lived [sojourned; lived as an alien].


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So Isaac breathed his last breath and died [and was gathered to his people/relatives; ] when he was very old [and full of days], and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.


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Esau’s Family ·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Esau (also called Edom []).


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Esau ·married [took] women from the ·land [daughters] of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite;


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and Oholibamah gave him Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons who were born in the land of Canaan.


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Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the people who lived with him, his herds and other animals, and all the ·belongings [property] he had ·gotten [acquired] in Canaan, and he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.


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·Esau and Jacob’s [For their] ·belongings [property] were becoming too many for them to live ·in the same land [together]. The land where they had ·lived [sojourned; lived as aliens] could not support both of them, because they had too many herds.


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·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Esau. He is the ·ancestor [father] of the Edomites, who live in the mountains of ·Edom [Seir].


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·Esau’s sons were [These are the names of the sons of Esau:] Eliphaz, son of Adah and Esau, and Reuel, son of Basemath and Esau.


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Eliphaz also had a ·slave woman [concubine] named Timna, and Timna and Eliphaz gave birth to Amalek. These were Esau’s ·grandsons [descendants; sons] by his wife Adah.


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Reuel had four sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were Esau’s grandsons by his wife Basemath.


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Esau’s third wife was Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. (Anah was the son of Zibeon.) Esau and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.


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These were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] that came from Esau: Esau’s ·first son [firstborn] was Eliphaz. From him came these ·leaders [chiefs; or clans]: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,


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Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] that came from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Adah.


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Esau’s son Reuel was the father of these ·leaders [chiefs; or clans]: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] that came from Reuel in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.


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Esau’s wife Oholibamah gave birth to these ·leaders [chiefs; or clans]: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] that came from Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.


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Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These sons of Seir were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] of the Horites in Edom.


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The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the hot springs in the ·desert [wilderness] while he was ·caring for [pasturing] his father’s donkeys.


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Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] of the Horite families who lived in the land of Edom.


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When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who had defeated Midian in the country of Moab, became king. Hadad was from the city of Avith.


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When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of Me-Zahab.


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These Edomite ·leaders [chiefs; or clans], listed by their ·families [clans] and regions, came from Esau. Their names were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,


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Magdiel, and Iram. They were the ·leaders [chiefs; or clans] of Edom. (Esau was the father of the Edomites.) The area where each of these ·families [clans] lived was named after that ·family [clan].


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Joseph the Dreamer Jacob ·lived [settled] in the land of Canaan, where his father had ·lived [sojourned; lived as an alien].


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·This is the family history [These are the generations; ] of Jacob: Joseph was a young man, seventeen years old. He and his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, ·cared for [shepherded] the flocks. Joseph was a ·helper [assistant; youth] to his brothers. Joseph gave his father bad reports about his brothers.


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Since Joseph was born when his father Israel [Jacob’s other name] was old, Israel loved him more than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves [traditionally a multicolored robe].


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When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother and could not speak to him ·politely [civilly; peacefully].


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We were in the field tying ·bundles [sheaves] of wheat together. My ·bundle [sheaf] rose and stood upright, and your ·bundles [sheaves] of wheat gathered around it and bowed down to it.”


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His brothers said, “Do you really think you will be king over us? Do you truly think you will ·rule over [dominate] us?” His brothers hated him even more because of his dreams and what he had said.


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Then Joseph had another dream, and he told his brothers about it also. He said, “Listen, I had another dream. I saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.”


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Joseph also told his father about this dream, but his father ·scolded [rebuked] him, saying, “What kind of dream is this? Do you really believe that your mother, your brothers, and I will bow down to you?”


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Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, but his father ·thought about what all these things could mean [guarded/kept the report].


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Israel said to Joseph, “·Go to Shechem where your brothers are grazing the flocks [Are not your brothers shepherding in Shechem? Go and I will send you to them].” Joseph answered, “I will go.”


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His father said, “Go and see ·if your brothers and the flocks are all right [after the welfare of your brothers and the flocks]. Then come back and ·tell me [give me a report].” So Joseph’s father sent him from the Valley of Hebron []. When Joseph came to Shechem,


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Joseph answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are ·grazing [shepherding] the flocks?”


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The man said, “They have already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan [a small town thirteen miles north of Shechem].” So Joseph went to look for his brothers and found them in Dothan.


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Joseph Sold into Slavery Joseph’s brothers saw him coming from far away. Before he reached them, they ·made a plan [conspired] to kill him.


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Let’s ·kill [murder] him and throw his body into one of the ·wells [pits; cisterns]. We can tell our father that a wild animal ·killed [ate] him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”


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But Reuben [the oldest among the brothers] heard ·their plan [it] and ·saved Joseph [rescued him from their hands], saying, “Let’s not ·kill him [take his life].


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Don’t spill any blood. Throw him into this ·well [pit; cistern] here in the ·desert [wilderness], but don’t ·hurt him [send your hand against him]!” Reuben planned to ·save Joseph later [rescue him from their hand] and ·send him back [return him] to his father.


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·While Joseph was in the well, the brothers [They] sat down to eat. When they ·looked up [lifted their eyes], they saw a ·group [caravan] of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh.


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Then Judah said to his brothers, “What ·will we gain [profit is there] if we ·kill [murder] our brother and ·hide his death [cover up his blood]?


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Let’s sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we will not ·be guilty of killing our own brother [lay our hands on him]. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” And the other brothers ·agreed [listened; obeyed].


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So when the Midianite traders [Midian is part of the Ishmaelite nation; , ] came by, ·the brothers took Joseph out [they drew him and lifted him up out] of the ·well [pit; cistern] and sold him to the Ishmaelites for ·eight ounces [twenty pieces] of silver [the price of a slave at the time]. And the Ishmaelites took him to Egypt.


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When Reuben came back to the ·well [pit; cistern] and Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes [to show he was upset].


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Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! ·What shall I do [And as for me, where should I go]?”


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·The brothers killed [They took the robe and slaughtered] a goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood.


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Then they brought the long-sleeved robe [] to their father and said, “We found this robe. Look it over carefully and see if it is your son’s robe.”


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·Jacob looked it over [He recognized it] and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ·savage [evil] animal has eaten him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!”


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Then Jacob tore his clothes and put ·on rough cloth [burlap/sackcloth on his loins; to show he was upset], and he continued ·to be sad about [mourn for] his son for ·a long time [many days].


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All of his sons and daughters tried to ·comfort [console] him, but he could not be ·comforted [consoled]. He said, “I will ·be sad about my son until the day I die [I will go down to Sheol/the grave mourning my son].” So ·Jacob [his father] cried for his son Joseph.


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Meanwhile the Midianites who had bought Joseph had taken him to Egypt. There they sold him to Potiphar, an officer to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] and captain of the palace guard and chief ·butcher [or executioner; a high Egyptian official].


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Judah and Tamar About that time, Judah ·left [went down from] his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah in the town of Adullam [a Canaanite city nine miles northwest of Hebron].


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There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah ·had sexual relations with [went to] her,


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Still later she had another son and named him Shelah. She was at Kezib [“deceiving”; a town near Adullam; probably the same as Aczib; ] when this third son was born.


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But Er, Judah’s ·oldest son [firstborn], did ·what the Lord said was evil [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord] so the Lord killed him.


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Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and have sexual relations with your dead brother’s wife. It is your duty to ·provide children for your brother in this way [raise up a seed for your brother; ].”


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But Onan knew that the ·children [seed] would not belong to him, so when he ·was supposed to have sexual relations with [he went to] Tamar he ·did not complete the sex act [spilled his seed on the ground], ·making it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant and for Er to have descendants [so that he did not give a descendant/seed to his brother].


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·The Lord was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done [What he did was evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], so he killed Onan also.


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Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “·Go back to live in your father’s house, and don’t marry [Remain a widow in your father’s house] until my young son Shelah grows up.” Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father’s home.


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After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah ·had gotten over his sorrow [was comforted], he went to Timnah [a town south of Hebron] to his ·men who were cutting the wool from his sheep [sheepshearers]. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him.


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So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow and covered her face with a veil ·to hide who she was [and wrapped herself up; perhaps indicating a woman was a prostitute; see ]. Then she sat down by the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah’s younger son Shelah had grown up, but Judah had not ·made plans for her to marry him [given her to him as a wife].


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So Judah went to her [on the road side/way] and said, “Let me ·have sexual relations with [come to] you.” He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law. She asked, “What will you ·give [pay] me if I let you ·have sexual relations with [come to] me?”


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Judah answered, “I will send you a young goat from my flock.” She answered, “First give me ·something to keep as a deposit [a pledge] until you send the goat.”


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Judah asked, “What do you want me to give you as a ·deposit [pledge]?” Tamar answered, “Give me your ·seal [signet] and its cord, and give me your ·walking stick [staff; all items that could identify a person].” So Judah gave these things to her. Then ·Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and Tamar became pregnant [he went to her and she conceived].


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When ·Tamar went home [she got up and went], she took off the veil that covered her face and put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.


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Judah sent his friend ·Hirah [the Adullamite; ] with the young goat to find the woman and get back his ·seal [signet] and the ·walking stick [staff] he had given her, but Hirah could not find her.


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He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute [perhaps indicating a temple prostitute connected to a fertility religion] who was here by the road?” They answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.”


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So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find the woman, and the people who lived there said, ‘There has never been a prostitute here.’ ”


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Judah said, “Let her keep the things. I don’t want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her.”


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About three months later someone told Judah, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she ·is pregnant [has conceived].” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned to death.”


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When ·the people went to bring Tamar out [she was brought out], she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, “The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this ·seal [signet] and its cord and this ·walking stick [staff], and tell me whose they are.”


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Judah recognized them and said, “She is more ·in the right [righteous] than I. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised.” And Judah did not ·have sexual relations with [know; ] her again.


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While she was ·giving birth [in labor], one baby put his hand out. The ·nurse [midwife] tied a ·red [crimson] string on his hand and said, “This baby came out first.”


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But he pulled his hand back in, so the other baby was born first. The nurse said, “·So you are able to break out first [or What a breach you have made],” and they named him Perez [sounds like “break out” in Hebrew].


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After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah [shining/brightness, perhaps referring to the red string].


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Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] and the chief butcher []. He bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.


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The Lord was with Joseph [indicating a covenant relationship], and he ·became a successful man [prospered]. He lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.


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Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord made Joseph ·successful [prosperous] in everything he did.


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So ·Potiphar was very happy with Joseph [Joseph found grace/favor in his eyes] and allowed him to ·be his personal servant [attend him]. He put Joseph in charge of the house, trusting him with everything he owned.


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When Joseph was put in charge of the house and everything Potiphar owned, the Lord blessed the ·people in Potiphar’s [the Egyptian’s] house because of Joseph. And the Lord blessed everything that belonged to Potiphar, both in the house and in the field.


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So Potiphar left Joseph in charge of everything he owned and was not concerned about anything except the food he ate. Joseph Is Put into Prison Now Joseph was ·well built [pleasing in figure/form] and ·handsome [pleasing in appearance].


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After ·some time [these things] the wife of Joseph’s master ·began to desire [cast her eyes on; lifted her eyes to] Joseph, and one day she said to him, “·Have sexual relations [Lie] with me.”


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But Joseph refused and said to ·her [his master’s wife], “My master ·trusts me with [has no concern with me about] everything in his house. He has put me in charge of everything he owns.


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There is no one in his house greater than I. He has not kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How can I do such an evil thing? It is a sin against God [; ].”


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The woman talked to Joseph every day, but he ·refused [did not listen to/obey her] to ·have sexual relations with [lie beside] her or even spend time with her.


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One day Joseph went into the house to do his work as usual and was the only man in the house at that time.


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His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to him, “Come and ·have sexual relations [lie] with me.” But Joseph left his coat in her hand and ran ·out of the house [outside].


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she called to the ·servants in [the men of] her house and said, “Look! This Hebrew slave was brought here to ·shame [insult; sport with] us. He came in and tried to ·have sexual relations [lie] with me, but I screamed.


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·My scream scared him and [When he heard me raise my voice and call out] he ran away, but he left his coat with me.”


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and she told him the same story. She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here came in to ·shame [insult; make sport of] me!


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So Potiphar arrested Joseph and put him into the ·prison [round house] where the king’s prisoners were ·put [confined]. And Joseph stayed there in the ·prison [round house].


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But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him ·kindness [loyalty; love] and ·caused the prison warden to like Joseph [gave him favor in the eyes of the chief jailer].


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The ·prison warden [chief jailer] chose Joseph to take care of all the prisoners, and he was responsible for whatever was done in the prison [].


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The warden paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Lord was with Joseph and made him ·successful [prosper] in everything he did.


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Joseph Interprets Two Dreams After these things happened, two of the king of Egypt’s officers ·displeased [offended; sinned against] the king—·the man who served wine [cupbearer] to the king and the king’s baker [two important positions in the king’s court].


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·The king [Pharaoh] became angry with his ·officer who served him wine and his [chief cupbearer and chief] baker,


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so he put them in the prison of the chief butcher [], the same ·prison [round house] where Joseph was ·kept [confined].


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The chief butcher [] put the two prisoners in Joseph’s care, and they stayed in prison for some time.


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One night both the king’s ·officer who served him wine and the [cupbearer and] baker had a dream. Each had his own dream with its own meaning.


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He asked ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] officers who were with him, “Why ·do you look so unhappy [do you look so bad; are your faces bad/evil] today?”


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The two men answered, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can explain their meaning to us.” Joseph said to them, “·God is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams [Does not interpretation belong to God?]. Tell me your dreams.”


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So the ·man who served wine to the king [chief cupbearer] told Joseph his dream. He said, “I dreamed I saw a vine, and


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on the vine were three branches. I watched the branches bud and blossom, and then the [cluster of] grapes ripened.


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I was holding ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave ·it to [the cup into the palm of] ·the king [Pharaoh].”


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Then Joseph said, “·I will explain the dream to you [This is its interpretation]. The three branches stand for three days.


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Before the end of three days the king will ·free you [lift up your head], and he will allow you to return to your work. You will ·serve the king his wine just as you did before [give the cup into the hand of Pharaoh according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer].


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But when ·you are free [it goes well for you], remember me. Be ·kind [loyal] to me, and ·tell the king about me [recall me to the king] so I can get out of this ·prison [house].


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I was ·taken by force [stolen; snatched] from the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing here to deserve being put in ·prison [the pit; dungeon].”


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The [chief] baker saw that ·Joseph’s explanation of the dream [the interpretation] was ·good [favorable], so he said to him, “I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three bread baskets on my head.


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In the top basket were all kinds of baked food for ·the king [Pharaoh], but the birds were eating this food out of the basket on my head.”


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Joseph answered, “·I will tell you what the dream means [This is its interpretation]. The three baskets stand for three days.


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Before the end of three days, the king will ·cut off your head [lift up your head; ]! He will hang your body on a ·pole [tree], and the birds will eat your flesh.”


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Three days later, on his birthday, ·the king [Pharaoh] gave a ·feast [banquet] for all his ·officers [servants]. In front of his ·officers [servants], he ·released from prison the chief officer who served his wine and the chief baker [he lifted the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker].


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The king gave his chief ·officer who served wine [cupbearer] his old position, and once again he put the ·king’s cup of wine [cup] into ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] hand.


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But the king hanged the baker on a ·pole, just as Joseph had said he would [tree according to the interpretation of Joseph].


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But the ·officer who served wine [chief cupbearer] did not remember Joseph. He forgot all about him.


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The King’s Dreams Two years later ·the king [Pharaoh] dreamed he was standing ·on the bank of [by] the Nile River.


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He saw seven fat and ·beautiful [sleek] cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, ·eating [grazing on] the ·grass [reed beds].


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Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven ·beautiful [other] cows on the bank of the Nile.


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The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven ·beautiful [sleek] fat cows. Then ·the king [Pharaoh] woke up.


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He slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven ·full [plump] and ·good [healthy] heads of grain growing on one stalk.


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After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and ·burned [shriveled] by the hot east wind.


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The thin heads of grain ate the seven ·full [plump] and good heads. Then ·the king [Pharaoh] woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream.


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The next morning ·the king [his spirit] was troubled about these dreams, so he [called and] sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. ·The king [Pharaoh] told them his dreams, but no one could ·explain their meaning [interpret them] to him.


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Then the chief ·officer who served wine to the king [cupbearer to Pharaoh] said to him, “Now I ·remember [make known] ·something I promised to do, but I forgot about it [my errors/faults/sins today].


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There was a time when you were angry with the [chief] baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the chief butcher [].


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In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different ·meaning [interpretation].


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A young Hebrew man, a servant of the chief butcher [], was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their ·meanings [interpretations] to us. He told each man the ·meaning [interpretation] of his dream, and


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things happened exactly as he ·said they would [interpreted]: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged.”


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So the king called [and sent] for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the ·prison [dungeon; pit], and he shaved, ·put on clean [changed his] clothes, and went before ·the king [Pharaoh].


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·The king [Pharaoh] said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can ·explain its meaning to [interpret it for] me. I have heard that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”


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Joseph answered ·the king [Pharaoh], “·I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king [It is not me, but only God can give Pharaoh a favorable interpretation].”


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I saw seven fat and ·beautiful [sleek] cows that came up out of the river and ate the ·grass [reed beds].


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Then I saw seven ·more [other] cows come out of the river that were ·thin [poor] and lean and ugly—the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt.


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but after they had ·eaten [gone into their belly] the seven cows, no one could tell they had ·eaten them [gone into their belly]. They looked just as ·thin and ugly [ugly] as they did at the beginning. Then I woke up.


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“I had another dream. I saw seven ·full [plump] and ·good [healthy] heads of grain growing on one stalk.


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Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them, but these heads were thin and ·ugly [withered] and ·were burned [shriveled] by the hot east wind.


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Then the thin heads ·ate [swallowed] the seven ·good [healthy] heads. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain ·its meaning [it] to me.”


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Joseph Tells the Dreams’ Meaning Then Joseph said to ·the king [Pharaoh], “Both of these dreams ·mean the same thing [are one]. God is telling you what he is about to do.


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The seven ·good [healthy] cows stand for seven years, and the seven ·good [healthy] heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.


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The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain ·burned [shriveled] by the hot east wind stand for seven years of ·hunger [famine].


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But after ·those seven years [them], there will come seven years of ·hunger [famine], and all the ·food that grew [plenty] in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The ·time of hunger will eat up [famine will consume] the land.


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·People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food [The plenty will not be known in the land], because the ·hunger [famine] that follows will be so ·great [heavy].


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·You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows [The doubling of the dream of Pharaoh means] that God has firmly decided that this will happen, and he will make it happen soon.


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“So let ·the king [Pharaoh] choose a man who is very wise and ·understanding [discerning] and set him over the land of Egypt.


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And let ·the king [Pharaoh] also appoint ·officers [overseers] over the land, who should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven ·good years [years of plenty].


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They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming, and under the king’s ·authority [control; hand] they should store the grain in the cities and guard it.


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That food ·should be saved to use [shall serve as a reserve] during the seven years of ·hunger [famine] that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not ·die [be cut off] during the seven years of ·hunger [famine].”


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Joseph Is Made Ruler over Egypt ·This seemed like a very good idea to the king [The thing/word was good in the eyes of Pharaoh], and all his ·officers [servants] agreed.


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And ·the king asked them [Pharaoh said to his servants], “Can we find a ·better man than Joseph to take this job [man like this man]? God’s spirit is truly in him!”


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So ·the king [Pharaoh] said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and ·understanding [discerning] as you are, so


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I will put you in charge of my ·palace [house]. All the people will obey your orders, and only [in terms of the throne] I will be greater than you.”


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Then ·the king [Pharaoh] took off ·from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it [his signet ring; a form of identification], and he put it on Joseph’s finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear, and he put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck [all symbols of authority].


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·The king had Joseph [He made him] ride in the second royal chariot, and people walked ahead of his chariot calling, “Bow down [an Egyptian word of uncertain meaning]!” By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.


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The king said to him, “I am ·the king [Pharaoh], and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission.”


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·The king [Pharaoh] gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah [may mean “the god said, ‘let him live’ ”; showing the Egyptians’ acceptance of him]. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [an important city seven miles northeast of Cairo also known as Heliopolis, a center of the worship of the sun]. So Joseph ·traveled through [or rose over] all the land of Egypt.


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Joseph was thirty years old when he ·began serving [stood before the Pharaoh] the king of Egypt. And he ·left the king’s court [went out from before Pharaoh] and traveled through all the land of Egypt.


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During the seven ·good years [years of plenty], the ·crops in the land grew well [land produced much; land made by handfuls].


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And Joseph gathered all the food produced in Egypt during those seven years of good crops and stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city.


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Joseph stored much grain, as much as the sand of the seashore—so much that he could not ·measure [count] it.


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Joseph’s wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On []. Before the years of ·hunger [famine] came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons.


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Joseph named the ·first son [firstborn] Manasseh [sounds like “made me forget” in Hebrew] and said, “God has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all ·my father’s family [the house of my father].”


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Joseph named the second son Ephraim [related to the Hebrew word for “fruitful”; ] and said, “God has ·given me children [made me fruitful] in the land of my ·troubles [afflictions].”


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Then the seven years of ·hunger [famine] began, just as Joseph had said. In all the lands people had ·nothing to eat [famine], but in Egypt there was ·food [bread].


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The ·time of hunger [famine] became terrible in all of Egypt, and the people cried to ·the king [Pharaoh] for food. He said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”


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The ·hunger [famine] was ·everywhere in that part of the world [over all the face of the earth]. And Joseph opened ·the storehouses [everything that was in them] and sold grain to the people of Egypt, because the ·time of hunger [famine] became ·terrible [severe] in Egypt.


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And all the people in that part of the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the ·hunger [famine] was ·terrible [severe] everywhere in ·that part of the [the] world.


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The Dreams Come True Jacob ·learned [saw] that there was grain in Egypt, so he said to his sons, “Why are you just sitting here looking at one another?


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I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us to eat, so that we will live and not die.”


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But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with them, because he was afraid that ·something terrible [a fatal accident; harm; tragedy] might happen to him.


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Along with many other people, the sons of Israel [Jacob’s other name] went to Egypt to buy grain, because ·the people in the land of Canaan were also hungry [there was famine in the land of Canaan].


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Now Joseph was ·governor [administrator] over ·Egypt [the land]. He was the one who sold the grain to people ·who came to buy it [of the land/earth]. So Joseph’s brothers came to him and bowed facedown on the ground before him.


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When Joseph saw his brothers, he ·knew who they were [recognized them], but he ·acted as if he didn’t know them [treated them as strangers/foreigners]. He asked ·unkindly [harshly], “Where do you come from?” They answered, “We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food.”


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Joseph ·knew they were [recognized] his brothers, but they did not ·know who he was [recognize him].


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And Joseph remembered his dreams ·about his brothers bowing to him [which he dreamed about them; ]. He said to them, “You are spies! You came to ·learn where the nation is weak [see the nakedness of the land]!”


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Then Joseph said to them, “No! You have come to ·learn where this nation is weak [see the nakedness of the land]!”


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And they said, “·We [Your servants] are ·ten of twelve [twelve] brothers, sons of the same father, and we live in the land of Canaan. Our ·youngest [smallest] brother is there with our father right now, and ·our other brother is gone [one is no more].”


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But ·I will give you a way to prove you are telling the truth [in this way you will be tested]. As surely as ·the king [Pharaoh] lives, you will not ·leave [go out from] this place ·until [or unless] your ·youngest [smallest] brother comes here.


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One of you must go and get your brother. The rest of you will stay here in prison. We will ·see if you are telling the truth [test your words/statements]. If not, as surely as ·the king [Pharaoh] lives, you are spies.”


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On the third day Joseph said to them, “[For] I ·am a God-fearing man [fear God]. Do this and I will let you live:


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If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in ·prison [the guardhouse] while the rest of you go and carry grain ·back to feed your hungry families [for your families because of the famine].


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Then bring your ·youngest [smallest] brother back here to me. If you do this, ·I will know you are telling the truth [your words will be confirmed], and you will not die.” The brothers agreed to this.


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They said to each other, “[Alas,] We are ·being punished [or guilty] for what we did to our brother. We saw ·his trouble [the distress of his soul], and he ·begged us to save him [pleaded with us], but we ·refused to [did not] listen. That is why we are in this ·trouble [distress] now.”


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Then Reuben said to them, “·I told [Did I not tell…?] you not to ·harm [wrong; sin against] the ·boy [child], but you ·refused to [did not] listen to me. So now ·we are being punished for what we did to him [there is a reckoning for his blood].”


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When Joseph talked to his brothers, he used an ·interpreter [or intermediary], so they did not know that Joseph understood what they were saying.


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Then Joseph left them and cried. After a short time he went back and spoke to them. He took Simeon and ·tied [bound] him ·up while the other brothers watched [before their eyes].


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Joseph ·told his servants [gave the command/order] to fill his brothers’ bags with grain and to put ·the money the brothers had paid for the grain [their silver] back in their bags. ·The servants [They] were also to give them ·what they would need [provisions] for their trip back home. And ·the servants [they] did this.


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When ·they stopped for the night [at the lodging place], one of the brothers opened his sack to get ·food [fodder] for his donkey. Then he saw his ·money [silver] in the top of the sack.


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He said to the other brothers, “·The money I paid for the grain [My money/silver] has been put back. Here it is in [the mouth of] my sack!” The brothers ·were very frightened [lost heart and trembled]. They said to each other, “What has God done to us?”


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The Brothers Return to Jacob The brothers went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him everything that had happened.


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They said, “The master of that land spoke ·unkindly [harshly] to us. He accused us of spying on his country,


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We told him that we ·were ten of twelve [are twelve] brothers—sons of one father. We said that one of our brothers was ·gone [no more] and that our ·youngest [smallest] brother was with our father in Canaan.


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“Then the master of the land said to us, ‘Here is a way I can know you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain to feed ·your hungry [because of the famine for your] families, and go.


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And bring your ·youngest [smallest] brother to me so I will know you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give you back your brother whom you leave with me, and you can ·move about freely [or trade] in our land.’ ”


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As the brothers emptied their sacks, each of them ·found his money [saw his bundle of money/silver] in his sack. When they and their father saw it, they were afraid.


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Their father Jacob said to them, “You are ·robbing [bereaving] me of all my children. Joseph is ·gone [no more], Simeon is ·gone [no more], and now you want to take Benjamin away, too. Everything is against me.”


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Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put my two sons to death if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. ·Trust him to my care [Put him in my hands], and I will bring him back to you.”


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But Jacob said, “·I will not allow Benjamin to go [My son will not go down] with you. His brother is dead, and he ·is the only son left from my wife Rachel [alone is left]. I am afraid something ·terrible [disastrous; tragic] might happen to him during the trip to Egypt. Then ·I would be sad until the day I die [you would bring my gray hair down to Sheol in anguish].”


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The Brothers Go Back to Egypt ·Still no food grew in the land of Canaan [The famine was heavy/severe in the land].


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When ·Jacob’s family [they] had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob said to them, “Go to Egypt again and buy a little more ·grain [food] for us to eat.”


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But Judah said to Jacob, “The ·governor of that country [man] strongly warned us, ‘·If you don’t bring your brother back with you, you will not be allowed to see me [You may not see my face unless your brother is with you].’


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But if you ·refuse to send Benjamin [are not sending], we will not go. The ·governor of that country [man] ·warned [said to] us that ·we would not see him if we didn’t bring Benjamin with us [you will not see my face unless your brother is with you].”


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Israel [another name for Jacob; ] said, “Why did you tell the man you had another brother? You have ·caused me a lot of trouble [wronged/harmed me].”


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The brothers answered, “He questioned us ·carefully [or specifically] about ourselves and our family. He asked us, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. How could we know he would ask us to bring our other brother to him?”


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Then Judah said to his father ·Jacob [Israel; ], “Send ·Benjamin [the lad/child] with me, and we will ·go at once [rise up and go] so that we, you, and our ·children [little ones] may live and not die.


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I will ·guarantee you that he will be safe [be a guarantee for him], and I will be personally ·responsible [accountable] for him. If I don’t bring him back to you, ·you can blame me [I will be condemned before you] all my life.


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If we had not ·wasted all this time [been delayed], we could have already ·made two trips [returned twice].”


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Then their father ·Jacob [Israel; ] said to them, “If it has to be that way, then do this: Take some of the best ·foods [products] in our land in your packs. Give them to the man as a gift: some balm, some honey, ·spices [or gum], ·myrrh [or resin], pistachio nuts, and almonds.


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Take twice as much ·money [silver] ·with you this time [in your hands], and take back the ·money [silver] that was returned to you in [the mouth of] your sacks last time. Maybe it was a ·mistake [error; oversight].


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I pray that God Almighty will cause the ·governor [man] to be ·merciful to [compassionate toward] you and that he will allow ·Simeon [your other brother] and Benjamin to come back with you. If I am ·robbed of my children [bereaved], then I am ·robbed of them [bereaved]!”


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So the ·brothers [men] took the ·gifts [or tribute]. They also took twice ·as much money as they had taken the first time [the money/silver in their hand], and they took Benjamin. They ·hurried [rose up and went] down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.


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When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ·servant in charge of [one over] his house, “Bring those men into my house. ·Kill [Slaughter] an animal and prepare a meal. Those men will eat with me today at noon.”


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The ·brothers [men] were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house and thought, “We were brought here because of the money that was ·put [returned; replaced] in our sacks on the first trip. He wants to ·attack [fall on] us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.”


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So the brothers went to the ·servant in charge of [one over] Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the ·door [entrance] of the house.


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While we were going home, ·we stopped for the night and [at the lodging place] when we opened our sacks each of us found all his ·money [silver in its weight] in his sack []. We brought that ·money [silver] ·with us to give it [in our hands] back to you.


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And we have brought ·more [additional] money to pay for the food we want to buy this time. We don’t know who put that money in our sacks.”


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But the servant answered, “·It’s all right [Peace be with you]. Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, must have put the ·money [silver; treasure] in your sacks. I got the ·money [silver] you paid me for the grain last time.” Then the servant brought Simeon out to them.


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The ·servant [man] ·led [brought] the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave their donkeys ·food to eat [fodder].


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The men prepared their ·gift [tribute] to give to Joseph when he arrived at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat with him there.


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When Joseph came home, the brothers gave him the ·gift [tribute] ·they had brought [in their hand] into the house and bowed down to the ground in front of him.


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Joseph asked them how they were doing. He said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still alive?”


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The brothers answered, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.” And they bowed low ·before Joseph to show him respect [and did obeisance].


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When ·Joseph [he lifted his eyes and] saw his brother Benjamin, ·who had the same mother as he [the son of his mother], Joseph asked, “Is this your ·youngest [smallest] brother you told me about?” Then he said to Benjamin, “God be ·good [gracious] to you, my son!”


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Then Joseph hurried off because he ·had to hold back the tears [was overwhelmed with affection] when he saw his brother Benjamin. So Joseph went into his room and cried there.


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So they served Joseph ·at one table [by himself], his brothers ·at another table [by themselves], and the Egyptians who ate with him ·at another table [by themselves]. ·This was because Egyptians did not like Hebrews and never ate with them [For the Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for it was an abomination to the Egyptians].


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Joseph’s brothers were seated in front of him ·in order of their ages [the firstborn according to his birthright], ·from oldest to youngest [the youngest according to his youth]. They looked at each other because they were so amazed.


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·Food [Portions] from Joseph’s table was taken to them, but Benjamin was given five times more food than the others. Joseph’s brothers ate and ·drank freely [celebrated with drinking] with him.


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Joseph Sets a Trap Then Joseph gave a command to the ·servant in charge of [one over] his house. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much ·grain [food] as they can carry, and put each man’s ·money [silver] into his sack with the grain.


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Put my silver ·cup [goblet] in the sack of the ·youngest [smallest] brother, along with his ·money [silver] for the grain.” ·The servant [He] did what Joseph told him.


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They were not far from the city when Joseph said to the ·servant in charge of [one over] his house, “·Go after [Get up and pursue] the men. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why have you paid back evil for good?


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·The cup you have stolen is the one [Is this not what…?] my ·master [lord] uses for drinking and for ·explaining dreams [divination; perhaps by pouring oil in water as a means of telling the future (called lecanomancy)]. ·You [Is not what you…?] have done a very wicked thing!’ ”


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So ·the servant [he] caught up with ·the brothers [them] and said to them ·what Joseph had told him to say [these words].


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But the brothers said to the servant, “Why do ·you [my master/lord] say these things? ·We would not [Far be it from your servants to] do anything like that!


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We brought back to you from the land of Canaan the ·money [silver] we found in our sacks. ·So surely we would not [Why would we…?] steal silver or gold from your ·master’s [lord’s] house.


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If ·you find that silver cup in the sack of one of [it is found with one of] us, then let him die, and we will be your ·slaves [servants].”


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·The servant [He] said, “·We will do [It will be] as you say, but only the man who has taken the cup will become my ·slave [servant]. The rest of you ·may go free [will be innocent].”


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·The servant [He] searched the sacks, ·going from [starting with] the oldest brother to [and ending with] the ·youngest [smallest], and found the ·cup [goblet] in Benjamin’s sack.


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The brothers tore their clothes [a sign of mourning; they were afraid for Benjamin’s life]. Then they ·put their sacks back on [loaded] the donkeys and returned to the city.


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When Judah and his brothers ·went back to [arrived at] Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there, so ·the brothers bowed facedown [they fell] on the ground before him.


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Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Didn’t you know that a man like me can ·learn things by signs and dreams [practice divination]?”


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Judah said, “·Master [My lord], what can we say? What can we tell you? And how can we ·show we are not guilty [justify ourselves]? God has ·uncovered [found out] our guilt, so all of us will be ·your slaves [slaves/servants of my master/lord], not just ·Benjamin [the one in whose hand the cup/goblet was found].”


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But Joseph said, “·I will not make you all slaves [Far be it from me that I should do that]! Only the man ·who stole the cup [in whose hand the cup/goblet was found] will be my ·slave [servant]. The rest of you may go back ·safely [or in peace] to your father.”


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Then Judah ·went to Joseph [approached him] and said, “·Master [My lord], please let ·me [your servant] speak ·plainly to you [a word in your ears], and please don’t be angry with ·me [your servant]. ·I know that you are as powerful as the king of Egypt [You are like Pharaoh] himself.


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·When we were here before, you asked us [My master/lord asked his servants], ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’


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And we answered ·you [my master/lord], ‘We have an old father. And we have a younger brother, ·who was born when our father was old [of his old age]. ·This youngest son’s [His] brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother’s children left alive, and ·our [his] father loves him very much.’


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Then you said to ·us [your servants], ‘Bring ·that brother [him] to me. I want to ·see [set my eyes on] him.’


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And we said to ·you [my master/lord], ‘That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.’


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But you said to ·us [your servants], ‘If you don’t bring your youngest brother [with you], you will not be allowed to see ·me [my face] again.’


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So we went back to [your servant] our father and told him ·what you had said [the words of my master/lord].


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We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our ·youngest [smallest] brother. Without our ·youngest [smallest] brother, we will not be allowed to see the ·governor [face of the man].’


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Then [your servant] my father said to us, ‘You know that my ·wife Rachel gave [wife bore] me two sons.


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When one son left me, I thought, “Surely he has been torn apart by a wild animal,” and I haven’t seen him since.


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Now you want to take this son away from ·me [my face/presence] also. But something ·terrible [tragic; disastrous] might happen to him, and ·I would be miserable until the day I die [you would bring my gray head down to Sheol in sorrow].’


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Now what will happen if we go home to [your servant] our father without our ·youngest [smallest] brother? ·He is so important in our father’s life [And his life/soul is so bound up in his life/soul] that


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when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. ·And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father [Your servants will have brought the gray head of your servant to Sheol in grief].


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“·I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe [For your servant provided surety for the young boy for his father]. I said to my father, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, ·you can blame me [I will be condemned before my father] all my life.’


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So now, please allow ·me [your servant] to stay here and be your ·slave [servant in place of the young boy], and let the young boy go back home with his brothers.


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I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I couldn’t stand to see my father ·that sad [suffer].”


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Joseph Reveals Who He Is Joseph could not ·control [or express] himself in front of ·his servants [all those standing around him] any longer, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” ·When only the brothers were left with Joseph [So no one was standing around him when], he ·told them who he was [revealed himself to his brothers].


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Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the ·people in the king’s palace [house of Pharaoh] heard about it.


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·He [Joseph] said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But the brothers could not answer him, because they were ·very afraid of [or startled by] him.


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So Joseph said to them, “Come close to me.” When the brothers came close to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt [].


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Now don’t be ·worried [in anguish; distressed] or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to ·save [preserve] people’s lives.


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·No food has grown on the land [The famine has been in the land] for two years now, and there will be five more years without ·planting [plowing] or harvest.


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So God sent me here ahead of you to ·make sure you have some descendants left [preserve a remnant for you] on earth and to keep you alive in ·an amazing way [a great deliverance].


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So it was not you who sent me here, but God []. God has made me ·the highest officer of the king of Egypt [father to Pharaoh]. I am ·in charge [master; lord] of his palace, and I am the ·master [ruler] of all the land of Egypt.


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“So leave quickly and go to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: God has made me ·master [lord] over all Egypt. Come down to me ·quickly [without delay].


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Live in the land of Goshen [the northeast area of the Nile Delta] where you will be near me. Your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have will also be near me.


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I will ·care for [sustain; maintain] you ·during the next five years of hunger [for there are still five years of famine] so that you and your family and all that you have will not ·starve [become impoverished].’


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“Now you can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that ·the one speaking to you is really Joseph [my mouth is speaking to you].


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So tell my father about ·how powerful I have become [my glory/prestige/status] in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. Now hurry and bring him back to me.”


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Then Joseph ·hugged [fell on the neck of] his brother Benjamin and cried, and Benjamin cried ·also [on his neck].


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And Joseph kissed all his brothers and cried ·as he hugged them [over them]. After this, his brothers talked with him.


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When the king of Egypt and his ·officers [servants] ·learned [heard the report] that Joseph’s brothers had come, ·they were very happy [it was good in their eyes].


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So ·the king [Pharaoh] said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers to load their ·animals [donkeys] and go back to the land of Canaan


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and bring their father and their ·families [households] back here to me. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they will eat the ·best food we have here [fat of the land; ; ].


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·Tell [Command] them to take some wagons from Egypt for their ·children [little ones] and their wives and to bring their father back also.


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Tell them not to ·worry [be troubled] about bringing any of their things with them, because we will give them the best of what we have in Egypt.”


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So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as the king had ordered and ·food [provisions] for ·their trip [the way].


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He gave each ·brother [of them] a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin five changes of clothes and about ·seven and one-half pounds [three hundred pieces] of silver.


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Joseph also sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other food for his father ·on his trip back [for the way].


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Then Joseph told his brothers to go. As they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way home.”


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They told him, “Joseph is still alive and is the ruler over all the land of Egypt.” ·Their father [His heart] was ·shocked [stunned] and did not believe them.


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But when the brothers told him everything Joseph had said, and when Jacob saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt, ·he felt better [the spirit of Jacob their father came alive/revived].


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Israel [Jacob’s other name; ] said, “·Now I believe you [Enough!]. My son Joseph is still alive, and I will go and see him before I die.”


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Jacob Goes to Egypt So ·Israel [Jacob’s other name; ] took all he had and ·started his trip [departed]. He went to Beersheba [], where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.


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During the night God spoke to Israel in a vision and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And Jacob answered, “Here I am.”


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Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make ·your descendants [you] a great nation there [].


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I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you ·out of Egypt [up] again. Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes when you die.”


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Then Jacob left Beersheba. The sons of Israel loaded their father, their ·children [little ones], and their wives in the wagons ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] had sent.


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They also took their farm animals and everything they had gotten in Canaan. So Jacob went to Egypt with all his ·descendants [seed]—


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his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters. He took all his ·family [seed] to Egypt with him.


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Jacob’s Family Now these are the names of the ·children [sons] of Israel who went into Egypt (Jacob and his descendants). Reuben was Jacob’s ·first son [firstborn].


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Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (Simeon’s son by a Canaanite woman).


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Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan []). Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.


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These are the sons of Leah and Jacob born in ·northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan-aram], in addition to his daughter Dinah []. There were thirty-three persons in this part of Jacob’s family.


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Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister was Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel.


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These are Jacob’s sons by Zilpah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah []. There were sixteen persons in this part of Jacob’s family.


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In Egypt, Joseph became the father of Manasseh and Ephraim by his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [].


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These are the sons of Jacob by his wife Rachel. There were fourteen persons in this part of Jacob’s family.


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These are Jacob’s sons by Bilhah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel []. There were seven persons in this part of Jacob’s family.


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So the total number of ·Jacob’s direct descendants [those who came from the thigh/loins of Jacob] who went to Egypt was sixty-six, not counting the wives of Jacob’s sons.


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Jacob Arrives in Egypt Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to ·see [or lead the way to] Joseph in Goshen []. When Jacob and his people came into the land of Goshen,


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Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as Joseph saw his father, he ·hugged him [fell on his neck], and cried there for a long time.


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Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, because I have seen your face and I know you are still alive.”


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Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s ·family [household], “I will go and tell ·the king [Pharaoh] you are here. I will say, ‘My brothers and my father’s ·family [household] have left the land of Canaan and have come here to me.


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They are shepherds and take care of ·farm animals [livestock], and they have brought their flocks and their herds and everything they own with them.’


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This is what you should tell him: ‘We, your servants, have taken care of ·farm animals [livestock] all our lives. Our ·ancestors [fathers] did the same thing.’ Then ·the king [he] will allow you to settle in the land of Goshen, ·away from the Egyptians, because they don’t like to be near shepherds [for all shepherds of flocks are an abomination to the Egyptians].”


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Jacob Settles in Goshen Joseph went in and spoke to ·the king [Pharaoh] and said, “My father and my brothers have arrived from Canaan with their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in the land of Goshen [].”


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·The king [Pharaoh] said to his brothers, “What work do you do?” And they said to him, “We, your servants, are shepherds, just as our ·ancestors [fathers] were.”


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They said to ·the king [Pharaoh], “We have come to ·live [sojourn; reside as aliens] in this land, because there is no ·grass in the land of Canaan for our animals to eat [pasturage for the flocks of your servants], and the ·hunger [famine] is ·terrible [severe; heavy] there. So please allow ·us [your servants] to live in the land of Goshen.”


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and ·you may choose any place in Egypt for them to live [the land of Egypt is before you]. Give your father and your brothers the best land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if any of them are skilled shepherds, put them in charge of my ·sheep and cattle [livestock].”


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Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and ·introduced him to the king [he stood before Pharaoh], and Jacob blessed ·the king [Pharaoh].


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Then ·the king [Pharaoh] said to Jacob, “How ·old are you [many of the days are the years of your life]?”


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Jacob said to him, “My life has been spent ·wandering from place to place [sojourning; residing as an alien]. It has been short and filled with trouble—only one hundred thirty years. My ·ancestors [fathers] ·lived [wandered; sojourned; lived as an alien] much longer than I.”


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Joseph obeyed the king and ·gave his father and brothers [settled his father and brothers and gave them a possession in] the best land in Egypt, near the city of Rameses [a city built later during the time of Moses in the Nile Delta region; ].


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And Joseph gave his father, his brothers, and ·everyone who lived with them [all his father’s household] the food ·they needed [according to their little ones/dependents].


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Joseph Buys Land for the King The ·hunger became worse [famine was severe/intense/heavy], and since there was no food anywhere in the land, Egypt and Canaan ·became very poor [wilted; languished].


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Joseph ·collected [gathered] all the ·money [silver] that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan. People paid for the grain they were buying, and Joseph brought that ·money [silver] to ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] palace.


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After some time, when the people in Egypt and Canaan had no ·money [silver] left, ·they [all Egypt] went to Joseph and said, “Please give us food. Our money is gone, ·and if we don’t eat, we will [why should we…?] die here in front of you.”


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Joseph answered, “Since you have no ·money [silver], give me your ·farm animals [livestock], and I will give you food in return [for your livestock].”


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So people brought their ·farm animals [livestock] to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. And he ·kept them alive by trading [supplied them with] food for their ·farm animals [livestock] that year.


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·The next year [When that year ended] the people came to Joseph [in the second year] and said, “·You know [We cannot hide from my master/lord that] we have no money left, and all our ·animals [herds of cattle] belong to you. ·We have [Before our master/lord there is] nothing left except our bodies and our land.


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·Surely both we and our land will [Why should we and our land…?] die here in front of you. Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we will be ·slaves [servants] to ·the king [Pharaoh], together with our land. Give us seed to plant so that we will live and not die, and the land will not become ·a desert [desolate].”


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So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for ·the king [Pharaoh; Joseph’s plan led to the tremendous power of the Pharaoh in Egypt and the world]. Every Egyptian sold Joseph his field, because the ·hunger [famine] was very ·great [strong; intense]. So the land ·became the king’s [belonged to the Pharaoh],


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The only land he did not buy was the land the priests owned. They did not need to sell their land because ·the king [Pharaoh] ·paid them [gave them an allowance] for their work. So they had money to buy food.


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Joseph said to the people, “Now I have bought you and your land for ·the king [Pharaoh], so I will give you seed and you can plant ·your fields [the land].


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At harvest time you must give one-fifth to ·the king [Pharaoh]. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves to use as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your families, and your ·children [little ones].”


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The people said, “You have ·saved our lives [allowed us to live]. If ·you like [we have found favor in the eyes of my master/lord], we will become slaves of ·the king [Pharaoh].”


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So Joseph made a law in Egypt, which continues today: One-fifth of everything from the land belongs to ·the king [Pharaoh]. The only land ·the king [Pharaoh] did not get was the priests’ land.


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“Don’t Bury Me in Egypt” The Israelites continued to live in the land of Goshen [] in Egypt. There they got possessions and ·had many children [were fruitful] and ·grew in number [greatly multiplied; ].


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When Israel [another name for Jacob; ] knew he soon would die, he called his son Joseph to him and said to him, “If ·you love me [I have found grace in your eyes], put your hand under my ·leg [thigh; a euphemism for male genitalia; this was a commitment to keep a promise]. ·Promise me [Deal with me according to loyalty and faithfulness that] you will not bury me in Egypt.


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When I ·die [lie with my fathers/ancestors], carry me out of Egypt, and bury me ·where my ancestors are buried [in their burial place].” Joseph answered, “I will do as you say.”


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Then Jacob said, “·Promise [Swear to] me.” And ·Joseph promised [he swore to] him that he would do this []. Then Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his ·walking stick [staff; or bed].


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Blessings for Manasseh and Ephraim ·Some time later [And after these things] Joseph ·learned [was told] that his father was very sick, so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim ·and went to his father [with him].


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When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” ·Jacob [Israel; another name for Jacob; ] ·was weak, so he ·used all [summoned] his strength and sat up on his bed.


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Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [another name for Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me there [; ].


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He said to me, ‘I will ·give you many children [make you fruitful and multiply you; ]. I will make you ·the father [a company; an assembly] of many peoples, and I will give your ·descendants [seed] this land ·forever [as a permanent possession].’


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Your two sons, who were born here in Egypt before I came, will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will be my sons just as Reuben and Simeon are my sons [his two oldest children].


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But if you have other children, they will be your own, and ·their land will be part of the land given to Ephraim and Manasseh [they will be recorded according to the name of their brothers in regard to their inheritance].


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When I came from northwestern Mesopotamia [Paddan], Rachel died in the land of Canaan, as we were traveling toward Ephrath [, ]. This made me very sad, and I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” (Today Ephrath is Bethlehem.)


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Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons that God has given me here in ·Egypt [this place].” Israel said, “Bring your sons to me so I may bless them.”


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At this time Israel’s eyesight was ·bad [heavy] because he was old. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Israel kissed the boys and ·put his arms around [embraced] them.


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He said to Joseph, “I thought I would never see ·you alive [your face] again, and now God has ·let me see you and [shown me] also your ·children [seed].”


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He put Ephraim on his right side and Manasseh on his left. (So Ephraim was near Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh was near Israel’s right hand.) Joseph brought the boys close to Israel.


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But Israel ·crossed his arms and put his [sent forth and placed his] right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was younger. He put his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn son.


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And Israel blessed Joseph and said, “My ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham and Isaac ·served [walked before] our God, and like a shepherd God has led me all my life.


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He was the Angel who ·saved [redeemed] me from all ·my troubles [harm]. Now I pray that he will bless these boys. May my name be known through these boys, and may the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac be known through them. May they ·have many descendants [grow into a large group] on the earth.”


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When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he ·didn’t like it [thought it was wrong]. So he took hold of his father’s hand, wanting to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.


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Joseph said to his father, “·You are doing it wrong, Father, since Manasseh [No, my Father, for this] is the firstborn son. Put your right hand on his head.”


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But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will be great and ·have many descendants [become great]. But his younger brother will be greater, and his ·descendants [seed] will ·be enough to make a nation [become the fullness of nations; Ephraim would become the dominant tribe in northern Israel].”


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So ·Israel [he] blessed them that day and said, “When a blessing is given in Israel, they will say: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” In this way he ·made Ephraim greater than [set Ephraim before] Manasseh.


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Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look at me; I am about to die. But God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your fathers.


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I have given you something that I did not give your brothers—the land of Shechem [or mountain slope; ] that I took from the Amorite people with my sword and my bow [perhaps ].”


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Jacob Blesses His Sons Then Jacob called his sons to him. He said, “·Come here to [Gather around] me, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the ·future [days to come].


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“·Come [Assemble] together and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel [another name for Jacob; ], your father.”


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“Reuben, my ·first son [firstborn], you are my strength. ·Your birth showed I could be a father […and the first of my virility/vigor]. ·You have the highest position among my sons […excelling in pride/rank/authority], and you are the most powerful […excelling in power].


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But you are ·uncontrolled [unstable] like water [often a symbol of chaos or evil], so you will no longer ·lead your brothers [excel]. This is because you got into your father’s bed and ·shamed me by having sexual relations with my slave girl [you defiled it by going up on my couch; ].


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“Simeon and Levi are brothers who used their ·swords [or circumcision knives; or counsels; or treaties; ] to do violence.


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I will not join their secret talks, and I will not ·meet with them to plan evil [join them in their assembly]. They killed men because they were angry, and they ·crippled [hamstrung] oxen ·just for fun [or at will; ].


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May their anger be cursed, because it is too ·violent [severe; strong; intense]. May their violence be cursed, because it is too ·cruel [harsh]. I will divide them up among the tribes of Jacob and scatter them through all the tribes of Israel [neither Simeon nor Levi received a tribal allotment in the Promised Land; ].


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“Judah, your brothers will praise you [the Hebrew verb for “praise” sounds like the name Judah]. ·You will grab your enemies by the neck [Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies], and ·your brothers [the sons of your father] will bow down to you.


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Judah is like a ·young lion [lion cub]. You have ·returned from killing [come up from the prey], my son. Like a lion, he stretches out and ·lies down to rest [crouches], and [like a lioness] ·no one is brave enough to [who will…?] wake him.


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·Kings will come from Judah’s family [No one will turn aside the scepter from Judah; a scepter is a symbol of kingship]; ·someone from Judah will always be on the throne [the ruler’s staff/mace from between his feet; anticipates the rise of a perpetual kingship from the tribe of Judah; ]. Judah will rule until ·Shiloh comes [or he comes to Shiloh; or he comes to whom it belongs; or tribute comes to him], and the ·nations [peoples] will obey him.


text:
He ties his donkey to a grapevine, his young donkey to the best ·branch [vine]. He ·can afford to use wine to wash his clothes [washes his clothes in wine] and the ·best wine [blood of grapes] to wash his robes.


text:
“Zebulun will live ·near [at the shore/coast of] the sea. His ·shore [coast] will be a safe place for ships, and his land will reach as far as Sidon [].


text:
“Issachar is like a strong donkey who lies down ·while carrying his load [or between the pack saddles].


text:
When he sees his ·resting place [camp] is good and how pleasant his land is, he will put his ·back [shoulder] to the load and become a slave [at forced labor].


text:
“Dan will ·rule [judge; or contend for; the Hebrew verb for “judge” sounds like the name Dan] his own people like ·the other [one of the] tribes in Israel.


text:
Dan will be like a snake by the side of the road, a ·dangerous snake [viper] lying near the path. That snake bites a horse’s ·leg [heel; hoof], and the rider is thrown off backward.


text:
“·Robbers [or Raiders] will ·attack [raid] Gad [the Hebrew word for “raiders” sounds like the name Gad], but he will ·defeat them and drive them away [raid them at their heels].


text:
“Asher’s land will grow much ·good [or rich] food; he will grow ·food fit for a king [kingly delicacies].


text:
“Joseph is like a ·grapevine that produces much fruit [or fruitful bough/tree; or foal of a wild donkey] a ·healthy vine [or fruitful bough/tree; or foal of a wild donkey] ·watered by [by] a spring, ·whose branches grow over the wall [or a wild donkey on a hillside].


text:
but ·he aims his bow well [his bow remains taut]. His arms ·are made strong [or were snapped]. ·He gets his power from […by the hands of] the Mighty God of Jacob ·and his strength from [or by the name of] the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.


text:
Your father’s God helps you. God Almighty blesses you. He blesses you with ·rain [blessings] from above, with ·water from springs below [the blessings of the deep that crouches below], with ·many babies born to your wives and many young ones born to your animals [the blessings of breasts and womb]


text:
The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the ·oldest [or eternal] mountains, greater than the ·good things [delight] of the long-lasting hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the one who was ·separated from [or prince among] his brothers [Ephraim would become the dominant tribe in northern Israel].


text:
“Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats ·what he has caught [prey], and in the evening he divides ·what he has taken [the plunder].”


text:
These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He gave each son the blessing that was ·right [suitable; appropriate] for him.


text:
Then Israel gave them a command and said, “I am about to ·die [be gathered to my people/relatives; ]. Bury me with my ·ancestors [fathers] in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite [; ].


text:
That cave is in the field of Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite for a ·burying place [burial site].


text:
Abraham and Sarah his wife are buried there. Isaac and Rebekah his wife are buried there, and I buried my wife Leah there.


text:
After Jacob finished ·talking to [or instructing] his sons, he lay down. He put his feet back on the bed, took his last breath, and ·died [was gathered to his people/relatives; ].


text:
Jacob’s Burial When Jacob died, Joseph ·hugged [fell on the face of] his father and cried over him and kissed him.


text:
He commanded the doctors who served him to ·prepare his father’s body [embalm his father], so the doctors ·prepared Jacob’s body to be buried [embalmed Israel; another name for Jacob; ].


text:
It took the doctors forty days to ·prepare his body [embalm him] (the usual time it took). And the Egyptians ·had a time of sorrow for Jacob that lasted [wept over him for] seventy days.


text:
When this time of ·sorrow had ended [weeping passed], Joseph spoke to ·the king’s officers [household of Pharaoh] and said, “If ·you think well of me [I have found grace in your eyes], please ·tell this to the king [speak now in the ear of Pharaoh]:


text:
‘When my father was near death, ·I made a promise to him [my father made me swear] that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan, in a burial place that he cut out for himself. So please let me go and bury my father, and then I will return.’ ”


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] answered, “·Keep your promise. Go [As he made you swear, go] and bury your father.”


text:
So Joseph went to bury his father. All ·the king’s officers [servants of Pharaoh], the elders of his ·court [house], and all the elders of Egypt went with Joseph.


text:
·Everyone who lived with [All the house of] Joseph and his brothers went with him, as well as ·everyone who lived with [all the house of] his father. They left only their ·children [little ones], their flocks, and their herds in the land of Goshen [].


text:
When they came to ·the threshing floor of Atad [or Goren-ha-atad; or the threshing floor of the bramble], near the Jordan River, they ·cried loudly and bitterly for his father [lamented there with a great and exceedingly strong lament]. Joseph’s time of ·sorrow [mourning] continued for seven days.


text:
The people that lived in Canaan saw the ·sadness [mourning] at the threshing floor of Atad [or Goren-ha-atad; or threshing floor of the bramble] and said, “Those Egyptians are ·showing great sorrow [intense in their mourning]!” So now that place is named ·Sorrow of the Egyptians [or Abel-mizraim].


text:
His sons carried ·his body [him] to the land of Canaan and buried ·it [or him] in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought this cave and field from Ephron the Hittite to use as a burial ·place [site].


text:
After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and everyone who had gone with him to bury his father.


text:
The Brothers Fear Joseph ·After Jacob [The brothers of Joseph saw that their father had] died, ·Joseph’s brothers [and they] said, “What if Joseph ·is still angry with [holds a grudge against] us? We did many wrong things to him. What if he plans to pay us back?”


text:
So they ·sent a message to [instructed; commanded] Joseph that said, “Your father gave this command before he died.


text:
He said to us, ‘You have done wrong and have sinned and done evil to Joseph. Tell Joseph to forgive you, his brothers.’ So now, Joseph, we beg you to forgive our wrong. We are the servants of the God of your father.” When Joseph received the message, he cried.


text:
Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. ·Can I do what only God can do [Am I in the place of God]?


text:
You meant ·to hurt [to harm; or evil against] me, but God ·turned your evil into [meant it for] good to save the lives of many people, which is being done.


text:
So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your ·children [little ones].” So Joseph ·comforted [consoled; reassured] his brothers and spoke kind words to them.


text:
Joseph continued to live in Egypt with all ·his father’s family [the house of his father]. ·He died when he was [Joseph lived until he was] one hundred ten years old.


text:
·During Joseph’s life Ephraim had children and grandchildren [Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation], and Joseph’s son Manasseh had a son named Makir. ·Joseph accepted Makir’s children as his own [The children of Makir were born on his knees].


text:
The Death of Joseph Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will ·take care of [provide for] you. He will ·lead you out of [bring you up from] this land to the land he ·promised [swore] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”


text:
Then Joseph had the sons of Israel ·make a promise [swear]. He said, “·Promise [Swear to] me that you will ·carry [bring up] my bones with you out of Egypt.”


text:
Joseph died when he was one hundred ten years old. ·Doctors prepared his body for burial [Doctors embalmed him], and then they put him in a coffin in Egypt.


text:
Jacob’s Family Grows Strong When Jacob went to Egypt, he took his sons, and ·each son took his own family […their households] with him. These are the names of the sons of Israel:


text:
There was a total of seventy people who ·were descendants [came out of the loins/thigh] of Jacob []. Jacob’s son Joseph was already in Egypt.


text:
Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all ·the people who had lived at that same time [that generation].


text:
But the ·people [sons; children] of Israel ·had many children [were fruitful], and ·their number grew greatly [they became a teeming swarm and multiplied]. They became very strong, and the ·country of Egypt [land] was filled with them [].


text:
Trouble for the People of Israel Then a new king ·began to rule [rose over] Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was [identification uncertain; may refer to Ahmose in 16th century bc].


text:
·This king [He] said to his people, “Look! The people of Israel are too many and ·too strong for us to handle [stronger than us]!


text:
If we don’t ·make plans against [deal wisely/shrewdly with] them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join ·our enemies [those who hate us] and fight us and ·escape [go up] from the country!”


text:
So ·the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites [they afflicted/oppressed them with hard labor]. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as ·supply centers [storage cities] for ·the king [Pharaoh].


text:
But the harder ·the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work [they afflicted/oppressed them], the more ·the Israelites grew in number [they multiplied] and spread out. So ·the Egyptians became very afraid of them [they dreaded the sons/children of Israel]


text:
and ·demanded even more of them [the Egyptians ruthlessly forced the sons/children of Israel to labor].


text:
They made their lives ·bitter [miserable]. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. ·The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work [They ruthlessly forced them to work].


text:
Two Hebrew ·nurses [midwives] named Shiphrah and Puah were told by the king [not the Pharaoh of ; perhaps fifteenth or thirteenth century bc—if the latter, probably Rameses],


text:
“When you ·are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies [act as midwives for the Hebrew women], ·watch [observe them on the birthstool; or look at the stones; a euphemism for testicles]! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!”


text:
But the ·nurses [midwives] feared God, so they did not do as the king [of Egypt] told them; they let all the boy babies live.


text:
Then the king of Egypt sent for the ·nurses [midwives] and said, “Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?”


text:
The ·nurses [midwives] said to ·him [Pharaoh], “The Hebrew women are ·much stronger than [not like] the Egyptian women. They are ·strong [vigorous; hardy]. They give birth to their babies before we can get there.”


text:
God ·was good [showed favor] to the ·nurses [midwives]. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger.


text:
So ·the king [Pharaoh] commanded all his people, “Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live.”


text:
Baby Moses Now a man from the ·family [house] of Levi ·married a woman who was also from the family [took a daughter] of Levi.


text:
She ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son. When she saw how ·wonderful the baby [good/handsome/healthy he] was, she hid him for three months.


text:
But after three months she was not able to hide the baby any longer, so she got a ·basket [ark] made of ·reeds [papyrus] and covered it with ·tar so that it would float [bitumen and pitch]. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the ·tall stalks of grass [reeds] at the edge of the ·Nile River [river].


text:
Then the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] came to the river to ·take a bath [wash], and her servant girls were walking beside the river. When she saw the ·basket [ark] in the ·tall grass [reeds] she sent her slave girl to get it.


text:
She opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, so she ·felt sorry [had pity] for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”


text:
Then the baby’s sister asked ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] daughter, “Would you like me to go and find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”


text:
·The king’s [Pharaoh’s] daughter said, “Go!” So the girl went and got the baby’s own mother [Moses not only survived but was raised by his own mother].


text:
·The king’s [Pharaoh’s] daughter said to the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took her baby and nursed him.


text:
When the child ·grew older [was weaned], the woman took him to the ·king’s [Pharaoh’s] daughter, and she adopted the baby as her own son. The king’s daughter named him Moses [sounds like the Hebrew word for “draw/pull up”], because she had ·pulled [drawn] him out of the water.


text:
Moses Tries to Help Moses ·grew and became a man [grew up]. One day he ·visited his people [went out among his brothers/relatives/kin] and saw ·that they were forced to work very hard [their hard/forced labor]. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses’ ·own people [brothers; relatives; kin].


text:
Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.


text:
The ·next [second] day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the one that was in the wrong, “Why are you hitting one of your ·own people [friends; neighbors]?”


text:
The man answered, “Who made you ·our ruler [prince over people] and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and thought, “·Now everyone knows what I did [Indeed the deed is known].”


text:
When ·the king [Pharaoh] heard ·what Moses had done [of the thing], he ·tried [sought] to kill him. But Moses ·ran away [fled] from ·the king [Pharaoh] and went to live in the land of Midian [probably in the eastern Sinai peninsula or in western Arabia]. There he sat down near a well.


text:
Moses in Midian There was a priest in Midian [Jethro; also known as Reuel] who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to ·get [draw] water to fill the water troughs for their father’s flock.


text:
Some shepherds came and ·chased [drove] the girls away, but Moses defended the girls and watered their flock.


text:
When they went back to their father Reuel [another name for Jethro], he asked them, “Why have you come home early today?”


text:
The girls answered, “·The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian defended us [An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand of shepherds]. He ·got [drew] water for us and watered our flock.”


text:
He asked his daughters, “Where is this man? Why did you ·leave [abandon; forsake] him? Invite him to eat with us.”


text:
She gave birth to a son. Moses named him Gershom [sounds like “stranger/resident alien there” in Hebrew], because Moses was a stranger in a ·land that was not his own [foreign land].


text:
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned, because ·they were forced to work very hard [of their work/slavery]. ·When they cried for help, God heard them [Their plea for help rose up to God because of their work/slavery].


text:
God heard their ·cries [groaning], and he remembered ·the agreement he had made [his covenant] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [].


text:
God saw the ·troubles of the people [sons; children] of Israel, and he ·was concerned about [took note of] them.


text:
The Burning Bush One day Moses was ·taking care of [shepherding; grazing] Jethro’s flock. (Jethro was the priest of Midian and also Moses’ father-in-law.) When Moses led the flock to the west side of the ·desert [wilderness], he came to ·Sinai [Horeb; another name for Mount Sinai], the mountain of God.


text:
There the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not ·burning up [consumed].


text:
So Moses said, “I will ·go closer to [turn aside to see] this ·strange [or marvelous; great] thing. ·How can a bush continue burning without burning up [Why does not the bush burn]?”


text:
When the Lord saw Moses was ·coming [turning aside] to look at it, God called to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”


text:
Then God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals [from your feet], because the place where you are standing is holy ground.


text:
I am the God of your ·ancestors [fathers; father]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses ·covered [hid] his face because he was afraid to look at God.


text:
The Lord said, “I have seen the ·troubles [affliction; or humiliation] my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries ·when the Egyptian slavemasters hurt them [before their foremen/taskmasters]. I ·am concerned about [know] their pain,


text:
and I have come down to ·save [rescue; deliver] them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land and lead them to a good land with lots of room—a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; an image of abundant fertility]. It is the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


text:
I have heard the cries of the people of Israel, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have ·made life hard for [oppressed] them.


text:
So now I am sending you to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh]. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!”


text:
But Moses said to God, “·I am not a great man! How can I go to the king [Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh] and ·lead [bring] the Israelites out of Egypt?”


text:
God said, “I will be with you. This will be the ·proof [sign] that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will ·worship me [serve God] on this mountain.”


text:
Moses said to God, “When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you.’ What if the people say, ‘What is his name [names signified a person’s essence, character, or reputation]?’ What should I tell them?”


text:
Then God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am” [These Hebrew words are related to the name Yahweh, usually translated “Lord,” and suggest that God eternally lives and is always with his people]. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, ‘I Am sent me to you.’”


text:
God ·also [or again] said to Moses, “This is what you should tell the people: ‘The Lord is the God of your ·ancestors [fathers]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He sent me to you.’ This will always be my name, ·by which people from now on will know me [this is my title for all generations].


text:
“Go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them this: ‘The Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me. He said, I ·care about you, and I have seen [have paid attention to you and to] what has happened to you in Egypt.


text:
I ·promised [said] I would take you out of your ·troubles [affliction; or humiliation] in Egypt. I will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ].’


text:
“The elders will listen to you. And then you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ·appeared to [met with] us. Let us travel three days into the ·desert [wilderness] to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’


text:
“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only ·a great power will force him to let you go [by a strong hand],


text:
so I will ·use my great power against Egypt [stretch forth my hand]. I will strike Egypt with all the ·miracles [wonders] that will happen in that land. After I do that, he will let you go.


text:
I will cause the Egyptians to ·think well of [be favorable toward] the Israelites. So when you leave, ·they will give gifts to your people [you will not leave emptyhanded; ].


text:
Each woman should ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for gifts—silver, gold, and clothing. You should put those gifts on your ·children [sons and daughters] when you leave Egypt. In this way you will ·take with you the riches of [plunder] the Egyptians.”


text:
Proof for Moses Then Moses answered, “What if ·the people of Israel [they] do not ·believe [trust] me or listen to ·me [my voice]? What if they say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”


text:
The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses answered, “It is my ·walking stick [staff; representing the presence of God].”


text:
The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a ·snake [serpent]. Moses ·ran [fled] from the ·snake [serpent],


text:
but the Lord said to him, “·Reach out [Send out your hand] and ·grab [grasp; catch] the ·snake [serpent] by its tail.” When ·Moses [he] ·reached out [sent out his hand] and ·took hold of [snatched] ·the snake [it], it again became a ·stick [staff] in his hand.


text:
The Lord said, “This is so that the ·Israelites [they] will ·believe [trust] that the Lord appeared to you. I am the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; bosom].” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; bosom]. When he took it out, it was ·white [like snow] with ·a skin disease [leprosy; the word is used for a variety of skin diseases].


text:
Then he said, “Now put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; bosom] again.” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; bosom] again. When he took it out [of his coat/cloak/bosom], ·his hand was healthy again, like the rest of his skin [it was restored like his flesh].


text:
Then the Lord said, “If the people do not ·believe [trust] you or ·pay attention to [listen to the evidence of] the first ·miracle [sign], they may ·believe [trust] you when you show them this second ·miracle [sign].


text:
After these two ·miracles [signs], if they still do not ·believe [trust] or listen to ·you [your voice], take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water will become blood ·when it touches [on] the ground.”


text:
But Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been a ·skilled speaker [man of words]. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I ·speak slowly and can’t find the best words [have a heavy/slow mouth and a heavy/slow tongue].”


text:
Then the Lord said to him, “Who made a person’s mouth? And who makes someone deaf or ·not able to speak [mute]? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord.


text:
The Lord became angry with Moses and said, “[Do I not know that…?] Your brother Aaron, from the family of Levi, is a ·skilled [fluent; smooth] speaker. He is already coming to meet you, and ·he will be happy [his heart will rejoice] when he sees you.


text:
You will speak to Aaron and ·tell him what to say [place your words in his mouth]. I will ·help both of you to speak [be with your mouth and with his mouth] and will teach you what to do.


text:
Aaron will speak to the people for you. ·You will tell him what God says, and he will speak for you [He will be your mouth and you will be like God to him].


text:
Take your ·walking stick [staff; ] ·with you [in your hand], and use it to do the ·miracles [signs].”


text:
Moses Returns to Egypt Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, “Let me go back to my ·people [relatives; brothers; kindred] in Egypt. I want to see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “·Go! I wish you well [Go in peace].”


text:
While Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “Go back to Egypt, because the men who ·wanted to kill you [were seeking your life] are dead now.”


text:
So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and started back to Egypt. He took ·with him [in his hand] the ·walking stick [staff] of God.


text:
The Lord said to Moses, “When you get back to Egypt, do all the miracles I have ·given you the power to do [set in our hand]. Show them to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh]. But I will ·make the king very stubborn [harden his heart], and he will not let the people go.


text:
Then say to ·the king [Pharaoh], ‘·This is what [Thus] the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son [the privileged child].


text:
I told you to let my son go so he may ·worship [serve] me. But you refused to let Israel go, so I will kill your firstborn son [].’”


text:
·As Moses was on his way to Egypt [On the way], he stopped at a resting place for the night. The Lord met him there and tried to kill him.


text:
But Zipporah took a flint knife and ·circumcised [cut the foreskin of] her son. Taking the skin, she touched Moses’ feet [a euphemism for his genitalia] with it and said to him, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”


text:
She said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” ·because she had to circumcise her son [by circumcision]. So the Lord let Moses alone [this event is difficult to interpret, but shows that circumcision is important to God].


text:
Meanwhile the Lord said to Aaron, “Go out into the ·desert [wilderness] to meet Moses.” When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him.


text:
Moses ·told [reported to] Aaron everything the Lord had said to him when he sent him to Egypt. He also told him about the miracles [signs] which the Lord had commanded him to do.


text:
and Aaron told them everything that the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the ·miracles [signs] for all the people to see,


text:
and the ·Israelites [people] ·believed [trusted]. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their ·troubles [afflictions; humiliation], they bowed down and worshiped him.


text:
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may ·hold a feast [celebrate a festival; or make a pilgrimage] for me in the ·desert [wilderness].’”


text:
But ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I ·obey him [listen to his voice] and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”


text:
Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the ·desert [wilderness] to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a ·disease [pestilence; plague] or in war.”


text:
But the king [of Egypt] said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your ·jobs [labor]!


text:
·There are very many Hebrews [They are more numerous than the people of the land], and now you want them to quit working!”


text:
He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw.


text:
But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they ·are asking me [cry; whine], ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’


text:
Make these people work harder and ·keep them busy [they will labor on it]; then they will ·not have time to listen to the lies of Moses [pay no attention to false words/reports].”


text:
Moses Complains to God So the slave masters [of the people] and ·foremen [supervisors] went ·to the Israelites [out] and said [to the people], “This is what ·the king [Pharaoh] says: I will no longer give you straw.


text:
Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But ·you must make as many bricks as you made before [your work will not dimish at all].”


text:
So the people ·went everywhere in [scattered throughout] Egypt ·looking for dry stalks [gathering stubble] to use for straw.


text:
The slave masters ·kept forcing the people to work harder [were urgent]. They said, “You must ·make just as many bricks [finish your work, the same daily assignment] as you did when you were given straw.”


text:
·The king’s [Pharaoh’s] slave masters had made the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why ·aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past [did you not complete the number of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before]?”


text:
Then the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] went to ·the king [Pharaoh] and ·complained [protested], “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way?


text:
You give ·us [your servants] no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people’s ·fault [offense; sin].”


text:
·The king [He] answered, “You are lazy! ·You don’t want to work [Lazy]! ·That is why you ask to leave here [Therefore you say, “Let us go…”] and make sacrifices to the Lord.


text:
Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”


text:
The Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] knew they were in trouble, because ·the king had told them [they were told], “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.”


text:
As they were leaving the meeting with ·the king [Pharaoh], they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.


text:
So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord ·punish you [look on you and judge]. You ·caused the king and his officers to hate us [have made us a bad odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants]. You have ·given them an excuse [placed a sword in their hands] to kill us.”


text:
Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this ·trouble [evil; harm] on your people? Is this why you sent me here?


text:
I went to ·the king [Pharaoh] ·and said what you told me to say [to speak in your name], but ever since that time he has ·made the people suffer [harmed/mistreated this people]. And you have done nothing to ·save them [rescue/deliver your people].”


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh]. ·I will use my great power against him, and [By a mighty hand] he will let my people go. ·Because of my power, [By a mighty hand] he will force them out of his country.”


text:
I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name ·God Almighty [El Shaddai], but they did not know me by my name, ·the Lord [Yahweh].


text:
I also ·made [established] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; the covenant with Abraham; ] with them to give them the land of Canaan. They ·lived in that land, but it was not their own [sojourned; wandered as aliens].


text:
Now I have heard the ·cries [groans; moans] of the ·Israelites [sons of Israel], whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my ·agreement [covenant].


text:
So tell the ·people [sons; children] of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will rescue you, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will ·free [redeem] you by my ·great power [outstretched arm], and ·I will punish the Egyptians terribly [with great/mighty judgments].


text:
I will make you my own people, and I will be your God [the heart or essence of the covenant]. You will know that I am the Lord your God, the One who ·saves you [brought you out] from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do.


text:
I will ·lead [bring] you to the land that I ·promised [swore; lifted my hand to give; to take an oath] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”


text:
So Moses told this to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], but they would not listen to him. ·They were discouraged [Their spirits were broken], and their slavery was ·hard [cruel].


text:
“Go tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt that he must let the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] leave his land.”


text:
But Moses answered, “[If] The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely ·the king [Pharaoh] will not listen to me either. I am ·not a good speaker [uncircumcised of lips].”


text:
But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] and [Pharaoh] the king of Egypt. He commanded them to ·lead [bring] the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] out of Egypt.


text:
Families of Israel These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·families of Israel [their father’s/ancestors’ household]: Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben.


text:
Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Simeon.


text:
Levi lived one hundred thirty-seven years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.


text:
Kohath lived one hundred thirty-three years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.


text:
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Levi, according to their family history.


text:
Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years.


text:
Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


text:
The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the ·family groups [clans] of the Korahites.


text:
Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas. These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·family groups [clans] of the Levites.


text:
This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “·Lead [Bring] the people of Israel out of Egypt by their ·divisions [hosts; companies; a military term].”


text:
Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.


text:
But Moses answered, “I am ·not a good speaker [uncircumcised of lips]. ·The king [Pharaoh] will not listen to me.”


text:
The Lord said to Moses, “I have made you ·like God [God] to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh], and your brother Aaron will be like a prophet for you [just as God would speak to people through prophets so Moses would speak to Pharaoh through Aaron].


text:
Tell Aaron your brother everything that I command you, and let him tell ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] to let the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] leave his ·country [land].


text:
But I will ·make the king stubborn [harden the heart of Pharaoh]. I will ·do many miracles [multiply my signs and wonders] in Egypt,


text:
but ·he will still refuse to listen [Pharaoh will not listen to you]. So then I will ·punish Egypt terribly [place my hand on Egypt with great judgments], and I will lead my ·divisions [hosts; companies; ], my people the Israelites, out of ·that land [the land of Egypt].


text:
I will ·punish Egypt with my power [extend my hand against Egypt], and I will bring the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·out of that land [from their midst]. Then the Egyptians will know I am the Lord.”


text:
“Moses, when ·the king [Pharaoh] asks you to do a ·miracle [wonder], tell Aaron to [take and] throw his ·walking stick [staff] down in front of ·the king [Pharaoh], and it will become a ·snake [serpent; ; symbols of dangerous power in Egypt; Pharaoh’s headdress had a serpent at its crest].”


text:
So Moses and Aaron went to ·the king [Pharaoh] as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw his ·walking stick [staff] down in front of ·the king [Pharaoh] and his officers, and it became a ·snake [serpent].


text:
So ·the king [Pharaoh] called in his wise men and his ·magicians [sorcerers], and with their ·tricks [magic arts] the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same thing [showing that they had spiritual powers supporting them].


text:
They threw their ·walking sticks [staffs] on the ground, and their ·sticks [staffs] became snakes. But Aaron’s ·stick [staff] swallowed theirs [showing God’s power was superior].


text:
Still the king ·was stubborn [hardened his heart] and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.


text:
The Water Becomes Blood Then the Lord said to Moses, “·The king is being stubborn [Pharaoh’s heart is hard/heavy] and refuses to let the people go.


text:
In the morning ·the king [Pharaoh] will go out to the ·Nile River [water]. Go meet him by the edge of the ·river [Nile], and take with you the ·walking stick [staff] that became a ·snake [serpent].


text:
Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you. He said, ‘Let my people go ·worship [serve] me in the ·desert [wilderness].’ Until now you have not listened.


text:
This is what the Lord says: ‘This is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with this ·stick [staff] in my hand, and the water will change into blood.


text:
Then the fish in the Nile will die, and the river will begin to stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink the water from the Nile.’”


text:
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Take the ·walking stick [staff] in your hand and stretch your hand over the rivers, canals, ponds, and pools in Egypt.’ The water will become blood everywhere in Egypt, both in wooden buckets and in stone jars.”


text:
So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. In front of ·the king [Pharaoh] and his officers, Aaron raised his ·walking stick [staff] and struck the water in the Nile River. So all the water in the Nile changed into blood.


text:
The fish in the Nile died, and the river began to stink, so the Egyptians could not drink water from it. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.


text:
Using their ·tricks [magic arts], the ·magicians [sorcerers] of Egypt did the same thing. So the ·king was stubborn [heart of Pharaoh was hardened] and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] turned and went into his ·palace [house] and ·ignored what Moses and Aaron had done [did not take this to heart].


text:
The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, so all of them dug along the bank of the river, looking for water to drink.


text:
Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me.


text:
The Nile River will ·be filled [swarm] with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officers, and onto your people. They will come into your ovens and into your baking pans.


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to ·hold his walking stick [stretch out his stick/staff] in his hand over the rivers, canals, and ponds. Make frogs come up out of the water onto the land of Egypt.”


text:
So Aaron ·held [extended] his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up out of the water and covered the land of Egypt.


text:
The ·magicians [sorcerers] used their ·tricks [magic arts] to do the same thing, so even more frogs came up onto the land of Egypt.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron and said, “·Pray to [Intreat; Intercede] the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”


text:
Moses said to ·the king [Pharaoh], “Please set the time when I should ·pray [intreat; intercede] for you, your people, and your officers. Then the frogs will ·leave [be removed/cut off from] you and your houses and will remain only in the Nile.”


text:
The king answered, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “·What you want will happen [According to your word]. By this you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.


text:
The frogs will ·leave [be removed from] you, your houses, your officers, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile.”


text:
After Moses and Aaron ·left the king [went out from Pharaoh], Moses ·asked [cried out to] the Lord about the frogs he had ·sent to [set against] ·the king [Pharaoh].


text:
And the Lord did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the ·yards [courtyards], and in the fields.


text:
But when ·the king [Pharaoh] saw that they were free of the frogs, he ·became stubborn again [hardened his heart]. He did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.


text:
The Gnats Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to ·raise [extend] his ·walking stick [staff] and strike the dust on the ground. Then everywhere in Egypt the dust will change into gnats.”


text:
They did this, and when Aaron ·raised [extended] the ·walking stick [staff] that was in his hand and struck the dust on the ground, everywhere in Egypt the dust changed into gnats. The gnats got on the people and ·animals [cattle].


text:
Using their ·tricks [magic arts], the ·magicians [sorcerers] tried to do the same thing, but they could not make the dust change into gnats. The gnats remained on the people and animals.


text:
So the ·magicians [sorcerers] told ·the king [Pharaoh] that the ·power [finger] of God had done this. But the ·king was stubborn [heart of Pharaoh was hard] and refused to listen to them, just as the Lord had said.


text:
The Flies The Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning, and meet the king of Egypt as he goes out to the ·river [water]. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go so they can ·worship [serve] me.


text:
If you don’t let them go, I will send swarms of flies into your houses. The flies will be on you, your officers, and your people. The houses of Egypt will be full of flies, and they will be all over the ground, too.


text:
·But I will not treat the Israelites the same as the Egyptian people [On that day I will separate the land of Goshen where my people are; located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta; ]. There will not be any flies ·in the land of Goshen, where my people live [there]. By this you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.


text:
I will ·treat my people differently from [or set redemption between my people and] your people. This ·miracle [sign] will happen tomorrow.’”


text:
So the Lord did as he had said, and great swarms of flies came into ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] palace and his officers’ houses. All over Egypt flies were ·ruining [destroying] the land.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron and told them, “[Go,] Offer sacrifices to your God here in this ·country [land].”


text:
But Moses said, “It wouldn’t be right to do that, ·because the Egyptians hate the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God [the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians]. If they see us offering sacrifices they ·hate [detest], ·they will throw stones at us and kill us [will they not stone us?].


text:
Let us make a three-day journey into the ·desert [wilderness]. We must offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there, as he told us to do.”


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] said, “I will let you go so that you may offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the ·desert [wilderness], but you must not go very far away. Now go and ·pray [intreat; intercede] for me.”


text:
Moses said, “I will ·leave [go out] and ·pray [intreat; intercede] to the Lord, and he will take the flies away from you, your officers, and your people tomorrow. But do not ·try to trick [deal falsely with] us again. Do not stop the people from going to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”


text:
So Moses ·left the king [went out from Pharaoh] and ·prayed to [entreated; interceded with] the Lord,


text:
and the Lord did as he asked. He removed the flies from ·the king [Pharaoh], his officers, and his people so that not one fly was left.


text:
The Disease on the Farm Animals Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me.


text:
the ·Lord will punish you and will send [hand of the Lord will strike with] a terrible ·disease [pestilence] on your farm animals that are in the fields. He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, and sheep to become sick.


text:
But the Lord will ·treat Israel’s animals differently from [make a distinction between the animals of Israel and] the animals of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die.


text:
The next day the Lord did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the animals belonging to Israelites died.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] sent people to see what had happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had died. But the ·king was still stubborn [heart of Pharaoh was hardened] and did not let the people go.


text:
The Boils The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “·Fill your hands with [Take handfuls of] ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln]. Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh].


text:
The ·ashes [soot] will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere in the land [perhaps skin anthrax].”


text:
So Moses and Aaron took ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln] and went and stood before ·the king [Pharaoh]. Moses threw ·ashes [the soot; it] into the air, which caused boils to break out and become sores on people and animals.


text:
The ·magicians [sorcerers] could not stand before Moses, because all the Egyptians had boils, even the ·magicians [sorcerers].


text:
But the Lord ·made the king stubborn [hardened the heart of Pharaoh], so he refused to listen to them, just as the Lord had said.


text:
The Hail Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and ·go to the king of Egypt [stand before Pharaoh]. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me.


text:
If you don’t, this time I will ·punish you, your officers, and your people, with all my power [send all my plagues against you, your officers, and your people]. Then you will know there is no one in the whole land like me.


text:
By now I could have ·used my power [stretched out my hand] and caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from the earth.


text:
But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so that my ·name [fame; reputation] will be ·talked about [recounted] in all the earth.


text:
So at this time tomorrow, I will send a ·terrible [very heavy] hailstorm, the worst in Egypt ·since it became a nation [from the day it was founded until now].


text:
Now send for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.’”


text:
Some of ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] officers ·respected [feared] the word of the Lord and hurried to bring their slaves and animals inside.


text:
But others ·ignored [did not set their heart on] the Lord’s ·message [word] and left their slaves and animals in the fields.


text:
The Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Stretch out] your hand toward the ·sky [heavens]. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals, and on ·everything that grows [all the plants] in the fields of Egypt.”


text:
When Moses ·raised his walking stick [stretched out his staff] toward the ·sky [heavens], the Lord sent thunder and hail, and ·lightning [fire] ·flashed [came] down to the earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt.


text:
There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed—the ·worst [most severe] hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation.


text:
The hail ·destroyed [struck] all the people and animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also ·destroyed [struck] ·everything that grew [the plants] in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are ·in the wrong [guilty].


text:
·Pray to [Entreat; Intercede with] the Lord. We have had enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay here any longer.”


text:
Moses told ·the king [him], “When I ·leave [go out from] the city, I will ·raise [spread] my hands to the Lord in prayer, and the thunder [will cease] and hail will ·stop [be no more]. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord.


text:
The flax was in ·bloom [bud], and the barley ·had ripened [was in the ear], so these crops were ·destroyed [ruined].


text:
Moses left ·the king [Pharaoh] and went outside the city. He ·raised [spread] his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail ·stopped [ceased]. The rain ·also stopped falling to [no longer poured on] the ground.


text:
When ·the king [Pharaoh] saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ·stopped [ceased], he sinned again, and he and his officers ·became stubborn [hardened their hearts].


text:
So ·the king [Pharaoh] ·became stubborn [hardened his heart] and refused to let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through [the hand of] Moses.


text:
The Locusts The Lord said to Moses, “Go to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh]. I have ·made him and his officers stubborn [hardened his heart and the hearts of his officers] so I could show them ·my powerful miracles [these signs of mine].


text:
I also did this so you could ·tell [recount to] your children and your grandchildren how I ·was hard on [or made sport of] the Egyptians. ·Tell [Recount to] them about the ·miracles [signs] I did among them so that all of you will know that I am the Lord.”


text:
So Moses and Aaron went to ·the king [Pharaoh] and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to ·be sorry for what you have done [humble yourself before me]? Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me.


text:
They will cover the [surface of the] land so that no one will be able to see the ·ground [land]. They will eat ·anything that was [the last remains] left from the hailstorm and the leaves from every tree growing in the field.


text:
They will fill your ·palaces [houses] and all your officers’ houses, as well as the houses of all the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than your fathers or ·ancestors [the fathers of your fathers] have ever seen—more than ·there have been since people began living in Egypt [or the day they came on the earth until now].’” Then Moses turned and walked away from ·the king [Pharaoh].


text:
·The king’s [Pharaoh’s] officers asked him, “How long will this man ·make trouble for [be a snare to] us? Let the ·Israelites [men] go to ·worship [serve] the Lord their God. Don’t you know [yet] that Egypt is ·ruined [destroyed]?”


text:
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to ·the king [Pharaoh]. He said to them, “Go and ·worship [serve] the Lord your God. But tell me, just who is going?”


text:
Moses answered, “We will go with our young and old people, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds, because we are going to ·have a feast [celebrate a festival; or make a pilgrimage] to honor the Lord.”


text:
·The king [He] said to them, “The Lord will really have to be with you if ever I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something evil!


text:
No! Only the men may go and ·worship [serve] the Lord, which is what you have been asking for.” Then ·the king forced Moses and Aaron out of his palace [he drove them from the presence of Pharaoh].


text:
The Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Extend; Stretch] your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come. They will ·spread all [go up] over the land of Egypt and will eat all the ·plants [vegetation] the hail ·did not destroy [left behind].”


text:
So Moses ·raised [extended; stretched] his ·walking stick [staff] over the land of Egypt, and the Lord caused a strong east wind to blow across the land all that day and night, and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.


text:
Swarms of locusts ·covered [went up on] all the land of Egypt and ·settled [rested] ·everywhere [within all the borders of Egypt]. There were more locusts than ever before or after,


text:
and they covered the [surface of the] whole land so that it was ·black [darkened]. They ate everything that was left after the hail—·every plant [all the vegetation] in the field and all the fruit on the trees. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.


text:
Now forgive my sin this time. ·Pray to [Entreat; Intercede with] the Lord your God, and ask him to ·stop [turn aside] this ·punishment that kills [deadly thing from me].”


text:
So the Lord ·changed [turned around; diverted] the wind. He made a very strong wind blow from the west, and it ·blew [carried and drove] the locusts away into the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [probably a body of water north of the Gulf of Suez]. Not one locust was left ·anywhere in [within the borders of] Egypt.


text:
But the Lord ·caused the king to be stubborn again [hardened the heart of Pharaoh], and he did not let the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] go.


text:
The Darkness Then the Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Stretch; Extend] your hand toward the ·sky [heavens], and darkness will ·cover [be over] the land of Egypt. It will be so dark ·you will be able to feel it [or you will have to grope around].”


text:
Moses ·raised [stretched; extended] his hand toward the ·sky [heavens], and ·total [dense; deep] darkness was everywhere in Egypt for three days.


text:
No one could see ·anyone else [his brother], and no one could go anywhere for three days. But the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] had light where they lived.


text:
Again ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] called for Moses. He said, “All of you may go and ·worship [serve] the Lord. You may take your ·women and children [children] with you, but you must leave your flocks and herds here.”


text:
Moses said, “You must ·let us have animals to use as [give into our hands] ·sacrifices [offerings] and burnt offerings [], ·because we have to offer them to […for] the Lord our God.


text:
So we must take our animals with us; not a hoof will be left behind. We have to use some of the animals to ·worship [serve] the Lord our God. We won’t know exactly what we will need to ·worship [serve] the Lord until we get there.”


text:
But the Lord ·made the king stubborn again [hardened the heart of Pharaoh], so he ·refused [was unwilling] to let them go.


text:
Then ·he [Pharaoh] told Moses, “Get ·out of here [away from me], ·and don’t come again [watch out that you don’t see my face again]! ·The next time you see me, [On the day you see my face,] you will die.”


text:
Then Moses ·told the king [said], “I’ll do what you say. I will not ·come to see you [see your face] again.”


text:
The Death of the Firstborn Now the Lord had told Moses, “I have one more ·way to punish the king and the people of [plague to bring on Pharaoh and] Egypt. After this, ·the king [he] will send all of you away from ·Egypt [this place]. When he does, he will ·force you to leave completely [drive you away].


text:
Tell ·the men and women of Israel [in the hearing of the people] ·to ask their neighbors [that each man should ask his neighbor and each woman should ask her neighbor] for things made of silver and gold.”


text:
The Lord had caused the Egyptians to ·respect [show favor to] the Israelites, and both ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] officers and the Egyptian people considered Moses to be a great man.


text:
So Moses said to ·the king [him], “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight tonight I will go through all Egypt.


text:
Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die—from the firstborn son of ·the king [Pharaoh], who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl ·grinding grain [who is behind the handmill]. Also the firstborn farm animals will die.


text:
But not even a dog will ·bark [growl] at the ·Israelites [the sons/children of Israel] or their animals.’ Then you will know that the Lord ·treats Israel differently from [makes a distinction between Israel and] Egypt.


text:
All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, ‘Leave and take all your people ·with you [who follow you; who are on your foot].’ After that, I will leave.” Then Moses very angrily left ·the king [Pharaoh].


text:
The Lord had told Moses, “·The king [Pharaoh] will not listen to ·you and Aaron [you] so that I may do many ·miracles [wonders] in the land of Egypt.”


text:
Moses and Aaron did all these great ·miracles [wonders] in front of ·the king [Pharaoh]. But the Lord ·made him stubborn [hardened the heart of Pharaoh], and the king would not let the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] leave his country.


text:
“This month will be the beginning of months, the first month [in terms of both the calendar and its importance] of the year for you.


text:
Tell the whole ·community [congregation; assembly] of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must get one lamb for [each family, a lamb for] ·the people in his house [each household].


text:
If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, he must share it with his closest neighbor, considering the number of people. There must be enough lamb for everyone to eat.


text:
The lamb must be a one-year-old male that has ·nothing wrong with it [no blemish]. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat.


text:
Take care of the animals until the fourteenth day of the month. On that day all the ·people of the community [assembly of the congregation] of Israel will ·kill [slaughter] them ·in the evening before dark [at twilight].


text:
The people must take some of the blood and put it on the ·sides and tops of the doorframes [doorposts and lintels] of the houses where they eat the lambs.


text:
On this night they must roast the lamb over a fire. They must eat it with bitter herbs and ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread].


text:
Do not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. Roast the whole lamb over a fire—with its head, legs, and inner organs.


text:
You must not leave any of it until morning, but if any of it is left over until morning, you must burn it with fire.


text:
“This is the way you must eat it: ·You must be fully dressed as if you were going on a trip [With your loins girded]. You must have your sandals on [your feet] and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry; this is the Lord’s Passover.


text:
“That night I will ·go [cross; pass] through the land of Egypt and ·kill [strike] all the firstborn animals and [firstborn] people in the land of Egypt. I will also ·punish [judge; have victory over] all the gods of Egypt [the spiritual forces (demons) who spiritually empower Egypt]. I am the Lord.


text:
But the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you [the verb is related to the Hebrew word for Passover]. ·Nothing terrible will hurt [No plague will destroy] you when I ·punish [strike] the land of Egypt.


text:
“You are always to remember this day and celebrate it with a feast to the Lord. ·Your descendants are to honor the Lord with this feast from now on [You are to observe it throughout your generations as a perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement].


text:
For this feast you must eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] for seven days. On the first day, you are to remove all the ·yeast [leaven] from your houses. No one should eat ·any yeast [anything leavened] from the first day until the seventh day, or that person will be cut off from Israel.


text:
You are to have ·holy meetings [sacred/solemn convocation] on the first and last days of the feast. You must not do any work on these days; the only work you may do is to prepare your meals.


text:
You must ·celebrate [keep; guard] the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your ·divisions of people [hosts; a military designation] out of Egypt. So all of your descendants must celebrate this day. This is a ·law that will last from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement throughout your generations].


text:
In the first month of the year you are to eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread], from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day [to commemorate their rapid departure; ].


text:
For seven days there must not be any ·yeast [leaven] in your houses. Anybody who eats ·yeast [something leavened] during this time, either an ·Israelite [native citizen in the land] or ·non-Israelite [alien; sojourner], must be cut off from the ·community [congregation; assembly] of Israel.


text:
During this feast you must not eat anything ·made with yeast [leavened]. You must eat only ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] wherever you live.”


text:
Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and told them, “·Get the animals [Go, select/separate lambs] for your families and ·kill [slaughter] the lamb for the Passover.


text:
Take a ·branch of the hyssop plant [a bunch of hyssop], dip it into the bowl filled with blood, and then ·wipe [smear; touch] the blood on the ·sides and tops of the doorframes [doorposts and lintel]. No one may ·leave that [go out of the door of his] house until morning.


text:
When the Lord ·goes [passes; crosses] through Egypt to ·kill [strike down; plague] the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the ·sides and tops of the doorframes [doorposts and lintel], and he will ·pass over [] that house. He will not let the ·one who brings death [destroyer] come into your houses and ·kill [strike; plague] you.


text:
“You must keep this ·command [word] as a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for you and your ·descendants [sons; children] ·from now on [forever].


text:
·Do this [You will keep/observe this ritual] when you go to the land the Lord has promised to give you [; ; ; ; ].


text:
you will say, ‘This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over the houses of ·Israel [the sons/children of Israel], and when he ·killed [struck down; plagued] the Egyptians, he ·saved [rescued; delivered] our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord.


text:
At midnight the Lord ·killed [struck] all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt—from the firstborn of ·the king [Pharaoh] who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in ·jail [dungeon; pit]. Also, all the firstborn farm animals died.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh], his officers, and all the Egyptians got up during the night because someone had died in every house. So there was a loud outcry everywhere in Egypt.


text:
Israel Leaves Egypt During the night ·the king [he] called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Get up and leave my people. You and ·your people [the sons/children of Israel] may do as you have asked; go and ·worship [serve] the Lord.


text:
The Egyptians also ·asked [urged] the ·Israelites [people] to hurry and leave, saying, “If you don’t leave, we will all die!”


text:
So the people took their dough before the ·yeast [leaven] was added. They wrapped the ·bowls for making dough [kneading bowls] in clothing and carried them on their shoulders.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did what Moses told them to do and asked their Egyptian neighbors for things made of silver and gold and for clothing.


text:
The Lord caused the Egyptians to think ·well [favorably] of them, and the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. So ·the Israelites took rich gifts from them [they plundered/picked clean the Egyptians].


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] traveled from Rameses to Succoth [both were in the Nile Delta]. There were about six hundred thousand men ·walking [on foot], not including the ·women and children [children].


text:
·Many other people who were not Israelites [A mixed multiude] went with them, as well as a large number of sheep, goats, and cattle.


text:
·The Israelites [They] used the dough they had brought out of Egypt to bake loaves of ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread]. The dough ·had no yeast in it [was unleavened], because they had been ·rushed [driven] out of Egypt and had no time to get food ready for their trip.


text:
on the very day the four hundred thirty years ended, the Lord’s ·divisions [hosts; ] of people left Egypt.


text:
That night the Lord kept watch to bring them out of Egypt, and so on this same night the Israelites are to keep watch to honor the Lord ·from now on [throughout their generations].


text:
The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Here are the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] for Passover: No foreigner is to eat the Passover.


text:
But neither ·a person who lives for a short time in your country [alien; temporary resident] nor a hired worker may eat it.


text:
“The meal must be eaten inside a house; take none of the meat outside the house. Don’t break any of the bones.


text:
The whole ·community [congregation; assembly] of Israel ·must take part in this feast [will act thus].


text:
A ·foreigner [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] who ·lives [sojourns] with you may share in the Lord’s Passover if all the males in his house become circumcised. Then, since he will be like a ·citizen [native] of Israel, he may share in the meal. But a man who is not circumcised may not eat the Passover meal.


text:
The same ·rules [laws; instructions] apply to ·an Israelite born in the country [the native] or to a ·foreigner [sojourner, wanderer; resident alien] living there.”


text:
So all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.


text:
On that same day the Lord led the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] out of Egypt by their ·divisions [hosts; ].


text:
“·Give [Consecrate; Set apart] every firstborn male to me. ·Every firstborn male [Whoever is first to open the womb] among the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] belongs to me, whether human or animal.”


text:
Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, the day you left Egypt. ·You were slaves in that land […the house of slavery/bondage/service], but the Lord with his ·great power [strong hand] brought you out of it. You must not eat ·bread made with yeast [unleavened bread].


text:
Today, in the month of Abib [the first month of the year, March–April; 12:18], you are ·leaving Egypt [coming out].


text:
The Lord will ·lead [or bring] you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites [various peoples who lived in the Promised Land]. This is the land he promised your ancestors he would give you [], a ·fertile land [a land flowing with milk and honey; ]. There you must ·celebrate this feast during the first month of every year [keep this observance in this month].


text:
For seven days you must eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread], and on the seventh day there will be a feast to honor the Lord.


text:
So for seven days you must not eat any ·bread made with yeast [unleavened bread]. There must be no ·bread made with yeast [unleavened bread and no leaven will be] anywhere ·in your land [within your borders].


text:
On that day you should tell your ·son [child]: ‘·We are having this feast [It is] because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’


text:
This feast will help you remember, like a ·mark [sign] on your hand or a reminder ·on your forehead [between your eyes]. This feast will remind you to speak the Lord’s ·teachings [law; instructions], because the Lord used his ·great power [strong hand] to bring you out of Egypt.


text:
·So celebrate this feast every year at the right time [You must observe/keep/guard this statute/ordinance/requirement as an appointed time for all time].


text:
“And when the Lord ·takes [brings] you into the land of the Canaanites, the land he promised to give you and your ancestors [],


text:
you must ·give him [turn over to the Lord] ·every firstborn male [all that first opens the womb]. Also every firstborn male animal must be given to the Lord.


text:
·Buy back [Redeem; Ransom] every firstborn donkey by offering a lamb. But if you don’t want to ·buy the donkey back [redeem/ransom it], then break its neck. You must ·buy back from the Lord [redeem; ransom] every firstborn of your sons.


text:
“·From now on [In the future; Tomorrow] when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you will answer, ‘With his ·great power [strong hand], the Lord brought us out from Egypt, ·the land where we were slaves [from the house of bondage].


text:
·The king of Egypt [Pharaoh] was stubborn and refused to let us leave. But the Lord killed every firstborn male in Egypt, both human and animal. That is why I sacrifice ·every firstborn male animal [every male that first opens the womb] to the Lord, and that is why I ·buy back [redeem; ransom] each of my firstborn sons from the Lord.’


text:
This feast is like a ·mark [sign] on your hand and a ·reminder [phylactery; later a leather box containing Scripture worn on arm and forehead, though here perhaps figurative] ·on your forehead [between your eyes] to help you remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his ·great power [mighty hand].”


text:
The Way Out of Egypt When ·the king [Pharaoh] ·sent the people out of Egypt [let the people go], God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was the shortest way. God said, “If they ·have to fight [see battle], they might change their minds and go back to Egypt.”


text:
So God led them through the ·desert [wilderness] toward the ·Red [or Reed; ] Sea. The Israelites were ·dressed for fighting [prepared for battle] when they left the land of Egypt.


text:
Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him, because before Joseph died, he had made the ·Israelites [sons of Israel; here Joseph’s brothers, the sons of Israel (Jacob)] promise to do this []. He had said, “When God ·saves [shows concern toward; visits] you, remember to carry my bones with you out of Egypt.”


text:
The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham [its exact location is undetermined], on the edge of the ·desert [wilderness].


text:
The Lord showed them the way; during the day he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud, and during the night he was in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel during the day or night.


text:
The pillar of cloud ·was always with [never withdrew from] them during the day, and the pillar of fire ·was always with [never withdrew from] them at night.


text:
“Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] to turn back to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the ·Red [or Reed; ] Sea. Camp ·across from [opposite] Baal Zephon [in the eastern Nile Delta; the exact locations of these sites are unknown], ·on the shore of [by] the sea.


text:
·The king [Pharaoh] will think, ‘The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] are ·lost [wandering around], ·trapped [closed/shut in] by the ·desert [wilderness].’


text:
I will ·make the king stubborn [harden the heart of Pharaoh] again so he will ·chase after [pursue] them, but I will ·defeat the king and his army, bringing honor to me [gain glory over Pharaoh and over his army], and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” ·The Israelites [They] did just as they were told.


text:
The King Chases the Israelites When the king of Egypt was told that the ·Israelites [people] had ·left [or fled], he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, “What have we done? We have ·lost [sent away] the Israelites who served us!”


text:
He took six hundred of his best chariots, together with all the other chariots of Egypt, each with an officer in it.


text:
The Lord ·made the king of Egypt stubborn [hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt], so he ·chased [pursued] the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], who were leaving ·victoriously [boldly; with uplifted hand].


text:
The Egyptians—with all the king’s horses, chariot drivers, and army—·chased the Israelites [pursued them]. They caught up with them while they were camped by the ·Red Sea [Sea; ], near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon [].


text:
When the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] saw ·the king and his army [Egypt] coming after them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help.


text:
They said to Moses, “What have you done to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the ·desert [wilderness]? ·There were [Were there not…?] plenty of graves for us in Egypt.


text:
·We told [Did we not tell…?] you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone; we will stay and serve the Egyptians.’ Now we will die in the desert.”


text:
But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still and you will see the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today.


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Command the Israelites to ·start moving [get going; depart].


text:
Raise your ·walking stick [staff] and ·hold it [extend/stretch your hand] over the sea so that the sea will split and the ·people [sons/children of Israel] can ·cross it [go in the midst of the sea] on dry land.


text:
I will ·make the Egyptians stubborn [harden the hearts of the Egyptians] so they will ·chase the Israelites [go after them], but I will be ·honored [glorified] when I defeat ·the king [Pharaoh] and all of his chariot drivers and chariots.


text:
When I defeat ·the king [Pharaoh], his chariot drivers, and chariots, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”


text:
Now the angel of God that usually traveled in front of ·Israel’s army [them] moved behind them. Also, the pillar of cloud [] moved from in front of the people and stood behind them.


text:
So the cloud came between the camp of the Egyptians and camp of the Israelites. This made it dark for the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. So the cloud kept ·the two armies [them] apart all night.


text:
Then Moses ·held [extended; stretched] his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind, making the sea become dry ground. The water was split,


text:
and the ·Israelites [the sons/children of Israel] went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.


text:
Then all ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] horses, chariots, and chariot drivers ·followed [pursued] them into the sea.


text:
·When morning came [At the morning watch], the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire at the Egyptian army and made them panic.


text:
He clogged their chariot wheels, making it hard to ·drive the chariots [turn]. The Egyptians shouted, “Let’s ·get away [flee] from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them and against Egypt [].”


text:
Then the Lord told Moses, “·Hold [Extend; Stretch] your hand over the sea so that the water will come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and chariot drivers.”


text:
So Moses ·raised [extended; stretched] his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its ·place [or normal depth]. The Egyptians tried to ·run [flee] from it, but the Lord ·swept them away [tossed; overthrew them] into the sea.


text:
The water returned, covering the chariots, chariot drivers, and all ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them ·survived [remained].


text:
But the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] crossed the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.


text:
So that day the Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore.


text:
When the Israelites saw ·the great power the Lord had used [what God did with his strong hand] against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they ·trusted [had confidence in] the Lord and his servant Moses.


text:
The Song of Moses Then Moses and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, because he ·is worthy of great honor [is highly exalted; has triumphed gloriously]. He has ·thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.


text:
The Lord ·gives me strength and makes me sing [is my strength and my song]; he ·has saved me [is my salvation]. He is my God, and I will praise him. He is the God of my ·ancestors [fathers], and I will ·honor [exalt] him.


text:
The chariots and soldiers of ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] he has ·thrown [cast] into the sea. ·The king’s [His] ·best [handpicked; elite] officers are drowned in the ·Red [or Reed; ] Sea.


text:
The ·deep waters [floods] covered them, and they sank ·to the bottom [into the depths] like a ·rock [stone].


text:
Your right hand, Lord, is ·amazingly [gloriously] strong. Lord, your right hand broke the enemy to pieces.


text:
In your great victory you ·destroyed [demolished] those who ·were [rose up] against you. ·Your anger destroyed them [You sent out your anger], ·like fire burning straw [it consumed them like chaff/stubble/straw].


text:
Just a blast of your ·breath [or anger], and the waters piled up. The moving water stood like a ·wall [or heap]; the ·deep waters [floods] ·became solid [congealed] in the ·middle [heart] of the sea.


text:
“The enemy ·bragged [said], ‘I’ll ·chase them [pursue] and ·catch them [overtake]. I’ll ·take all their riches [divide the plunder]; ·I’ll take all I want [My desire/appetite will have my fill of them]. I’ll ·pull out [draw] my sword, and my hand will destroy them.’


text:
But you blew on them with your ·breath [or wind] and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead in the ·raging water [mighty waters].


text:
“·Are there any gods like you [Who is like you among the gods], Lord? ·There are no gods [Who is…?] like you. You are ·wonderfully holy [splendid/majestic in holiness], ·amazingly powerful [awesome in power], ·a worker of miracles [doing wonders].


text:
You ·reached out with [extend; stretch out] your right hand, and the earth swallowed ·our enemies [them].


text:
You ·keep your loving promise and lead [led by your covenant love] the people you have ·saved [redeemed; ransomed]. With your strength you will guide them to your holy ·place [abode; the Promised Land].


text:
“The ·other nations [peoples] will hear this and tremble with fear; ·terror [writhing; pangs] will take hold of the Philistines.


text:
The ·leaders of the tribes [chiefs] of Edom will be ·very frightened [scared]; the powerful men of Moab will ·shake with fear [be seized by shaking]; the people of Canaan will ·lose all their courage [melt].


text:
Terror and horror will fall on them. ·When they see your strength [By the power of your arm], they will be as still as a ·rock [stone]. They will be still until your people pass by, Lord. They will be still until the people you have ·taken as your own [purchased; acquired; or created] pass by.


text:
You will ·lead your people [bring them] and ·place [plant] them on ·your very own mountain [the mountain of your possession/inheritance], the place that you, Lord, made for ·yourself to live [your abode], the ·temple [sanctuary], Lord, that your hands have ·made [established].


text:
The horses, chariot drivers, and chariots of ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] went into the sea, and the Lord ·covered them with [returned on them the] water from the sea. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry land.


text:
Then Aaron’s sister Miriam, a prophetess, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing.


text:
Miriam told them: “Sing to the Lord, because he ·is worthy of great honor [is highly exalted; or has triumphed gloriously]; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.”


text:
Bitter Water Becomes Good Moses led the Israelites away from the ·Red [or Reed; ] Sea into the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Shur. They traveled for three days in the ·desert [wilderness] but found no water.


text:
Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but they could not drink it because it was too bitter. (That is why the place was named Marah [Hebrew for “bitter”].)


text:
So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a ·tree [or piece of wood]. When Moses threw the ·tree [or piece of wood] into the water, the water became ·good to drink [sweet]. There the Lord gave the people a ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] and a law to live by, and there he tested ·their loyalty to him [them].


text:
He said, “You must ·obey [or listen to the voice of] the Lord your God and do what ·he says is right [is right in his eyes/sight]. If you obey all his ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and keep his rules, I will not bring on you any of the ·sicknesses [diseases] I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord ·who heals you [your physician].”


text:
Then the people traveled to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So the people camped there near the water.


text:
The People Demand Food The whole ·Israelite community [congregation/assembly of the sons/children of Israel] left Elim and came to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sin, which was between Elim and Sinai; they arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt.


text:
Then the whole ·Israelite community [congregation; assembly of the sons/children of Israel] ·grumbled [complained] to Moses and Aaron in the ·desert [wilderness].


text:
·They [The sons/children of Israel] said to them, “It would have been better if the [hand of the] Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt. There we ·had meat to eat and [sat by the fleshpots and ate] all the ·food [bread] we wanted. But you have brought us into this ·desert [wilderness] to starve ·us [all this assembly/crowd] to death.”


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will cause ·food [bread] to fall like rain from ·the sky [heaven] for all of you. Every day the people must go out and gather what they need for that day. I want to ·see if the people will do what I teach them [test them to see if they will walk in my law/instruction or not].


text:
On the sixth day of each week, they are to gather twice as much as they gather on other days. Then they are to prepare it.”


text:
So Moses and Aaron said to all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]: “This evening you will know that the Lord is the one who brought you out of Egypt.


text:
Tomorrow morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard you ·grumble [complain] against him. ·We are nothing, so you are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord [For what are we that you grumble/complain against us?].”


text:
And Moses said, “Each evening the Lord will give you meat to eat, and every morning he will give you all the bread you want, because he has heard you ·grumble [complain] against him. You are not grumbling against ·Aaron and me, because we are nothing; you are grumbling [us, but] against the Lord.”


text:
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Speak to the whole ·community of the Israelites [congregation/assembly of the sons/children of Israel], and say to them, ‘·Meet together in the presence of [Draw near] the Lord, because he has heard your ·grumblings [complaints].’”


text:
While Aaron was speaking to the whole ·community of the Israelites [congregation/assembly of the sons/children of Israel], they ·looked [turned] toward the ·desert [wilderness]. There the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.


text:
“I have heard the ·grumblings [complaints] of the ·people [sons/children] of Israel. So tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and every morning you will eat all the bread you want. Then you will know I am the Lord your God.’”


text:
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning [a layer of] dew lay around the camp.


text:
When the [layer of] dew ·was gone [evaporated; went up], thin flakes like frost were on the ·desert [wilderness] ground.


text:
When the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] saw it, they asked each other, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “This is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.


text:
The Lord has commanded, ‘Each one of you must gather what he needs, about ·two quarts [an omer] for every person in your ·family [own tent].’”


text:
So the ·people [sons; children] of Israel did this; some people gathered much, and some gathered little.


text:
Then they measured it [by omer]. The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little. Each person gathered just as much as he needed.


text:
But some of the people did not listen to Moses and kept part of it to eat the next morning. It became full of worms and ·began to stink [spoiled], so Moses was angry with those people.


text:
Every morning each person gathered as much food as he needed, but when the sun became hot, it melted away.


text:
On the sixth day the people gathered twice as much food—·four quarts [two omers] for every person. When all the leaders of the ·community [congregation; assembly] came and told this to Moses,


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he said to them, “This is what the Lord ·commanded [said], because tomorrow is the Sabbath, the Lord’s holy day of rest. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil today. Save the rest of the food until tomorrow morning.”


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So the people saved it until the next morning, as Moses had commanded, and none of it ·began to stink [spoiled] or have worms in it.


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Moses told the people, “Eat ·the food you gathered yesterday [it today]. Today is a Sabbath, ·the Lord’s day of rest […of the Lord]; you will not find any out in the field today.


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You should gather ·the food [it] for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day. On that day ·there will not be any food on the ground [it will not be on it].”


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Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you people refuse to ·obey [keep] my commands and ·teachings [instructions; laws]?


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Look, the Lord has ·made the Sabbath a day of rest for you [given to you the Sabbath]. So on the sixth day he will give you enough food for two days, but on the seventh day each of you must stay where you are. Do not go anywhere.”


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The ·people [house] of Israel called the food manna [based on the Hebrew phrase, “What is it?”; ]. It was like ·small white seeds [coriander seeds, white] and tasted like wafers made with honey.


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Then Moses said, “·The Lord said [This is the word/thing the Lord has commanded], ‘·Save [Keep; Fill] ·two quarts [an omer] of this food ·for your descendants [throughout your generations]. Then they can see the food I gave you to eat in the ·desert [wilderness] when I brought you out of Egypt.’”


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Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with ·two quarts [an omer] of manna. Then place it before the Lord, and ·save [keep] it ·for your descendants [throughout your generations].”


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So Aaron did what the Lord had commanded Moses. He put ·the jar of manna [it] in front of the ·Agreement [Testimony; the Ark, named for the Ten Commandments placed in it] to keep it safe.


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The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ate manna for forty years, until they came to the land where they settled—the edge of the land of Canaan [].


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The measure they used for the manna was ·two quarts [an omer], or one-tenth of an ephah [an ephah is about 20 quarts].


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Water from a Rock The whole ·Israelite community [congregation/assembly of the sons/children of Israel] left the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sin and ·traveled from place to place [journeyed by stages], as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.


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So the people ·quarreled with [accused; made a case against] Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you ·quarrel with [accuse; make a case against] me? Why are you ·testing [putting on trial] the Lord?”


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But the people were very thirsty for water, so they ·grumbled [complained] against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?”


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So Moses cried to the Lord, “What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me to death.”


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The Lord said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Carry with you the ·walking stick [staff] that you used to strike the Nile River []. Now go!


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I will stand in front of you on a rock at ·Mount Sinai [Horeb; another name for Sinai; ]. ·Hit [Strike] that rock with the ·stick [staff], and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Moses did these things as the elders of Israel watched.


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He named that place Massah [Hebrew for “test”], because the Israelites tested the Lord when they asked, “Is the Lord with us or not?” He also named it Meribah [Hebrew for “quarrel”], because they ·quarreled [accused; made a case].


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So Moses said to Joshua, “·Choose [Select] some men and go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, ·holding [extending; stretching out] the ·walking stick [staff] of God in my hands.”


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Joshua ·obeyed Moses [did as Moses said] and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.


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As long as Moses ·held [raised] his hands up, the Israelites would ·win the fight [prevail], but when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites ·would win [prevailed; the staff represented the presence of God, who fought for Israel].


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Later, when Moses’ arms became ·tired [heavy], the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands—Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write about this battle in a ·book [or scroll] ·so people will remember [as a memorial]. And ·be sure to tell [place this in the ear of] Joshua, because I will completely ·destroy [annihilate; blot out] the Amalekites from ·the earth [under heaven; ].”


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Moses said, “I lifted my hands toward the Lord’s throne. The Lord will fight against the Amalekites forever.”


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Jethro Visits Moses Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was the priest of Midian []. He heard about everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites, and how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt.


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along with his two sons. The first son was named Gershom [sounds like Hebrew for “stranger there”], because when he was born, Moses said, “I am a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] in a foreign country.”


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The other son was named Eliezer [sounds like Hebrew for “my God is help”], because when he was born, Moses said, “The God of my father is my help. He saved me from ·the king of Egypt [the sword of Pharaoh].”


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So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife and his two sons and went to Moses. He was camped in the ·desert [wilderness] near the mountain of God [Mount Sinai].


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Jethro had sent a message ahead to Moses that said, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”


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So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other’s ·health [well-being], they went into Moses’ tent.


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Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to ·the king [Pharaoh] and the Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the ·problems [hardship] they had faced along the way and how the Lord had saved them.


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Jethro ·was very happy to hear [rejoiced concerning] all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when he had saved them from the Egyptians.


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He said, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord. He has saved you from the [hand of the] Egyptians and [the hand of] ·their king [Pharaoh], and he has saved the people from the ·power [hand] of the Egyptians.


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Now I know the Lord is greater than all gods, because he did this to those who ·looked down on Israel [treated Israel with insolence/arrogance].”


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Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering [] and other sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to Moses’ father-in-law to eat ·the holy meal [bread/food] together before God.


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The next day Moses ·solved disagreements [decided cases; sat as judge] among the people, and the people stood around him from morning until night.


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When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is all this you are doing for the people? Why are you the only one ·to solve disagreements [sitting]? All the people are standing ·around you [or in line] from morning until night!”


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Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come to me ·for God’s help in solving their disagreements [to seek/inquire of God].


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When people have a ·disagreement [matter; case], they come to me, and I ·decide who is right [judge between a person and his neighbor]. I tell them God’s ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [instructions; laws].”


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You and the people who ·come to you [are with you] will ·get too tired [wear out]. ·This is too much work for you [The matter is too heavy for you]; you can’t do it by yourself.


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Now listen to me, and I will give you some advice. I want God to be with you. You must speak to God for the people and tell him about their ·disagreements [cases].


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Warn them about the ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [instructions; laws], and ·teach [make known to] them the ·right way to live [way they should go] and what they should do.


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But choose some ·capable [virtuous; noble] men from among the people—men who ·respect [fear] God [], who can be trusted, and who ·will not change their decisions for money [hate dishonest profit]. Make these men officers over the people, to rule over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.


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Let these officers ·solve the disagreements [consider cases; judge] among the people all the time. They can bring the ·hard [big] cases to you, but they can ·decide [judge] the ·simple [small] cases themselves. That will make it easier for you, because they will share the work with you.


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If you do this as God commands you, then you will be able to do your job, and all the people will go ·home [to their place] ·with their disagreements solved [in peace].”


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He ·chose [selected] ·capable [virtuous; noble] men from all the Israelites and made them ·leaders [heads] over the people; they were officers over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.


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These officers ·solved disagreements among [judged] the people all the time. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but they ·decided [judged] the ·simple [small] cases themselves.


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Israel Camps at Sinai Exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt, ·they [the sons/children of Israel] ·reached [came to] the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai.


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When they left Rephidim, they came to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai and camped in the ·desert [wilderness] in front of the mountain.


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Then Moses went up on the mountain to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Say this to the ·family [house] of Jacob, and tell the ·people [sons; children] of Israel:


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‘Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt, as if on eagle’s wings [God protected and guided them; ]. And I brought you here to me.


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So now if you ·obey me [listen to my voice] and keep my ·agreement [covenant; treaty], you will be my own possession [special treasure], chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine,


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you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation [set apart to serve God and bring others to him; ].’ You must tell the ·Israelites [the sons/children of Israel] these words.”


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So Moses went down and called the elders of the people together. He told them all the words the Lord had commanded him to say.


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All the people answered together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” Then Moses took ·their answer [the words of the people] back to the Lord.


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And the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a ·thick [dense] cloud and speak to you. The people will hear me speaking with you and will always trust you.” Then Moses told the Lord ·what the people had said [the words of the people].


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The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and have them ·spend today and tomorrow preparing themselves [consecrate/sanctify themselves today and tomorrow]. They must wash their clothes


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and be ready by the ·day after tomorrow [third day]. On that day I, the Lord, will come down on Mount Sinai, and all the people will see me.


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But you must set a ·limit around the mountain that the people are not to cross [boundary around the people]. ·Tell [Warn] them not to go up on the mountain and not to touch the ·foot [edge] of it. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death


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with stones or shot with arrows. No one is allowed to touch him [touching a dead body rendered a person ritually unclean; ]. Whether it is a person or an animal, he will not live. But the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] will make a long blast, and only then may the people go up on the mountain.”


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After Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he made them ·prepare themselves for service to God [consecrate/sanctify themselves], and they washed their clothes.


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Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready in three days. Do not ·have sexual relations during this time [touch a woman; an emission of semen rendered a man ritually unclean; ].”


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On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud on the mountain. There was a very loud blast from a ·trumpet [ram’s horn], ·and [or so that] all the people in the camp trembled.


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Then Moses ·led [brought] the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.


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Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord came down on it in fire. The smoke rose from the mountain like smoke from a ·furnace [kiln], and the whole mountain ·shook wildly [trembled].


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The ·sound [blast] from the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] became louder. Then Moses spoke, and ·the voice of [or in thunder] God answered him.


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When the Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai, he ·called [invited] Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.


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The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people that they must not ·force their way [break] through to see me. If they do, many of them will ·die [fall].


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Even the priests, who may ·come near [approach] me, must first ·prepare [consecrate; sanctify] themselves. If they don’t, I, the Lord, will ·punish [break out against] them.”


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Moses told the Lord, “The people cannot come up on Mount Sinai, because you yourself ·told [warned] us, ‘Set a ·limit [boundary] around the mountain, and ·set it apart as holy [consecrate/sanctify it].’”


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The Lord said to him, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but don’t allow the priests or the people to ·force their way [break] through. They must not come up to the Lord, or I will ·punish [break out against] them.”


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“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt ·where you were slaves [from the house of bondage].


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“You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the ·sky [heavens] above or on the earth below or in the water below the ·land [earth].


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You must not worship or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. ·If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren [I will visit/punish the guilt of the fathers on the sons/children until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me].


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But I show kindness to ·thousands [or thousands of generations of those] who love me and obey my commands.


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“You must not ·use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly [take/lift up the name of the Lord your God in vain]; the Lord will ·punish [not hold/treat as innocent; not acquit] anyone who ·misuses [takes in vain] his name.


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but the seventh day is a ·day of rest to honor [Sabbath to] the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] living in your ·cities [gates].


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The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything—the ·sky [heavens], the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and ·made it holy [consecrated/sanctified it].


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“Honor your father and your mother so that you will live ·a long time [for many days] in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.


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“You must not ·want to take [covet] your neighbor’s house. You must not ·want [covet] his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor [this commandment internalizes previous commandments].”


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When the people heard the thunder and the ·trumpet [ram’s horn], and when they saw the lightning and the smoke rising from the mountain, they ·shook with fear [trembled] and stood far away from the mountain.


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Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”


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Then Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come to test you. He wants ·you to respect him [to put the fear of him on you] so you will not sin.”


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Then the Lord told Moses to say these things to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]: “You yourselves have seen that I talked with you from heaven.


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You must not use gold or silver to make idols for yourselves; do not worship these gods in addition to me.


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“Make an altar of dirt for me, and sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings [] and ·fellowship [or peace; ] offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Worship me in every place that I choose, and I will come and bless you.


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If you use stones to make an altar for me, don’t use ·stones that you have shaped with tools [hewn/cut stones]. When you use any ·tools [chisel] on them, you ·make them unsuitable for use in worship [profane them].


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And you must not go up to my altar on steps, or ·people will be able to see under your clothes [your nakedness will be exposed on it; meant to avoid a Canaanite-style fertility worship].”


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Laws for Living Then God said to Moses, “These are the ·laws for living [regulations] that you will ·give to the Israelites [set before them]:


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“·If [or When] you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, ·and he will have to pay nothing [with no debt].


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If he ·is not married when he becomes your slave [came single/alone], he must leave ·without a wife [single; alone]. But if he ·is married when he becomes your slave [comes in with a wife], he may ·take [go out with] his wife with him.


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If the slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. ·When the slave is set free, only he may leave [He will go out single/alone].


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then the slave’s master must take him to ·God [the judges; Hebrew: Elohim]. The master is to take him to a door or ·doorframe [doorpost] and ·punch a hole through [pierce] the slave’s ear using ·a sharp tool [an awl]. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.


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“·If [or When] a man sells his daughter as a slave, ·the rules for setting her free are different from the rules for setting the male slaves free [she will not go out like male slaves go out].


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If ·the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with her [she does not please her master who designated her for himself], he must let ·one of her close relatives buy her back [her be redeemed]. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.


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If the man ·who bought her promises to let the woman marry [designated her for] his son, he must ·treat her as [give her the rights of] a daughter.


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If ·the man who bought her marries another woman [he takes another wife], he must not ·keep his first wife from having [deprive her of] food or clothing or ·sexual relations [marital rights].


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If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, ·and she owes him no money [with no debt; ; ].


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But if a person kills someone ·accidentally [without premeditation], God allowed that to happen, so ·the person must go to a place I will choose [I will appoint for you a place to which the person may flee; ].


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But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.


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“Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or ·still has him when he is caught [he is found in his hand] must be put to death.


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“If two men ·argue [quarrel; contend], and one hits ·the other [his neighbor] with a rock or with his ·fist [or tool], the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed.


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Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his ·walking stick [staff], the one who hit him ·is not to be punished [has no liability]. But he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely healed.


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“If a man ·beats [strikes] his male or female slave with a ·stick [rod], and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished.


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But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished since the slave belongs to him.


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“Suppose two men are fighting and ·hit [injure] a pregnant woman, causing ·the baby to come out [or a miscarriage; the Hebrew is not clear whether dead or alive]. If there is no further ·injury [harm], the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows.


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But if there is further ·injury [harm], then ·the punishment that must be paid is [you shall give] life for life,


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“If a man ·hits [strikes] his male or female slave in the eye, and ·the eye is blinded [destroys it], the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye.


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If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.


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“If a man’s ·bull [ox] kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by ·throwing stones at [stoning] it, and you should not eat ·the bull [its meat]. But the owner of the bull is ·not guilty [innocent].


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However, suppose the ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it]. Then if it kills a man or woman, the ·bull [ox] must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death.


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But if ·the family of the dead person accepts money [a ransom is imposed on him], the owner of the bull must pay whatever is demanded ·to buy back his life [for his redemption].


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If the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master ·the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces [thirty shekels] of silver, and the ·bull [ox] must also be stoned to death.


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“If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man’s ox or donkey comes and falls into it,


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the owner of the pit must ·pay [compensate] the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.


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“If a man’s ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] another man’s ·bull [ox] and it dies, they must sell the ·bull [ox] that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed.


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But if a person’s ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] other animals in the past and the owner did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it], that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.


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Property Laws “If a man steals a ·bull [ox] or a sheep and ·kills [slaughters] or sells it, he must ·pay back [compensate] five ·bulls [oxen] for the one bull he stole and four sheep for the one sheep he stole.


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“The robber who is caught must ·pay back what he stole [make restitution]. If he owns nothing, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. If the stolen animal is found alive with the robber, he must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole, whether it was a ·bull [ox], donkey, or sheep. “If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of ·murder [bloodshed]. But if this happens ·during the day [after the sun is risen], he is guilty of ·murder [bloodshed].


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“If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man’s field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must ·pay back the loss [make restitution] from the best of his ·crop [field and from the best of his vineyard].


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“Suppose a man starts a fire that ·spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor’s field [catches in the thorns]. If the fire burns ·his neighbor’s growing [the standing] grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay ·for what was burned [full restitution].


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“Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things ·to keep for him [for safekeeping] and those things are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole.


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But if the thief is never ·found [caught], the owner of the house must ·make a promise [be brought] before ·God [or the judges] that he has not ·stolen [sent out his hand toward] his neighbor’s things.


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“Suppose ·two men disagree about who owns something [there is a matter/report of transgression]—whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says, ‘This is mine,’ each man must bring his case ·to God [or before the judges]. ·God’s judges [God; The judges; Hebrew: Elohim] will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.


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“Suppose a man ·asks [gives] his neighbor to ·keep [safeguard] his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets ·hurt [injured; broken], or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened.


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·That neighbor must promise before the Lord [An oath before God will decide] that he did not ·harm or kill [send his hand against] the other man’s animal, and the owner of the animal must accept ·his promise made before God [the oath]. The neighbor does not have to ·pay the owner for the animal [make restitution].


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But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, ·he must pay the owner for it [restitutiton must be made to the owner].


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If wild animals killed it, the neighbor must bring ·the body [it] as proof, and ·he will not have to pay for the animal that was killed [restitution will not be made for the torn-up remains].


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“If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets ·hurt [injured; broken] or dies while the owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay [restitution to] the owner for the animal.


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But if the owner is with the animal, the one who borrowed it does not ·have to pay [make restitution]. If the animal was ·rented [hired], the ·rental [hiring] price covers the loss.


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Laws and Relationships “Suppose a man finds a woman who is not ·pledged [engaged] to be married and ·has never had sexual relations with a man [is a virgin]. If he ·tricks [or seduces] her into having sexual relations with him, he must give ·her family the payment to marry [the bride-price for] her, and she will become his wife.


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But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual ·payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations [bride-price for a virgin].


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“·Destroy completely [Devote to destruction; Put under the ban] any person who makes a sacrifice to any god except the Lord.


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“Do not ·cheat [wrong; maltreat] or ·hurt [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in the land of Egypt.


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If you ·do [cheat; abuse; afflict], and they cry out to me for help, I certainly will ·hear [or act on] their cry.


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And I will be very angry and kill you ·in war [with the sword]. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.


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“If you lend money to one of my people who is poor, do not treat him as a ·moneylender [creditor] would. ·Charge him nothing for using your money [Take no interest; ; ; ].


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If your neighbor gives you his coat as ·a promise for the money he owes you [collateral], you must give it back to him by sunset,


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because his coat is the only cover to keep his body warm. He has nothing else to sleep in. If he cries out to me for help, I will ·hear [or act], because I am ·merciful [gracious; compassionate].


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“You must not ·speak against [revile; trifle with; disrespect] God or curse a leader of your people.


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“Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make. Also, you must give me your firstborn sons.


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You must do the same with your ·bulls [oxen] and your sheep. Let the firstborn males stay with their mothers for seven days, and on the eighth day you must give them to me.


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“You are to be my ·holy [consecrated; sanctified; set-apart] people. You must not eat the meat of any animal that has been ·killed [torn up] by wild animals. Instead, ·give [throw] it to the dogs.


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Laws About Fairness “You must not ·tell lies [give a false report]. If you are a witness in court, ·don’t help [you shall not set hands with] a wicked person ·by telling lies [with a false/violent/malicious witness].


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“You must not ·do wrong just because everyone else is doing it [follow the crowd in evil]. ·If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is [You are not to give testimony in an accusation by siding with everyone else in order to distort justice].


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·If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor [You must not be partial to a poor person in his dispute/lawsuit].


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If you see that ·your enemy’s donkey [the donkey of one who hates you] has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must ·help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet [set it free; or rearrange its load].


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·You must not lie when you accuse someone in court [Keep yourself far from a false charge/report]. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not ·treat guilty people as if they were innocent [acquit the guilty].


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“You must not accept ·money from a person who wants you to lie in court [a bribe], because ·such money will not let you see what is right [a bribe blinds officials; ; ; ]. Such money ·makes good people tell lies [undermines the cause of the righteous].


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“You must not ·mistreat [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien]. You know how it feels to be a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in Egypt [].


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Then during the seventh year, ·do not plow or plant your land [you will let it lie fallow and untilled]. If any food grows there, allow the poor people to have it, and let the wild animals eat what is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and your orchards of olive trees [].


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“You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must ·rest [stop]. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien] be refreshed.


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“Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not ·even say [invoke; bring to mind] the names of other gods; those names must not ·come out of [be heard from] your mouth.


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Three Yearly Feasts “Three times each year you must ·hold a feast to honor me [hold a festival; or make a pilgrimage for me].


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You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread [] in the way I commanded you. For seven days you must eat ·bread that is made without yeast [unleavened bread] at the set time during the month of Abib [], the month when you came out of Egypt. No one is to ·come to worship [appear before] me ·without bringing an offering [empty-handed].


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“You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Harvest [called Feast of Weeks in ; later called Pentecost]. Offer to God the first things you harvest from the crops you planted in your fields. “You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Ingathering [later called Feast of Shelters or Booths; ] in the fall, when you gather all the crops from your fields.


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“You must not offer ·animal blood [blood of a sacrifice] along with anything ·that has yeast in it [leavened]. “You must not save any of the fat from the sacrifice for the next day.


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“You must bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the ·Holy Tent [House; ] of the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk [probably a pagan ritual; ].


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God Will Help Israel “I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will ·protect [guard] you ·as you travel [on the way/path]. He will ·lead [bring] you to the place I have prepared.


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Pay attention to him and ·obey him [listen to his voice]. Do not ·turn [rebel] against him; he will not forgive ·such turning against him [it] because my ·power [name] is in him.


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If you listen carefully to ·all he says [his voice] and do everything that I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight all who fight against you.


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My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will ·destroy them [wipe/blot them out].


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“You must not bow down to their gods or ·worship [serve] them. You must not live the way those people live. You must ·destroy their idols [demolish them], breaking into pieces ·the stone pillars they use in worship [their pillars].


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If you worship the Lord your God, ·I [he] will bless your bread and your water. I will take away sickness from you.


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None of your women will miscarry or be ·unable to have children [barren]. I will ·allow you to live long lives [fill the number of your days].


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“I will ·make your enemies afraid of me [send the dread of me before you]. I will confuse any people ·you fight against [against whom you come], and I will make all your enemies ·run away from [turn their backs to] you.


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I will send ·terror [or pestilence; or the hornet] ahead of you that will force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way.


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But I will not ·force all those people out [drive them out] in only one year. If I did, the land would become ·a desert [desolate] and the wild animals would become too many for you.


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Instead, I will ·force those people [drive them] out ·slowly [little by little], until there are enough of you to ·take over [possess] the land.


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“I will give you the land from the ·Red [or Reed; ] Sea to the ·Mediterranean [Philistine] Sea, and from the ·desert [wilderness] to the ·Euphrates River [River]. I will give ·you power over [into your hand] the people who now live in the land, and you will ·force [drive] them out ahead of you.


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You must not let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me. If you ·worship [serve] their gods, ·you will be caught in a trap [they will be a trap/snare to you].”


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God Makes a Covenant with Israel The Lord told Moses, “You, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel must come up to me and ·worship [bow down to] me from a distance.


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Then Moses alone must come near me; the others must not come near. The rest of the people must not come up the mountain with Moses.”


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Moses ·told [went and recounted to] the people all the Lord’s words and ·laws for living [regulations; judgments]. Then all of the people answered out loud together, “We will do all the things the Lord has said.”


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So Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. And he got up early the next morning and built an altar near the bottom of the mountain. He set up twelve ·stones [pillars], one ·stone [pillar] for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.


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Then Moses sent ·young Israelite men [youth of the sons/children of Israel] to offer whole burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as ·fellowship [or peace; ] offerings to the Lord.


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Moses put half of the blood of these animals in ·bowls [basins], and he ·sprinkled [or dashed] the other half of the blood on the altar.


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Then he took the Book of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty referring to the laws found in ] and read it so the people could hear him. And they said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said; we will obey.”


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Then Moses took ·the blood from the bowls [the blood] and ·sprinkled [dashed] it on the people, saying, “This is the blood ·that begins [of] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty], the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] which the Lord ·has made [cut] with you ·about [or in accord with] all these words.”


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and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a ·surface [pavement] that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the ·sky [heavens]!


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These ·leaders of the Israelites [eminent men of the sons/children of Israel] saw God, but ·God did not destroy them [he did not send out his hand]. Then they ate and drank together [meals often sealed covenant/treaty agreements].


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God Promises Moses the Stone Tablets The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me. Wait there, and I will give you two stone tablets [perhaps two copies of the Ten Commandments]. On these are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] and the commands I have written to instruct the people.”


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So Moses and his ·helper [assistant] Joshua ·set out [got up], and Moses went up to ·Sinai, the mountain of God [the mountain of God].


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Moses said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone who ·has a disagreement with others [has many words/a dispute; is a master of words] can take it to them.”


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Moses Meets with God When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud [representing God’s presence] covered it.


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The glory of the Lord [representing his manifest presence] ·came down [settled] on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.


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To the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] the glory of the Lord looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain.


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Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.


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“Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] to bring me ·gifts [tribute]. Receive for me the ·gifts [tribute] ·each person wants [from each one whose heart moves them] to give.


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olive oil to burn in the lamps; spices for sweet-smelling incense, and the special olive oil ·poured on a person’s head to make him a priest [for anointing; ];


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onyx stones, and other jewels to be put on the ·holy vest [ephod; ] and the ·chest covering [breastpiece; ].


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Build this ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and ·everything in it [all its furniture] by the ·plan [pattern] I will show you [every detail reflects a heavenly reality].


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The Ark of the Covenant “·Use acacia wood and build an Ark [They will make an Ark of acacia wood; the Ark, considered the footstool of God’s throne, was a powerful symbol of God’s presence; ] ·forty-five inches [two and a half cubits] long, ·twenty-seven inches [a cubit and a half] wide, and ·twenty-seven inches [a cubit and a half] high.


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·Cover the Ark [Overlay it] inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold ·strip [molding] all around it.


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·Make [Cast] four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on ·each [one side and two rings on the other] side.


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Then put in the Ark the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony] which I will make with you [a reference to the tablets of the Ten Commandments].


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“Then make the ·lid of the Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover] of pure gold. Make it ·forty-five inches [two and a half cubits] long and ·twenty-seven inches [one and a half cubits] wide.


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·Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings [Make two cherubim of hammered gold], and put one on each end of the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover].


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Attach one ·creature [cherub] on one end of the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] and the other ·creature [cherub] on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] at the ends.


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The ·creatures’ [cherubim’s] wings should be spread upward, covering the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover], and the ·creatures [cherubim] are to face each other across the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover].


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Put this ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony] which I will make with you.


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I will meet with you there, above the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] between the two ·winged creatures [cherubim] on the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony]. There I will give you all my commands for the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


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The Table “Make a table out of acacia wood, ·thirty-six inches [two cubits] long, ·eighteen inches [one cubit] wide, and ·twenty-seven inches [one and a half cubits] high.


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Make a ·frame [rim] ·three inches [a handbreadth] high ·that stands up all around the edge, and put a gold ·strip [molding] around it.


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Put the rings close to the ·frame [rim] around the top of the table, because they will hold the poles for carrying it.


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Make the poles out of acacia wood, ·cover [overlay] them with gold, and carry the table with these poles.


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Make the plates and bowls for the table, as well as the jars and cups, out of pure gold. They will be used for pouring out the drink offerings [; ; ].


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On this table put the ·bread that shows you are in my presence [Bread of Presence] so that it is always there in front of me.


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The Lampstand “Hammer pure gold to make a ·lampstand [menorah]. Its base, ·stand [shaft], flower-like cups, buds, and petals must all be joined together in one piece [its tree shape suggests that the Tabernacle represented Eden where God and humans lived in harmony].


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The lampstand must have six branches going out from its sides—three on one side and three on the other.


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Each branch must have three cups shaped like almond flowers on it. Each cup must have a bud and a petal. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same.


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And there must be four more cups made like almond flowers on the lampstand itself. These cups must also have buds and petals.


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Put a bud under each pair of branches that goes out from the lampstand. Each of the six branches going out from the lampstand must be the same.


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“Then make seven ·small oil lamps [lamps for it] and put them on the lampstand so that they give light to the area in front of it.


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The Holy Tent “Make for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] ten curtains of fine linen and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread. Have a skilled craftsman sew designs of ·creatures with wings [cherubim; ] on the pieces of cloth [these deep blue curtains with cherubim represent heaven on earth].


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Make each curtain the same size—·forty-two feet [twenty-eight cubits] long and ·six feet [four cubits] wide.


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·Sew [Join; Bind] five curtains together for one set, and ·sew [join; bind] the other curtains together for the second set.


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Make loops of blue cloth on the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set.


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Make fifty loops on the end curtain of the first set and fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set. These loops must be opposite each other.


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And make fifty gold ·hooks [clasps] to join the two sets of curtains so that the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] is one piece.


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“Then make another tent that will cover the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], using eleven curtains made from goat hair.


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All these curtains must be the same size—·forty-five feet [thirty cubits] long and ·six [four cubits] feet wide.


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·Sew [Join; Bind] five of the curtains together into one set. Then ·sew [join; bind] the other six curtains together into the second set. Fold the sixth curtain double over the front of the Tent.


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Make fifty loops down the edge of the end curtain of one set, and do the same for the end curtain of the other set.


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Then make fifty bronze ·hooks [clasps] and put them in the loops to ·join [bind] the tent together so that the covering is one piece.


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There will be ·eighteen inches [one cubit] hanging over the sides of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], to ·protect [cover] it [this is the innermost of the weatherproofing protecting the innermost curtain].


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Make a covering for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] from ·sheepskins colored red [or tanned rams’ skins; the second weatherproof covering], and over that make a covering from ·fine leather [or sea cow hide; the outermost covering used for weatherproofing].


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Each frame must be ·fifteen feet [ten cubits] long and ·twenty-seven inches [a cubit and a half] wide,


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Each frame must have two silver bases to go under it, a peg fitting into each base. You must make forty silver bases for the [twenty] frames.


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The two frames are to be doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. Both corner frames must be made this way.


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So there will be a total of eight frames at the rear of the Tent, and there will be sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.


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“Make crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. Make five crossbars to hold the frames together on one side


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and five to hold the frames together on the ·other [second] side. Also make five crossbars to hold the frames together on the west end, at the rear.


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The middle crossbar is to be set halfway up the frames, and it is to run along the entire length of each side and rear.


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Make gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and ·cover [overlay] the frames and the crossbars with gold.


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“Make a curtain of fine linen and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and have a skilled craftsman sew ·designs of creatures with wings [cherubim; ] on it.


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·Hang [Place] the curtain by gold ·hooks [clasps] on four posts of acacia wood that are ·covered [overlaid] with gold, and set them in four silver bases.


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·Hang [Place] the curtain from the ·hooks [clasps] in the roof, and put the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony; ] containing the two stone tablets [] behind it. This curtain will separate the ·Holy Place [Tabernacle] from the ·Most Holy Place [Holy of Holies; the back third, the throne room of God].


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Put the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover; ] on the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony; ] in the Most Holy Place.


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“Outside the curtain, put the table [] on the north side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. Put the lampstand [] on the south side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] across from the table.


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The Entrance of the Holy Tent “Then, for the entrance of the Tent, make a ·curtain [screen] with fine linen and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread. ·Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it […embroidered with needlework].


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Make five posts of acacia wood ·covered [overlaid] with gold. Make gold ·hooks [clasps] for them on which to hang the ·curtain [screen], and make five bronze bases for them.


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The Altar for the Burnt Offerings “Make an altar of acacia wood, ·four and one-half feet [three cubits] high. It should be square—·seven and one-half feet [five cubits] long and ·seven and one-half feet [five cubits] wide.


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Make each of the four corners of the altar stick out like a horn [significance uncertain, but refers to rounded projections on each corner of top; ; ; ], in such a way that the corners with their horns are all one piece. Then ·cover [overlay] the whole altar with bronze.


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“Use bronze to make all ·the tools and dishes that will be used on the altar [its utensils]: the pots to remove the ashes, the shovels, the ·bowls for sprinkling blood [basins], the meat forks, and the ·pans for carrying the burning wood [firepans].


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“Make a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood, and put a bronze ring at each of the four corners of it.


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Make the altar out of boards and leave the inside hollow. Make it as you were shown on the mountain [].


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The Courtyard of the Holy Tent “Make ·a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent [the court of the Tabernacle]. The south side should have a wall of fine linen curtains ·one hundred fifty feet [one hundred cubits] long.


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Hang the curtains with silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze ·posts [pillars] with twenty bronze bases.


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The north side must also be ·one hundred fifty feet [one hundred cubits] long. Hang its curtains on silver hooks and bands on twenty bronze ·posts [pillars] with twenty bronze bases.


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“The west end of the courtyard must have a wall of curtains ·seventy-five feet [fifty cubits] long, with ten ·posts [pillars] and ten bases on that wall.


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On one side of the entry, there is to be a wall of curtains ·twenty-two and one-half feet [fifteen cubits] long, held up by three ·posts [pillars] on three bases.


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On the other side of the entry, there is also to be a wall of curtains ·twenty-two and one-half feet [fifteen cubits] long, held up by three ·posts [pillars] on three bases.


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“The ·entry [gate] to the courtyard is to be a ·curtain [screen] ·thirty feet [twenty cubits] wide, made of fine linen with blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread. ·Someone who can sew well is to sew designs on it […embroidered with needlework]. It is to be held up by four ·posts [pillars] on four bases.


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The courtyard must be ·one hundred fifty feet [one hundred cubits] long and ·seventy-five feet [fifty cubits] wide, with a wall of curtains around it ·seven and one-half feet [five cubits] high, made of fine linen. The bases in which the ·posts [pillars] are set must be bronze.


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All the ·things used in the Holy Tent [utensils of the Tabernacle] and all the tent pegs for the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the wall around the courtyard must be made of bronze.


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Oil for the Lamp “Command the ·people [sons/children] of Israel to bring you pure olive oil, made from ·pressed [or pounded] olives, to keep the lamps on the lampstand burning [regularly; or continually].


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Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This will be in the Meeting Tent, outside the curtain which is in front of the ·Ark [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty]. The Israelites and their descendants must obey this ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] ·from now on [throughout their generations].


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Clothes for the Priests “·Tell your brother Aaron to come [Bring near your brother Aaron] to you, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ·Separate them from the other Israelites to […to] serve me as priests.


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Make holy ·clothes [garments; vestments] for your brother Aaron to give him ·honor [glory] and ·beauty [splendor].


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Tell all the ·skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom [the wise of heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom; wisdom here is a practical knowledge, a skill] to make ·special clothes [garments; vestments] for Aaron—clothes to show that he ·belongs to me [is consecrated/set apart/ holy] so that he may serve me as a priest.


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These are the clothes they must make: a ·chest covering [breastpiece], a ·holy vest [ephod], an outer robe, a ·woven inner [or checkered] robe, a turban, and a ·cloth belt [sash]. They must make these ·holy [sacred] clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests.


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The Holy Vest “Use gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen to make the ·holy vest [ephod]; ·skilled craftsmen are to make it [skillfully worked].


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“·The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt [The embroidered waistband] on the ·holy vest that is [ephod will be] made with the same materials—gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.


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six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, ·from the oldest son to the youngest [according to the order of their birth].


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·Carve [Engrave] the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person ·carves words and designs on a seal [engraves a seal/signet]. Put gold [filigree] around the stones to hold them on the ·holy vest [ephod].


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Then put the two stones on the two straps of the ·holy vest [ephod] as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to ·wear [bear] their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel.


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and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the ·two gold pieces that hold the stones [settings].


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The Chest Covering “Make a ·chest covering to help in making decisions [breastpiece of judgment; so called because it contained the Urim and Thummim used to discern God’s will; ]. ·The craftsmen should make it as they made the holy vest […of skilled work like the ephod], using gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.


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It must be square—·nine inches [a span] long and ·nine inches [a span] wide—and ·folded double to make a pocket [doubled].


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Put four rows of ·beautiful gems [stones] on it: The first row must have a ·ruby [or carnelian], ·topaz [or chrysolite], and ·yellow quartz [or emerald];


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the fourth must have a chrysolite [or beryl], an onyx, and a jasper [the exact identity of some of these stones is unclear]. Put gold [filigree] around these ·jewels [stones] to attach them to it.


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There must be twelve ·jewels on the chest covering [stones]—one ·jewel [stone] for each of the names of the sons of Israel. ·Carve [Engrave] the name of one of the twelve tribes on each of the stones as you would ·carve [engrave] a ·seal [signet].


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Attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the upper corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece].


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Attach the other ends of the two chains to the two ·gold pieces [or settings] on the shoulder straps in the front of the ·holy vest [ephod].


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“Make two gold rings and put them at the two lower corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece], on the inside edge next to the ·holy vest [ephod].


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Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder straps in the front of the ·holy vest [ephod]. Put them close to the seam above the ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] of the ·holy vest [ephod].


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Join the rings of the ·chest covering [breastpiece] to the rings of the ·holy vest [ephod] with blue ·ribbon [cord], connecting it to the ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] so the ·chest covering [breastpiece] will not ·swing out [get loose] from the ·holy vest [ephod].


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“When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart, on the ·chest covering that helps in making decisions [breastpiece of judgment; ]. This will be a continual reminder before the Lord.


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And put the Urim and Thummim [devices, probably lots, that were used to discern God’s will; the name means “light and truth”] inside the ·chest covering [breastpiece] so that they will be on Aaron’s heart when he goes before the Lord. They will help in making decisions for the Israelites. So Aaron will always carry them with him when he is before the Lord.


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“Make the outer robe ·to be worn under the holy vest [of the ephod], ·using only blue cloth [all of blue].


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Make ·a hole [an opening] in the center for ·Aaron’s [the] head, with a woven collar ·with an oversewn edge [like a coat of mail; the Hebrew is obscure] around the ·hole [opening] so it will not tear.


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Make balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and hang them around the bottom of the outer robe with gold bells between them.


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All around the bottom of the outer robe there should be a gold bell and a pomegranate ball, a gold bell and a pomegranate ball.


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Aaron must wear this robe when he ·serves as priest [ministers]. ·The ringing of the bells [Their sound] will be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord so that he will not die.


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“Make a ·strip [rosette; medallion; plate; flower] of pure gold and ·carve [engrave] these words on it as you would ·carve [engrave] a ·seal [signet]: ‘Holy to the Lord.’


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Aaron must wear this on his forehead. In this way, he will ·be blamed [carry/bear the guilt] if anything is wrong with the ·gifts [holy offerings] of the Israelites. ·Aaron must always wear this on his head [It will always be on his forehead] so the Lord will ·accept the gifts of the people [be favorable toward them].


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“·Make [or Weave] the ·woven [or checkered] inner robe of fine linen, and make the turban of fine linen also. Make the ·cloth belt [sash] ·with designs sewn on it [embroidered with needlework].


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Also make ·woven [or checkered] inner robes, ·cloth belts [sashes], and ·headbands [headdresses] for Aaron’s sons, to give them honor [glory] and beauty [splendor].


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Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, and ·pour olive oil on their heads to appoint them as priests [anoint them]. ·Make them belong to me [Ordain them; Fill their hand] so they may be ·set apart [consecrated] and serve me as priests.


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“Make for them linen underclothes to cover ·them [their naked flesh] from the ·waist [hip] to the ·upper parts of the legs [thigh].


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Aaron and his sons must wear these underclothes when they enter the Meeting Tent and anytime they come near the altar to ·serve as priests [minister] in the Holy Place. ·If they do not wear these clothes, they will be guilty of wrong, and they will […so they do not bear guilt and] die. This will be a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] that will last from now on for Aaron and all his ·descendants [seed].


text:
Appointing the Priests “This is what you must do to ·appoint Aaron and his sons [them to consecrate them] to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two ·male sheep [rams] ·that have nothing wrong with them [without blemish].


text:
Use ·fine [choice] wheat flour ·without yeast to make bread [to make unleavened bread], cakes ·without yeast [unleavened] mixed with olive oil, and wafers ·without yeast [unleavened] brushed with olive oil.


text:
Take the clothes and dress Aaron in the inner robe [] and the outer robe [] of the ·holy vest [ephod; ]. Then put on him the ·holy vest [ephod] and the ·chest covering [breastpiece; ], and tie the ·holy vest [ephod] on him with its ·skillfully woven belt [embroidered waistband of the ephod].


text:
·Put [Gird them with] the ·headbands [headdresses] on their heads, and tie ·cloth belts around their waists [sashes on Aaron and his sons]. ·Aaron and his descendants [They] will be priests in Israel, according to a ·rule that will continue from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement]. This is how you will ·appoint Aaron and his sons as priests [ordain Aaron and his sons; fill the hand of Aaron and his sons].


text:
“Bring the bull to the front of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron and his sons must ·put [lay] their hands on the bull’s head [a ritual of identification; the animal stood in the place of the offerer].


text:
Use your finger to put some of the bull’s blood on the ·corners [horns; ] of the altar, and then pour the blood that is left at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar.


text:
Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, as well as the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and ·burn them [turn them into smoke] on the altar.


text:
Take the bull’s meat, skin, and ·intestines [or dung], and burn them outside the camp. This is an ·offering to take away sin [sin offering; ].


text:
“Take one of the ·male sheep [rams], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head.


text:
Then cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner organs and its legs, putting them with its head and its other pieces.


text:
·Burn [Turn into smoke] the whole sheep on the altar; it is a burnt offering made by fire [] to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.


text:
“Take the ·other male sheep [second ram], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head [].


text:
·Kill [Slaughter] it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet [; the significance is unclear]. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood ·against all four sides of [all around] the altar.


text:
Take some of the blood from the altar, and mix it with the ·special oil used in appointing priests [anointing oil]. Sprinkle this on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. ·This will show that Aaron [Then he] and his sons and their clothes ·are given to my service [will be holy/consecrated].


text:
“Then take the fat from the ·male sheep [ram], the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs. In addition, take the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right thigh. (This is the ·male sheep to be used in appointing priests [ordination ram].)


text:
“Then take the basket of ·bread that you made without yeast [unleavened bread], which you put before the Lord. From it take a loaf of bread, a cake made with olive oil, and a wafer.


text:
Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and tell them to ·present them as an [wave them as a wave] offering to the Lord [a ritual whereby the offerer symbolically waves the offering before God but then uses it].


text:
Then take them from their hands and ·burn them [turn them into smoke] on the altar with the whole burnt offering. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell is pleasing to the Lord.


text:
Then take the breast of the ·male sheep used to appoint Aaron as priest [ordination ram], and ·present it before the Lord as an offering [wave it as a wave offering before the Lord]. This part of the animal will be your ·share [portion].


text:
·Set aside [Consecrate] the breast [that was waved as a wave offering] and the thigh of the ·sheep that were used to appoint [ordination ram that was elevated as an elevation offering for] Aaron and his sons as priests. These parts belong to them.


text:
They are to be the ·regular share [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement] which the Israelites will always give to Aaron and his sons. It is the gift the Israelites must give to the Lord from their ·fellowship [or peace] offerings [].


text:
“The ·holy [sacred; consecrated] clothes made for Aaron will belong to his ·descendants [sons] so that they can wear these clothes when they are ·appointed as priests [anointed and ordained].


text:
Aaron’s son, who will become high priest after him, will come to the Meeting Tent to ·serve [minister] in the Holy Place. He is to wear these clothes for seven days.


text:
“Take the ·male sheep used to appoint priests [ordination ram] and boil its meat in a place that is holy.


text:
Then at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, Aaron and his sons must eat the meat of the ·sheep [ram] and the bread that is in the basket.


text:
They should eat these offerings that were used to ·remove their sins [atone] and to ·make them holy when they were made priests [ordain and consecrate]. But no ·stranger [outsider] is to eat them, because they are holy things.


text:
If any of the ·meat from that sheep [ordination meat] or any of the bread is left the next morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.


text:
“Do all these things that I commanded you to do to Aaron and his sons, and spend seven days ·appointing [ordaining] them.


text:
Each day you are to offer a bull ·to remove the sins of [as a sin offering of atonement for] Aaron and his sons so they will be given for service to the Lord. ·Make the altar ready for service to the Lord [Offer a sin offering for the altar to make atonement for it], and also ·pour oil on it to make it holy [anoint it to consecrate it].


text:
Spend seven days making ·the altar ready for service to God [atonement for the altar] and ·making it holy [consecrate it]. Then the altar will become very holy, and anything that touches it must be holy.


text:
The Daily Sacrifices “Every day ·from now on [regularly; continually], offer on the altar two lambs that are one year old.


text:
·In the morning, when you offer the [For the] first lamb, offer also ·two quarts [a tenth of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with ·one quart [one fourth of a hin] of oil from ·pressed [or pounded] olives. Pour out a ·quart [fourth of a hin] of wine as a drink offering.


text:
Offer the second lamb ·in the evening [at twilight] with the same ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [] and drink offering as you did in the morning. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell is pleasing to him.


text:
“·You must burn these things as an offering [It is a burnt offering; ] to the Lord ·every day [regularly; continuously], ·from now on [throughout your generations], at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord. ·When you make the offering, […where] I, the Lord, will meet you there and speak to you.


text:
I will meet with the ·people [sons; children] of Israel there, and that place will be holy because of my glory.


text:
“So I will make the Meeting Tent and the altar ·holy [consecrated]; I will also make Aaron and his sons ·holy [consecrated] so they may serve me as priests.


text:
And they will know that I am the Lord their God who ·led [brought] them out of Egypt so that I could ·live [dwell] with them. I am the Lord their God.


text:
Make it square—·eighteen inches [a cubit] long and ·eighteen inches [a cubit] wide—and make it ·thirty-six inches [two cubits] high. The ·corners that stick out like horns [horns; ] must be one piece with the altar.


text:
·Cover [Overlay] its top, its sides, and its ·corners [horns] with pure gold, and put a gold ·strip [molding] all around the altar.


text:
Make two gold rings beneath the gold ·strip [molding] on opposite sides of the altar, and slide poles through them to carry the altar.


text:
Put the altar of incense in front of the curtain that is ·near [or above] the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony; ], in front of the ·lid that covers that Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover; ]. There I will meet with you.


text:
“Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning when he comes to ·take care of [trim; dress; put in good order] the oil lamps.


text:
He must burn incense again ·in the evening [at twilight] when he lights the lamps, so incense will burn before the Lord ·every day [regularly; continually] ·from now on [throughout your generations].


text:
Do not use this altar for offering ·any other [strange; profane] incense [], or burnt offering [], or any kind of ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [], or drink offering.


text:
Once a year Aaron must make ·the altar ready for service to God by putting blood on its corners [atonement on its corners/horns]—the blood of the animal ·offered to remove sins [as an atoning sin offering]. He is to do this once a year ·from now on [throughout your generations]. ·This altar belongs completely to the Lord’s service [It is most holy/the holy of holies to the Lord].”


text:
“When you ·count [register] the ·people [sons; children] of Israel, every person must ·buy back [ransom; atone for] his life from the Lord so that no ·terrible things [disaster; plague] will happen to the people when you ·number [register] them.


text:
Every person who is ·counted [registered] must pay ·one-fifth of an ounce of silver [half a shekel]. (·This is set by using one-half of the Holy Place measure, which weighs two-fifths of an ounce […according to the shekel of the Holy Place which is twenty gerahs].) This amount is a ·gift [contribution] to the Lord.


text:
Every person who is ·counted [registered] and is twenty years old or older must give this ·amount [gift; contribution] to the Lord.


text:
A rich person must not give more than ·one-fifth of an ounce [a half shekel], and a poor person must not give less. You are ·paying this to the Lord to buy back your lives [giving a gift/contribution to the Lord as a ransom/atonement for your life].


text:
·Gather [Take] from the ·people [sons; children] of Israel this ·money [silver] paid to ·buy back their lives [atone; ransom], and ·spend [give] it on things for the ·service [work] in the Meeting Tent. This payment will remind the Lord that the ·Israelites’ [sons/children of Israel’s] lives have been ·bought back [ransomed; atoned].”


text:
“Make a bronze bowl, on a bronze stand, for washing. Put the bowl and stand between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water ·in the bowl [there].


text:
Each time they enter the Meeting Tent they must wash with water so they will not die. Whenever they approach the altar to ·serve as priests [minister] and offer a sacrifice to the Lord by fire,


text:
they must wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is a ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] for Aaron and his ·descendants [seed] ·from now on [throughout their generations].”


text:
“Take the finest spices: ·twelve pounds [five hundred (shekels)] of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, ·six pounds [two hundred and fifty]) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, ·six pounds [two hundred and fifty] of sweet-smelling cane,


text:
and ·twelve pounds [five hundred] of cassia. Weigh all these by the Holy Place ·measure [shekel]. Also take ·four quarts [a hin] of olive oil,


text:
and ·mix [blend; make] all these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. ·This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [It is a holy anointing oil].


text:
·Put this oil on [Anoint] the Meeting Tent and the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony],


text:
on the table and all its dishes, on the lampstand [] and all its tools, and on the incense altar [].


text:
Also, ·put the oil on [anoint] the altar for burnt offerings [] and on all its tools, as well as on the bowl [] and the stand under the bowl.


text:
You will ·prepare all these things for service to God [consecrate/sanctify them], and they will be very holy. Anything that touches these things must be holy.


text:
“·Put the oil on [Anoint] Aaron and his sons to ·give them for service to me [consecrate; sanctify them], that they may serve me as priests.


text:
Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], ‘This is to be my holy olive oil ·from now on [throughout your generations]. It is ·to be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [for anointing].


text:
Do not pour it on the bodies of ordinary people, and do not make perfume the same way you make this oil. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.


text:
If anyone makes perfume like it or puts it on someone who is ·not a priest [not qualified; strange], that person must be cut off from his people.’”


text:
Incense Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum [some identifications are uncertain], and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of each.


text:
Beat some of the incense into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. ·You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose [It will be most holy to you].


text:
Do not make incense for yourselves the same way you make this incense. Treat it as holy to the Lord.


text:
“See, I have ·chosen [called by name] Bezalel son of Uri from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.)


text:
I have filled Bezalel with the ·Spirit [or spirit] of God and have given him the ·skill [wisdom], ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work.


text:
I have also ·chosen [given him] Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan to work with Bezalel. I have given ·skills [wisdom] to all the craftsmen, and they will be able to make all these things I have commanded you:


text:
the Meeting Tent, the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony], the ·lid that covers [mercy seat; atonement cover] the Ark, and ·everything in [all the utensils of] the Tent.


text:
This includes the table and ·everything on it [all its utensils], the pure gold lampstand and ·everything with it [all its utensils], the altar of incense,


text:
the altar for burnt offerings and ·everything used with it [all its utensils], and the bowl and the stand under it.


text:
They will make the woven clothes and the ·holy [sacred] clothes for Aaron and the clothes for his sons to wear when they serve as priests.


text:
They will also make the special olive oil used ·in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord [for anointing], and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place. “These workers will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”


text:
“Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], ‘You must ·keep the rules about [guard; keep] my Sabbaths, because they will be a sign [reminders of the covenant; ; ] between you and me from now on. In this way you will know that I, the Lord, make you holy.


text:
“‘·Make the Sabbath a holy day [Keep/Guard the Sabbath for it is holy]. If anyone ·treats the Sabbath like any other day [profanes/desecrates the Sabbath] that person must be put to death; anyone who works on the Sabbath day must be cut off from his people [].


text:
There are six days for working, but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day holy for the Lord. Anyone who works during the Sabbath day must be put to death.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] must ·remember [keep; guard] the Sabbath day as an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] between them and me ·that will continue from now on [throughout their generations].


text:
The Sabbath day will be a sign between me and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] forever, because in six days I, the Lord, made the ·sky [heavens] and the earth. On the seventh day I did not work; I rested [].’”


text:
When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] written on them, written by the finger of God.


text:
The People Make a Gold Calf The people saw that ·a long time had passed and Moses had not [Moses delayed to] come down from the mountain. So they ·gathered [assembled] ·around [or against] Aaron and said, “[This man] Moses ·led [brought] us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us ·gods [or a god; or an image of God] who will ·lead [go before] us.”


text:
Aaron said to ·the people [them], “·Take [Pull] off the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”


text:
He took ·the gold [it] from ·the people [their hands] and formed it ·with a tool [or in a mold] and made a ·statue [image] of a calf. Then the people said, “Israel, ·these are your gods [or this is your God; either an idol to a false god or an inappropriate image for a false worship of the true God] who brought you out of the land of Egypt []!”


text:
When Aaron saw all this, he built an altar before the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a ·special feast to honor [festival for] the Lord.”


text:
The people got up early the next morning and offered whole burnt offerings [] and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings []. They sat down to eat and drink, and then they ·got up and sinned sexually [got up and amused themselves; rose up to play; a euphemism].


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ·ruined themselves [acted in a debauched/perverse manner].


text:
They have quickly turned away from the ·things [path; way] I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf ·covered with gold [image], and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, ‘Israel, ·these are your gods [or this is the God; ] who brought you out of Egypt.’”


text:
The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and I know that they are ·very stubborn [a stiff-necked people].


text:
So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to ·destroy [consume] them. Then I will make ·you and your descendants [you] a great nation [echoing the promise to Abraham; ].”


text:
But Moses ·begged [tried to appease] the Lord his God and said, “Lord, ·don’t let your anger destroy [why does your anger burn against…?] your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and ·strength [a mighty hand].


text:
·Don’t let [Why should…?] the people of Egypt say, ‘The Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt for an evil purpose. He planned to kill them in the mountains and ·destroy [wipe] them from the earth.’ So ·stop being angry [change your mind; relent], and don’t ·destroy [bring harm on] your people.


text:
Remember ·the men who served you [your servants]—Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You promised with an oath to them and said, ‘I will make your ·descendants [seed] as many as the stars in the sky [; ; ]. I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised them, and ·it will be theirs [they will inherit it] forever [].’”


text:
So the Lord ·changed his mind [relented] and did not ·destroy [bring harm on] the people as he had said he might.


text:
Then Moses went down the mountain, and in his hands he had the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] on them. The ·commands [tablets] were written on both sides of each stone, front and back.


text:
God himself had made the tablets, and God himself had ·written the commands on [engraved] the tablets.


text:
When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “It sounds like war down in the camp.”


text:
Moses answered: “It is not a shout of victory; it is not a cry of defeat. It is the sound of singing that I hear.”


text:
When Moses came close to the camp, he saw the gold calf and the dancing, and he became very angry. He threw down the stone tablets that he was carrying and broke them at the bottom of the mountain [signifying the broken covenant].


text:
Then he took the calf that they had made and melted it in the fire. He ground it into powder. Then he ·threw [scattered] the powder into the water and forced the Israelites to drink it [paralleling an ancient Near Eastern ritual for destroying a statue of a god].


text:
Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you? Why did you ·cause them to do [bring on them] such a terrible sin?”


text:
Aaron answered, “Don’t be angry, ·master [sir]. You know that these people are always ready to do wrong.


text:
They said to me, ‘[This man] Moses ·led [brought] us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us ·gods [or a god; or an image of God] who will ·lead [go before] us.’


text:
So I told them. ‘·Take off your gold jewelry [Whoever has gold, pull it off].’ When they gave it to me, I threw it into the fire and out ·came [popped] this calf!”


text:
Moses saw that the people were ·acting wildly [out of control]. Aaron had let them ·get out of control [act wildly] and become ·fools [the object of slander] in front of their enemies.


text:
So Moses stood at the ·entrance [gate] to the camp and said, “·Let anyone who wants to follow [Whoever is for] the Lord come to me.” And all the ·people from the family of [sons of] Levi gathered around Moses.


text:
Then Moses said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Every man must put on his sword and go through the camp from ·one end to the other [gate to gate]. Each man must kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”


text:
The ·people from the family [sons] of Levi obeyed Moses, and that day about three thousand of the Israelites died.


text:
Then Moses said, “Today you have been ·given for service [ordained; to the priesthood] to the Lord. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this.”


text:
The next day Moses told the people, “You have ·done [sinned] a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can ·do something so your sins will be removed [make atonement for your sin].”


text:
So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves ·gods [or a god; ] from gold.


text:
Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then ·erase [blot out] my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”


text:
But the Lord told Moses, “I will ·erase [blot out] from my book the names of the people who sin against me.


text:
So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my ·angel [messenger] will ·lead [go in front of] you. When the time comes to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”


text:
So the Lord ·caused terrible things to happen to [sent a plague on] the people because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must ·leave [go up from] this place. Go to the land that I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give that land to your ·descendants [seed; ].’


text:
I will send an ·angel [or messenger] ·to lead [before] you, and I will ·force [drive] these people out of the land: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


text:
Go up to a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ]. But I will not go with you, because I might ·destroy [consume] you on the way, since you are such a ·stubborn people [stiff-necked people].”


text:
When the people heard this bad news, they ·became very sad [mourned], and none of them put on ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress].


text:
This was because the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], ‘You are a ·stubborn [stiff-necked] people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would destroy you. So take off all your ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress], and I will decide what to do with you.’”


text:
So the ·people [sons; children] of Israel ·took [stripped] off their ·jewelry [ormanents; or festive dress] at Mount ·Sinai [Horeb; ].


text:
The Meeting Tent Moses used to take a tent and ·set it up [pitch it] a long way outside the camp; he called it the “Meeting Tent.” Anyone who wanted to ·ask [seek] the Lord about something would go to the Meeting Tent outside the camp.


text:
Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances of their tents, watching him until he entered the ·Meeting Tent [Tent].


text:
When Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud [] would always come down and stay at the entrance of the Tent while the Lord spoke with Moses.


text:
Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the Tent, they stood and worshiped, each person at the entrance of his own tent.


text:
The Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend []. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Moses’ young ·helper [assistant], Joshua son of Nun, did not leave the Tent.


text:
Moses said to the Lord, “You have told me to ·lead [bring up] these people, but you did not say whom you would send with me. You have said to me, ‘I know you ·very well [by name], and ·I am pleased with you [you have found favor in my eyes].’


text:
If I have ·truly pleased you [found favor in your eyes], show me your ·plans [path; way] so that I may know you and continue to ·please you [find favor/grace in your eyes]. ·Remember [Consider] that this nation is your people.”


text:
The Lord answered, “·I myself [My presence] will go with you, and I will give you ·victory [or rest].”


text:
Then Moses said to him, “If ·you yourself don’t [your presence does not] go with us, then don’t send us ·away [up] from this place.


text:
·If you don’t go with us, no one will know [How else will it be known…?] that ·you are pleased with me [I have found favor in your eyes] and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth.”


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you ask, because I know you ·very well [by name], and ·I am pleased with you [you have found favor/grace in my eyes].”


text:
The Lord answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show ·kindness [favor] to anyone to whom I want to show ·kindness [favor], and I will show ·mercy [compassion] to anyone to whom I want to show ·mercy [compassion].


text:
When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large ·crack [fissure; cleft] in the rock and ·cover [screen] you with my hand until I have passed by.


text:
Moses Gets New Stone Tablets The Lord said to Moses, “·Cut [Hew out; Chisel] two more stone tablets like the ·first two [former], and I will write the same words on them that were on the ·first two [former] stones which you broke [].


text:
Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain.


