Today's Reading

God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.

And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.

God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth,

to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”

So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.

And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.

Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.

And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.

And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her.

“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.

And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.

Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.

So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,

while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen?

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”

Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

“Not so!” replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.

So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.

Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech.

And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.

And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.

And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.

If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.

Male and female He created them, and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.”

When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.

And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh.

And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan.

And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.

When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.

And after he had become the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.

When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared.

And after he had become the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.

When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch.

And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.

And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.

Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.

When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech.

And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.

And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”

And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,

the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.

And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.

And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways.

Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.

Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.

And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

You are to make a roof for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top, place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.

And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.

But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you.

Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive.

You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.”

So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

You are to take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate;

and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth.

For seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”

And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

Now Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth.

And Noah and his wife, with his sons and their wives, entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

The clean and unclean animals, the birds, and everything that crawls along the ground

came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

And after seven days the floodwaters came upon the earth.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons—

they and every kind of wild animal, livestock, crawling creature, bird, and winged creature.

They came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two of every creature with the breath of life.

And they entered, the male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high above the earth.

So the waters continued to surge and rise greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.

Finally, the waters completely inundated the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered.

The waters rose and covered the mountaintops to a depth of fifteen cubits.

And every living thing that moved upon the earth perished—birds, livestock, animals, every creature that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind.

Of all that was on dry land, everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

And every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained.

And the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.

But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.

The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.

On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

And the waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark

and sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the ground.

But the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because the waters were still covering the surface of all the earth. So he reached out his hand and brought her back inside the ark.

Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.

And behold, the dove returned to him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

And Noah waited seven more days and sent out the dove again, but this time she did not return to him.

In Noah’s six hundred and first year, on the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth. So Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.

By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was fully dry.

Then God said to Noah,

“Come out of the ark, you and your wife, along with your sons and their wives.

Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”

So Noah came out, along with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.

Every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the earth—came out of the ark, kind by kind.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.

When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.”

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your hand.

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.

But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.

And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”

Then God said to Noah and his sons with him,

“Behold, I now establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you,

and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth—every living thing that came out of the ark.

And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and every creature on the earth.”

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.

These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.

But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,

he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

He also declared: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.

May God expand the territory of Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”

After the flood, Noah lived 350 years.

So Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.

From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations.

The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth.

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”

His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.

Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,

the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.

And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,

the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,

and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.

And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.

Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.

And Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.

All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the nations of the earth spread out after the flood.

Now the whole world had one language and a common form of speech.

And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.

“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.

And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.

Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.

This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

And after he had become the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.

And after he had become the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.

And after he had become the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.

And after he had become the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.

And after he had become the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.

And after he had become the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.

And after he had become the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.

And after he had become the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

During his father Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. 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.

But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.

I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.

And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,

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

Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”

So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh.

He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.

So Abram went up out of Egypt into the Negev—he and his wife and all his possessions—and Lot was with him.

And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.