NIrV, Holy Bible

New International Reader’s Version

NIrV

Holy Bible

The Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®

All rights reserved

Published by Zondervan

3900 Sparks Drive SE

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, U.S.A.

www.zondervan.com

eISBN: 9780310744528

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2014939189

The NIrV and New International Reader’s Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.® Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica, Inc.®

The NIrV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows:

Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation.

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All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Bible

A Word About The New International Reader’s Version

OLD TESTAMENT

NEW TESTAMENT

OLD TESTAMENT

Genesis

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50

Exodus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40

Leviticus

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27

Numbers

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

Deuteronomy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34

Joshua

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

Judges

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

Ruth

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

1 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

2 Samuel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

1 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

2 Kings

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

1 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29

2 Chronicles

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

Ezra

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Nehemiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Esther

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Job

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42

Psalms

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150

Proverbs

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

Ecclesiastes

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Song of Songs

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Isaiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66

Jeremiah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52

Lamentations

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ezekiel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48

Daniel

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Hosea

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Joel

1 | 2 | 3

Amos

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Obadiah

1

Jonah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Micah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Nahum

1 | 2 | 3

Habakkuk

1 | 2 | 3

Zephaniah

1 | 2 | 3

Haggai

1 | 2

Zechariah

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Malachi

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

Mark

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Luke

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

Acts

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

Romans

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

1 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

2 Corinthians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Galatians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Ephesians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Philippians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Colossians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

1 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 Thessalonians

1 | 2 | 3

1 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

2 Timothy

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Titus

1 | 2 | 3

Philemon

1

Hebrews

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

James

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1 Peter

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 Peter

1 | 2 | 3

1 John

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

2 John

1

3 John

1

Jude

1

Revelation

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

How to Use This Bible

Thank you for purchasing the HarperCollins Christian Publishing eBook version from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan’s excellent line of Bible translations that exist to serve Christians who not only recognize the Bible’s importance, but who also want a Bible to treasure in their lifelong pursuit of the knowledge of God’s revelation of Himself.

There are a multitude of Bibles available to engage children, youth, men, and women with the Word of God, including Text Only, Daily, Devotional, Reference, and Comprehensive Study.

What is the difference between an eBook and a print book?

eBook versions of various Bibles contain all of the content and supplementary materials found in the original print versions and are optimized for navigation in the various apps and devices used for display. eReaders recognize text as one fluid string and are formatted in a single column. eReaders currently do not support the more complex layout seen in print version books. Therefore, some content may not appear in the same place as in the original print version, but it is structured consistently and uses hyperlinks to navigate between related content.

How do I use the eBook Table of Contents?

*Important Note: Be sure to consult your device manufacturer’s User’s Guide for device-specific navigation instructions.*

The Table of Contents is the primary navigation anchor to quickly access various parts of the Bible and is generally formatted in the same order as the original print version and hyperlinked as follows:

• Front matter – Introductory articles

• Old Testament

• New Testament

• Bible books

• Bible chapters

Old Testament and New Testament hyperlinks quickly access individual Bible books and chapters in each testament.

• Book links go directly to the beginning of that Bible book.

• Chapter links go directly to the beginning of the chapter associated with a book.

• Every Bible book and chapter hyperlink returns or goes back to the Table of Contents.

• Every entry is hyperlinked directly to the content-specific location in the main text.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

How do I navigate to Bible Books, Chapters, and Verses?

Use the Table of Contents to navigate to specific Bible verses using one of the 2 methods below:

Method 1

• Navigate to and select a specific book of the Bible from the Table of Contents.

• Select a chapter number hyperlink.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the verses.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

Method 2

• Select either the Old Testament or New Testament hyperlink in the Table of Contents.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the Bible books.

• Select a chapter number hyperlink.

• Use the device’s Next Page/Previous Page buttons or functions to scroll through the verses.

• Use the device’s back button or function to go back to the last selection.

A Word About The New International Reader’s Version

Have You Ever Heard of the New International Version?

We call it the NIV. Many people read the NIV. In fact, more people read the NIV than any other English Bible. They like it because it’s easy to read and understand.

And now we are happy to give you another Bible that’s easy to read and understand. It’s the New International Reader’s Version. We call it the NIrV.

Who Will Enjoy Reading the New International Reader’s Version?

People who are just starting to read will understand and enjoy the NIrV. Children will be able to read it and understand it. So will older people who are learning how to read. People who are reading the Bible for the first time will be able to enjoy reading the NIrV. So will people who have a hard time understanding what they read. And so will people who use English as their second language. We hope this Bible will be just right for you.

How Is the NIrV Different From the NIV?

The NIrV is based on the NIV. The NIV Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) didn’t produce the NIrV. But a few of us who worked on the NIrV are members of CBT. We worked hard to make the NIrV possible. We used the words of the NIV when we could. When the words of the NIV were too long, we used shorter words. We tried to use words that are easy to understand. We also made the sentences of the NIV much shorter.

Why did we do all these things? Because we wanted to make the NIrV very easy to read and understand.

What Other Helps Does the NIrV Have?

We decided to give you a lot of other help too. For example, sometimes a verse is quoted from another place in the Bible. When it is, we tell you the Bible book, chapter and verse it comes from. We put that information right after the verse that quotes from another place.

We separated each chapter into shorter sections. We gave a title to almost every chapter. Sometimes we even gave a title to a section. We did these things to help you understand what the chapter or section is all about.

Another example of a helpful change has to do with the word Selah in the Psalms. What this Hebrew word means is still not clear. So, for now, this word is not helpful for readers. The NIV has moved the word to the bottom of the page. We have followed the NIV and removed this Hebrew word from the NIrV. Perhaps one day we will learn what this word means. But until then, the Psalms are easier to read and understand without it.

Sometimes the writers of the Bible used more than one name for the same person or place. For example, in the New Testament the Sea of Galilee is also called the Sea of Gennesaret. Sometimes it is also called the Sea of Tiberias. But in the NIrV we decided to call it the Sea of Galilee everywhere it appears. We called it that because that is its most familiar name.

We also wanted to help you learn the names of people and places in the Bible. So sometimes we provided names even in verses where those names don’t actually appear. For example, sometimes the Bible says the River where it means the Euphrates River. In those places, we used the full name the Euphrates River. Sometimes the word Pharaoh in the Bible means Pharaoh Hophra. In those places, we used his full name Pharaoh Hophra. We did all these things in order to make the NIrV as clear as possible.

Does the NIrV Say What the First Writers of the Bible Said?

We wanted the NIrV to say just what the first writers of the Bible said. So we kept checking the Greek New Testament as we did our work. That’s because the New Testament’s first writers used Greek. We also kept checking the Hebrew Old Testament as we did our work. That’s because the Old Testament’s first writers used Hebrew.

We used the best copies of the Greek New Testament. We also used the best copies of the Hebrew Old Testament. Older English Bibles couldn’t use those copies because they had not yet been found. The oldest copies are best because they are closer in time to the ones the first Bible writers wrote. That’s why we kept checking the older copies instead of the newer ones.

Some newer copies of the Greek New Testament added several verses that the older ones don’t have. Sometimes it’s several verses in a row. This occurs at Mark 16:9–20 and John 7:53—8:11. We have included these verses in the NIrV. Sometimes the newer copies added only a single verse. An example is Mark 9:44. That verse is not in the oldest Greek New Testaments. So we put the verse number 43/44 right before Mark 9:43. You can look on the list below for Mark 9:44 and locate the verse that was added.

Verses That Were Not Found in Oldest Greek New Testaments

What Is Our Prayer for You?

The Lord has blessed the New International Version in a wonderful way. He has used it to help millions of Bible readers. Many people have put their faith in Jesus after reading it. Many others have become stronger believers because they have read it.

We hope and pray that the New International Reader’s Version will help you in the same way. If that happens, we will give God all the glory.

A Word About This Edition

This edition of the New International Reader’s Version has been revised to include the changes of the New International Version. Over the years, many helpful changes have been made to the New International Version. Those changes were made because our understanding of the original writings is better. Those changes also include changes that have taken place in the English language. We wanted the New International Reader’s Version to include those helpful changes as well. We wanted the New International Reader’s Version to be as clear and correct as possible.

We want to thank the people who helped us prepare this new edition. They are Jeannine Brown from Bethel Seminary St. Paul, Yvonne Van Ee from Calvin College, Michael Williams from Calvin Theological Seminary, and Ron Youngblood from Bethel Seminary San Diego. We also want to thank the people at Biblica who encouraged and supported this work.

The

Old Testament

Genesis

Genesis 1

The Beginning

¹In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth didn’t have any shape. And it was empty. There was darkness over the surface of the waves. At that time, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³God said, Let there be light. And there was light. ⁴God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light day. He called the darkness night. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one.

⁶God said, Let there be a huge space between the waters. Let it separate water from water. ⁷And that’s exactly what happened. God made the huge space between the waters. He separated the water under the space from the water above it. ⁸God called the huge space sky. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day two.

⁹God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear. And that’s exactly what happened. ¹⁰God called the dry ground land. He called all the water that was gathered together seas. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹Then God said, Let the land produce plants. Let them produce their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that grow fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds. And that’s exactly what happened. ¹²So the land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. And the land produced trees that grew fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. God saw that it was good. ¹³There was evening, and there was morning. It was day three.

¹⁴God said, Let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let the lights set the times for the holy celebrations and the days and the years. ¹⁵Let them be lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. And that’s exactly what happened. ¹⁶God made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷God put the lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. ¹⁸He put them there to rule over the day and the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good. ¹⁹There was evening, and there was morning. It was day four.

²⁰God said, Let the seas be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky. ²¹So God created the great sea creatures. He created every kind of living thing that fills the seas and moves about in them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And God saw that it was good. ²²God blessed them. He said, Have little ones so that there will be many of you. Fill the water in the seas. Let there be more and more birds on the earth. ²³There was evening, and there was morning. It was day five.

²⁴God said, Let the land produce every kind of living creature. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals. And that’s exactly what happened. ²⁵God made every kind of wild animal. He made every kind of livestock. He made every kind of creature that moves along the ground. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶Then God said, Let us make human beings so that they are like us. Let them rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the livestock and all the wild animals. And let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground.

²⁷So God created human beings in his own likeness.

He created them to be like himself.

He created them as male and female.

²⁸God blessed them. He said to them, Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.

²⁹Then God said, I am giving you every plant on the face of the whole earth that produces its own seeds. I am giving you every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. All of them will be given to you for food. ³⁰I am giving every green plant as food for all the land animals and for all the birds in the sky. I am also giving the plants to all the creatures that move along the ground. I am giving them to every living thing that breathes. And that’s exactly what happened.

³¹God saw everything he had made. And it was very good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day six.

Genesis 2

¹So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.

²By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. So on that day he rested from all his work. ³God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. He blessed it because on that day he rested from all the work he had done.

Adam and Eve

⁴Here is the story of the heavens and the earth when they were created. The LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵At that time, bushes had not yet appeared on the earth. Plants had not started to grow. The LORD God had not sent rain on the earth. And there was no one to farm the land. ⁶But streams came from the earth. They watered the entire surface of the ground. ⁷Then the LORD God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. God breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person.

⁸The LORD God had planted a garden in the east in Eden. He put in the garden the man he had formed. ⁹The LORD God made every kind of tree grow out of the ground. The trees were pleasing to look at. Their fruit was good to eat. There were two trees in the middle of the garden. One of them had fruit that let people live forever. The other had fruit that let people tell the difference between good and evil.

¹⁰A river watered the garden. It flowed out of Eden. From there the river separated into four other rivers. ¹¹The name of the first river is the Pishon. It winds through the whole land of Havilah. Gold is found there. ¹²The gold of that land is good. Onyx and sweet-smelling resin are also found there. ¹³The name of the second river is the Gihon. It winds through the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is called the Euphrates.

¹⁵The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to farm its land and take care of it. ¹⁶The LORD God gave the man a command. He said, You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden. ¹⁷But you must not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you will certainly die.

¹⁸The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.

¹⁹The LORD God had formed all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name. ²⁰So the man gave names to all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals.

But Adam didn’t find a helper that was just right for him. ²¹So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs. Then the LORD God closed the opening in the man’s side. ²²Then the LORD God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And the LORD God brought her to the man.

²³The man said,

"Her bones have come from my bones.

Her body has come from my body.

She will be named ‘woman,’

because she was taken out of a man."

²⁴That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife. The two of them become one.

²⁵Adam and his wife were both naked. They didn’t feel any shame.

Genesis 3

Adam and Eve Fall Into Sin

¹The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. The serpent said to the woman, Did God really say, ‘You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?

²The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. ³But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’ 

⁴You will certainly not die, the serpent said to the woman. ⁵God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.

⁶The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. ⁷Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed together fig leaves and made clothes for themselves.

⁸Then the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking in the garden. It was during the coolest time of the day. They hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹But the LORD God called out to the man. Where are you? he asked.

¹⁰I heard you in the garden, the man answered. I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid.

¹¹The LORD God said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?

¹²The man said, It’s the fault of the woman you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. And I ate it.

¹³Then the LORD God said to the woman, What have you done?

The woman said, The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.

¹⁴So the LORD God spoke to the serpent. He said, "Because you have done this,

"You are set apart from all livestock

and all wild animals.

I am putting a curse on you.

You will crawl on your belly.

You will eat dust

all the days of your life.

¹⁵I will make you and the woman hate each other.

Your children and her children will be enemies.

Her son will crush your head.

And you will bite his heel."

¹⁶The LORD God said to the woman,

"I will increase your pain when you give birth.

You will be in great pain when you have children.

You will long for your husband.

And he will rule over you."

¹⁷The LORD God said to Adam, "You listened to your wife’s suggestion. You ate fruit from the tree I warned you about. I said, ‘You must not eat its fruit.’

"So I am putting a curse on the ground because of what you did.

All the days of your life you will have to work hard.

It will be painful for you to get food from the ground. ¹⁸You will eat plants from the field,

even though the ground produces thorns and prickly weeds.

¹⁹You will have to work hard and sweat a lot

to produce the food you eat.

You were made out of the ground.

You will return to it when you die.

You are dust,

and you will return to dust."

²⁰Adam named his wife Eve. She would become the mother of every living person.

²¹The LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear. ²²The LORD God said, Just like one of us, the man can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live forever. ²³So the LORD God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden. He sent the man to farm the ground he had been made from. ²⁴The LORD God drove him out and then placed angels on the east side of the garden. He also placed there a flaming sword that flashed back and forth. The angels and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 4

Cain and Abel

¹Adam loved his wife Eve and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, With the LORD’s help I have had a baby boy. ²Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Abel took care of sheep. Cain farmed the land. ³After some time, Cain gathered some things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the LORD. ⁴And Abel also brought an offering. He brought the fattest parts of some animals from his flock. They were the first animals born to their mothers. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering. ⁵But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was sad.

⁶Then the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? ⁷Do what is right and then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It desires to control you. But you must rule over it.

⁸Cain said to his brother Abel, Let’s go out to the field. So they went out. There Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹Then the LORD said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel?

I don’t know, Cain replied. Am I supposed to take care of my brother?

¹⁰The LORD said, What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. ¹¹So I am putting a curse on you. I am driving you away from this ground. It has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you farm the land, it will not produce its crops for you anymore. You will be a restless person who wanders around on the earth.

¹³Cain said to the LORD, You are punishing me more than I can take. ¹⁴Today you are driving me away from the land. I will be hidden from you. I’ll be a restless person who wanders around on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me.

¹⁵But the LORD said to him, No. Anyone who kills you will be paid back seven times. The LORD put a mark on Cain. Then anyone who found him wouldn’t kill him. ¹⁶So Cain went away from the LORD. He lived in the land of Nod. It was east of Eden.

¹⁷Cain loved his wife and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time Cain was building a city. He named it after his son Enoch. ¹⁸Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael. And Methushael was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹Lamech married two women. One was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah. ²⁰Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of people who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of everyone who plays stringed instruments and wind instruments. ²²Zillah also had a son. His name was Tubal-Cain. He made all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives,

"Adah and Zillah, listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man because he wounded me.

I have killed a young man because he hurt me.

²⁴Anyone who would have killed Cain would have been paid back seven times.

But anyone who hurts me will be paid back 77 times."

²⁵Adam slept with his wife again. She gave birth to a son and named him Seth. She said, God has given me another child. He will take the place of Abel, because Cain killed him. ²⁶Seth also had a son and named him Enosh.

Then people began to call on the name of the LORD.

Genesis 5

The Family Line of Adam

¹Here is the written story of Adam’s family line.

When God created human beings, he made them to be like him. ²He created them as male and female, and he blessed them. He called them human beings when they were created.

³When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was like him. He named him Seth. ⁴Adam lived 800 years after Seth was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ⁵Adam lived a total of 930 years. And then he died.

⁶Seth lived 105 years. Then he became the father of Enosh. ⁷Seth lived 807 years after Enosh was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ⁸Seth lived a total of 912 years. And then he died.

⁹Enosh lived 90 years. Then he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰Enosh lived 815 years after Kenan was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ¹¹Enosh lived a total of 905 years. And then he died.

¹²Kenan lived 70 years. Then he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³Kenan lived 840 years after Mahalalel was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴Kenan lived a total of 910 years. And then he died.

¹⁵Mahalalel lived 65 years. Then he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶Mahalalel lived 830 years after Jared was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years. And then he died.

¹⁸Jared lived 162 years. Then he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹Jared lived 800 years after Enoch was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ²⁰Jared lived a total of 962 years. And then he died.

²¹Enoch lived 65 years. Then he became the father of Methuselah. ²²Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years after Methuselah was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ²³Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴Enoch walked faithfully with God. And then he couldn’t be found, because God took him from this life.

²⁵Methuselah lived 187 years. Then he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶Methuselah lived 782 years after Lamech was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ²⁷Methuselah lived a total of 969 years. And then he died.

²⁸Lamech lived 182 years. Then he had a son ²⁹and named him Noah. Lamech said, He will comfort us when we are working. He’ll comfort us when our hands work so hard they hurt. We have to work hard because the LORD put a curse on the ground. ³⁰Lamech lived 595 years after Noah was born. He also had other sons and daughters. ³¹Lamech lived a total of 777 years. And then he died.

³²After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 6

The Sins of Everyone on Earth

¹There began to be many human beings on the earth. And daughters were born to them. ²The sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful. So they married any of them they chose. ³Then the LORD said, My Spirit will not struggle with human beings forever. They will have only 120 years to live.

⁴The Nephilim were on the earth in those days. That was when the sons of God went to the daughters of human beings. Children were born to them. The Nephilim were famous heroes who lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the earth later on.

⁵The LORD saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things. ⁶The LORD was very sad that he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain. ⁷So the LORD said, I created human beings, but I will wipe them out. I will also destroy the animals, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground. I am very sad that I have made human beings. ⁸But the LORD was very pleased with Noah.

Noah and the Flood

⁹Here is the story of Noah’s family line.

Noah was a godly man. He was without blame among the people of his time. He walked faithfully with God. ¹⁰Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

¹¹The earth was very sinful in God’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things. ¹²God saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives. ¹³So God said to Noah, I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth. ¹⁴So make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out. ¹⁵Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 450 feet long. It has to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. ¹⁶Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way around that is a foot and a half high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks. ¹⁷I am going to bring a flood on the earth. It will destroy all life under the sky. It will destroy every living creature that breathes. Everything on earth will die. ¹⁸But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark. Your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will enter it with you. ¹⁹Bring a male and a female of every living thing into the ark. They will be kept alive with you. ²⁰Two of every kind of bird will come to you. Two of every kind of animal will also come to you. And so will two of every kind of creature that moves along the ground. All of them will be kept alive with you. ²¹Take every kind of food that you will need. Store it away as food for you and them.

²²Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Genesis 7

¹Then the LORD said to Noah, Go into the ark with your whole family. I know that you are a godly man among the people of today. ²Take seven pairs of every kind of ‘clean’ animal with you. Take a male and a female of each kind. Take one pair of every kind of animal that is not ‘clean.’ Take a male and a female of each kind. ³Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. Take a male and a female of each kind. Then every kind will be kept alive. They can spread out again over the whole earth. ⁴Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. I will destroy from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.

⁵Noah did everything the LORD commanded him to do.

⁶Noah was 600 years old when the flood came on the earth. ⁷He and his sons entered the ark. His wife and his sons’ wives went with them. They entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. ⁸Male and female pairs of clean animals and pairs of animals that were not clean came to Noah. So did male and female pairs of birds and of all the creatures that move along the ground. ⁹All of them came to Noah and entered the ark. Everything happened just as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰After seven days the flood came on the earth.

¹¹Noah was 600 years old. It was the 17th day of the second month of the year. On that day all of the springs at the bottom of the oceans burst open. God opened the windows of the sky. ¹²Rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

¹³On that same day Noah entered the ark together with his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah’s wife and the wives of his three sons also entered it. ¹⁴They had every kind of wild animal with them. They had every kind of livestock, creature that moves along the ground, and bird that flies. ¹⁵Pairs of all living creatures that breathe came to Noah and entered the ark. ¹⁶The animals going in were male and female of every living thing. Everything happened just as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

¹⁷For 40 days the flood kept coming on the earth. As the waters rose higher, they lifted the ark high above the earth. ¹⁸The waters rose higher and higher on the earth. And the ark floated on the water. ¹⁹The waters rose on the earth until all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. ²⁰The waters continued to rise until they covered the mountains by more than 20 feet. ²¹Every living thing that moved on land died. The birds, the livestock and the wild animals died. All of the creatures that fill the earth also died. And so did every human being. ²²Every breathing thing on dry land died. ²³Every living thing on earth was wiped out. People and animals were destroyed. The creatures that move along the ground and the birds in the sky were wiped out. Everything on earth was destroyed. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left.

²⁴The waters flooded the earth for 150 days.

Genesis 8

¹But God showed concern for Noah. He also showed concern for all the wild animals and livestock that were with Noah in the ark. So God sent a wind to sweep over the earth. And the waters began to go down. ²The springs at the bottom of the oceans had been closed. The windows of the sky had also been closed. And the rain had stopped falling from the sky. ³The water on the earth continued to go down. At the end of the 150 days the water had gone down. ⁴On the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵The waters continued to go down until the tenth month. On the first day of that month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.

⁶After 40 days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark. ⁷He sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the water on the earth had dried up. ⁸Then Noah sent out a dove. He wanted to see if the water on the surface of the ground had gone down. ⁹But the dove couldn’t find any place to rest. Water still covered the whole surface of the earth. So the dove returned to Noah in the ark. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove in. He brought it back to himself in the ark. ¹⁰He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again from the ark. ¹¹In the evening the dove returned to him. There in its beak was a freshly picked olive leaf! So Noah knew that the water on the earth had gone down. ¹²He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again. But this time it didn’t return to him.

¹³It was the first day of the first month of Noah’s 601st year. The water on the earth had dried up. Then Noah removed the covering from the ark. He saw that the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴By the 27th day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

¹⁵Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶Come out of the ark. Bring your wife and your sons and their wives with you. ¹⁷Bring out every kind of living thing that is with you. Bring the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground. Then they can multiply on the earth. They can have little ones and the number of them can increase.

¹⁸So Noah came out of the ark. His sons and his wife and his sons’ wives were with him. ¹⁹All the animals came out of the ark. The creatures that move along the ground also came out. So did all the birds. Everything that moves on land came out of the ark, one kind after another.

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to honor the LORD. He took some of the clean animals and birds. He sacrificed them on the altar as burnt offerings. ²¹The smell of the offerings pleased the LORD. He said to himself, "I will never put a curse on the ground again because of human beings. I will not do it even though their hearts are always directed toward evil. Their thoughts are evil from the time they are young. I will never destroy all living things again, as I have just done.

²²"As long as the earth lasts,

there will always be a time to plant

and a time to gather the crops.

As long as the earth lasts,

there will always be cold and heat.

There will always be summer and winter,

day and night."

Genesis 9

God Makes a Covenant With Noah

¹Then God blessed Noah and his sons. He said to them, "Have children so that there are many of you. Fill the earth. ²All the land animals will be afraid of you. All the birds in the sky will be afraid of you. Every creature that moves along the ground will be afraid of you. So will every fish in the seas. Every living thing is put under your control. ³Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. I have already given you the green plants for food. Now I am giving you everything.

⁴"But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it. ⁵I will certainly hold someone accountable if you are murdered. I will even hold animals accountable if they kill you. I will also hold anyone accountable who murders another person.

⁶"Anyone who murders a human being

will be killed by a human being.

That is because I have