Samaritan Genesis

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was desolate and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said: “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and he called the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6 And God said: “Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 And God said: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and he called the gathered waters Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said: “Let the earth produce vegetation, plants that produce seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth produced vegetation, plants that produce seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 And God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth and to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs and mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them serve as lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 And God said: “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 And God said: “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kind, cattle and crawling creatures and the animals of the earth according to their kind.” And it was so. 25 And God made the animals of the earth according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and every crawling creature on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 And God said: “Let us make man in our image, and according to our likeness,⁠a and let them rule 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 crawling creature that crawls on the earth.” 27 And God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that crawls on the earth.” 29 And God said: “Look, I have given you every plant seeded with seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree that has fruit seeded with seed; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every crawling creature on the earth, that has a living soul, [I have given] every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and look, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and everything in them. 2 And on the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.⁠a 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all his work that God had done in creation.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, when Shema God made heaven and earth. 5 And no bush of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for Shema God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate the ground, 6 but a mist rose from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground. 7 Then Shema God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became a living soul.

8 And Shema God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And Shema God made every tree grow out of the ground that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. And also the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the garden. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided into four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon. It is the one which flows around the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is, 12 and the gold of that land is very good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon. It is the one which flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is Tigris. It is the one which flows east of Ashur. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15 And Shema God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to care for it. 16 And Shema God commanded the man, saying: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, 17 but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

18 And Shema God said: “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.” 19 And Shema God again formed from the ground every animal of the field, and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man would call every living creature, that was to be its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every animal of the field. But no helper fit for Adam was found.

21 And Shema God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 And Shema God made a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of her man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and both of them shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed.

1 And the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field that Shema God had made. And he said to the woman: “Did God really say ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent: “We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but of the fruit of this tree that is in the middle of the garden, God said ‘You shall not eat from it, neither shall you touch it, so that you do not die.’” 4 And the serpent said to the woman: “You shall not surely die, 5 for God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 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 desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruits, and ate, and she also gave to her husband, who was with her, and they ate. 7 And the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the sound of Shema God walking in the garden during the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Shema God among the trees of the garden.

9 And Shema God called to the man and said to him: “How [are you]?” 10 And he said: “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 And he said: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 And the man said: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”⁠a 13 And Shema God said to the woman: “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 And Shema God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle and all animals of the field; you shall move on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 And to the woman he said: “I will greatly multiply your pain and your childbearing; in pain you shall give birth to children. And your return shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying: ‘You shall not eat from it,’ the ground is cursed because of you; you shall eat from it through toil all the days of your life. 18 It shall also produce thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and you shall return to your dust.”⁠b 20 And the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all those who are alive. 21 And Shema God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.

22 And Shema God said: “Look, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil, and now, so that he does not reach out his hand and also take of the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 Therefore Shema God sent him out from the garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the flame of the whirling sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

1 And the man had relations with Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: “I have gotten a man from Shema.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a shepherd, and Cain was a cultivator of the ground. 3 Now in the course of time Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Shema, 4 and Abel too brought some of the firstborn of his flock and some of the fattest of them. And Shema had regard for Abel and for his offering, 5 but he had no regard for Cain or his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 And Shema said to Cain: “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 Look, if you do well, you will be forgiven, and if you do not do well, crouch at the door of sin! And its return is to you, but you can rule over it.” 8 And Cain said to Abel his brother: “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.⁠a

9 And Shema said to Cain: “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And he said: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed more than the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to Shema: “My punishment is too great to bear. 14 Look, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground, and I shall be hidden from your face, and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 And Shema said to him: “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven times over.” And Shema set a sign on Cain, so that no one who finds him would kill him. 16 And Cain went away from the presence of Shema, and lived in the land, wandering east of Eden.

17 And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived, and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and named the city after his son Enoch. 18 And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad fathered Miyyaʾel, and Miyyaʾel fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and [have] cattle. 21 And his brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 And Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain, the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to my speech. I have killed a man for my wound, and a young man for my bruising. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times over, then Lamech is avenged seventy-seven times over.”

25 And Adam had relations with his wife again, and she bore a son, and he named him Seth, for [he said]: “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 And Seth also fathered a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time he began to invoke the name of Shema.

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.

3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and fathered [a son] in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters. 5 All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

6 And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he fathered Enosh, and fathered sons and daughters. 8 All the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

9 And Enosh lived ninety years, and fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he fathered Kenan, and fathered sons and daughters. 11 All the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

12 And Kenan lived seventy years, and fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he fathered Mahalalel, and fathered sons and daughters. 14 All the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died

15 And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he fathered Jared, and fathered sons and daughters. 17 All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

18 And Jared lived sixty-two years, and fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived seven hundred and eighty-five years after he fathered Enoch, and fathered sons and daughters. 20 All the days of Jared were eight hundred and forty-seven years, and he died.

21 And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God for three hundred years after he fathered Methuselah, and fathered sons and daughters. 23 All the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was gone, for God took him.

25 And Methuselah had lived sixty-seven years, and fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived six hundred and fifty-three years after he fathered Lamech, and fathered sons and daughters. 27 All the days of Methuselah were seven hundred and twenty years, and he died.⁠a

28 And Lamech lived fifty-three years, and fathered a son, 29 and named him Noah, saying: “Out of the ground which Shema has cursed this one shall give us relief from our deeds and from the toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived six hundred years after the birth of Noah, and fathered sons and daughters. 31 All the days of Lamech were six hundred and fifty-three years, and he died.

32 Noah was five hundred years old, and fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1 And when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. And they took them for wives, from all those they chose.

3 And Shema said: “My spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he is also flesh. Yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 And the Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men, and they fathered children with them. These were the mighty men from long ago, the famous men. 5 And Shema saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention in the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 And Shema regretted that he had made the man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

7 And Shema said: “I will blot out the man, whom I have created, from the face of the ground, from man to animal, to crawling creature, to bird of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Shema. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and, look, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 And God said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, look, I will destroy them from the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make rooms in the ark, and shall coat it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The ark shall be three hundred cubits long, and fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 16 You shall make a light for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit at the top. And you shall place the door of the ark in its side; you shall make [it] with lower, second, and third [decks].

17 And I, look, I am bringing the flood, waters on the earth, to destroy all flesh that has the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die. 18 And I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every animal and of all the flesh, you shall bring two of every [kind] into the ark, to keep them alive with you, male and female. And it will be 20 of the birds according to their kind, and of the cattle according to their kind, and of everything that crawls on the ground according to their kinds, two of every [kind] shall come in to you, to keep them alive. 21 And you, take with you some of every kind of food that is eaten, and gather it for yourself, and it shall be food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did according to all that God commanded him; so he did.

1 And God said to Noah: “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you [alone] are righteous before me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you from every clean animal seven and seven, male and female, and from the animals that are not clean two and two, male and female. 3 And also of the birds of the heavens, the clean ones, seven and seven, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the surface of all the earth. 4 For in seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out every living thing that I have made from the face of the earth.” 5 And Noah did according to all that Shema commanded him.

6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives, went in with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of the clean animals, and of the animals that are not clean, and of the birds, and of all that crawls on the ground, 9 two and two came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as Shema commanded Noah.

10 And after the seven days, the waters of the flood were on the earth, 11 in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the springs of the great deep burst open, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. 14 They, and every animal according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kind, and every crawling creature that crawls on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird, every winged thing. 15 And they came to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh that has the breath of life. 16 And those who entered, male and female, male and female of all flesh went in, as God commanded him, and Shema shut him in.

17 And the flood lasted forty days on the earth, and the waters increased, and lifted the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18 And the waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters rose greatly on the earth, and they covered all the high mountains under the whole heavens. 20 The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and they covered the mountains. 21 And all flesh that moved on the earth perished, both birds, and cattle, and animals, and every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, and every man. 22 All that had the breath of the spirit of life in their nostrils, of all that was on the dry land, died. 23 And every living thing which was on the surface of the ground was blotted out, from man to cattle, to crawling creature, to bird of the heavens, and they were blotted out from the earth. And only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters remained high on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 And the springs of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, and [God] stopped the rain from the heavens. 3 And the waters receded from the earth continually. And the waters decreased at the end of one hundred and fifty days. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6 And at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 And he sent out a raven, and it went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 And he sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him, to the ark, for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. So he reached out his hand, and took her, and brought her in to him into the ark. 10 And he waited another seven days, and again he sent the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening, and look, a plucked olive leaf was in her mouth. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 And he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove. And she did not return to him again. 13 And in the six hundred and first year, in the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, the waters had dried up from the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and look, the surface of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

15 And God spoke to Noah, saying: 16 “Go out from the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 17 And bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every crawling creature that crawls on the earth, so that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.” 18 And Noah went out, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, 19 and every animal, and every bird and every crawling creature that crawls on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 20 And Noah built an altar to Shema, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burned offerings on the altar. 21 And Shema smelled the sweet aroma. And Shema said in his heart: “I will never curse the ground again because of man, for the inner thoughts of man’s heart are evil from his youth, nor will I ever again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, shall not cease by day or night.”

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the heavens, and on everything with which the ground teems, and on all the fish of the sea, I have delivered it into your hand. 3 Every crawling thing that lives shall be food for you; I have given you everything, just as I gave you the green plants. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, [which is] its blood. 5 And I will require your blood for your lives; at the hand of every living [thing] I will require it; at the hand of the man, at the hand of man and his brother, I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood shall be shed by man, for he made the man in the image of God. 7 And you, be fruitful, and multiply and swarm on the earth, and multiply on it.”

8 And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And I, look, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds and the cattle, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every animal of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you, that all flesh shall never again be cut off by the waters of the flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all generations to come: 13 I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 And when I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature that is with you of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud, and you will see [it], as a reminder of an everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

18 And the sons of Noah that went out from the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, [and] from these the whole earth was populated. 20 And Noah the cultivator of the soil began to plant a vineyard. 21 And he drank of the wine and got drunk, and he uncovered himself in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 And Shem and Japheth took the garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father, and their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 And he said: “Cursed be Canaan, he shall be a servant of servants to his brothers.” 26 And he said: “Blessed be Shema, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be their servant. 27 May God embellish Japheth, and he shall live in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be their servant.” 28 And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth. And they fathered sons after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, Madai, and Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. 5 From these the foundations of the nations were separated in their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, in their nations.

6 And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 And Cush fathered Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before Shema; therefore it is said: “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Shema.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Akkad, and all of them were in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land he went to Ashur, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth Ir, and Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, that is the great city.

13 And Egypt fathered Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 and Pathrusim, and Casluhim—from whom the Philistines came—and Caphtorim. 15 And Canaan fathered Sidon his first-born and Heth, 16 and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, 17 and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite, and afterward the family of the Canaanite was spread out. 19 And the territory of the Canaanite was from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, and to the western sea. 20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

21 And as for Shem—the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth—he also fathered. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, and Ashur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Ābbel, Gether, and Masha. 24 And Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 And two sons were born to Eber. The name of the one was Peleg, for the earth was divided in his days, and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan fathered Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 and Hadoram, and Izal, and Diklah, 28 and Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Masha, as you go toward Sephar, to the mountain of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations. From these the foundations of the nations in the earth were divided after the flood.

1 And the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they lived there. 3 And they said to one another: “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had the brick for stone, and they had bitumen for mortar. 4 And they said: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, with its top in the heavens, and let us make for ourselves a reputation, so that we are not scattered across the surface of the whole earth.” 5 And Shema came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built. 6 And Shema said: “Look, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have begun to do; and now nothing will be withheld from them, which they will intend to do. 7 Come, let us go down, and spoil lips there, so that no man may understand another’s speech.” 8 And Shema scattered them from there across the surface of all the earth, and they stopped building the city and the tower. 9 Therefore it was named Babel, because there Shema confused the language of all the earth; and from there Shema scattered them across the surface of all the earth.

10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arphaxad, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Shem were six hundred years, and he died.⁠a

12 And Arphaxad lived one hundred and thirty-five years,⁠b and fathered Shelah. 13 And Arphaxad lived three hundred and three years after he fathered Shelah, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Arphaxad were four hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.

14 And Shelah lived one hundred and thirty years, and fathered Eber. 15 And Shelah lived three hundred and three years after he fathered Eber, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Shelah were four hundred and thirty-three years, and he died.

16 And Eber lived one hundred and thirty-four years,⁠c and fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived two hundred and seventy years after he fathered Peleg, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Eber were four hundred and four years, and he died.

18 And Peleg lived one hundred and thirty years,⁠d and fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived one hundred and nine years after he fathered Reu, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Peleg were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.

20 And Reu lived one hundred and thirty-two years, and fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived one hundred and seven years after he fathered Serug, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.

22 And Serug lived one hundred and thirty years, and fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived one hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Serug were two hundred and thirty years, and he died.

24 And Nahor lived seventy-nine years,⁠e and fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived sixty-nine years after he fathered Terah, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Nahor were one hundred and forty-eight years, and he died.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 These are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai and Milcah his two daughters-in-law, the wives of his sons Abram and Nahor, and he brought them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and lived there. 32 And the days of Terah were one hundred and forty-five years; and Terah died in Haran.⁠f

1 And Shema said to Abram: “Go from your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and by you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 And Abram went, as Shema had told him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the souls that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to the land of Canaan. 6 And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to Elon Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7 And Shema appeared to Abram, and said to him: “I will give this land to your offspring.” And he built an altar there to Shema, who had appeared to him.⁠a 8 And he moved from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and he built there an altar to Shema and invoked the name of Shema. 9 And Abram journeyed, still going toward the south.

10 And there was famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife: “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12 And when the Egyptians see you, they will say ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. 13 Please say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.” 14 And when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And Abram was well treated for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, a lot of cattle, male servants, and female servants, male donkeys, and female donkeys, and camels. 17 And Shema plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said: “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 And why did you say ‘She is my sister’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and leave.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him.

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at first, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar, which he had made there at first; and Abram called on the name of Shema there.

5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 And the land could not support them living together, for their possessions were great, so that they could not live together. 7 And there was conflict between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite then lived in the land. 8 And Abram said to Lot: “Let there be no conflict, please, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives. 9 Look, the whole land is before you! Please separate yourself from me. If you [take] the left hand, [I will go] to the right; or if you [take] the right hand, [I will go] to the left.” 10 And Lot looked up and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that all of it was well watered, before Shema destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Shema, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. 11 And Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed from the east, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent as far as Sodom. 13 And the men of Sodom were wicked and sinned greatly against Shema.

14 And Shema said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Now look up, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for I will give all the land that you see to you and to your offspring forever. 16 And I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring shall also be counted. 17 Get up, walk through the land, along its length and across its width, for I will give it to you.” 18 And Abram began [his journey], and came and lived by Elone Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built an altar there to Shema.

1 And in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, and Shinab king of Admah, and Shamʾabbad king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—that is, Zoar. 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim—that is, the Salt Sea. 4 They served for twelve years Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came, and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in the Mountains of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they turned back, and came to En Mishpat—that is, Kadesh—and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that lived in Hazazon Tamar.

8 And the king of Sodom went out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—that is, Zoar—and they drew up for battle against them in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against the five. 10 And the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits; and the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and those that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and left. 12 And they took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and all his goods, and he departed, and he was living in Sodom.

13 And someone who had escaped came, and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by Elone Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Inniram; and these were the allies of Abram. 14 And Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, and he equipped his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided [his forces] against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. 17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the Valley of Shaveh—that is, the King’s Valley.

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed Abram, and said: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram: “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom: “I have lifted up my hand to God, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23 [that I will not take] a thread nor a sandal strap nor will I take anything that is yours, so that you cannot say ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 Except only for what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Inniram, and Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

1 After these things the word of Shema came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Do not fear, Abram, I am your shield, and I shall greatly increase your reward.” 2 And Abram said: “Lord Shema, what will you give me, while I remain childless, and the one in charge of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said: “Look, you have given me no offspring, and, look, one born in my house will be my heir.” 4 And, look, Shema spoke to him, saying: “This one shall not be your heir, but the one who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him out, and said: “Look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And he said to him: “Your offspring shall be like that.” 6 And he believed in Shema, and he counted it as righteousness for him.⁠a 7 And he said to him: “I am Shema that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 And he said: “My Lord Shema, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?” 9 And he said to him: “Bring me a heifer three years old, and a female goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, and surely divided them, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not divide the birds. 11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram turned them back.

12 And as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and look, a dread, a great darkness, fell on him. 13 And it was said to Abram: “Know for certain that your offspring shall be a foreign resident in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall oppress them four hundred years; 14 and also I will judge the nation that will enslave them; and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 And the fourth generation shall come back here; for the sin of the Amorite is not yet full.”

17 And the sun went down and there was thick darkness, and look, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day Shema made a covenant with Abram, saying: “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.”

1 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had a female servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram: “Look now, Shema has prevented me from bearing children; please have relations with my female servant; it may be that I shall obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her female servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. 4 And he had relations with Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said to Abram: “May the wrong done to me fall on you. I gave my female servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. May Shema judge between me and you.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai: “Look, your female servant is in your hand. Do to her what is good in your eyes.” And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 And the angel of Shema found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said: “Hagar, Sarai’s female servant, Woe! Where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said: “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 And the angel of Shema said to her: “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 And the angel of Shema said to her: “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that it shall be too numerous to count.” 11 And the angel of Shema said to her: “Look, you are pregnant, and shall bear a son; and you shall name him Ishmael, because Shema has heard your suffering. 12 And he shall be a prolific man, his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall live opposite all his relatives.” 13 And she called Shema, who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said: “Here too I have seen [God] after seeing [him]!” 14 Therefore she called the well Beer Lahai Roi; look, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was eighty-six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

1 And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and Shema appeared to Abram, and said to him: “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you greatly.” 3 And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: 4 “And as for me, look, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name shall no longer be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you greatly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you live as a foreign resident, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham: “And as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Look, circumcise every male among you. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between me and you. 12 And every male who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, one who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your offspring. 13 Look, one circumcised shall circumcise those born in your house, and those bought with your money, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And any uncircumcised male who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

15 And God said to Abraham: “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not name her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. 16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her; and will bless him, and she shall be [a mother of] nations; and kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart: “Shall I father a child at the age of one hundred years? Or shall Sarah bear a child at ninety years?” 18 And Abraham said to God: “If only Ishmael might live before You!” 19 And God said: “But look, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and for his offspring after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Look, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him greatly; he shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 And I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time in the next year.” 22 And he finished talking with him. And God went up from Abraham,

23 and Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had said to him. 24 And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, at the circumcision of the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, at the circumcision of the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On that very day Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

1 And Shema appeared to him by Elone Mamre, as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 And he looked up and looked, and, look, three men stood in front of him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed down to the earth, 3 and said: “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Now let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and lie down under the tree. 5 And I will bring a small piece of bread, and strengthen your heart. And after that you shall pass on, since you have come to your servant.” And they said: “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said: “Quickly knead three measures of fine flour, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, and brought a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate. 9 And they said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said: “Look, she is in the tent.” 10 And he said: “I will surely return to you according to the time of life, and, look, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, and she was behind him.⁠a 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age. Sarah no longer had her monthly periods. 12 And Sarah wondered within herself, saying: “After I have withered, shall I have pleasure, when my lord is old?”

13 And Shema said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah wonder, saying: ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for Shema? At the set time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 Then Sarah denied, saying: “I did not wonder,” for she was afraid. And he said to her: “But you did wonder.” 16 And the men got up from there, and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to see them on their way. 17 And Shema said: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known so that Abraham may command his children and his household after him, so that they may keep the way of Shema, to do righteousness and justice, so that Shema may bring on Abraham what he has spoken of him.”

20 And Shema said: “[Because] the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very serious, 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have acted entirely as the outcry that has come to me says. And if not, I will know.” 22 And the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before Shema. 23 And Abraham came closer, and said: “Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous in the city; will you destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are there? 25 You should never do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. You should never do this. Look! The Judge of all the earth shall not do what is right!”

26 And Shema said: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 And Abraham answered and said: “Look now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am only dust and ashes. 28 Perhaps there are five fewer than fifty righteous people. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said: “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.” 29 And he yet again spoke to him, and said to him: “Perhaps there are forty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.” 30 And he said: “Please do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Perhaps there are thirty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said: “Look now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Perhaps there are twenty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” 32 And he said: “Please do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just this once more. Perhaps there are ten there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 And Shema left, as soon as he had finished talking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

1 And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 2 And he said: “Look now, my lords, please come into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet, and you shall get up early, and go on your way.” And they said: “No, we will spend the night in the square.” 3 And he urged them strongly. And they turned toward him, and entered his house. And he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, and said to him: “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may have relations with them.” 6 And Lot went out to them to the door, and they shut the door after him. 7 And he said: “Please, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Look now, I have two daughters that have not had relations with a man. Please let me, bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, for they came under the shadow of my roof.” 9 And they said: “Stand back.” And they said: “This one came in to stay as a foreigner, and he will also act as judge. Now we will deal worse with you, than with them.” And they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came closer to break the door. 10 But the men reached out their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they exhausted themselves trying to find the door.

12 And the angels said to Lot: “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, and your daughters, and anyone you have in the city, bring them out of this place. 13 For we will destroy this place, because their outcry has become great before Shema, and Shema has sent us to destroy it.” 14 And Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said: “Up, get out of this place, for Shema will destroy the city.” But he seemed to be joking to his sons-in-law. 15 And when the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying: “Get up, take your wife, and your two daughters that are here, so that you are not destroyed in the sin of the city,” 16 and he lingered. And the men seized his hand, and his wife’s hand, and his two daughters’ hands, in Shema’s mercy on him, and they brought him out, and set him outside the city. 17 And when they had brought them outside, one said: “Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, or stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountain, so that you are not destroyed.”

18 And Lot said to them: “Oh, no, my lord. 19 Look now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown great kindness, which you have showed to me in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains, for fear that evil will overtake me and I will die. 20 Look now, this city is near to flee to, and it is small. Please let me escape there for it is small, and my soul shall live.” 21 And he said to him: “Look, I have granted you this request also, so that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry! Escape there, for I cannot do anything until you come there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

24 Then Shema caused sulfur and fire to rain on Sodom and on Gomorrah from Shema out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground. 26 And his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Shema. 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward the surface of all the land of the plain, and saw, and, look, the smoke of the land rose like the smoke of a furnace. 29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the destruction, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.

30 And Lot went up from Zoar and lived in the mountains with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. And he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters with him. 31 And the first-born said to the younger: “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to have relations with us as people do throughout the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will have relations with him, so that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in, and had relations with her father. And he did not know when she lay down, nor when she rose. 34 And on the next day the first-born said to the younger: “Look, I had relations with my father last night. Let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in, and have relations with him, so that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger rose, and had relations with him. And he did not know when she lay down, nor when she rose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 And the first-born bore a son, and named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger also bore a son, and named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.

1 And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the south, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. And he stayed as a foreign resident in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night, and said to him: “Look, you are about to die, on account of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 So Abimelech had not come near her. And he said: “Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation? 5 Look, he himself said to me ‘She is my sister’! And she even said ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with integrity of heart and innocence of hands.” 6 And God said to him in the dream: “Yes, I know that you have done this with integrity of heart, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. 7 And now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return [her], know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours.”

8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told them all these things. And all the men were very much afraid. 9 And Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him: “What have you done to us? And what is my sin against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that should not be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham: “What were you thinking that you have done this thing?” 11 And Abraham said: “Because I was afraid, because I thought ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 And indeed she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, I said to her ‘This is the kindness that you shall show me. At every place to which we come, say of me ‘He is my brother.’’”

14 And Abimelech took one thousand pieces of silver, and sheep, and oxen, and male servants, and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said: “Look, my land is before you. Live where it pleases you.” 16 And to Sarah he said: “Look, I have given your brother one thousand pieces of silver. Look, it is a vindication for you and for all who are with you. And in every respect you are justified.” 17 And Abraham prayed to God. And God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his female servants, so that they bore children. 18 For God had tightly closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

1 And Shema visited Sarah as he had said, and Shema did to Sarah as he had spoken. 2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham named his son that was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was one hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said: “God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7 And she said: “Who would have said to Abraham, that, look, Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” 8 And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac his son was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 And she said to Abraham: “Send away this female servant and her son. For the son of this female servant shall not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 And this was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.

12 And God said to Abraham: “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your female servant. In all that Sarah said to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring shall be named through Isaac. 13 And I will also make a great nation from the son of this female servant, because he is your offspring.” 14 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin ran out, and she placed the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat down opposite [him]; she moved about a bowshot away, for she said: “Do not let me watch the child die.” And she sat opposite [him], and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy. And the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her: “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew. And he lived in the wilderness, and became a young archer. 21 And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt.

22 And at that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, saying: “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not act deceitfully toward me, nor with my offspring, nor with him who is in front of me. But according to the kindness that I have shown you, you shall show to me, and to the land where you have stayed as a foreign resident.” 24 And Abraham said: “I will swear.” 25 And Abraham complained to Abimelech about the well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said: “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham: “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” 30 And Abraham said: “Indeed, you shall take the seven ewe lambs from my hand, so that it may be a witness to me that I have dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. And Abimelech rose, and Phicol the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and invoked the name of Shema there, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham stayed as a foreign resident in the land of the Philistines many days.

1 And after these things God tested Abraham, and said to him: “Abraham.” And he said: “Here I am.” 2 And he said: “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Muriyya, and offer him there as a burned offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you about.” 3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. And he cut the wood for the burned offering, and got up, and went to the place of which God had told him 4 on the third day. And Abraham looked up, and saw the place from far away. 5 And Abraham said to his young men: “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there and we will worship, and come back to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burned offering, and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire and the knife in his hand. And both of them went together.

7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said: “My father.” And he said: “Here I am, my son.” And he said: “Look, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burned offering?” 8 And Abraham said: “God will provide the lamb for a burned offering himself, my son.” And both of them went together. 9 And they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

11 And the angel of Shema called to him from heaven, and said: “Abraham, Abraham.” And he said: “Here I am.” 12 And he said: “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up, and looked, and look, there was one ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up [as] a burned offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place Shema-yērēʾi. As it is said to this day: “On the mountain Shema shall be seen.” >— — 15 And the angel of Shema called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said: “By myself I have sworn, says Shema, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, from me, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will greatly multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the cities of his enemies. 18 And in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 And Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived in Beersheba.

20 And after these things it was told to Abraham, saying: “Look, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor. 21 Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Idlaf, and Bethuel.” 23 And Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.

1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years. [These were] the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba at the valley—that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to weep for Sarah, and to mourn for her. 3 And Abraham got up from beside his dead woman, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying: 4 “I am a stranger and a foreign resident with you. Give me a burial place to own with you, so that I may bury my dead woman out of my sight.” 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying: "Not so. 6 Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead woman in the best of our tombs. None of us shall withhold his tomb from you to prevent you from burying your dead woman.” 7 And Abraham rose, and bowed down to the people of the land, the children of Heth. 8 And he spoke with them, saying: “If you are willing for me to bury my dead woman out of my sight, hear me, and ask Ephron on my behalf the son of Zohar the Hittite, 9 so that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price among you as a burial place to own.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, all who entered through the gate of his city, saying:

11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead woman.” 12 And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying: “But if you are with me, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead woman there.” 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying: “No, 15 my lord, listen to me. A piece of land [worth] four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? Bury therefore your dead woman.” 16 And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current among the merchants. 17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was opposite Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were throughout its whole area, were transferred 18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who entered through the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah opposite Mamre—that is, Hebron—in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is in it, were transferred to Abraham as a burial place to own by the children of Heth.

1 And Abraham was old, and well advanced in age. And Shema had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the senior servant of his household, who managed all that he had: “Please put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by Shema, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4 But you shall go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 And the servant said to him: “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then bring your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 And Abraham said to him: “Be careful not to bring my son back there. 7 Shema, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying: ‘I will give this land to your offspring,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be released from this oath of mine. Only you shall not bring my son back there.” 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 And the servant took ten camels, from his master’s camels, and departed, having all his master’s fine things in his hand. And he rose, and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. 12 And he said: “Shema, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 And let the young woman to whom I shall say ‘Please lower your jug so that I may drink.’ and who shall say ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—be the same that you have appointed for your servant Isaac. And in this way I shall know that you have shown kindness to my master Abraham.”

15 And before he had finished speaking in his heart, look, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her jug on her shoulder. 16 And the young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, no man had had relations with her. And she went down to the spring, and filled her jug, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said: “Please let me drink a little water from your jug.” 18 And she said: “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly lowered her jug onto her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said: “I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 And she hurried, and she lowered her jug to the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man gazed at her and remained silent, to know whether Shema had made his journey a success or not.

22 And as the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring weighing half a shekel and put it on her nose, and two bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and said: “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?” 24 And she said to him: “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 And she said to him: “We also have enough straw and fodder, and also room to stay.” 26 And the man bowed down, and worshiped before Shema. 27 And he said: “Blessed be Shema, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his steadfast kindness and his truth toward my master Abraham. As for me, Shema has led me in the way to the house of my master’s relative.”

28 And the young woman ran, and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. 30 And it was when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying: “This is what the man said to me,” he came to the man. And, look, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said: “Come in, you who are blessed by Shema. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.” 32 And the man came into the house, and he unfastened the camels’ harnesses, and gave the camels straw and fodder, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were with him. 33 And food was set before him to eat, but he said: “I will not eat, until I have explained my errand. And they said: “Speak on.”

34 And he said: “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 And Shema has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great, and he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when he was old, and he has given him all that he has. 37 Now my master made me swear, saying: ‘you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. 38 But you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 And I said to my master ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 And he said to me ‘Shema, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and make your journey a success, and you shall take a wife for my son from my relatives, and from my father’s household. 41 Then you shall be released from my oath, when you come to my relatives. And if they will not give her to you, you shall be released from my oath.’

42 And I came to the spring today, and said ‘Shema, the God of my master Abraham, if only you make the journey on which I go successful. 43 Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and let the young woman that comes out to draw, to whom I shall say ‘Please give me, a little water from your jug to drink,’ 44 and who shall say to me ‘Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,’ let her be the woman whom Shema has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45 And before I had finished speaking in my heart, look, Rebekah came out with her jug on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring, and drew. And I said to her ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jug.’ 46 And she hurried, and lowered her jug from her shoulder, and said ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. 47 And I asked her, and said ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48 And I bowed down, and worshiped before Shema, and blessed Shema, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said: “The thing comes from Shema. We cannot speak to you bad and good. 51 Look, Rebekah is before you; take her, and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as Shema has spoken.”

52 And when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth to Shema. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver, and jewelry of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brothers and to her mother. 54 And they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and stayed all night. When they rose in the morning, he said: “Send me away to my master.” 55 And her brothers and her mother said: “Let the young woman stay with us for a few days, or a month. And after that she shall go.” 56 And he said to them: “Do not hinder me, now that Shema has made my journey a success. Send me away so that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said: “We will call the young woman, and ask her directly.” 58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her: “Will you go with this man?” And she said: “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of his enemies.” 61 And Rebekah and her female attendants rose, and they rode on the camels, and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah, and went on his way.

62 And Isaac came in the desert of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the south. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. And he looked up, and saw, and, look, the camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 And she said to the servant: “What man is this that walks in the field to meet us?” And the servant said: “It is my master.” And she took her veil, and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s [death].

1 And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan fathered Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac his son. 6 But to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward, to the east country.

7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 And Abraham breathed his last, and died at a good old age, an old man, and full of days, and was gathered to his people. 9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is opposite Mamre, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. There Abraham is buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.

12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s female servant, bore to Abraham. 13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael Nebaioth, and Qadad, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Masha, 15 Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, and Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their nations. 17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years. And he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 And they lived from Havilah to Shur, that is opposite Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. He settled opposite all his brothers.

19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham fathered Isaac. 20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac pleaded with Shema for his wife, because she was barren. And Shema responded to his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her, and she said: “If so, why do I [live]?” And she went to seek Shema. 23 And Shema said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your body. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the older shall serve the younger.” 24 And when her time to give birth came, look, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red all over like a hairy garment, and they named him Esau. 26 And after that his brother came out, and his hand held on to Esau’s heel, so they named him Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27 And the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate some of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 And Jacob boiled stew. And Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob: “Please feed me, with that same red stew, for I am exhausted.” Therefore he was named Edom. 31 And Jacob said: “First sell me your birthright.” 32 And Esau said: “Look, I am about to die, so of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 And Jacob said: “Swear to me first.” And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew until he was full, and he ate and drank, and rose, and went on his way. So Esau despised the birthright.

1 And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 And Shema appeared to him, and said: “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Stay as a foreign resident in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for to you, and to your offspring, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands. And all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in your offspring. 5 Because Abraham, your father, obeyed my voice, and obeyed my instructions, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

6 And Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked [him] about his wife. And he said: “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say “She is my wife.” “For fear,” [said he], “that the men of the place would kill me for Rebekah, because she was beautiful to look at.” 8 And when he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window, and saw, and, look, Isaac was fondling Rebekah his wife. 9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said: “Look, she is your wife; how then could you say ‘She is my sister?’” And Isaac said to him: “Because I said ‘I might die because of her.’” 10 And Abimelech said: “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have had relations with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 And Abimelech instructed all his people, saying: “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

12 And Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped a hundredfold in the same year. And Shema blessed him. 13 And the man became great, and grew more and more until he became very great. 14 And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household. And the Philistines envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and filled with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac: “Go from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 17 And Isaac departed from there, and camped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water, which the servants of Abraham his father had dug, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of spring water. 20 And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying: “The water is ours.” And he named the well Esek, because they oppressed his people. 21 And they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he named it Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there, and they dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he named it Rehoboth, and he said: “For now Shema has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 And he went up from there to Beersheba.

24 And Shema appeared to him that same night, and said: “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 And he built an altar there, and invoked the name of Shema, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them: “Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?” 28 And they said: “We saw plainly that Shema was with you, so we said ‘Let there be an oath between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no evil, as we have not touched you, and as we have done nothing but good to you, and have sent you away in peace. Now you are the blessed of Shema.’” 30 And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 And they got up in the morning, and swore to one another. And Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And the same day Isaac’s servants came, and told him about the well they had dug, and said to him: “We have found water.” 33 And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. 34 And when Esau was forty years old, he took for a wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hivite. 35 And they were a source of grief to Isaac and to Rebekah.

1 And when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son, and said to him: “My son.” And he said to him: “Here I am.” 2 And he said: “Look now, I am old, I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and you shall bring [it] to me, so that I may eat and my soul may bless you before I die.” 5 And Rebekah heard Isaac’s speech to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game, [and] to bring [it]. 6 And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying: “Look, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying: 7 ‘Bring me game, and make me savory food so that I may eat, and bless you before Shema, before my death.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. 9 Go now to the flock, and bring me two good young goats from there, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father, so that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother: “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem like a deceiver to him, and you shall bring a curse on me, and not a blessing.” 13 And his mother said to him: “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go bring them to me.” 14 And he went, and fetched them, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took the fine garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 18 And he came to his father, and said: “My father.” And he said: “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 And Jacob said to his father: “I am Esau your first-born. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit and eat some of my game, so that your soul may bless me.” 20 And Isaac said to his son: “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said: “Because Shema your God granted me success."

21 And Isaac said to Jacob: “Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, [so I may know] whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 And Jacob went close to Isaac his father, who felt him and said: “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. 24 And he said: “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said: “I am.” 25 And he said: “Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat some of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” And he brought it near to him, and he ate. And he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And his father Isaac said to him: “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothes, and blessed him, and said: “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of the full field which Shema has blessed. 28 And God shall give you of the dew of heaven, and of the richness of the earth, and plenty of grain, and new wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. May everyone who curses you be cursed, and may everyone who blesses you be blessed.”

30 And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunt. 31 And he also made savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father: “Let my father rise, and eat some of his son’s game, so that your soul may bless me.” 32 And Isaac his father said to him: “Who are you?” And he said: “I am your son, your first-born, Esau.” 33 And Isaac trembled greatly, and said: “Who then hunted game, and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and have blessed him? And indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he gave a very loud and bitter cry, and said to his father: “Bless me, me also, my father.” 35 And he said: “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.” 36 And he said: “He is rightly named Jacob, for he has displaced me these two times. He took away my birthright, and, look, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said: “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 And Isaac answered and said to Esau: “Look, I have made him your lord, and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. And what then shall I do for you, my son?” 38 And Esau said to his father: “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Look, your dwelling shall be of the richness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. 40 And by your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother, but when you become powerful, you shall shake his yoke off your neck.” 41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart: “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him: “Look, your brother Esau, comforts himself by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and get up and flee to Laban my brother, to Haran, 44 and stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, 45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you, and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?” 46 And Rebekah said to Isaac: “I am tired of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will life be to me?”

1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and instructed him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Get up, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 And may God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, so that you may be a company of peoples, 4 and give you the blessing of Abraham your father, to you, and to your offspring with you, to inherit the land where you live as a foreign resident, which Shema gave to Abraham.” 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. 6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take a wife for himself from there, [and that] as he blessed him they instructed him, saying: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.” 7 And Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother, and gone to Paddan Aram. 8 And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please Isaac his father. 9 So Esau went and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife, besides the wives that he had.

10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, to go toward Haran. 11 And he came upon a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down to sleep in that place. 12 And he dreamed, and look, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And look, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And look, Shema stood above it, and said: “I am Shema, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land on which you lie to you and to your offspring. 14 And your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Look, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you again to this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done what I have told you.”

16 And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said: “Surely Shema is in this place, and I did not know it,” 17 and he was afraid. And he said: “How awe-inspiring is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 And Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 19 And he named that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at first. 20 And Jacob made a vow, saying: “If God will be with me, and will protect me on this journey that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then Shema will be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God’s house, and I will surely give you a tenth of all that you shall give me.”

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 2 And he looked, and look, there was a well in the field, and, look, three flocks of sheep were lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks. And a great stone was on the well’s mouth. 3 And all the shepherds were gathered there, and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well’s mouth in its place. 4 And Jacob said to them: “My brothers, where are you from?" And they said: “We are from Haran.” 5 And he said to them: “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said: “We know him.” 6 And he said to them: “Is he well?” And they said: “He is well. And, look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” 7 And he said to them: “Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and let them graze.” 8 And they said: “We cannot, until all the shepherds are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we water the sheep.” 9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

10 And when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went up, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father. 13 And when Laban heard the news about Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him: “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he lived with him a month. 15 And Laban said to Jacob: “Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

16 And Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 And Leah’s eyes were tender, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and was beautiful to look at. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel. And he said: “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” 19 And Laban said: “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Live with me.” 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him only a few days, for the love he had for her. 21 And Jacob said to Laban: “Bring me my wife, for my time of service is complete, so that I may have relations with her.” 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And in the evening he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And Jacob had relations with her. 24 And Laban gave Zilpah his female servant to his daughter Leah for a female servant. 25 And in the morning, look, it was Leah. And he said to Laban: “What is this you have done to me? Look, I have served with you for Rachel! Why then have you deceived me?” 26 And Laban said: “This is not done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. 27 Fulfill the week of this one, and I will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter for a wife. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant to be her female servant. 30 And he also had relations with Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him another seven years.

31 And Shema saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said: “Because Shema has seen my suffering, for now my husband will love me.” 33 And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said: “Because Shema has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she named him Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said: “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore she named him Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said: “This time I will praise Shema.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing children.

1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob: “Give me children, or else I shall die.” 2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said: “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld the fruit of the womb from your body?” 3 And she said: “Here is my female servant Bilhah, have relations with her, so that she may bear on my blessing, and I also may obtain children by her.” 4 And she gave him Bilhah her female servant for a wife, and Jacob had relations with her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said: “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. 7 And Bilhah Rachel’s female servant conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said: “I have wrestled mightily with my sister, and have even prevailed.” So she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took Zilpah her female servant, and gave her to Jacob for a wife. 10 And Zilpah Leah’s female servant bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said: “By news!” So she named him Gad. 12 And Zilpah Leah’s female servant bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said: “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

14 And Reuben went out during the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah: “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 And she said to her: “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? And would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said: “Therefore he shall have relations with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said: “You must have relations with me tonight, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he had relations with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 And Leah said: “God has given me my wages, because I gave my female servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 And Leah said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 And afterward she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 So she named him Joseph, saying: “May Shema add to me another son.” 25 And when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban: “Send me away, so that I may go to my own place, and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served with you, and let me go, for you know the service I have given you.” 27 And Laban said to him: “If now I have found favor in your eyes, I have divined that Shema has blessed me because of you.” 28 And he said: “Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 And he said to him: “You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have been with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has grown to a great number; and Shema has blessed you because of me, and now when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 And he said: “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said: “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again shepherd your flock and keep it.

32 I will pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. And [such] shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness shall answer for me in the future, when it shall come concerning my wages that is before you. Everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34 And Laban said: “And if not, let it be according to your words.” 35 And he removed that day the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the male goats that were speckled and spotted, everyone that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons, 36 and he set three days’ journey between them and Jacob, and Jacob tended the rest of Laban’s flocks. And the angel of God said to Jacob in the dream, and he said: “Jacob.” And [Jacob] said: “Here I am.” And he said: “Now look up, and see, all the male goats which mate with the flock are striped, speckled, and gray-speckled, for I have seen all that Laban had done to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, and where you made a vow to me. And now get up, go out from this land, and return to the land of your father and I will do you good.”

37 And Jacob took rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the channels, at the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they bred when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks bred before the rods, and the flocks gave birth to striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the flocks a striped ram and all the dark ones in Laban’s flock. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 And whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the channels, so that they might breed among the rods, 42 but when the flock were weak, he did not put them in, so that the weaker were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man prospered greatly, and had large flocks, and female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying: “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and he has acquired all this glory from what was our father’s.” 2 And Jacob saw Laban’s expression, and, look, it is not the same toward him as before.

3 And Shema said to Jacob: “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock, 5 and said to them: “I see your father’s expression, that it is not the same toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 And you know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7 And your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but Shema did not permit him to hurt me. 8 If he said ‘The speckled shall be your wages’, then all the flock bore speckled, and if he said ‘The striped shall be your wages’, then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus Shema has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And at the breeding time of the flock, I looked up, and saw in a dream, and, look, the male goats which mated with the flock were striped, speckled, and gray-speckled.

11 And the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Now look up, and see, all the male goats which mate with the flock are striped, speckled, and gray-speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, and where you made a vow to me. And now get up, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’” 14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him: “Is any portion or inheritance left for us in our father’s house? 15 Look, we are regarded by him as strangers! For he has sold us, and has also completely consumed our money. 16 For all the riches which Shema has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, do whatever God has said to you.”

17 Then Jacob rose, and set his wives and his sons on the camels. 18 And he drove away all his cattle, and all his possessions which he had gathered, the cattle he had acquired, which he had gathered in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan. 19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the household gods that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in not telling him that he was fleeing. 21 So he fled with all that he had, and he got up, and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountain of Gilead. 22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 And he took his brothers with him, and pursued him for seven days, and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night, and said to him: “Be careful not to speak to Jacob either good or bad.” 25 And Laban came up to Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his brothers camped in the mountain of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done that you have outwitted me, and carried away my two daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly, and steal away from me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy, with singers, with tambourine and with harp; 28 and did not permit me to kiss my sons and my two daughters? Now you have acted foolishly. 29 I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying: ‘Be careful not to speak to Jacob either good or bad.’ 30 And now, you have surely gone, because you longed greatly for your father’s house, [but] why have you stolen my gods?”

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban: “Because I was afraid, for I said ‘You might take your two daughters from me by force.’ 32 With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live. In front of our brothers identify what of yours is with me, and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 33 And Laban went in and searched Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods, and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all around the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father: “Do not let my lord be angry that I cannot stand up in front of you, for I am having my monthly period.” And he searched, but did not find the household gods.

36 And Jacob was angry, and berated Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my crime and what is my sin, that you have pursued me? 37 And since you have searched through all my stuff, what have you found of all your household belongings? Set [it] here before my brothers and your brothers, so that they may judge between us two.

38 I have been with you for twenty years; your ewes and your male goats have not miscarried, I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 I did not bring you what was torn by animals. I paid for the loss myself, [whether] stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 [Thus] I was, cold consumed me by day, and frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

41 I have been in your house for twenty years. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed, with my suffering and with the labor of my hands. God saw and rebuked [you] last night.”

43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob: “The daughters are my two daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these two daughters of mine, or to their children who were born to them? 44 And now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” 45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his brothers: “Gather stones.” And they took stones, and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 And Laban said: “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed. 49 And the pillar, for he said: “May Shema watch between you and me, when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my two daughters, and if you take wives besides my two daughters, no seeing man is with us. God is witness between you and me.”

51 And Laban said to Jacob: “Look at this heap, and look at the pillar, which you have cast between you and me. 52 Let this heap be witness, and let the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor judges between us, the God of Abraham.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread, and they ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.

1 And Laban rose early in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed and returned to his place. 2 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 3 And Jacob said when he saw them: “This is God’s army.” And he named that place Mahanaim.

4 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 And he commanded them, saying: “This is what you shall say to my lord Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says this, ‘I have stayed as a foreign resident with Laban, and stayed until now, 6 and I have oxen, and donkeys, and flocks, and male servants, and female servants, and I have sent to tell my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’” 7 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: “We came to your brother Esau, and moreover he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 8 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies, 9 and he said: “If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape.”

10 And Jacob said: “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Shema, who said to me ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’ 11 I am not worthy of the least of all the acts of steadfast kindness, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant, for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 12 Please rescue me, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, for fear that he will come and strike me down, the mother with the children. 13 And you have said ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring like the sand of the sea, which is too numerous to count.’” 14 And he stayed there that night. And he took from what was available a present for Esau his brother:

15 Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 16 thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 17 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants: “Go ahead of me, and put a space between herd and herd.” 18 And he commanded the one in front, saying: “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying: ‘Whose are you?’ and ‘Where are you going?’ and ‘Whose are these before you?’ 19 you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau, and look, he is also behind us.’” 20 And he commanded also the second, and also the third, and also all that followed the herds, saying: “In this way you shall speak to Esau, when you find him, 21 and you shall say, ‘Moreover, look, your servant Jacob is coming behind us. For he said, ‘I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.’” 22 So the present went ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

23 And he rose that night, and took his two wives, and his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over all that he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone. And there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 26 And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh. And the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. 27 And he said: “Let me go, for the day breaks.” And he said: “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 28 And he said to him: “What is your name?” And he said: “Jacob.” 29 And he said: “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 30 And Jacob asked him, and said: “Please tell me your name.” And he said: “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 31 And Jacob named the place Penuel: “for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 32 And the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his thigh. 33 Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

1 And Jacob looked up, and looked, and look, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, and Rachel, and the two female servants. 2 And he put the female servants and their children in front, and Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 And he himself went ahead of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And he looked up, and saw the women and the children, and said: “Who are these with you?” And he said: “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the female servants came near, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 And Leah also and her children came near and bowed down. And afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down. 8 And he said: “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said: “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 And Esau said: “I have enough, my brother, and let what you have be yours.” 10 And Jacob said: “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, since seeing your face has been like seeing the face of God, and you were pleased with me. 11 Please take my gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” And he urged him, and he took it.

12 And he said: “Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you.” 13 And he said to him: “My lord knows that the children are young, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if I drive them too hard one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Please let my lord go ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the walking [cattle] that is before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.” 15 And Esau said: “Let me now leave with you some of the people that are with me.” And he said: “What need is there? let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Sukkoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkoth.

18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan,⁠a when he came from Paddan Aram, and camped in front of the city. 19 And he bought the plot of ground, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20 And he built an altar there, and called it Eleluwwi-Israel.

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to meet with the daughters of the land. 2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, and he took her, and had relations with her, and violated her. 3 And his soul clung to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman, and spoke kindly to the young woman. 4 And Shechem spoke to his father saying: “Get me this young woman for a wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. And his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob remained silent until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of it, and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by having relations with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing should not be done.

8 And Hamor spoke with them, saying: “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife. 9 And make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 So you shall live with us, and the land shall be before you. Live in it, [and] trade in it, and gain possessions in it.” 11 And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers: “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give what you shall ask of me. 12 Ask me as much dowry and gift as you wish, and I will give according to what you say to me, but give me the young woman for a wife.”

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke with deceit, because they had defiled Dinah their sister, 14 and said to them: “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to someone who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only by this will we consent to you, if you will be as we are, and circumcise every male among you, 16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you, and we will be like one people. 17 But if you will not listen to us, and circumcise, then we will take our daughter, and we will leave.” 18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem his son. 19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. And he was honored above all the household of his father.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 21 “These men are at peace with us. Let them live in the land and trade in it, for, look, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters for ourselves for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent to live with us, to become one people, by circumcising every male among us, as they are circumcised. 23 Look, their cattle and their possessions and all their animals shall be ours! Only let us consent to them, and they will live with us.” 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son, and they circumcised every male, all who went out of the gate of his city.

25 And on the third day, when they were in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, and came upon the city safely, and killed all the males. 26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and left. 27 And the sons of Jacob came upon those who had been killed, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 And they took their flocks, and their herds, and their donkeys, and what was in the city, and what was in the field, 29 and all their wealth, and they took their little ones and their wives captive and plundered all that was in the house. 30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: “You have troubled me, making me hateful to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and attack me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my household.” 31 And they said: “They treated our sister as a prostitute!”

1 And God said to Jacob: “Get up, go up to Bethel, and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother.” 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all that were with him: “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 And let us get up, and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the journey I took.” 4 And they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem, 5 and they journeyed. And a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan—that is, Bethel—he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built an altar there, and called the place El Bethel, because God was revealed to him there, when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak. And it was named Allon Bacuth.

9 And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and God blessed him. 10 And God said to him: “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but your name shall be Israel.” And he named him Israel. 11 And God said to him: “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 And I will give you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 And God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob named the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. 16 And they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had difficult labor. 17 And when she was in difficult labor the midwife said to her: “Do not fear, for now you shall have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing—for she was dying—she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath—that is, Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. That is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 And while Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and had relations with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 And the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female servant: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan Aram. 27 And Jacob came to Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba—that is, Hebron—where Abraham and Isaac stayed as foreign residents. 28 And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

1 And these are the generations of Esau—that is, Edom. 2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 and Mahalath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 4 And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; and Mahalath bore Reuel; 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, that were born to him in the land of Canaan. 6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the members of his household, and his cattle, and all his animals, and all his property, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan; and went from the land of Canaan away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions was too great for them to live together; and the land where they stayed as foreign residents could not support them because of their cattle. 8 And Esau lived in Mount Seir; Esau—that is, Edom.

9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. 10 And these are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Mahalath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, and Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. 13 And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Mahalath, Esau’s wife. 14 And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: And she bore Esau Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. 15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: chief of Teman, chief of Omar, chief of Zepho, chief of Kenaz, 16 chief of Gatam, chief of Amalek; these are the chiefs that descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17 And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief of Nahath, chief of Zerah, chief of Shammah, chief of Mizzah; these are the chiefs that descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Mahalath, Esau’s wife. 18 And these are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: chief of Jeush, chief of Jalam, chief of Korah. These are the chiefs that descended from Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. 19 These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs: Esau is Edom.

20 And these are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, 21 and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs that descended from the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. And Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23 And these are the children of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 And these are the children of Zibeon: Aiah, and Anah; this is Anah who found the Emim in the wilderness, as he tended the donkeys of Zibeon his father. 25 And these are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26 And these are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, and Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 And these are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. 28 And these are the children of Dishan: Uz and Iddan. 29 These are the chiefs that descended from the Horites: chief of Lotan, chief of Shobal, chief of Zibeon, chief of Anah, 30 chief of Dishon, chief of Ezer, chief of Dishan. These are the chiefs that descended from the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel. 32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianite in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. 36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth Hanahar reigned in his place. 38 And Shaul died, and Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 And Baal-Hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me Zahab. 40 And these are the names of the chiefs that descended from Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief of Timna, chief of Alvah, chief of Jetheth, 41 chief of Oholibamah, chief of Elah, chief of Pinon, 42 chief of Kenaz, chief of Teman, chief of Mibzar, 43 chief of Magdiel, chief of Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their families in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

1 And Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed as a foreign resident, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was tending the flock with his brothers. And he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 And Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a coat of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his sons, they hated him, and could not speak peacefully to him.

5 And Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. 6 And he said to them: “Please listen to this dream which I have dreamed. 7 For, look, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, look, my sheaf rose, and also stood upright. And, look, your sheaves gathered around, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him: “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed rule over us?” And they hated him even more for his dreams, and for his words.

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said: “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And, look, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him, and said to him: “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” 11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in mind. 12 And his brothers went to tend their father’s flock in Shechem.

13 And Israel said to Joseph: “Look, your brothers are tending the flock in Shechem. Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him: “Here I am.” 14 And he said to him: “Go now, and see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And the man found him, and, look, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying: “What are you seeking?” 16 And he said: “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me, where they are tending the flock.” 17 And the man said: “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. 18 And they saw him far in the distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 And they said to one another: “Look, this dreamer is coming. 20 Come now, let us kill him, and throw him into one of the pits, and we will say about him, ‘A vicious animal has devoured him,’ and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” 21 And Reuben heard it, and rescued him out of their hand, and said: “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them: “Do not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him,” so that he might rescue him out of their hand, and return him to his father.

23 And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him. 24 And they took [the coat], and threw him into the pit. And the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25 And they sat down to eat bread. And they looked up and looked, and, look, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum and balm and myrrh, that were going to carry [their wares] down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said to his brothers: “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and do not let our hand be on him, for he is our brother, and our flesh.” And his brothers listened [to him]. 28 And Midianite traders passed by, and they drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned to the pit, and look, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes. 30 And he returned to his brothers, and said: “The child is not there, and I, where shall I go?” 31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. 32 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said: “We have found this. Please identify, whether it is your son’s coat or not?” 33 And he recognized it. And he said: “It is my son’s coat. A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph is surely torn to pieces.” 34 And Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said: “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” And his father wept for him. 36 And the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

1 And at that time Judah went down from his brothers, and turned to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw a daughter there of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he took her, and had relations with her. 3 And she conceived, and bore a son. And she named him Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bore a son. And she named him Onan. 5 And she yet again bore a son. And named him Shelah. And it was in Chezib that she bore him. 6 And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of Shema. And Shema killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan: “Have relations with your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 And Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, and when he had relations with his brother’s wife he spilled it on the ground, so that he would not give offspring to his brother. 10 And what he did was evil in the sight of Shema, and he killed him also.

11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law: “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah my son grows up,” for he said: “He might also die, like his brothers.” And Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 12 And over the course of time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. And Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And Tamar his daughter-in-law was told, saying: “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 And she took off her widow’s garments, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is beside the road to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 And he turned to her beside the road, and said: “Please come and let me have relations with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said: “What will you give me, for you to have relations with me?” 17 And he said: “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said: “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?” 18 And he said: “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said: “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” And he gave [them] to her, and had relations with her, and she conceived by him. 19 And she rose, and went away, and took off her veil from her, and put on her widow’s garments.

20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he could not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of the place, saying: “Where is that prostitute, that was at Enaim beside the road?” And they said: “There has been no prostitute here.” 22 And he returned to Judah, and said: “I have not found her. And also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’” 23 And Judah said: “Let her take it, so that we are not put to shame. Look, I sent this young goat, and you have not found her.”

24 And about three months later Judah was told, saying: “Tamar your daughter-in-law has acted as a prostitute, and moreover, look, she is pregnant through prostitution.” And Judah said: “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” 25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” And she said: “Please identify, whose these are, the signet, and the cord, and the staff.” 26 And Judah recognized them, and said: “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he did not have relations with her again. 27 And when the time of her labor came, look, twins were in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one of them put out a hand. And the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying: “This one came out first.” 29 And as he drew back his hand, look, his brother came out. And she said: “What a breach you have made over us.” Therefore she named him Perez. 30 And afterward his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand. And she named him Zerah.

1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down there. 2 And Shema was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that Shema was with him, and that Shema caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found favor in his master’s sight, and he attended him, and he made him overseer over his house, and he put all that he had in his hand. 5 And from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Shema blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. And the blessing of Shema was on all that he had, in the house and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know anything that was with him, except the bread which he ate. And Joseph had a beautiful figure and was beautiful to look at.

7 And after these things his master’s wife looked at Joseph, and she said: “Have relations with me,” 8 but he refused. And he said to his master’s wife: “Look, my master knows nothing that is with me in his house, and he has put all that he has into my hand. 9 He is not greater in this house than I, neither has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

10 And as she spoke to Joseph day by day, he did not listen to her, to lie beside her, to be with her. 11 But one such day, when Joseph went into the house to do his work in the house, and none of the men of the house were there in it, 12 she caught him by his garments, saying: “Have relations with me.” And he left his garments in her hand, and fled, and got out. 13 And when she saw that he had left his garments in her hand, and fled and got out, 14 she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying: “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us. He came in to me to have relations with me, and I cried with a loud voice. 15 And when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garments in my hand, and fled, and got out.” 16 And she kept his garments beside her, until his master came home. 17 And she spoke to him according to these words, saying: “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me. 18 And as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garments by me, and fled out.”

19 And when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying: “Your servant did this to me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him in the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But Shema was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the prison keeper. 22 And the prison keeper entrusted all the prisoners to Joseph’s hand that were in the prison. And whatever they did there, he was the one who did it. 23 The prison keeper did not attend to anything that was under his hand, because Shema was with him. And Shema made all that he did prosper.

1 And after these things the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, with the chief of the cupbearers, and with the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard put Joseph in charge of them, and he attended to them. And they remained for some time in custody. 5 And both of them had a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and, look, they were troubled. 7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying: “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 And they said to him: “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” And Joseph said to them: “Look, interpretations belong to God. Please tell them to me.”

9 And the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him: “In my dream, look, a vine was before me. 10 And on the vine there were three branches. And it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 And Joseph said to him: “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh shall lift up your head and restore you to your office. And you shall give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please show me kindness, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”

16 When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph: “I also was in my dream, and look, three baskets of white bread were on my head. 17 And in the uppermost basket there was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds ate them from the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said: “This is its interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh shall lift up your head from you, and shall hang you on the tree. And the birds shall eat your flesh from you.” 20 And on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 22 And he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

1 And at the end of two full years Pharaoh dreamed. And, look, he stood by the river, 2 and, look, seven cows came up out of the river, beautiful and fat. And they grazed in the reed-grass. 3 And, look, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and thin cows ate up the seven beautiful and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke, 5 and he slept and dreamed a second time. And, look, seven ears of grain came up on one stalk, fat and good. 6 And, look, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and look, it was a dream. 8 And in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my offenses today. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. 11 And he and I each had a dream on the same night, we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him [our dreams], and he interpreted to us our dreams; he interpreted each man’s dream for him. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it was: he restored me to my office, and he hanged him.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself, and changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. And I have heard it said of you, that look, you hear a dream and you interpret it.” 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: “Without God, there will be no answer for Pharaoh’s peace.”

17 And Pharaoh spoke with Joseph: “In my dream, and look, I stood on the bank of the river. 18 And look, seven cows came up out of the river, fat and beautiful, and they grazed in the reed-grass. 19 And, look, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, so ugly that I had never seen their like in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the lean and ugly cows ate the seven first and fat cows. 21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke, 22 and I saw in my dream, and, look, seven ears came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 And, look, seven ears withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25 And Joseph said to Pharaoh: “The dream of Pharaoh is one. I shall explain to Pharaoh what God is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one. 27 And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. I shall show Pharaoh what God is about to do. 29 Look, there will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 and seven years of famine shall follow them, and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land. 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land because of that famine and afterward, for it shall be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated for Pharaoh, twice, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 And let Pharaoh do [this], and let him appoint overseers over the land, and collect a fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And let him gather all the food of the seven good years that are coming, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep [it]. 36 And the food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt, so that the land shall not be destroyed by the famine.” 37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants: “Can we find someone like this, a man who has the spirit of God in him?”

39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Since God has shown you all of this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; I will be greater than you only in the throne.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and dressed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he made him ride in the second chariot which he had; and appointed a herald before him. And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh, and without you no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name “he revealed my secrets,” and he gave him for a wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven plentiful years the earth produced by handfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food [during] the seven years in which there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in the cities. He stored the food of the field around each city in that city. 49 And Joseph stored grain like the sand of the sea, very plentifully, until he stopped counting; for it was beyond counting.

50 And two sons were born to Joseph before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 51 And Joseph named the first-born Manasseh, “For,” [he said:] “God has made me forget my toil, and all my father’s house.” 52 And he named the second Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” 53 And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 And the seven years of the famine began to come, according to what Joseph had said. And there was the famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph, and you shall do what he says to you.” 56 And the famine was over the surface of all the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold grain to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 And all [the inhabitants of] the lands came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

1 And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons: “Why are you afraid?” 2 And he said: “Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down to that place, and buy grain for us from there, so that we may live and not die.” 3 And Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he said: “Harm might happen to him.” 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.

7 And Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke harshly with them. And he said to them: “Where do you come from?” And they said: “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them: “You are spies. You have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 And they said to him: “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons. We are honest. Your servants are not spies.” 12 And he said to them: “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 13 And they said: “We your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. And look, the youngest is today with our father, and one is gone.”

14 And Joseph said to them: “It is as I spoke to you, saying, You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, and you shall be confined, so that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else, by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.” And they said: “The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.” 17 And he put them all together into custody for three days.

18 And Joseph said to them on the third day: “Do this and live, [for] I fear God. 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison, and you go, and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 And they said to one another: “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother since we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us, and we would not listen. Therefore all this distress came on us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying: “Look, I spoke to you, saying: ‘Do not sin against the child!’ But you would not listen. Therefore a reckoning for his blood has now come here.” 23 And they did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned himself away from them, and wept. And he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their vessels with grain, and to return every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the way. And this was done for them. 26 And they loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder in the lodging place, he saw his money, and look, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 And he said to his brothers: “My money is returned, and look, it is even in my sack.” And their heart failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying: “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said to him, ‘We are honest men, and we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; and one is gone, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 And bring your youngest brother to me; then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will return your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” 35 And they were emptying their sacks, and look, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 And Jacob their father said to them: “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.” 37 And Reuben spoke to his father, saying: “Kill my two sons, if I do not bring him to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 And he said: “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should happen to him on the journey you take, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

1 And the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had finished eating the grain, which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them: “Go again, and buy us a little food.” 3 And Judah spoke to him, saying: “The man did indeed warn us, saying: ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food, 5 but if you will not send [him], we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’”

6 And Israel said: “Why did you treat me so badly, as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 And they said: “The man indeed asked concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying: ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’” 8 And Judah said to Israel his father: “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so we may live and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones. 9 I will be a guarantee for him. You shall hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For if we had not delayed, we would surely have returned by now a second time.”

11 And their father Israel said to them: “If it is so now, do this: Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm, and a little honey, gum, and myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 And take double the money in your hand; and carry the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks in your hands again; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and get up, and go again to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he may release to you your one brother and Benjamin. And if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

15 And the men took that present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And Joseph saw them and Benjamin, and he said to the steward of his house: “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter, and prepare the food, for the men shall dine with me at noon.” 17 And the man did as Joseph told him, and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought to the house of Joseph. And they said: “Because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time, we are brought in so that he may find grounds against us, and attack us to take us for slaves, and our donkeys.”

19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, 20 and said: “Oh, my lord, we came indeed down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and look, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight, and we have brought it again in our hand.” 22 And we have taken other money in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 And he said: “Peace be to you, do not fear. Your God, and the God of your fathers, has given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money.” And he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. And he gave their donkeys fodder. 25 And they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present, which was in their hand, into the house, and bowed down to him to the earth. 27 And he inquired about their welfare, and said: “Is your father well, the old man of whom you said ‘he is still alive’?” 28 And they said: “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And he said “Blessed be that man to God.” And they bowed down, and prostrated themselves. 29 And he looked up, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said: “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said: “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 And Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother. And he sought [a place] to weep. And he entered his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and came out, and he restrained himself, and said: “Serve the bread.” 32 And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians, who ate with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 And he took and served portions to them from before him. But Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying: “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 And when they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward: “Get up, follow the men, and when you overtake them, say to them ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Look, this is what my lord drinks in, and by which he indeed divines! You have done evil by doing this.’” 6 And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words. 7 And they said: “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Your servants should never do such a thing. 8 Look, we brought the money that we found in our sacks’ mouths back to you out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him be put to death, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” 10 And he said: “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 And he searched, and began with the oldest, and ended with the youngest. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. And they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them: “What deed is this that you have done? Look, you know that a man such as I can indeed divine!” 16 And Judah said: “What shall we say to my lord? And what shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? And God has found out the sin of your servants. Look, we are my lord’s slaves, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.” 17 And he said: “I should never do that. The man in whose hand the cup is found shall be my slave, but as for you, go in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah came near to him, and said: “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger be kindled against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying: ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord ‘We have an old father, and he fathered a little one in his old age, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 And you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 And when we came up to your servant our father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, ‘Go again, and buy us a little food.’ 26 And we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down, for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27 And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons, 28 and the one went out from me,’ and it has been said ‘Surely he is torn in pieces,’ and I have not seen him since. 29 And if you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’ 30 Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with me, since his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 and when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to his father, saying: ‘If I do not bring him to you, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that shall come to my father.”

1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood before him, and he cried. And they took out everyone from before him, so no man stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and made [it] heard to the house of Pharaoh. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” And his brothers could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers: “Please come closer to me.” And they came near. And he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great rescue. 8 So now it was not you that sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9 Hurry, and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Your son Joseph says this, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me, and do not delay, 10 and you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children, and your children’s children, your flocks, and your herds, and all that you have, 11 and there I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine, so that you do not fall into poverty, you and your household, and all that you have.’’ 12 And, look, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. And you shall hurry and bring down my father here.” 14 And he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept. And Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers, and wept over them. And after that his brothers talked with him. 16 And the rumor was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your animals, and go, and get to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me. And I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land. 19 And that is what I commanded, Do this: Take out of the land of Egypt wagons for your little ones, and for your wives, and carry your father, and come. 20 Also do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’’ 21 And the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of clothes. 23 And to his father he sent in this way: ten male donkeys loaded with the good things of the land of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, and bread, and provision for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. And he said to them: “See that you do not quarrel on the way.”

25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying: “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 And Israel said: “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2 And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said: “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said: “Here I am.” 3 And he said: “I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down into Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph shall put his hands on your eyes.” 5 And Jacob got up from Beersheba. And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him: 7 his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughter, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his offspring with him into Egypt.

8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamuel. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Zephon, and Haggi, and Shuni, and Ezbon, Adi, and Arodi, and Aroli. 17 And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen souls.

19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, ʿAʾem, and Rosh, Muppim, and Abbem, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, whom she bore to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. 23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven. 26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came from his own body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were sixty-six; 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy.

28 And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to appear before him in Goshen. And he came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph prepared his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. And he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck for a long time. 30 And Israel said to Joseph: “Now let me die, now that I have seen your face and that you are still alive.” 31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s house: “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for they have been cattle keepers. And they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.’ 33 And when Pharaoh calls you, and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say ‘Your servants have been cattle keepers from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, for all shepherds are abominations to the Egyptians.”

1 And Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said to him: “My father and my brothers, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and look, they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took with him five men, and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said to Joseph’s brothers: “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh: “Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.” 4 And they said to Pharaoh: “We have come to stay as foreign residents in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5 And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying: “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any capable men among them, then make them managers of my cattle.

7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob: “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh: “The days of the years of my life as a foreign resident are one hundred and thirty years; the days of the years of my life have been few and evil, and they have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their life as a foreign resident.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided for his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their little ones. 13 And there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very severe. And the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine.

14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said: “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money is gone.” 16 And Joseph said: “Give your cattle, and I will give you bread for your cattle, if the money is gone.” 17 And they brought their cattle to Joseph. And Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys. And he supplied them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year. 18 And when that year ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him: “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. And the herds of cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our lands? Buy us and our lands for bread, and we and our lands will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe on them. And the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 And he enslaved the people with him as slaves⁠a from one end of the border of Egypt to its other end. 22 The only land he did not buy was the land of the priests, for the priests had an allowance from Pharaoh, and ate their allowance which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land.

23 Then Joseph said to the people: “Look, I have bought you and your lands today for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at its harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those in your households, and for food for your little ones.” 25 And they said: “You have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 And Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful, and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph, and said to him: “If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and please treat me kindly and truly. Please do not bury me, in Egypt, 30 but when I lie with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burial place.” And he said: “I will do as you say.” 31 And he said: “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

1 And after these things it was said to Joseph: “Look, your father is sick.” And he took with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, and it was said: “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you.” And Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the bed.

3 And Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Look, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make you into a company of peoples, and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, they shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon. 6 And your offspring, that you fathered after them, shall be yours; they shall be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 And as for me, when I came from Paddan Aram, Rachel, your mother, died by me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath—that is, Bethlehem.”

8 And Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said: “Who are these to you?” 9 And Joseph said to his father: “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said: “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph: “I had not thought to see your face, and look, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and they bowed themselves to the earth before him. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and came closer to him.

14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his arms, for Manasseh was the first-born. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 the king who has redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys,⁠a and let my name be carried by them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the middle of the earth.”

17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father: “Not so, my father, for this is the first-born. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 And his father refused, and said: “I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, although his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 And he blessed them that day, saying: “In you Israel will be blessed, saying: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’” And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel said to Joseph: “Look, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to you one Shechem above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”

1 And Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together so that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the days to come. 2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father. 3 Reuben, you are my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 You have been flowing like water; you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it. He went up to my couch!

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers. They consumed sin by their covenants. 6 Let my soul not come into their council, and in their assembly, let my glory not be enraged. For in their anger they killed a man, and in their willfulness they hamstrung an ox. 7 May their anger be exalted, for it is fierce; and their group, for it is severe. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies, and your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion; and like a lioness, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from among his troops, until Shiloh comes, and the peoples shall gather to him. 11 He is tied up to Gafna, his city, and the son of his might to emptiness.⁠a He has washed his garments in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes shall be cloudy because of wine, and his teeth white with fat.

13 Zebulun shall live at the harbor of the sea, and he shall be a harbor for ships. And his border shall be as far as Sidon. 14 Issachar is a foreign residents’ donkey, crouching down between the nations. 15 And he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant. And he bent his shoulder to carry a load, and became a servant under forced labor.

16 Dan shall judge his people. As one of the tribes of Israel 17 he shall be. Dan, a serpent in the way, lying in the path that bites the horse’s heels, and throws his rider backward. 18 I wait for your salvation, Shema.

19 Gad shall bring good news and he shall foretell the end. 20 Asher! His bread shall be like oil, and he shall produce royal delicacies. 21 Naphtali is a doe let loose that carries words of redemption.

22 Joseph is a fruitful branch, a fruitful branch by a spring; my young son [runs] over the wall. 23 The archers have grieved him and quarreled with him, and harassed him. 24 But his bow remained strong, and the arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. 25 By the God of your father, who shall help you, and by God Almighty, who shall bless you, with blessing of heaven above, blessing of the deep that crouches beneath, blessing of the breasts, and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father and your mother have surpassed the blessings of my mountain to the greatest bounties of the everlasting hill. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the leader, the consecrated among his brothers. 27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey; and at evening he shall divide the plunder.” 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. And this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; he blessed each one according to his blessing.

29 And he commanded them, and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place to own. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, and there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the children of Heth.”

33 And when Jacob finished commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

1 And Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty days were completed for him, for that is how many days the embalmers take. And they wept for him in Egypt seventy days. 4 And the days of weeping for him were past. And Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying: “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak, in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying:

5 ‘My father made me swear before his death, saying: ‘Look, I am dying. In my grave which I cut out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.’ Now therefore please let me go up, and bury my father, as he made me swear, and I will come back.” 6 And Pharaoh said: “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7 And Joseph went up to bury his father. And with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 and all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only they left their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9 And both chariots and horsemen went up with him, and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to Goren Atad, which is beyond the Jordan. And there they lamented with a very great and sorrowful lamentation. And he mourned for his father for seven days.

11 And when the inhabitants of the land of the Canaanite saw the mourning in Goren Atad, they said: “This is a deeply sorrowful mourning to the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. 12 And his sons did for him as he commanded them, 13 for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, as a burial place to own, from Ephron the Hittite, opposite Mamre. 14 And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after they had buried his father.

15 And when Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said: “Joseph might hate us, [and] fully repay us for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 And they sent a message to Joseph, saying: “Your father commanded before he died, saying: 17 ‘So you shall say to Joseph “Please forgive, the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for they did evil to you.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 And his brothers also went and fell down before his face. And they said: “Look, we are your servants.”

19 And Joseph said to them: “Do not fear. Am I in the place of God? 20 And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about, as it is today, to keep many people alive. 21 Now therefore do not fear. I will provide for you, and your little ones.” And he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

22 And Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born in the days of Joseph.

24 And Joseph said to his brothers: “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying: “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.