Book of Genesis

The **Book of Genesis** is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. Chapters 1 to 11 cover primeval history, while chapters 12 to 50 cover the ancestral history of humanity. The Book of Genesis begins with God's creation of the Earth, and describes the creation of humanity, God's decision to destroy humanity with the flood, Noah's re-establishment of the relationship between man and God, the prehistory of the Israelites, Abraham's journey to Canaan, the descent of the Israelites into Egypt under Jacob's son Joseph, and the events leading up to the Book of Exodus. The stories in the book were passed down orally before being written down by Moses between 1450 and 1400 BC.

## Summary

### Chapter 1

The Book of Genesis begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God created light, and separated light from the darkness. He called the light Day, and the darkness Night, and there was evening and then there was morning, comprising a whole day. He then created a firmament in the midst of the waters, calling the firmament Heaven, as well as creating a second day. He then had the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and created dry land, calling the dry land Earth, and called the waters the seas. God then created plants and vegetation, ending the third day. He proceeded to create the stars in the sky, the Sun and the Moon, and ended the fourth day. On the fifth day, he brought forth swarms of living creatures such as birds and "great sea monsters", telling them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." He then proceeded to bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth. He then made man in his image, after his likeness, and "let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." He then told men to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." He ended his sixth day, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work, blessing and hallowing the seventh day.

## Chapter 2

With the heavens and the earth finished, God formed man of dust from the ground, breathed life into him, and made man a living being. He then planted a garden in Eden in the east, and he grew trees (such as the tree of life and the tree of good and evil). A river flowed out of Eden to water his garden, and it divided into four rivers: Pishon (flowing around the whole land of Havilah, where there was gold, bdellium, and onyx), Gihon (flowing around Cush), Tigris (flowing east of Assyria), and the Euphrates. God took the man and put him in the garden to till it and keep it, and he told him that he could freely eat of every tree but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, telling him that he would die if he ate of it. God them formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and the man gave names to the beasts and birds. However, the man could not find a helper for him, so God caused a deep sleep to fall on him and took one of his ribs, from which he created a woman. They became known as Adam and Eve, and they lived naked and unashamed.

### Chapter 3

However, a serpent tempted Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, telling her that she would not die, and that she would be like God if she ate from it. Eve took of its fruit and ate, and also gave some to Adam, who also ate. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons, and they then heard the sound of God walking in the garden, causing them to hide. God called out to Adam, asking where he was, and Adam told God that he was hiding because he was naked. God knew that, because Adam judged for himself that he was naked, he had eaten from the tree. Adam then told God that Eve had given him the fruit, and Eve told God that the serpent had beguiled him. God told the serpent that it should eat dust for the rest of its life, and God decided to punish the woman by subjecting her to the pain of childbirth and the rule of man, while Adam was cursed with the inevitability of death. Adam and Eve were then given garments of skins and were clothed, and God sent Adam fort from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. He was driven out of the Garden, and cherubim were placed at the east of the Garden; he also placed a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life.

### Chapter 4

Adam and Eve reprodduced and bore Cain and Abel, with Abel keeping sheep and Cain tilling the ground. Cain brought to God an offering of fruit, while Abel offered God the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. God had regard for Abel, but not for Cain, causing Cain to grow angry. God then told Cain to master his desire, and that he would be accepted if he did well. Cain told Abel to go out into the field, and Cain proceeded to kill him there. God then said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?", to which Cain responded, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" God discovered Abel's death, and he proceeded to curse Cain with being a fugitive and a wanderer on the Earth, but also promised that anyone who slew Cain would have seven times the vengeance of God. God put a mark on Cain to threaten anyone who would attempt to kill him, and Cain went to "the land of Nod" (meaning taking up a wandering life). Cain knew his wife, and they bore a son named Enoch, after whom a city was named. Enoch fathered Irad, who fathered Mehujael, who fathered Methushael, who fathered Lamech; Lamech took two wives: Adah and Zilah. Adah bore Jabal (father of tent-dwelling nomads) and Jubal (father of pipers), while Zillah bore Tubal-cain (the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron) and Na'amah. Lamech told his wives that he had killed a man for wounding him and a young man for striking him, and that they would be avenged seventy-seven-fold.

### Chapter 5

Adam then had another child with Eve, named Seth, who bore Enos. Adam, who had fathered Seth at the age of 130 years, died at the age of 930; outside of the Bible, it is said that Eve died six days after her husband. Seth had Enos at 105, and he lived until the age of 912 years; he had several other sons and daughters. At 90, Enos fathered Kenan and several other children, and he died at the age of 905. Kenan fathered Mahalalel at 70, and he died at the age of 910. Mahalalel fathered Jared at 65 years, and he lived until the age of 895. Jared was 162 when he fathered Enoch, and Jared lived until the age of 962. Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah, and he was taken by God. Methuselah was 187 when he fathered Lamech, and Methuselah died at the age of 969. Lamech was 182 when he had Noah, saying that God had lifted Noah from cursed ground to relieve humans from their work and toil. Lamech died at the age of 777 years, and Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth at the age of 500.

### Chapter 6

When man began to multiply on the ground, and daughters were born to them, men realized the beauty of the daughters and took to wife such of them as they chose. God said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years". God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that mankind was growing evil. God said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." However, he favored Noah, and, because Noah walked with God, he saw him as a righteous man.

God saw the earth as corrupt and filled with violence, and he told Noah that he had determined to make an end of all flesh, planning to destroy them with the earth. He then told Noah to make an ark of gopher wood, make rooms inside the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch; he even specified the proportions. He then warned Noah that he would bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which was the breath of life from under heaven, and that everything on earth would die. He then told Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives to go with him, and to bring two of every other living thing (male and female) and every sort of food onto the ark. Noah did exactly as God had commanded.

### Chapter 7

God told Noah  to go to the ark with his family, and he told to take with him seven pairs of all clean animals and a pair of unclean animals and seven pairs of birds, for he would send rain upon the earth for 40 days in a week's time. Noah did all that God had commanded him, and he was 600 years old (2348 BC) when the Great Flood occurred. Noah brought his whole family and all of the beasts, cattle, creeping things, and birds of each kind onto the ark, and God shut them into the ark. The flood continued for 40 days, and the ark rose high above the ground during theh rain. The high mountains were covered 15 cubits deep by the rain, and all the fleh outside of the ark died, with God blotting out all but Noah and those with him in the ark. In 150 days, the waters prevailed upon the earth.

### Chapter 8

God remembered Noah and all the beasts and cattle in the ark, and the earth resettled. The ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat, and the waters continued to abate for ten months. At the end of 40 days, Noah opened the windw of the ark and sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters dried up. He then sent out a dove, but the dove found no place to set her foot on dry land; the dove returned to the ark, and Noah waited another seven days. He sent a dove out again, and, when she returned with an olive leaf, Noah knew that the waters had subsided. The dove was then released, and she never returned to him. Noah removed the covering of the ark, and God told Noah to go forth from the ark with his family and bring forth every animal in the ark. Noah went forth with his family, and the wild animals returned to the wilderness. Noah then built an altar to God, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar. God told Noah that he would never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of his heart was evil from his youth; he also swore to never again destroy every living creature.

### Chapter 9

God blessed Noah and his sons, and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." He told them that every living thing that lived would be food for them, as I gave him green plants. He then told Noah that he could not eat flesh with its life, and told Noah, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed." God then established his covenant with Noah and his sons, telling them that humans would never again be flooded to destroy them. He set the covenant with all future generations.

Noah then planted a vineyard, and he became a drunkard, laying uncovered in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his brothers, and Shem and Japheth covered Noah's nakedness with a garment. When Noah awoke, he cursed his youngest son, saying that Canaan would be sold to his brothers, and Noah lived for 350 more years before dying at the age of 950.

### Chapter 10

Japheth fathered Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Gomer fathered Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, while Javan had Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim; from these, the coastland peoples spread.

Ham fathered Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. Cush's sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Cush was the father of Nimrod, the first mighty man on Earth. Nimrod went on to create a kingdom in Babel, Erech, and Akkad, and his kingdom expanded to include Assyria; he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (between Nineveh and Calah). Mizraim fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim.

Canaan fathered Sidonians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. Canaan's family spread abroad, and their territory extended from Sidon to Gaza and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboi'im, as far as Lasha.

Shem fathered Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, the father of Eber. To Eber were born two sons: Peleg and Joktan (the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab). They lived from Mesha to the hill country of the east, creating the Semitic peoples.

### Chapter 11

Due to the spread of the descendants of Shem, the whole earth had one language and few words. As men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there, and they built themselves a city of brick. God saw that the residents were one people with one language, and he decided to confuse humanity's language so that they could not understand one another's speech. He scattered them abroad from there all over the face of the earth, and they left off building the city; its name was henceforth called Babel, because God confused the language of the earth and scattered the peoples abroad over the face of the earth.

Arpaxhad proceeded to have a son Shelah, who fathered Eber, who fathered Peleg, who fathered Reu, who fathered Serug, who fathered Nahor, who fathered Terah, who fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran (the father of Lot, Milcah, and Iscah). Haran died before his father Terah in Ur of the Chaldeans, and Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram married Sarai (who was barren), while Nahor married Milcah (the daughter of Haran). Terah took his family from Ur to go to the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah died there at the age of 205 years.

### Chapter 12

God told Abram to go from his country and his family's house to take the land that he would show to Abram, and that he would make of Abram a great and blessed nation. Abram went as God had told him, departing from Haran at the age of 75 (in 1983 BC). Abram took Sarai with him, while Lot also came along with all of their posssessions. When they came to Canaan, Abram passed through the land, and God told Abram that he would give Canaan to his descendants. Abram built an altar to God, and he pitched his tent on the mountain to the east of Bethel. There, he built an altar to God, and he continued on towards the Negev.

Soon, a famine occurred in the land, so Abram went to Egypt, telling Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister; that way, the jealous Egyptians would not kill him. The Egyptians praised Sarai to the Pharaoh Amenemhat I, and she was taken to the Pharaoh's house; for her sake, Amenemhat dealt well with Abram. However, God afflicted the Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, so the Pharaoh called Abram. The Pharaoh criticized Abram for not telling him that Sarai was his wife, and the Egyptians sent Abram and Sarai on their way with their belongings.

### Chapter 13

Abram went up from Egypt with his wife and nephew, and they travelled into the Negev. Abram was rich in cattle, silver, and gold from the Pharaoh's gifts, and they moved back to Canaan. However, both Lot and Abram had too many belongings to live together, causing strife between the herdsmen of each man's cattle. Abram told Lot that he did not want strife between them due to their relations, and Lot decided to go to the Jordan Valley in the east, while Abram dwelt in Canaan.  Lot dwelt in the city of Sodom, where the men were wicked and great sinners against God. God spoke to Abram after Lot left, and he told Abram that all of the land around him would be given to him and his descendants forever. Abram proceeded to build an altar to God at Hebron.

### Chapter 14

In the days of King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Elasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of Goiim, the kings made war with Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and Zoar of Bela. They joined forces in the Valley of Siddim, rebelling against Chedorlaomer after 13 years of submission to him. Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir as far as Elparan on the border of the wilderness. They then came to Kadesh and subdued the Amalekites and the Amorites of Hazazontamar, and the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela went out and joined battle with their rivals at the Battle of Siddim. The armies of Gomorrah and Sodom were forced to retreat, with some falling into bitumen pits, while others fled to the mountain. The enemy took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they also captured Lot and his goods.

An escapee told Abram (who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner) about Lot's capture, and Abram led forth his trained men, all 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He then divided his forces against them by night and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. The ensuing Battle of Hobah saw Abram bring back all the goods, as well as Lot, and the king of Sodom went to meet Abram at the Valley of Shaveh. King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine, blessing Abram for his victory. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything, but the King of Sodom wanted Abram to give him his people, but keep the goods for himself. Abram told the King of Sodom that he had sworn to God that he would not take anything from Sodom lest the Sodomites enrich him, and he instead let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.

### Chapter 15

After these events, God told Abram that he would be his shield,a nd that his reward would be great. Abram asked God what he would give him, as he was still childless, and the heir to his house was King Eliezer of Damascus. God told Abram that the slave in his house would not be his heir, as Abram had suggested, and he told Abram to look toward heaven and number the stars, telling him that his descendants would be as plentiful. Abram believed God, and God told Abram to bring him a young cow, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon. Abram cut them in two, laying each half over against the other, although he did not cut the birds in two. He then protected the carcasses until darkness fell upon him, and God told Abram that his descendants would be exiled, that they would be oppressed for 400 years, and that he would bring judgment on the nation which they served before giving Abram's descendants their possessions once again. God made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

### Chapter 16

Sarai bore Abram no children, but she told Abram to use her maid Hagar to obtain children. After ten years of dwelling in Canaan, Abram and Hagar married, and Hagar conceived, giving Sarai a look of contempt afterwards. Abram told Sarai that she could deal with her maid, and Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar, who fled from her. An angel found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness on the way to Shur, and he told Hagar to return to her mistress and submit to her. The angel told Hagar that she was going to have a son, and told her to name the son Ishmael. Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son Ishmael. Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born.

### Chapter 17

Abram was 99 when God appeared in another vision, telling Abram to walk before him and be blameless. God told Abram that he would be multiplied exceedingly, and Abram fell on his face; God told him that his covenant was with him, and that he would be father of a multitude of nations, renaming him to "Abraham". God then told him that he would create an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants, and he told Abraham that every male among him should be circumcised as a sign of the covenant. Any uncircumcised male, God said, would be banished from his people, as he had broken the covenant. God then told to Abraham that his wife was now "Sarah", and that Sarah would be blessed with a son, making her a mother of nations. Despite Sarah being 90, she bore a child with Abraham, Isaac. As for Ishmael, God promised that he would make him multiply exceedingly, and that he would be the father of twelve princes. Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised, while Ishmael was 13; soon, all of the men of their house followed suit.

### Chapter 18

God appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, and Abraham was told that he would have a son in the spring. God then decided to see if Sodom and Gomorrah had done what they were rumored to have been doing, engaging in the worst sins. Abraham asked God if he would still destroy the city, even if there were 50 righteous residents; God told him that he would spare the whole city for their sake; Abraham continued to lower the number and question God, who made it clear that he would not destroy the city even if there were only ten righteous people in the city.

### Chapter 19

Two angels went to Sodom in the evening as Lot sat by the gate. When Lot saw them, he bowed with his face to the earth, telling them that they should go to their his house and spend the night, wash their feet, and rise early and go away. Although they decided to spend the night in the street, they were ultimately convinced to stay with Lot. Lot baked unleavened bread for them and entertained them, but the Sodomites soon surrounded the house and demanded that Lot bring out the two visitors. Lot begged the Sodomites to not act wickedly, saying that he would bring out his daughters to them so that they could do what they please; however, he refused to betray the two visitors. The Sodomites then struggled to break into Lot's house, and the angels struck the Sodomites with blindness as they broke in.The next morning, the angels told Lot to take his wife and two daughters and escape the punishment of the city; the angels rought the family outside of teh city and told them to flee to the hills. Lot was reluctant to flee, hoping to flee to a smaller city at Zo'ar. Lot went to Zo'ar, and the angels told them that they would not overthrow the city as a favor to him. God then rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah in 1897 BC, destroying the cities, the valley, the plants, and all of the inhabitants of the cities.

Lot then went up out of Zo'ar and dwelt in the hills, as he was afraid to dwell there; he moved into a cave. His children, seeking to preserve their offspring, got their father drunk and laid with him, with the firstborn giving birth to the son Moab, and the second bearing the son Benammi (the father of the Ammonites).

### Chapter 20

From there, Abraham journeyed toward the Negev, dwelling between Kadesh and Shur, sojourning in Gerar. Abraham told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, and Abimelech toom Sarah. However, God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and revealed that he had taken a man's wife. Abimelech discovered that Sarah was really Abraham's wife, and he decided to confront Abraham. However, Abraham told Abimelech that Sarah was both his half-sister and his wife, proving that he did not lie, and Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, as well as giving back Sarah. Abraham prayed to God, who healed Abimelech, his wife, and female slaves, and Abimelech's household was once again able to bear children.

### Chapter 21

God visited Sarah and blessed her with the conception of a son, naming him Isaac. Abraham circumcised his son when he was eight days old, and he became a contender for the succession to Abraham's property. When Sarah saw Isaac and Ishmael playing together, Sarah told Abraham to cast out Hagar with her son, as she did not want the son of a slave to succeed Abraham. Abraham was displeased, but God told him to obey his wife, and Hagar and Ishmael were exiled to the wilderness of Beersheba. God promised to make Ishmael a great nation, and he blessed the starving mother and son with a well of water. Ishmael grew up as an expert with the bow, and he lived in the Paran wilderness; his mother later arranged for him to marry an Egyptian.

At that time, Abimelech and his general Phicol told Abraham that he had to swear to God that he would not deal falsely with him or his offspring. Abraham swore to be loyal to Abimelech, and Abimelech and Abraham made a covenant at the site of the new city of Beersheba.Abraham would plant a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and Abraham continued to travel to the Philistine lands often.

### Chapter 22

One day, God tested Abraham and told him to take Isaac to the land of Moriah, where he would be offered as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains. Abraham did so, taking two of his young men and Isaac with him. He told his young men to stay with his donkey, and he took the wood of the burnt offering before laying it on his son. As Abraham prepared to strike at Isaac, an angel told Abraham to stop, saying "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." Abraham was insetad asked to burn a nearby ram caught in a thicket, and Abraham was called a second time after doing so, with God promising Abraham to multiply his descendants as the stars of heaven. Abraham returned to his young men, and they went together to Beersheba, where Abraham made his new home.

After this time, Milcah also bore children with his brother Nahor: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. These eight were born by Milcah to Nahor, while his concubine Reumah bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Ma'acah.

### Chapter 23

Sarah died in Hebron at the age of 127, and Abraham purchased a tomb from the Ephron of the Hittites at the Cave of Machpelah for his late wife; this tomb came to be known as the "Cave of the Patriarchs". The field of Ephron in Machpelah, the field with the cave, was turned over to Abraham for the burial.

### Chapter 24

Abraham had his servant swear that he would not take a wife for his son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, instead sending him to find one of Isaac's own kin. The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and departed, taking all sorts of gifts from his master; he went to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia, and he prayed for success from God. He found Bethuel's daughter Rebecca come out with a water jar upon her shoulder, and the servant was given a drink by the fair Rebecca. Rebecca also drew for his camels, emptying her jar into the trough before running again to the well to draw. The servant was amazed by Rebecca, contemplating if God had prospered his journey.

When the camels were done drinking, the servant asked Rebecca who she was, and he discovered that she was a cousin of Isaac. She offered him lodging, and he met Rebecca's brother Laban. The servant told Rebecca's about Isaac's situation and his own mission from Abraham and God, and Bethuel and Laban told the servant to take Rebecca and go, and let her be the wife of Isaac, as God had spoken. The servant proceeded to bring gifts to Rebecca's family, and he brought Rebecca and her maids to Isaac. Isaac headed from Beerlahairoi to the Negev, and it was there that he met Rebecca. The two went to Isaac's tent, where they married and made love, comforting Isaac after his mother's death.

### Chapter 25

Abraham took another wife, Keturah, who bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan; Dedan fathered Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim; Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah, and Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. He also gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, and he sent them to the eastern lands, away from Isaac.

Abraham lived for 175 years, dying at an old age. Isaac and Ishmael buried him at the Cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron, east of Mamre, the field which Abraham had purchased from the Hittites. After the death of Abraham, Isaac was blessed by God. Ishmael had several sons: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. Ishmael went on to live for 137 years, and his descendants lived from Havilah to Shur. Isaac and Rebeccah also had children, as God cured Rebeccah's infertility. They had twins: Esau and Jacob. God told Rebeccah, "Two nations are in your yomb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger." The first came forth red and hairy, and he was named "Esau"; his brother had taken told of Esau's heel, so he was named "Jacob". When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, while Jacob was a quiet man who dwelt in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob.

While Jacob was boiling pottage, a hungry Esau told Jacob that he wanted to eat some of the red pottage. Jacob demanded that Esau sell him his birthright first, and the starving Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and Esau gave his birthright to Jacob.

### Chapter 26

A famine broke out in the land, leading to Isaac going to Abimelech of the Philistines in Gerar. God appeared to Isaac, telling him not to go down to Egypt, instead telling him to dewll in the land of which he would tell him. He also promised to multiply Isaac's descendants and to bless them, so Isaac dwelt in Gerar. He passed off his wife Rebecca as his sister, just as Abraham had done with Sarah. Abimelech saw Isaac fondling Rebecca from his window, so he deduced that Rebecca was his wife; Isaac told Abimelech that he had lied lest he be killed out of men's jealousy for her. Abimelech warned all the people against touching either of them, and Isaac became wealthy in that land. The Philistines evicted him, as they could no longer deal with his growing power. Isaac encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dug wells as his father had done. He named his wells after their previous names (given to them by Abraham), and the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen. Because the well was contentious, it was named Esek. Isaac's herdsmen then dug another well, called Sitnah, and then another one, for which they did not quarrel; it was called Rehoboth.

From there, Isaac went up to Beersheba, where God appeared to him. Isaac built an altar there, and he pitched tent there. Abimelech went to Isaac with his adviser Ahuzzath and his general Phicol, telling Isaac that they wanted to form an oath of non-aggression with him due to seeing that God was on his side. The two agreed, and they ate and drank. They departed in peace the next day, and Isaac called the new well Shibah, lending its name to the new city of Beersheba. When Esau was 40, he took to wife Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebeccah.

### Chapter 27

When Isaac was old and blind, he called Esau and told him that he was nearing his end, and asked for Isaac to hunt game and prepare the savory food that he loved. Rebecca overheard this conversation, so she told Jacob about the nature of the conversation and plotted with him; she told him to bring her two good kids from the flock so that she could prepare the food. Jacob wore the best garments of Esau and brought the food to Isaac, presenting himself as Esau. Isaac told Jacob to come closer to him so that he could feel if he was really Esau; he felt Jacob's hands, which were hairy like Esau's, and, despite hearing Jacob's voice, he decided that he was really Esau. Jacob proceeded to bring forth Esau's meal, and Isaac smelled the smell of Esau's garments as Jacob kissed him, leading to Isaac blessing Jacob with "the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine...be lord over your brothers, and may yorur mother's sons bow down to you." Esau then came in from his hunting, and Isaac trembled violently when Esau presented his own catch. Isaac angrily announced to Esau that Jacob had stolen his blessing, and Esau said that Jacob was rightly named Jacob, as he "supplanted" him twice. Isaac made Jacob Esau's lord, and Esau wept after Isaac told him that he would have to serve his brother.

Esau hated Jacob because of the stolen blessing, and Esau plotted to kill his own brother. However, Rebecca heard this and told Jacob to flee to her brother Laban in Haran, stay with him for a while, and wait until Esau's anger was tempered.

### Chapter 28

Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and he told him that he should not marry a Canaanite woman; instead, he should go to Paddanaram to the house of his grandfather Bethuel. Jacob went there, and Esau was also ordered by Isaac to never marry a Canaanite. When he saw that Canaanite women did not please Isaac, Esau went to Ishmael and took to wife Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter. Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran, and he dreamt that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. God stood above the aldder and told him that he was the God of Abraham his father and the God of Isaac; he told Jacob that he would give the land upon which Jacob lay to him and to his descendants, who would be like the dust of the earth and spread abroad. Jacob woke from his sleep, and he was frightened, saying, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, ant this is the gate of heaven."

Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone which he had slept on and set it up for a pillar, pouring oil on top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name was originally Luz. Jacob made a vow, saying that, if God would be with him and give him bread and water, Jacob would accept God, and he would use the stone to build God's house.

### Chapter 29

Jacob went on his journey to Harran, and he came upon a group of shepherds. Jacob asked if they knew Laban, and they responded that his daughter Rachel was coming with the sheep. Rachel came with her father's sheep, and Jacob watered the flock of Laban before kissing Rachel and weeping aloud. She ran and told her father, and Laban ran to meet Jacob and embraced and kissed him before bringing him to the house. Laban told Jacob that he could work for him in exchange for marrying his younger daughter Rachel, and Jacob worked for several years. However, Laban deceived Jacob and tricked him into marrying his older daughter Leah, as it was customary to marry off the older daughter first. Jacob was forced to work for seven more years before marrying Rachel, and Laban gave his maid Bilhah to Rachel to be her maid. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and he completed his service to Laban. When God saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived a son, Reuben, and she conceived again and bore another son, Simeon. Again, she conceived, and he was named Levi. She conceived once more, and their son was Judah.

### Chapter 30

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and Jacob was angered when she demanded that Jacob give her children or she would die.  Rachel gave her maid Bilhah as a wife of Jacob, and she conceived and bore Jacob a son, Dan. Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son, Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife, and Zilpah bore Jacob Gad and Asher. Reuben brought mandrakes to his mother Leah, and Rachel asked Reuben for some, leading to an argument between the two jealous sisters. Rachel told Leah that she could lie with Jacob that night for some mandrakes, and Leah laid with Jacob, conceiving a fifth son, Issachar. She conceived again, bearing him a sixth son, named Zebulun. God then remembered Rachel and opened her womb, and she conceived Joseph. Jacob then told Laban to send him away to go to his own home and country, and he asked all of the spotted, speckled, and brown goats of Laban's flock to be his wages. Laban removed all of these animals and sent them to his sons, attempting to trick Jacob. However, Jacob used rods of poplar, almond, and plane to peel white streaks on the other members of the flock, and Jacob left with his new flock. Jacob grew stronger than Laban and became exceedingly rich, having large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

### Chapter 31

Jacob heard that Laban's sons had tricked their father, and Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock was. He told them that God had helped him with acquiring his flock to turn the tables on the deceptive Laban. Laban and his family returned to Canaan, with Rachel stealing her father's household idols in the process. Laban pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him, searching for the idols. Jacob said that whoever stole the idols should die, and Rachel hid the idols by sitting on them and pretending to menstruate. Laban returned to his home, and Jacob and his family continued on.

### Chapter 32

Jacob and his family went on their way, and the angels of God met him; Jacob deduced that they were God's army, and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. He sent messengers to Esau in Edom to instruct him that he wanted to find favor in his sight, but the messengers returned with news that Esau had 400 men with him and was planning to meet Jacob. Jacob prayed to God and sent a tribute of flocks and herds to Esau, a present to him. Jacob and his family then crossed the Jabbok ford by night, and he later returned to the other bank to collect his possessions. There, he wrestled with a mysterious man until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh, putting it out of joint. Jacob then told the man that he would not let him go until he blessed him, and the man asked Jacob's name. The angel told him that he would no longer be called "Jacob", but "Israel", for he had striven with God and with men, and had prevailed. The angel blessed Jacob before disappearing, and Jacob named the place Peniel. For that reason, Israelites did not eat the sinew of the hip upon the hollow of the high, becoming a part of *kashrut* laws.

### Chapter 33

Jacob then saw Esau arriving with his 400 men, so he went on before them, bowing himself seven times before coming near to his brother. Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and they kissed and wept. Jacob's family then bowed to Esau when Esau asked who they were, and Esau told Jacob to keep what he had; however, Jacob gave him a gift anyway. Esau offered to accompany Jacob back to Canaan, but Jacob instead asked if he could meet him at Mount Seir, as his children were frail. Jacob instead went to Succoth, built a house and booths for the cattle, and then came to the city of Shechem and bought a large piece of land for a hundred pieces. The land acquired from the sons of Hamor became known as El-Elohe-Israel.

### Chapter 34

Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to visit the women of the land, and Hamor's son Shechem saw her, seized her, and raped her, as his soul was darwn to her. Shechem hten spoke to his father Hamor and asked him to arrange for Dinah to marry him, and Jacob decided to allow the marriage if the men of Shechem agreed to be circumcised. They agreed, but this instead allowed for Simeon and Levi to charge into the city and slaughter Hamor, Shechem, and the other men, avenging Dinah's rape. Jacob told the brothers that they had brought trouble onto him by making him odious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, but the brothers questioned if their sister shuld be treated as a harlot, justifying their actions.

### Chapter 35

God then said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; then let us arise and go up to Bethel, that I may make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." Jacob's household renounced all the foreign gods that they had and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

As the family journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were round about them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. Jacob and his entourage came to Luz (Bethel) in the land of Canaan, where he built an altar, calling the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel; so the name of it was called Alon Bachot.

God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him before saying to him, "Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." God then 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 spring from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you." Then, God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him, and Jacob set up a stone pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. Jacob then called the name of the place where God had spoken with him "Bethel".

They then journeyed from Bethel; and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. When she was in her hard labor, the midwife said to her, "Fear not; for now you will have another son." As her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-o'ni; but his father called his name Benjamin. Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave. Jacob journeyed on, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Jacob dwelt in that land Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Jacob heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; the sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah were Gad and Asher. Jacob then came to his father Isaac at Mamre (Kiriath-arba, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Isaac died at the age of 180, and Jacob and Esau buried him.

### Chapter 36

Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah (the son of Zibeon the Hivite), and Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; Bashemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his cattle, all his beasts, and all his property which he had acquired in the land of Canaan; and he went into a land away from his brother Jacob. As their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, the land of their sojournings could not support them because of their cattle. Esau then dwelt in the hill country of Se'ir, and Esau's new home became known as Edom. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. Each of Esau's grandchildren would become Edomite chiefs.

Seir the Horite's sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; they became the chiefs of the Horites of Edom. The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman; and Lotan's sister was Timna. Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Za′avan, and Akan. Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.

There were many kings of Edom before the arrival of the Israelites: Bela the son of Be'or reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Din'habah. Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Avith. Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his stead. Shaul died, and Ba'al-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. Ba'al-hanan later died, and Hadar reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Pau; his wife's name was Mehet'abel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Me'zahab.

The chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their dwelling places, were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram; these were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

### Chapter 37

In 1791 BC, the 17-year-old Joseph told his father of Bilhah and Zilpah's sons' troublesome nature. Jacob loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Joseph then had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more. He said to them, "Hear this dream which I have dreamed: behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf." His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, 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 ourselves to the ground before you?" His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

His brothers then went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. Jacob said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am." So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers, and with the flock; and bring me word again." Jacob sent Joseph from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. A man found him wandering in the fields; and the man asked him, "What are you seeking?" "I am seeking my brothers," he said, "tell me, I pray you, where they are pasturing the flock." And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him" - that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his long robe, and they took him and cast him into an empty pit.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,"; his brothers heeded him. Then Midianite traders passed by, and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, taking Joseph to Egypt.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes and returned to his brothers, and said, "The lad is gone; and I, where shall I go?" Then they took Joseph’s robe, and killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood; they then sent the long robe with sleeves and brought it to their father, and said, "This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not." He recognized it, and said, "It is my son’s robe; a wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." Then Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

### Chapter 38

At the time, Judah went down from his brothers and settled near the Adullamite Hirah, where he saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua, marrying her. She conceived and bore a son named Er, and she also gave birth to Onan, Shelah, and Chezib. Judah had Er marry Tamar, but, as Er was wicked in God's sight, God put him to death. Judah then told Onan to go to his brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for his brother. Since Onan new that he offspring would not be his, he spilled hi ssemen on the ground whenever he went into his brother's wife, preventing himself from giving her offspring. God was displeased by Onan's actions and put him to death. Judah then had Tamar remain a widow in her father's house until Shelah came of age. In the course of time, Shua's daughter died, and Judah went to Timnah to his sheepshearers and his friend Hirah. Upon hearing that Judah was headed to Timnah, Shua sent his daughter to meet him at Enaim on the road to Timnah. When Judah saw Tamar, he thought that she was a prostitute, as she had covered her face; he asked her to let him come into her. He promised a kid from the flock in exchange for her services, and she also demanded his signet, cord, and his staff. Judah obliged her request and proceeded to go into her, conceiving a child with her. However, he could not find Tamar to deliver the promised goods to her, and he failed to find the temple prostitute from Enaim. Three months later, Judah was told that Tamar was pregnant as a result of whoredom, so Judah had ber brought out and ordered her to be burned. However, he realized that he was at fault for her pregnancy, so he decided against killing her and refused to lie with her again. She gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.

### Chapter 39

Joseph was taken to Egypt by Potiphar, and Joseph became a successful man, serving in the house of his Egyptian master. Joseph found favor in Potiphar's sight and was made his overseer, and Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce him due to his good looks. Joseph refused to lie with her, so she stole a piece of his garment and claimed that Joseph had attempted to rape her. Potiphar was enraged and had Joseph imprisoned, but Joseph gained favor in the sight of the chief jailer. Joseph was then placed in charge of caring for his fellow prisoners.

### Chapter 40

When the cupbearer and baker of the Pharaoh offended their king, the Pharaoh had the two of them imprisoned in the same prison where Joseph was confined. Joseph was sent to wait on them, and the cupbearer and baker came to Joseph to interpret their dreams. Joseph said to the cupbearer that his dream meant that within three days the Pharaoh would lift up his head and restore him to his office; he then told the baker that he would be beheaded and his head placed on a pole in three days. On the third day, the Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all of his servants; he spared the cupbearer and executed the baker, fulfilling Joseph's prophecy.

### Chapter 41

After two years, the Pharaoh had a strange and troubling ream, and, while the Pharaoh was looking for dream interpreters, the chief cupbearer told him of Joseph. Joseph told the Pharaoh that God would give him his answer, and he interpreted the dream as meaning that the seven good cows in his dream were seven years, and that the seven good ears were also seven years; the seven lean and ugly cows and the seven empty years were also seven years, referring to seven years of famine; the good figures represented seven years of great plenty. Essentially, the famine and years of plenty would alternate, and Joseph advised the Pharaoh to appoint overseers over the land, take one-fifth of the produce of Egypt during the seven plenteous years, and have his overseers gather all of the food for the good years, lay up grain under the Pharaoh's authority for good in the cities, and keep the food as a reserve for the years of famine.

The proposal pleased the Pharaoh and all his servants, so the Pharaoh decided to make Joseph the head of his household and his right-hand man in 1778 BC. The Pharaoh placed his signet ring on Joseph's hand and arrayed him in garments of fine linen with a gold chain. Joseph was then named "Zaphenath-paneah" and was given Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, as a wife. Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and he felt that God had made him forget all of his hardship and made him fruitful in the land of his misfortunes. During the seven years of famine, there was bread throughout the land of Egypt due to Joseph's policies, and many across the Middle East came to Joseph for bread, as the famine had spread throughout the eastern world.

### Chapter 42

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he sent ten of Joseph's brothers to buy grain there. However, he did not send Benjamin with his brothers, fearing that harm would come to him. Joseph's brothers bowed before Joseph with their faces to the ground, and, while Joseph recognized his brothers, he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them; the brothers also did not recognize Joseph. He accused them of being spies who had come to see the nakedness of Egypt, and he threatened them with imprisonment if their youngest brother did not head to Egypt. After three days, the brothers loaded their donkeys with grain and departed. Reuben told his father that he could kill his two sons if he was unable to bring Benjamin back to him, but Jacob continued to refuse to send his son.

### Chapter 43

Judah finally convinced his father Jacob to send Benjamin with the brothers as they returned to Egypt to gather grain. Jacob had his sons take choice fruits (balm, honey, gum, resin, pistachios, and almonds) to Egypt as a present, take double the money with them, and take Benjamin. They again met with Joseph, who ensured that their father was still alive. He then had the party fed, with Benjamin having a portion five times the size of any of those at Joseph's table.

### Chapter 44

Joseph then had his servants fill the men's sacks with food, but he also had them hide a silver cup in their baggage and force the brothers to return to answer for theft.  The brothers were overtaken by the Egyptians, and Joseph decided to force Benjamin into slavery. Judah then pled for Benjamin's release, saying that Jacob's life was bound up in Benjamin's life.

### Chapter 45

Joseph then had his servants sent away as he confronted his brothers, and he made himself known to his brothers. His brothers were dismayed at his presence, and Joseph told his brothers that he forgave them, and told them to bring their father to Egypt; he then told his brothers and their families to settle in the land of Goshen with their children, their grandchildren, their flocks, herds, and all that they had. The Pharaoh and his servants were pleased when they heard of the arrival of Joseph's family in Egypt, and the Pharaoh promised them the best of all of the land of Egypt. Jacob and his family settled in Egypt, and Jacob resolved to see Joseph before he died.

### Chapter 46

Jacob offered sacrifices to God at Beersheba, and God told Jacob that a great nation would be made of him in Egypt. With Jacob came Reuben and his sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; Simeon and his children Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul; Levi and his children Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; Judah and his children Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; Perez and his children Hezron and Hamul; Issachar and his sons Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron; Zebulun and his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel; Gad and his sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli; Asher and his sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah; Beriah and his sons Heber and Malchiel; Benjamin and his children Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard; Dan and his child Hashum; and Naphtali and his sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. The party consisted of a total of 70 people.

### Chapter 47

Joseph told the Pharaoh of the arrival of his brothers and father, and the Pharaoh allowed for them to live in Goshenn. Jacob blessed the Pharaoh, and Joseph settled his fathers and brothers in the land of Rameses as the Pharaoh had instructed. During the famine in Egypt and Canaan, the Egyptians came to Joseph and begged for food despite their poverty, and Joseh asked them to give him their livestock in exchange for food. Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys, and, the next year, Joseph bought all of the peasants' lands for the Pharaoh. Joseph made slaves of the Egyptian people from one end of Egypt to the other, and only the land of the priests were not sold, as they lived off of a fixed allowance from the Pharaoh. Joseph then gave the peasants seeds and told them to sow the land, and to give one-fifth to the Pharaoh at the harvests; the law that peasants should give a fifth of their harvest to the Pharaoh stood for several years.

Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years before he went to his deathbed. He instructed his sons not to bury him in Egypt, and instead to carry him out of Egypt and bury him in the burial place of his ancestors. Jacob then blessed Joseph's sons, praying that they grow into a multitude on the earth. He also told his other sons that they would become peoples, and that they would also be great. He then gave Joseph an extra portion of his lands which he had taken from the Amorites during war.

### Chapter 49

Jacob called his sons and told Reuben that he would no longer excel because he defiled his father's bed; he told Simeon and Levi that they would be cursed for their murderous behaviors and that they would be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel; he told Judah that the scepter should not depart from him nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute came to him and the obedience of the people's was his; he told Zebulun that he should settle along the sea at Sidon; he told Issachar that he should become a slave at force labor; he told Dan that he should be a snake by the roadside which bites horses' heals and fells its riders; he told Gad that he would be raided by raiders but would raid at their heels; he told Asher that he should provide royal delicacies; he told Naphtali that he was a doe let loose that would bear lovely fawns; he told Joseph that he was set apart from his brothers and should especially be blessed; and told Benjamin that he was a ravenous wolf. Jacob then told his sons to bury him in the cave in the field of Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan. He then drew his feet into the bed and died.

### Chapter 50

Joseph threw himself on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him, and Joseph had his physicians embalm his father, taking forty days. Joseph then arranged for his father to be buried, and the party mourned for seven days at Atad beyond the Jordan. The Egyptians' grieving place became known as Abel-mizraim. The sons then buried Jacob at Machpelah near Mamre, and Joseph then returned to Egypt with his brothers. Joseph remained in Egypt with his father's housheold, and he lived for 110 years. Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, and he saw the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, be born on his knees. Joseph then told his brothers that God would surely bring them up out of Egypt to the promised land, and Joseph made the Israelites swear to carry up his bones when the Jews left Egypt. Joseph then died, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.