Genesis

God creates the heavens and the earth in six days, forming light, sky, land, vegetation, celestial bodies, sea creatures, land animals, and finally mankind in His own image. God declares all creation good and rests on the seventh day.

God forms Adam from dust and breathes life into him, placing him in the Garden of Eden to tend it. God creates Eve from Adam's rib as a suitable helper, establishing the first marriage and the one-flesh union.

The serpent deceives Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, and Adam follows. Their disobedience brings sin, shame, and death into the world. God pronounces curses but also promises that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head.

Cain and Abel bring offerings to God; Abel's is accepted but Cain's is not. Jealous and angry, Cain murders his brother and is cursed to wander the earth. The chapter traces Cain's descendants and ends with Seth's birth.

The genealogy from Adam to Noah is recorded, tracing ten generations. Each entry notes the patriarch's age at fatherhood, total lifespan, and death. Enoch stands out as the man who walked with God and was taken without dying.

Humanity's wickedness grows so great that God grieves having made mankind and decides to send a worldwide flood. Noah alone finds favour with God because of his righteousness. God instructs Noah to build an ark to preserve his family and representatives of every living creature.

Noah, his family, and the animals enter the ark as God commanded. The floodwaters rise for forty days and forty nights, covering even the highest mountains. Every living creature outside the ark perishes as God's judgment falls upon the earth.

The floodwaters recede and the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah sends out a raven and then a dove to test the waters. When the earth is dry, God tells Noah to leave the ark, and Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices to the Lord.

God blesses Noah and establishes a covenant never to destroy the earth by flood again, setting the rainbow as its sign. God gives new dietary permissions and institutes the principle of capital punishment for murder. Noah plants a vineyard, becomes drunk, and Ham's disrespect leads to prophetic blessings and curses on his sons.

The Table of Nations lists the descendants of Noah's three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — and how they spread across the earth after the flood. The chapter maps the origins of various ancient peoples, nations, and territories. Nimrod is highlighted as a mighty hunter and founder of great cities.

The people build the Tower of Babel to make a name for themselves, but God confuses their language and scatters them across the earth. The chapter then traces the genealogy from Shem to Abram, bridging the primeval history to the patriarchal narrative.

God calls Abram to leave his homeland and go to a land He will show him, promising to make him a great nation and bless all families of the earth through him. Abram obeys and travels to Canaan, then goes to Egypt during a famine where he deceives Pharaoh about Sarai.

Abram and Lot separate due to their growing wealth and the strife between their herdsmen. Lot chooses the well-watered Jordan plain near Sodom, while Abram remains in Canaan. God reaffirms His promise to give Abram all the land he can see and descendants as numerous as dust.

Four kings wage war against five kings near Sodom, and Lot is captured. Abram leads 318 trained men to rescue Lot and defeats the kings. On his return, Melchizedek king of Salem blesses Abram and Abram gives him a tenth of the spoils.

God makes a formal covenant with Abram, promising him descendants as numerous as the stars and the land of Canaan. Abram believes God and it is credited to him as righteousness. God reveals that Abram's descendants will be enslaved for 400 years before returning to the land.

Sarai, unable to conceive, gives her servant Hagar to Abram as a wife. Hagar becomes pregnant and despises Sarai, leading to conflict. Hagar flees but the angel of the Lord finds her and tells her to return, promising her son Ishmael will become a great nation.

God establishes the covenant of circumcision with Abram, renaming him Abraham and Sarai as Sarah. God promises that Sarah will bear a son named Isaac, through whom the covenant will continue. Abraham circumcises all the males of his household as God commanded.

Three visitors appear to Abraham at Mamre and reaffirm that Sarah will have a son within a year. Sarah laughs in disbelief. Abraham then intercedes with God for the city of Sodom, negotiating from fifty righteous people down to ten.

Two angels visit Sodom and are welcomed by Lot. The men of Sodom surround the house demanding the visitors, but the angels strike them blind. God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone; Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.

Abraham moves to Gerar and again claims Sarah is his sister. King Abimelech takes Sarah, but God warns him in a dream. Abimelech restores Sarah to Abraham and rebukes him for the deception, and Abraham prays for Abimelech's household to be healed.

Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, fulfilling God's promise. Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, and God assures Abraham that Ishmael will also become a nation. Abraham makes a treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba.

God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeys in faith, binding Isaac on the altar, but the angel of the Lord stops him at the last moment and provides a ram as a substitute. God reaffirms His covenant blessings because of Abraham's obedience.

Sarah dies at age 127 in Hebron. Abraham mourns for her and negotiates with the Hittites to purchase the cave of Machpelah as a burial site. This is the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham legally owns.

Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his relatives in Mesopotamia. The servant prays for God's guidance and meets Rebekah at a well. Rebekah agrees to return and marry Isaac, demonstrating God's faithful providence.

Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. The chapter lists Ishmael's descendants and records the birth of Esau and Jacob as twins to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, despising his inheritance.

A famine sends Isaac to Gerar where God reaffirms the Abrahamic covenant with him. Isaac repeats his father's deception by calling Rebekah his sister. Despite opposition, Isaac prospers greatly and makes a peace treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba.

Jacob deceives his blind father Isaac by impersonating Esau to steal the patriarchal blessing. When Esau discovers the deception he weeps bitterly, but Isaac confirms Jacob's blessing cannot be revoked. Esau vows to kill Jacob, so Rebekah sends Jacob away to her brother Laban.

Jacob flees to Haran and on the way has a dream at Bethel of a stairway reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. God appears above it and renews the Abrahamic covenant with Jacob. Jacob vows that if God protects him, the Lord will be his God.

Jacob arrives in Haran and meets Rachel at a well, falling in love with her. He agrees to work seven years for Laban to marry her, but Laban deceives him by substituting Leah on the wedding night. Jacob works another seven years for Rachel, and God opens Leah's womb as she bears four sons.

The rivalry between Leah and Rachel intensifies as they compete for Jacob's attention through childbearing, including through their servants Bilhah and Zilpah. Rachel finally conceives and bears Joseph. Jacob negotiates with Laban for speckled and spotted livestock as his wages, and through shrewd breeding he prospers greatly.

God tells Jacob to return to the land of his fathers. Jacob secretly flees from Laban with his family and flocks, and Rachel steals her father's household idols. Laban pursues and confronts Jacob, but God warns Laban in a dream not to harm him, and they make a covenant at Mizpah.

Jacob sends messengers ahead to Esau and learns his brother is coming with 400 men, filling him with fear. He divides his camp, prays earnestly, and sends gifts ahead. That night Jacob wrestles with a mysterious figure until dawn and is renamed Israel, meaning one who strives with God.

Jacob and Esau meet and reconcile after twenty years apart. Esau runs to embrace his brother and they weep together. Jacob settles near Shechem in Canaan and buys a plot of land, setting up an altar called El Elohe Israel.

Dinah, Jacob's daughter, is violated by Shechem the son of Hamor. Simeon and Levi avenge their sister by tricking the men of Shechem into being circumcised and then slaughtering them. Jacob rebukes his sons for bringing trouble, but they defend their sister's honour.

God commands Jacob to return to Bethel and build an altar. Jacob's household puts away their foreign gods, and God reaffirms the name Israel and the covenant promises. Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin near Bethlehem, and Isaac dies at age 180.

The chapter records Esau's genealogy, his wives, sons, and the chiefs and kings of Edom. Esau settles in the hill country of Seir, separate from Jacob. The Edomite lineage is traced in detail as a nation that will interact significantly with Israel throughout history.

Joseph, Jacob's favoured son, receives a special coat and has dreams foretelling his family's future submission to him. His jealous brothers plot to kill him but instead sell him to Midianite traders heading to Egypt. They deceive Jacob with Joseph's bloodied coat, and Jacob mourns believing his son is dead.

Judah separates from his brothers and marries a Canaanite woman. After his sons Er and Onan die, Judah fails to give his daughter-in-law Tamar his third son. Tamar disguises herself and conceives twins by Judah, who acknowledges she is more righteous than he.

Joseph serves in the house of Potiphar in Egypt and prospers because the Lord is with him. Potiphar's wife repeatedly tries to seduce Joseph, but he refuses, saying he will not sin against God. She falsely accuses him and Joseph is thrown into prison, where the Lord continues to bless him.

In prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker. The cupbearer's dream means he will be restored to his position in three days; the baker's dream means he will be executed. Both come true exactly as Joseph predicted, but the cupbearer forgets to mention Joseph to Pharaoh.

Pharaoh has two dreams that none of his wise men can interpret. The cupbearer finally remembers Joseph, who is brought from prison to interpret the dreams: seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh appoints Joseph as second-in-command over all Egypt to manage the crisis.

The famine reaches Canaan and Jacob sends ten of his sons to buy grain in Egypt, keeping Benjamin home. Joseph recognises his brothers but they do not recognise him. He tests them by accusing them of being spies and demands they bring Benjamin to prove their honesty, keeping Simeon as hostage.

When the grain runs out, Jacob reluctantly allows Benjamin to go to Egypt with his brothers. Joseph receives them, seats them in birth order — astonishing them — and gives Benjamin five times more food than the others. They dine together and the brothers are overwhelmed by Joseph's generosity.

Joseph plants his silver cup in Benjamin's sack and sends his steward to arrest them. When the cup is found, Judah offers himself as a slave in Benjamin's place, showing how much the brothers have changed. Judah's passionate plea reveals deep concern for their father Jacob.

Joseph can no longer contain himself and reveals his identity to his brothers, weeping loudly. He tells them not to be angry with themselves, for God sent him ahead to preserve life. Joseph sends for Jacob and Pharaoh invites the whole family to settle in the best land of Egypt.

Jacob sets out for Egypt with his entire household. God speaks to him at Beersheba in a vision, reassuring him not to fear going to Egypt and promising to make him a great nation there. The chapter lists all seventy members of Jacob's family who enter Egypt, and Joseph joyfully reunites with his father.

Joseph presents his family to Pharaoh, and Jacob blesses Pharaoh. The family settles in Goshen. As the famine worsens, Joseph acquires all the money, livestock, and land of Egypt for Pharaoh in exchange for grain. Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, not in Egypt.

Jacob falls ill and Joseph brings his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to be blessed. Jacob adopts them as his own, giving them inheritance among his sons. He deliberately crosses his hands to give the greater blessing to Ephraim the younger over Manasseh the firstborn, continuing the biblical pattern of the younger being chosen.

Jacob gathers his twelve sons and delivers prophetic blessings over each, foretelling the character and destiny of the twelve tribes. Judah receives the sceptre and ruler's staff prophecy pointing to the Messiah. Jacob gives instructions for his burial in the cave of Machpelah and then dies.

Joseph mourns Jacob's death and fulfils his promise to bury him in Canaan with an elaborate funeral procession. His brothers fear Joseph will now take revenge, but Joseph reassures them with one of the Bible's greatest statements of faith: what they meant for evil, God meant for good. Joseph dies at 110 and is embalmed in Egypt.