 CHAPTER I In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morning, one day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he sees. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind. Wherein is the seed thereof upon the earth? And it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind. And trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof after their kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. And let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day. And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the water swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind. And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And God created man in his own image, and the image of God created he him. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food, and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life. I have given every green herb for food, and it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day, end of chapter 1, chapter 2. And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven, and no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground, but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed, and out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. The name of the first is Peshon, that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havela where there is gold, and the gold of that land is good. There is Bedelium and the Onyx stone, and the name of the second river is Gihon. The same is it that compasseth the whole land of Kush, and the name of the third river is Hittikel, that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates, and Jehovah God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it, and to keep it. And Jehovah God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a help meet for him. And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field in every bird of the heavens, and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them. And whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field. But for man there was not found a help meet for him. And Jehovah God cost a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which Jehovah God had taken from the man made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. End of chapter 2, chapter 3. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made, and he said unto the woman, Yay! Have God said ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said ye shall not eat of it. Neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof. Then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took up the fruit thereof, and did eat. And she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God called unto the man and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wasst naked? Has thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gave us to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat, all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain, and thy conception, and pain thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam, he said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Cursed is the ground for thy sake, and toil shalt thou eat of it, all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles, shall it bring forth to thee. And thou shalt eat the herb of the field, and the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wasst thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living, and Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. Therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, the cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life. CHAPTER 4 And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and bear Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. And again she bear his brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground, and in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and offering unto Jehovah. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel, and to his offering, but unto Cain, and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? And if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door, and unto thee shall be its desire. But do thou rule over it? And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not, am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood cryeth unto me from the ground. And now, cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength. A fugitive and a wanderer shall thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground, and from thy face shall I be hid. And I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. And it will come to pass that whosoever findeth me will slay me. And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife. And she conceived and bear Enoch. And he buildeth a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irid. And Irid begat Mojahel. And Mojahel begat Methuselah. And Methuselah begat Lamec. And Lamec took unto him two wives. The name of the one was Ada, the name of the other Zilla. And Ada bear Jable. He was the father of such a dwell intense and half cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe. And Zilla, she also bear Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. And the sister of Tubal Cain was Naema. And Lamec said unto his wives, Ada and Zilla, hear my voice ye wives of Lamec, hearken unto my speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamec seventy and sevenfold. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bear a son, and called his name Seth. For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed, instead of Abel, for Cain slew him. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son. And he called his name Enish. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah. End of chapter four. Chapter five. This is the book of the generations of Adam. And the day that God created man, and the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness after his image, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enish. And Seth lived after he begat Enish eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. And Enish lived ninety years, and begat Kenan. And Enish lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enish were nine hundred and five years, and he died. And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalelel. And Kenan lived after he begat Mahalelel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. And Mahalelel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared. And Mahalelel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Mahalelel were eight hundred and ninety and five years, and he died. And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years, and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God. And he was not. For God took him. And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamek. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamek seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he died. And Lamek lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us in our work, and in the toil of our hands, which cometh because of the ground which Jehovah hath cursed. And Lamek lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamek were seven hundred seventy and seven years, and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old. And Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. End of chapter five. Chapter six. And it came to pass when men began to multiply in the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all that they chose. And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh. Yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years. The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them, the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground, both man and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens, for it repented me that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God, and Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood, rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is how thou shalt make it. The length of the ark 300 cubits, the breadth of it 50 cubits, and the height of it 30 cubits. A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward, and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof, with lower second and third stories shalt thou make it. And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life from under heaven. Everything that is in the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shall thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee. They shall be male and female, of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind. Two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive, and take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee, and it shall be for food for thee and for them. Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him. So did he. Chapter 7 And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to the seven and seven, the male and his female, and of the beasts that are not clean, to the male and his female. Of the birds also of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth, forty days and forty nights. And every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. And Noah did, according, unto all that Jehovah commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creepeth upon the ground, there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. And it came to pass after the seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. In the self-same day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark. They and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him, and Jehovah shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and bear up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered, and all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both birds and cattle and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens, and they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. End of Chapter 7. Chapters 8 through 15 of Genesis, American Standard Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org, recording by Sam Stinson. Chapter 8. And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged. The fountains also of the deep, and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters were turned from off the earth continually. And after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. And the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. And he sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the soul of her foot, and she returned unto him, to the ark. For the waters were on the face of the whole earth, and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days. And again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in to him at eventide, and low in her mouth and olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove. And she returned not again unto him anymore. And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dried. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth from the ark, thou and thy wife and thy sons and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families went forth out of the ark. And Noah buildeth an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor, and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth seed-time in harvest, and cold in heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Chapter 9 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens, with all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you, as the green herb have I given you all, but flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood, the blood of your lives, will I require that the hand of every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man, who so shedeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man. And you, be ye fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. And God spake unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying, And I behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth that the bow shall be seen in the cloud. And I will remember my covenant which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. And the sons of Noah that went forth from the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and of these was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. God enlarged Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years. And he died. End of chapter nine. Chapter ten. Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, namely of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth, Gomer, and Magog, and Medi, and Javen, and Tubel, and Meshek, and Tiris, and the sons of Gomer, Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah, and the sons of Javen, Elisha, and Tarshish, Ketim, and Dodanim. Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families in their nations. And the sons of Ham, Kush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan, and the sons of Kush, Siba, and Havala, and Sabta, and Rehma, and Sabtika, and the sons of Rehma, Shiba, and Eden, and Kush begat Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah, wherefor it is said, like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Jehovah. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erich, and Akit, and Kalne, and the land of Shinar. Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehabath, Ir, and Kala, and Resem, between Nineveh and Kala, the same as the Great City. And Mizraim begat Ludum, and Anamim, and Li-Hapim, and Naif Tuhim, and Path-Rusim, and Kas-Luhim, went forth the Philistines, and Kaftorim. And Canaan begat Sidon, his first born, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Gurgishite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvidite, and the Zemorite, and the Hamethite, and afterward were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad. And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza, as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and Adma and Zebuim, unto Leisha. These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, and their lands, in their nations. And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born. The sons of Shem, Elam, and Asher, and Ar-Pax had, and Lud, and Aram, and the sons of Aram, Uz, and Hul, and Geether, and Mash. And Ar-Pax should begat Sheela, and Sheela begat Eber, and unto Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided. And his brother's name was Jokten. And Jokten begat Al-Modad, and She-Lef, and Ha-Zarmah-Veth, and Jira, and Hadoram, and Uzo, and Diklah, and Obel, and Abim-Ael, and Sheba, and Ophir, and Hav-Ilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Jokten, and their dwelling was from Misha, as thou goest toward Sifar, the mountain of the east. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations, and of these were the nations divided in the earth, after the flood. End of Chapter 10 Chapter 11 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven. And let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And Jehovah came down to see the city, and the tower which the children of men builded. And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. And now nothing will be withholding from them, which they purpose to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad, from thence upon the face of all the earth. And they left off building the city. Therefore, was the name of it called Babel, because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth. And from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old and begat Ar-Pakshad two years after the flood. And Shem lived after he begat Ar-Pakshad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Ar-Pakshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Sheela. And Ar-Pakshad lived after he begat Sheela four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Sheela lived thirty years, and begat Eber. And Sheela lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Ruh. And Peleg lived after he begat Ruh two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. And Ruh lived two and thirty years, and Begat Seerug, and Ruh lived after he Begat Seerug two hundred and seven years, and Begat sons and daughters. And Seerug lived thirty years, and Begat Nahor, and Seerug lived after he Begat Nahor two hundred years, and Begat sons and daughters. And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and Begat Tira, and Nahor lived after he begat Thera a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. And Thera lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Heron. Now these are the generations of Thera. Thera begat Abram, Nahor, and Heron, and Heron begat Lot. And Heron died before his father Thera in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Caldees. When Abram and Nahor took them wives, the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife Milka, the daughter of Heron, the father of Milka, and the father of Iska. And Sarai was barren. She had no child. And Thera took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Heron, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. And they went forth with them from Ur of the Caldees to go into the land of Canaan. And they came unto Heron and dwelt there. And the days of Thera were two hundred and five years, and Thera died in Heron. End of chapter 11. CHAPTER 12. Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and be thou a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee, while I curse, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. So Abram went as Jehovah had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Heron. And Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Heron. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the oak of Mora, and the Canaanite was then in the land. And Jehovah appeared unto Abram and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there buildeth he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. And there he buildeth an altar unto Jehovah, and called upon the name of Jehovah. And Abram journeyed going on still toward the south. And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to Sojourn there, for the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon, and it will come to pass when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee. And it came to pass that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair. And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he dealt well with Abram for her sake, and he had sheep and oxen and he-asses and men-servants and maidservants, and she-asses and camels. And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh in his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidest thou, she is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore behold thy wife, take her and go thy way. And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him, and they brought him on the way, and his wife and all that he had. CHAPTER XIII And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and lot with him into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first. And there Abram called on the name of Jehovah. And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents, and the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle, and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite, and the parasite, dwelt then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zohar. So Lot chose him all the plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves, the one from the other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly. And Jehovah set unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him. Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, for unto thee will I give it. And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah. Chapter 14 And it came to pass in the days of Am Raphel, King of Shanar, Ariach, King of Elassar, Cheddar-Lamer, King of Elam, and Tiddle, King of Goim, that they made war with Bira, King of Sodom, and with Bersha, King of Gomorrah, Shinnam, King of Adma, and Shem-Eber, King of Zeboim, and the King of Bila, the same as Zohar. All these joined together in the veil of Sadeem, the same as the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Cheddar-Lamer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Cheddar-Lamer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Refai'im, and Ashtarath Karna'im, and the Zuzim and Ham, and the Emim in Shavah-Kir'ih-Atha'im, and the Horites in their Mount Seer, unto El-Paran, which is by the wilderness. And they returned and came to Enmishpat, the same as Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazazan-Tamar. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Adma, and the king of Zebo'im, and the king of Bella, the same as Zohar. And they set the battle in array against them in the veil of Sadeem, against Cheddar-Lamer, king of Elam, and Tiddle, king of Go'im, and Amrafel, king of Shanar, and Eriak, king of El-Lasar, four kings against the five. Now, the veil of Sadeem was full of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eskel, and brother of Aenor, and these were Confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobba, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Cheddar Lamer, and the kings that were with him at the Vale of Sheva, the same as the king's Vale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread, nor a shoe latch it, nor ought that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich. Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me, Aenor, Eskel, and Mamrie, and let them take their portion. End of chapter 14 Chapter 15 After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house, as Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed and lo, one born in my house is mine air. And behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine air, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine air. And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in Jehovah, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of ear of the Caldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtledove and a young pigeon. And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other. But the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of assurity, that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age, and in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the amorite is not yet full. And it came to pass that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. And that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenite, and the Kenasite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Parasite, and the Refieeem, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Gurgashite, and the Jebusite. End of Chapter 15. Chapters 16-23 of Genesis, American Standard Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Chapter 16. Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bear him no children. And she had a handmaid, an Egyptian whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing. Go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid. It may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband, to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee, I gave my handmaid into thy bosom. And when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Jehovah judged between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold thy mate is in thy hand, due to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt heartily with her, and she fled from her face. And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shure. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou, and with her goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress, Sarai. And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be as a wild ass among men, his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his brethren. And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her. Thou art a God that seeeth, for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeeth me? Wherefore the well was called Bir Lahai Roy, because it is between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bear Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bear Ishmael. And Abram was four score and six years old, when Hagar bear Ishmael to Abram. CHAPTER 17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am God Almighty, walk before me and be thou perfect, and I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abram, for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. And God sent unto Abram, and as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee. Every male among you shall be circumcised, and ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you, and he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you. Every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He hath broken my covenant. And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her, yea I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations, kings of peoples shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old, and shall Sarah that is ninety years old bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee. And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. And as for Ishmael I have heard thee, behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. All princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin. And the self-same day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And the self-same day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael, his son, and all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him. CHAPTER XVIII And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked and lo, three men stood over against him, and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart, after that ye shall pass on, for as much as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto the servant. And he hasted to dress it, and he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? My Lord being old also? And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child who am old? Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son. And Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not, for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh. And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do? Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I have known him to the end, that he may command his children, and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham, that which he hath spoken of him. And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me. And if not, I will know. And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom. But Abraham stood yet before Jehovah, and Abraham drew near and said, Will thou consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city. Will thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked. That be far from thee, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous. Will thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake. And he said, I'll let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake. And he said, I'll let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet, but this once. Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake. And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned unto his place. CHAPTER XIX And the two angels came to Sodom at even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And he said, Behold now my lords, turn aside I pray you into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he urged them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compass the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter, and they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now I have two daughters that have not known man. Let me I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing, for as much as they are come under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn. And he will needs be a judge. Now will we deal worse with thee than with them? And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house, to them, and shut the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house, with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door. And the men said unto Lot, Has thou here any besides, son-in-law, and thy sons and thy daughters, and whom soever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place? For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah. And Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out and spake unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place, for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. But he lingered, and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters. Jehovah being merciful unto him. And they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain, escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, O not so, my lord, behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy loving kindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life. And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die. Behold, now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. O let me escape thither, is it not a little one? And my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken, haste thee, escape thither, for I cannot do anything till thou become thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zohar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zohar. Then Jehovah reigned upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, Brimstone, and fire from Jehovah out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah, and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. And Lot went up out of Zohar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zohar, and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he knew not when she lay down nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesterday night with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also, and go thou in and lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he knew not when she lay down nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bear a son, and called his name Moab, the same as the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger she also bear a son, and called his name Ben-Ami, the same as the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. End of Chapter 19, Chapter 20. An Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the south, and dwelt between Cadish and Shure, and he sojourned in Gerar. An Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. An Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken, for she is a man's wife. Now Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation? Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister? And she even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart, in the innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine. And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears. And the men were so afraid, then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And wherein have I sinned against thee that thou hast brought on me, and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What saws thou that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. And it came to pass when God caused me to wander from my father's house, then I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me, At every place whither we shall come say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep and oxen and men's servants and women's servants and gave them unto Abraham and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee, dwell where it pleases thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee, and in respect of all thou art righted. And Abraham prayed unto God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maid servants, and they bear children. For Jehovah had fast closed up all the wounds of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. End of chapter 20, chapter 21. And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived and bear Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him whom Sarah bear to him Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, everyone that heareth will laugh with me. And she said, who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should give children suck, for I have borne him a son in his old age? And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, cast out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son. And God said unto Abraham, let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy handmaid. And all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the handmaid, will I make a nation because he is thy seed? And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away, and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot, where she said, let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, what aleeth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thy hand, for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew, and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Peran, and his mother took him, a wife, out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech in Ficol, the captain of his host, spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee and all that thou doest. Now therefore swear unto me here, by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing, neither didst thou tell me. Neither yet heard I of it but today. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech, and they too made a covenant. And Abraham set seven U-lams of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, what mean these seven U-lams which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, these seven U-lams shall thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well. Wherefore, he called that place Beersheba, because there they swear both of them. So they made a covenant at Beersheba, and Abimelech rose up and Fykel, the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days, end of chapter 21, chapter 22. And it came to pass after these things that God did prove Abraham and said unto him, Abraham, and he said, here am I. And he said, take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and he claved the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder, and we will worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. And they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, my father. And he said, here am I, my son. And he said, behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here am I. And he said, lay not thy hand upon the lad. Neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fierest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jirah, as it is said to this day. In the mount of Jehovah it shall be proved. And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said, by myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up, and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. And it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, behold, Milka, she also hath borne children unto thy brother, Nehor, ooze his firstborn, and buzz his brother, in Chemuel the father of Arim, and Chesed, and Hezo, and Pildash, and Jidlath, and Bethuel, and Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight did Milka bear to Nehor Abraham's brother, and his concubine, whose name was Ruma. She also bear Tiba, and Gaham, and Tahosh, and Maka. And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirith Arba. The same is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spake unto the children of Hath, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying place with you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Hath answered Abraham, saying unto him, hear us, my lord, thou art a prince of God among us, and the choice of our suppokers bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his suppoker, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham rose up and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Hath. And he communed with them, saying, if it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me, to Ephron, the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Makpala, which he Hath, which is in the end of his field. But the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying place. Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Hath, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Hath, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, nay, my lord, hear me, the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee. In the presence of the children of my people, give I it thee, bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, but if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me. I will give the price of the field, take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, my lord, harken unto me, a piece of land worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that betwixt me and thee? Burry therefore thy dead. And Abraham harkened unto Ephron, and Abraham wade to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Hath, 400 shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. So the field of Ephron, which was in Makpala, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, and were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure unto Abraham, for a possession in the presence of the children of Hath, before all that went in at the gate of his city. And after this Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Makpala, before Mamre, the same as Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham, for a possession of a burying place by the children of Hath. End of chapter 23.