NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible: Insights From The Past and Present

NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible
Copyright 2011 by Zondervan

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Contents
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

What Is the Bible?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
The Old Testament

Book . . . . . . . Abbreviation. . . . . . . Page
Book . . . . . . . Abbreviation. . . . . . . . Page
Genesis . . . . . . . . .
Exodus. . . . . . . . . .
Leviticus. . . . . . . . .
Numbers . . . . . . . .
Deuteronomy. . . . .
Joshua . . . . . . . . . .
Judges. . . . . . . . . . .
Ruth. . . . . . . . . . . .
1Samuel . . . . . . . .
2Samuel . . . . . . . .
1Kings. . . . . . . . . .
2Kings. . . . . . . . . .
1Chronicles. . . . . .
2Chronicles. . . . . .
Ezra . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nehemiah . . . . . . .
Esther. . . . . . . . . . .
Job. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Psalms . . . . . . . . . .
Proverbs. . . . . . . . .
Ge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Ex. . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Lev . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Nu . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Dt. . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Jos. . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Jdg . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Ru. . . . . . . . . . . . 293
1Sa. . . . . . . . . . . 298
2Sa. . . . . . . . . . . 333
1Ki . . . . . . . . . . . 364
2Ki . . . . . . . . . . . 400
1Ch. . . . . . . . . . . 434
2Ch. . . . . . . . . . . 468
Ezr . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Ne. . . . . . . . . . . . 522
Est. . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Job . . . . . . . . . . . 548
Ps . . . . . . . . . . . . 588
Pr . . . . . . . . . . . . 695
Ecclesiastes. . . . . . .
Song of Songs. . . . .
Isaiah. . . . . . . . . . .
Jeremiah. . . . . . . . .
Lamentations . . . . .
Ezekiel. . . . . . . . . .
Daniel . . . . . . . . . .
Hosea. . . . . . . . . . .
Joel. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Amos . . . . . . . . . . .
Obadiah. . . . . . . . .
Jonah . . . . . . . . . . .
Micah. . . . . . . . . . .
Nahum. . . . . . . . . .
Habakkuk. . . . . . . .
Zephaniah . . . . . . .
Haggai. . . . . . . . . .
Zechariah. . . . . . . .
Malachi . . . . . . . . .
Matthew. . . . . . . . .
Mark. . . . . . . . . . . .
Luke. . . . . . . . . . . .
John. . . . . . . . . . . .
Acts . . . . . . . . . . . .
Romans . . . . . . . . .
1Corinthians . . . . .
2Corinthians . . . . .
Galatians . . . . . . . .
Ephesians. . . . . . . .
Philippians. . . . . . .
Colossians . . . . . . .
1Thessalonians . . .
2Thessalonians . . .
Mt. . . . . . . . . . .
Mk . . . . . . . . . .
Lk. . . . . . . . . . .
Jn . . . . . . . . . . .
Ac. . . . . . . . . . .
Ro. . . . . . . . . . .
1Co. . . . . . . . . .
2Co. . . . . . . . . .
Gal. . . . . . . . . .
Eph. . . . . . . . . .
Php. . . . . . . . . .
Col . . . . . . . . . .
1Th. . . . . . . . . .
2Th. . . . . . . . . .
Ecc . . . . . . . . . . . 733
SS. . . . . . . . . . . . 744
Isa. . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Jer. . . . . . . . . . . . 828
La. . . . . . . . . . . . 896
Eze . . . . . . . . . . . 904
Da. . . . . . . . . . . . 961
Hos. . . . . . . . . . . 980
Joel. . . . . . . . . . . 993
Am . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Ob . . . . . . . . . . 1009
Jnh . . . . . . . . . . 1012
Mic. . . . . . . . . . 1017
Na. . . . . . . . . . . 1025
Hab. . . . . . . . . . 1029
Zep. . . . . . . . . . 1033
Hag. . . . . . . . . . 1038
Zec. . . . . . . . . . 1041
Mal. . . . . . . . . . 1053
The New Testament

1061
1104
1133
1182
1218
1261
1285
1305
1319
1326
1335
1341
1347
1352
1Timothy. . . . . . . .
2Timothy. . . . . . . .
Titus. . . . . . . . . . . .
Philemon . . . . . . . .
Hebrews. . . . . . . . .
James. . . . . . . . . . .
1Peter . . . . . . . . . .
2Peter . . . . . . . . . .
1John. . . . . . . . . . .
2John. . . . . . . . . . .
3John. . . . . . . . . . .
Jude . . . . . . . . . . . .
Revelation . . . . . . .

Table of Weights and Measures. . . . . . . . . . .

Bible Reading Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contributor Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1Ti . . . . . . . . . .
2Ti . . . . . . . . . .
Titus . . . . . . . . .
Phm . . . . . . . . .
Heb. . . . . . . . . .
Jas. . . . . . . . . . .
1Pe. . . . . . . . . .
2Pe. . . . . . . . . .
1Jn . . . . . . . . . .
2Jn . . . . . . . . . .
3Jn . . . . . . . . . .
Jude . . . . . . . . .
Rev. . . . . . . . . .
1355
1361
1367
1370
1371
1390
1397
1403
1407
1415
1417
1418
1421
1448
1449
1458
1483
1511
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Welcome
Welcome to NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible. This Bible was created to be your
companion in your walk with God. Through the writings of those who lived many
years ago to those who are living and writing in our present world, NIV Voices of
Faith Devotional Bible will encourage your growth and draw you more deeply into
Gods Word.
This Bible contains devotional readings for each day of the week and a reading
for every weekend. In the weekday readings, you will find two Bible passages to
choose from: a longer passage that provides greater context and depth, and a shorter
passage for those days when your time must be kept short. Youll want to be sure
to begin each devotional time by reading and reflecting on the words that come
directly from God himself through his Word.
After spending time with the days Scripture passage, youll find devotional
thoughts in the form of two quotations that both reflect on a similar theme found
within the Bible reading. One quote will come from a classic Christian author, and
the other will come from a contemporary Christian author. While the authors of
each quote often lived generations apart, youll be surprised and encouraged at how
much they had in common as they contemplated the truths of Scripture, how the
issues that people have wrestled with throughout the ages have remained constant,
how the quotations each give insight in their own way. The reflection questions at
the end of each reading will help you examine and explore these common threads
for yourself.
As you read, we hope your faith will be strengthened. Youll discover that for
2,000 years, Christianity has remained unchanged in its core beliefs. Christians
throughout the ages have faced similar challenges regarding their faith and the
Christian life. The common themes in these readings illustrate the truth of Hebrews
13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
In the course of these weekday readings, youll encounter the words of over 200
authors who are all members of the family of God. As with any family, youll relate
well to certain members, while others wont be as familiar to you. While Christian
ity is a big family, our identifying and unifying trait is faith in Jesus Christ as the
only means of salvation for sinful people. While all the writers whose quotes weve
included in the daily readings share this view of Christ and salvation, we have not
limited ourselves to one style, time period or denomination. Weve intentionally
included a wide variety of contributors. Since the Christian family is a diverse group,
youll find readings from Catholics, Charismatics, Presbyterians, Baptists and every
thing in between. Our hope is that fresh voices and new perspectivesfrom both
the past and the presentwill encourage and challenge you as you walk with the
God who is the father of us all.
In addition to the weekday readings, this Bible includes several other features that
we hope will help you along the way:
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vi
Welcome
Weekend Readings. We encourage you to find a few minutes on Satur

day or Sunday to reflect on Gods Word. These special readings will lead you
through a few quiet moments of reflective Bible reading and prayer. At the
close of each reading, youll find a couple of quotes from some well-known
voices. Each of these quotes offers further insight, reflection or thoughts on the
weekends theme.
Reading Plans. These can be found in the back of the Bible. Youll find a
year-long reading plan, or you may wish to explore what the Bible says on
specific topics. Turn to page XXXX to see the available reading plans.
Contributor Biographies. These provide a very short overview of each
author quoted in the weekday readings. Turn here to learn more about each
contributor or to discover where their comments are located within the read
ings in this Bible.
Subject Index. You can look up a wide variety of subjects in the index in
the back of this Bible and can then turn to the listed page number to read a
devotion that incorporates that subject.
Its our prayer that this edition of the Bible will prove useful in encouraging your
reading of Gods Word and in strengthening your relationship with him.
Zondervan and the NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible editorial team
11/10/11 11:38 AM
What Is the Bible?

The Bible is made up of 66 individual books written by different authors. Each of
these authors used different writing styles and lived in different eras of history. Each
had their own purpose and occasion in mind as they wrote. What separates the Bible
from other anthologies is the fact that God himself guided the writing of Scripture.
The result is one amazingly cohesive book made up of wildly disparate parts. Heres
a quick look at the different genres youll find as you explore the books of Scripture.
Old Testament
Books of the Law
Genesis through Deuteronomy

The first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) detail Gods interaction with his
human creation. They offer vivid descriptions of God making himself known to indi
viduals, including Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Moses. Specifically these
books catalog Gods dealings with the Israelites, his chosen p
eople. They give us
snapshots of his love, mercy, justice and holinessthe way he rewards faithfulness
and punishes disobedience. In these books, God establishes the rules for living that
he expects to govern the lives of his p
eople.
Books of History
Joshua through Esther
These books record the history of the Israelites and the lives of such notables as
Joshua, Samson, Deborah, David and Esther. They also establish an unfortunate pat
tern in the relationship between God and his people. The pattern goes like this: God
gives instructions on how to live in such a way that people can enjoy his blessings
and fellowship; humans ignore his instructions and disobey him, putting an obsta
cle in the relationship with him; God punishes the disobedience and withholds his
blessings; humans recognize their error and repent; God forgives and restores his
blessings. That pattern of disobedience-rejection-repentance-acceptance is repeated
time and again throughout the books of history.
Books of Poetry
Job through Song of Songs

These books record the thoughts, personal struggles and hard-earned wisdom of
Gods people. They address timeless topics, such as why p
eople suffer, what kind of
worship pleases the Lord and how Gods wisdom can be applied to everyday life.
Books of the Prophets

Isaiah through Malachi
Youve heard the expression God works in mysterious ways. The fact is, God often
gives his people advance notice of his intentions and plans. That notice can be found
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viii
What is the Bible?
in the books of prophecy. Not only do the prophets offer warnings to the people of
Israel, they also point to the long-awaited Messiah, the One who would ultimately
restore the relationship between God and humans.
New Testament
Books of History
Matthew through Acts
The first four books of the New Testamentthe Gospelspresent four different yet
ultimately complementary accounts of the life of Christ. The accounts are culled
from personal recollections and eyewitness testimony.
Before Jesus returned to heaven, he instructed his followers to spread his Good
News across the globe. The book of Acts details the efforts of the early believers to
do just that. In its pages youll find the beginning of the churchthe body of Christ
on earth.
Letters
Romans through Revelation

God commissioned men such as Paul, Peter and John to write letters to various early
churches and church leaders, encouraging them in their faith and addressing prob
lems they faced. In the process, the Lord outlined the basic doctrines of the Christian
life and spelled out the responsibilities of believers throughout history.
11/10/11 11:38 AM
Preface
The goal of the New International Version (NIV) is to enable English-speaking people
from around the world to read and hear Gods eternal Word in their own language.
Our work as translators is motivated by our conviction that the Bible is Gods Word
in written form. We believe that the Bible contains the divine answer to the deepest
needs of humanity, sheds unique light on our path in a dark world and sets forth the
way to our eternal well-being. Out of these deep convictions, we have sought to rec
reate as far as possible the experience of the original audienceblending transpar
ency to the original text with accessibility for the millions of English speakers around
the world. We have prioritized accuracy, clarity and literary quality with the goal of
creating a translation suitable for public and private reading, evangelism, teaching,
preaching, memorizing and liturgical use. We have also sought to preserve a mea
sure of continuity with the long tradition of translating the Scriptures into English.
The complete NIV Bible was first published in 1978. It was a completely new
translation made by over a hundred scholars working directly from the best avail
able Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. The translators came from the United States,
Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, giving the translation an interna
tional scope. They were from many denominations and churchesincluding Angli
can, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ,
Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene,
Presbyterian, Wesleyan and others. This breadth of denominational and theological
perspective helped to safeguard the translation from sectarian bias. For these rea
sons, and by the grace of God, the NIV has gained a wide readership in all parts of
the English-speaking world.
The work of translating the Bible is never finished. As good as they are, English
translations must be regularly updated so that they will continue to communicate
accurately the meaning of Gods Word. Updates are needed in order to reflect the
latest developments in our understanding of the biblical world and its languages
and to keep pace with changes in English usage. Recognizing, then, that the NIV
would retain its ability to communicate Gods Word accurately only if it were regu
larly updated, the original translators established The Committee on Bible Transla
tion (CBT). The committee is a self-perpetuating group of biblical scholars charged
with keeping abreast of advances in biblical scholarship and changes in English and
issuing periodic updates to the NIV. CBT is an independent, self-governing body and
has sole responsibility for the NIV text. The committee mirrors the original group of
translators in its diverse international and denominational makeup and in its unify
ing commitment to the Bible as Gods inspired Word.
In obedience to its mandate, the committee has issued periodic updates to the
NIV. An initial revision was released in 1984. A more thorough revision process
was completed in 2005, resulting in the separately published Todays New Interna
tional Version (TNIV). The updated NIV you now have in your hands builds on both
the original NIV and the TNIV and represents the latest effort of the committee to
11/10/11 11:38 AM
preface
a rticulate Gods unchanging Word in the way the original authors might have said
it had they been speaking in English to the global English-speaking audience today.
The first concern of the translators has continued to be the accuracy of the trans
lation and its faithfulness to the intended meaning of the biblical writers. This has
moved the translators to go beyond a formal word-for-word rendering of the original
texts. Because thought patterns and syntax differ from language to language, accu
rate communication of the meaning of the biblical authors demands constant regard
for varied contextual uses of words and idioms and for frequent modifications in
sentence structures.
As an aid to the reader, sectional headings have been inserted. They are not to
be regarded as part of the biblical text and are not intended for oral reading. It is the
committees hope that these headings may prove more helpful to the reader than the
traditional chapter divisions, which were introduced long after the Bible was written.
For the Old Testament the standard Hebrew text, the Masoretic Text as published
in the latest edition of Biblia Hebraica, has been used throughout. The Masoretic Text
tradition contains marginal notations that offer variant readings. These have some
times been followed instead of the text itself. Because such instances involve variants
within the Masoretic tradition, they have not been indicated in the textual notes. In
a few cases, words in the basic consonantal text have been divided differently than
in the Masoretic Text. Such cases are usually indicated in the textual footnotes. The
Dead Sea Scrolls contain biblical texts that represent an earlier stage of the transmis
sion of the Hebrew text. They have been consulted, as have been the Samaritan Pen
tateuch and the ancient scribal traditions concerning deliberate textual changes. The
translators also consulted the more important early versionsthe Greek Septuagint,
Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta, the Ara
maic Targums and, for the Psalms, the Juxta Hebraica of Jerome. Readings from these
versions, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the scribal traditions were occasionally followed
where the Masoretic Text seemed doubtful and where accepted principles of textual
criticism showed that one or more of these textual witnesses appeared to provide the
correct reading. In rare cases, the committee has emended the Hebrew text where it
appears to have become corrupted at an even earlier stage of its transmission. These
departures from the Masoretic Text are also indicated in the textual footnotes. Some
times the vowel indicators (which are later additions to the basic consonantal text)
found in the Masoretic Text did not, in the judgment of the committee, represent the
correct vowels for the original text. Accordingly, some words have been read with
a different set of vowels. These instances are usually not indicated in the footnotes.
The Greek text used in translating the New Testament is an eclectic one, based on
the latest editions of the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Societies Greek New Testament.
The committee has made its choices among the variant readings in accordance with
widely accepted principles of New Testament textual criticism. Footnotes call atten
tion to places where uncertainty remains.
The New Testament authors, writing in Greek, often quote the Old Testament
from its ancient Greek version, the Septuagint. This is one reason why some of the
Old Testament quotations in the NIV New Testament are not identical to the corre
sponding passages in the NIV Old Testament. Such quotations in the New Testament
are indicated with the footnote (see Septuagint).
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Preface
xi
Other footnotes in this version are of several kinds, most of which need no expla
nation. Those giving alternative translations begin with Or and generally introduce
the alternative with the last word preceding it in the text, except when it is a singleword alternative. When poetry is quoted in a footnote, a slash mark indicates a line
division.
It should be noted that references to diseases, minerals, flora and fauna, architec
tural details, clothing, jewelry, musical instruments and other articles cannot always
be identified with precision. Also, linear measurements and measures of capacity
can only be approximated (see the Table of Weights and Measures). Although Selah,
used mainly in the Psalms, is probably a musical term, its meaning is uncertain.
Since it may interrupt reading and distract the reader, this word has not been kept in
the English text, but every occurrence has been signaled by a footnote.
One of the main reasons the task of Bible translation is never finished is the
change in our own language, English. Although a basic core of the language remains
relatively stable, many diverse and complex linguistic factors continue to bring
about subtle shifts in the meanings and/or connotations of even old, well-established
words and phrases. One of the shifts that creates particular challenges to writers and
translators alike is the manner in which gender is presented. The original NIV (1978)
was published in a time when a man would naturally be understood, in many con
texts, to be referring to a person, whether male or female. But most English speakers
today tend to hear a distinctly male connotation in this word. In recognition of this
change in English, this edition of the NIV, along with almost all other recent Eng
lish translations, substitutes other expressions when the original text intends to refer
generically to men and women equally. Thus, for instance, the NIV (1984) rendering
of 1Corinthians 8:3, But the man who loves God is known by God becomes in
this edition But whoever loves God is known by God. On the other hand, man
and mankind, as ways of denoting the human race, are still widely used. This edi
tion of the NIV therefore continues to use these words, along with other expressions,
in this way.
A related shift in English creates a greater challenge for modern translations: the
move away from using the third-person masculine singular pronounshe/him/
histo refer to men and women equally. This usage does persist at a low level in
some forms of English, and this revision therefore occasionally uses these pronouns
in a generic sense. But the tendency, recognized in day-to-day usage and confirmed
by extensive research, is away from the generic use of he, him and his. In
recognition of this shift in language and in an effort to translate into the common
English that people are actually using, this revision of the NIV generally uses other
constructions when the biblical text is plainly addressed to men and women equally.
The reader will frequently encounter a they, them or their to express a generic
singular idea. Thus, for instance, Mark 8:36 reads: What good is it for someone to
gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? This generic use of the indefinite or
singular they/them/their has a venerable place in English idiom and has quickly
become established as standard English, spoken and written, all over the world.
Where an individual emphasis is deemed to be present, anyone or everyone or
some other equivalent is generally used as the antecedent of such pronouns.
11/10/11 11:38 AM
xii
preface
Sometimes the chapter and/or verse numbering in English translations of the Old
Testament differs from that found in published Hebrew texts. This is particularly the
case in the Psalms, where the traditional titles are often included in the Hebrew
verse numbering. Such differences are indicated in the footnotes at the bottom of
the page. In the New Testament, verse numbers that marked off portions of the tra
ditional English text not supported by the best Greek manuscripts now appear in
brackets, with a footnote indicating the text that has been omitted (see, for example,
Matthew 17:[21]).
Mark 16:920 and John 7:538:11, although long accorded virtually equal sta
tus with the rest of the Gospels in which they stand, have a very questionableand
confusedstanding in the textual history of the New Testament, as noted in the
bracketed annotations with which they are set off. A different typeface has been cho
sen for these passages to indicate even more clearly their uncertain status.
Basic formatting of the text, such as lining the poetry, paragraphing (both prose
and poetry), setting up of (administrative-like) lists, indenting letters and lengthy
prayers within narratives and the insertion of sectional headings, has been the work
of the committee. However, the choice between single-column and double-column
formats has been left to the publishers. Also the issuing of red-letter editions is a
publishers choiceone the committee does not endorse.
The committee has again been reminded that every human effort is flawed
including this revision of the NIV. We trust, however, that many will find in it an
improved representation of the Word of God, through which they hear his call to
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and to service in his kingdom. We offer this version of
the Bible to him in whose name and for whose glory it has been made.
The Committee on Bible Translation
September 2010
11/10/11 11:38 AM
The Old
Testament
11/10/11 11:38 AM
Genesis
The Beginning
In the beg inn ing God created the

heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth
was formless and empt y, darkness was
over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hoveri ng over the wa
ters.
3 And God said, Let there be light, and

t here was l ight. 4God saw that the l ight
was good, and he sepa rated the light
from the darkness. 5God c alled the
l ight day, and the darkness he called
night. And there was even ing, and
t here was morni ng t he f irst day.
6 And God said, Let t here be a v ault be
tween the waters to sepa rate water
from water. 7So God made the v ault
and sepa r ate d the wat er under the
v ault from the water above it. And it
was so. 8God c alled the v ault sky.
And t here was even ing, and t here was
morni ng t he second day.
9 And God said, Let the water under the
sky be gathered to one place, and let dry
g round appear. And it was so. 10God
called the dry g round land, and the
gathered waters he c alled seas. And
God saw that it was good.
11Then God said, Let the land pro
duce veget at ion: seed-beari ng plants
and trees on the land that bear fruit
with seed in it, accordi ng to t heir var
ious k inds. And it was so. 12The land
produced veget at ion: plants bear i ng
seed accordi ng to t heir k inds and t rees
beari ng f ruit with seed in it accordi ng
to t heir k inds. And God saw that it was
good. 13And there was even ing, and
t here was morni ng t he t hird day.
14 And God said, Let t here be l ights in the
vault of the sky to sepa rate the day from
the n ight, and let them s erve as signs to
mark sacred times, and days and years,
15and let them be l ights in the v ault of
a26
the sky to give l ight on the earth. And it

was so. 16God made two g reat l ights
the greater l ight to govern the day and
the lesser l ight to govern the n ight. He
also made the stars. 17God set them
in the vault of the sky to give light on
the earth, 18to govern the day and the
n ight, and to sepa rate l ight from dark
ness. And God saw that it was good.
19And t here was even ing, and t here was
morni ng t he fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the water teem with
livi ng creat ures, and let b
irds fly above
the e arth a cross the v ault of the sky.
21So God create d the g reat creatures
of the sea and every living t hing with
which the water teems and that moves
about in it, acc ording to their k inds,
and every w inged bird acc ording to
its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22God b
lessed them and said, Be fruit
ful and increase in number and fill the
water in the seas, and let the birds in
crease on the earth. 23And t here was
even ing, and t here was morni ngt he
f ifth day.
24 And God said, Let the land produce liv
ing creat ures accord i ng to t heir k inds:
the livestock, the creat ures that move
a long the g round, and the wild ani
mals, each accordi ng to its kind. And
it was so. 25God made the wild ani mals
accord i ng to t heir k inds, the livestock
acc ording to their k inds, and all the
creat ures that move a long the g round
accordi ng to t heir k inds. And God saw
that it was good.
26Then God said, Let us make man
kind in our image, in our likeness, so
that they may rule over the fish in the
sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild ani mals,a and
over all the creat ures that move a long
the ground.
Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth
0310441013_int_01_gen_deut_voicesoffaith_cs5_FINAL.indd 1
11/10/11 11:13 AM
M O T U W E T H F R S A S U
MONDAY
Knowing God
Genesis 1:131 or 1:15,31
Billy Graham
If I thought the Bible was only a bunch of myths and legends, then I wouldnt want to base
my life on it. But thats not what it isnot at all.
This is why I invite you to discover the Bible for yourself, and not simply go on what
youve heard others say about it. You see, the Bible tells us about real events and real
peoplepeople who faced the same challenges we do, and had the same hopes and dreams
we have. But many of them had another dimension to their lives also: a spiritual dimension.
The reason wasnt just because they believed in God, but because they knew God in a per
sonal way. We can, too.
Most of all, the Bible tells us about Jesus Christ. It tells us who He was and what He
did; most of all it tells us He was God in human flesh, sent from heaven to save us from sin
and death and judgment. Do you honestly want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus
Christ, for in Him all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). He
proved it by doing something no one else has ever done: He rose from the dead.
Dont let pride, or fear, or anything else keep you from the Bible, and from the One
who is its center: Jesus Christ. When you honestly examine it, youll discover the greatest
truth anyone can ever know: God loves you, and He will change your life as you open your
heart to Christ.
D. L. Moody {ad 18371899}

Some look upon the Bible as a garden of spices, in which you may walk and at your leisure
pluck the flowers and gather the fruits of the Eden of God. But this does not accord with
my experience. I have found it more like a mine, in which you must dig and labor, the wealth
of which is not to be obtained without labora mine rich in gold and precious things, but
it must be mined day and night in order to produce them.
reflection
1. Why are you reading the Bible?

2. In what ways are you open to having this Book change your life?
3. Many p eople believe that God lacks relevance. Do you believe this? Why
or why not?
For your next devotional reading, go to page 4.
|| 2||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 1:27
27 So God created mankind in his own

image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to
them, Be fruitf ul and increase in num
ber; fill the e arth and subdue it. Rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in
the sky and over every livi ng creat ure
that moves on the ground.
29Then God said, I give you ev
ery seed-bearing plant on the face of
the w hole earth and every tree that
has fruit with seed in it. They will be
yours for food. 30And to all the beasts
of the earth and all the birds in the sky
and all the creat ures that move along
the g roundeveryt hing that has the
breath of life in itI give every g reen
plant for food. And it wasso.
31God saw all that he had made, and
it was very good. And t here was eve
ning, and there was morningthe
sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were

completed in all t heir vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the

work he had been doi ng; so on the sev
enth day he rested from all his work.
3Then God
blessed the seventh day
and made it holy, because on it he rest
ed from all the work of creati ng that he
had done.
Adam and Eve

4This
is the account of the heavens and

the earth when they were created, when the
Lord God made the e arth and the heavens.
5Now no s
hrub had yet appeared on the
earth a and no plant had yet sprung up, for
the Lord God had not sent rain on the e arth
and t here was no one to work the g round,
6but streams b came up from the earth and
watered the w
hole surface of the g round.
7Then the Lord God formed a manc from
the dust of the g round and b
reathed into his
nost rils the breath of life, and the man be
came a livi ng bei ng.
Genesis 2:23
8Now the Lord God had plante d a gar

den in the east, in Eden; and t here he put the
man he had formed. 9The Lord God made
all k inds of t rees grow out of the g round
t rees that were pleasi ng to the eye and good
for food. In the midd le of the garden were the
tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
10A river wateri ng the garden f lowed from
Eden; from t here it was sepa rated into four
headw aters. 11The name of the first is the
Pishon; it w inds t hrough the ent ire land of
Hav i lah, where t here is gold. 12(The gold of
that land is good; aromatic resi nd and onyx
are also t here.) 13The name of the second riv
er is the Gihon; it w
inds t hrough the ent ire
land of Cush.e 14The name of the t hird riv
er is the Tig ris; it runs a long the east side of
Ashu r. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15The Lord God took the man and put
him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take
care of it. 16And the Lord God commanded
the man, You are free to eat from any tree in
the garden; 17but you must not eat from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat from it you will certainly die.
18The Lord God said, It is not good for
the man to be a lone. I will make a helper
suitable for him.
19Now the Lord God had formed out of
the g round all the wild ani mals and all the
birds in the sky. He brought them to the man
to see what he would name them; and what
ever the man c alled each living creature,
that was its name. 20So the man gave names
to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and
all the wild ani mals.
But for Adamf no suitable helper was
found. 21So the Lord God caused the man
to fall into a deep s leep; and w hile he was
sleepi ng, he took one of the mans ribsg and
then closed up the place with f lesh. 22Then
the Lord God made a woma n from the ribh
he had taken out of the man, and he brought
her to the man.
23The man said,
This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called woman,
for she was taken out of man.
a5Orland; also in verse6 b6Ormist c7
TheHebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be

related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse20). d12Orgood;
e
pearls 13Possibly southeast Mesopotamia f20Orthe man g21Ortook part of the mans side
h22Orpart
11/10/11 11:13 AM
TUESDAY
God of Ages
Genesis 2:125 or 2:49
George Fox {ad 16241691}

He is the living God, that clothes the earth with grass and herbs, causes the trees to grow
and bring forth food for you, and makes the fishes of the sea to breathe and live. He makes
the fowls of the air to breed and causes the buck and the doe, the creatures, and all the beasts
to bring forth whereby they may be food for you. He is the living God, that causes the sun
to give warmth to you, to nourish you when you are cold. He is the living God, that causes
the snow and frost to melt and causes the rain to water the plants. He is the living God, that
made heaven and earth, the clouds, causes the springs to break out of the rocks, and divided
the great sea from the earth. He divides the light from the darkness, by which it is called
day and the darkness night, and divided the great waters from the earth, together, which
great waters he called sea and the dry land earth. He is to be worshiped that does this. He
is the living God that gives you breath, life and strength and gives you beasts and cattle
whereby you may be fed and clothed. He is the living God, and he is to be worshiped. This
is the King of kings and Lord of lords, in whose hand is the breath of all mankind.
Ann Spangler
A mighty God could have created a world quite different from the one we know. It could
have had perpetually dark skies, grass that hurt to walk on, dogs that couldnt be housebro
ken and people incapable of love. Have you ever wondered why the world you take for
granted is often so stunningly beautiful? So pleasant to live in? Why the p eople around you
are capable of so much kindness?
So often we miss lifes beauty because we are preoccupied by its flaws. Instead of taking
off our shoes to feel the feathery soft grass beneath our feet, we complain that its growing
so fast that we dont have time to mow it. Rather than enjoying the gregarious woman
behind the supermarket counter, we blame her friendly chatter for delaying the checkout
line. And what about us? Who stares back from the mirror each morning? A child of God
who is growing daily in his image or someone whose nose is too big or too small, whose hair
is in a state of perpetual rebellion or whose skin is aged and worn?
Today, ask the God who made you to remake your sense of wonder at his creative
power.
reflection
1. What does the vastness of creation teach you about God?

2. How could the fact that God is the creator of all things affect your
perception of yourself and the world around you?
3. How does your understanding of Gods sovereignty affect your view of him?
|| 4||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 2:24
24That
is why a man leaves his fat her and

mother and is united to his wife, and they
become one flesh.
25Adam and his wife were both na
ked,
and they felt no shame.
The Fall
Now the serpent was more crafty than

any of the wild animals the Lord God
had made. He said to the woma n, Did God
really say, You must not eat from any tree in
the garden?
2The woma n said to the serpent, We may
eat f ruit from the t rees in the garden, 3but
God did say, You must not eat f ruit from the
tree that is in the midd le of the garden, and
you must not t ouch it, or you will die.
4You will not cer
t ainly die, the ser
pent said to the woma n. 5For God k nows
that when you eat from it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowi ng
good and evil.
6When the woma n saw that the fruit of
the tree was good for food and pleasing to
the eye, and also desirable for gaini ng wis
dom, she took some and ate it. She also gave
some to her husband, who was with her, and
he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were
opened, and they rea li zed they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together and made
coveri ngs for themselves.
8Then the man and his wife h
eard the
sound of the Lord God as he was walking
in the garden in the cool of the day, and they
hid from the Lord God a mong the t rees of
the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the
man, Where are you?
10He ans wered, I heard you in the gar
den, and I was a fraid because I was naked;
so I hid.
11And he said, Who told you that you
were naked? Have you eaten from the tree
that I commanded you not to eat from?
12The man said, The woma n you put here
with meshe gave me some f ruit from the
tree, and I ateit.
13Then the Lord God said to the woma n,
What is this you have done?
The woma n said, The serpent deceived
me, and I ate.
14So the Lord God said to the serp ent,
Because you have done this,
Genesis 3:24
Cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspringa and hers;
he will crushb your head,
and you will strike his heel.
16To the woma n he said,
I will make your pains in childbearing

very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth
to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.
17To Adam he said, Bec ause you listened
to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about
which I commanded you, You must not eat
fromit,
Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat food
from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.
20Adamc
amed his wife Eve,d bec ause

n
she w
ould become the mother of all the liv
ing.
21The Lord God made garments of skin
for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
22And the Lord God said, The man has now
become like one of us, knowing good and
evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his
hand and take also from the tree of life and
eat, and live forever. 23So the Lord God ban
ished him from the Garden of Eden to work
the g round from which he had been taken.
24After he d
rove the man out, he p
laced on
the east sidee of the Garden of Eden cheru
bim and a flami ng sword flashi ng back and
forth to g uard the way to the tree of life.
a15Orseed b15Orstrike c20OrThe man d20 Eve probably means living. e24Orplaced in
front
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 4:1
Cain and Abel
Adama
made love to his wife Eve, and

she became pregnant and gave b
irth to
Cain.b She said, With the help of the Lord I
have brought forth c a man. 2Later she gave
birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept f locks, and Cain w
orked
the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought
some of the f ruits of the soil as an offeri ng to
the Lord. 4And Abel also brought an offer
ingfat port ions from some of the firstborn
of his f lock. The Lord looked with favor on
Abel and his offeri ng, 5but on Cain and his
offeri ng he did not look with favor. So Cain
was very ang ry, and his face was downcast.
6Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are
you ang ry? Why is your face downcast? 7If
you do what is r ight, will you not be accept
ed? But if you do not do what is r ight, sin is
crouching at your door; it desires to have
you, but you must rule overit.
8Now Cain said to his brother Abel, Lets
go out to the f ield.d W hile they were in the
field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and
k illed him.
9Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is
your brother Abel?
I dont know, he replied. AmI my broth
ers keeper?
10The Lord said, What have you done?
Listen! Your brothers blood cries out to me
from the g round. 11Now you are under a
c urse and driven from the g round, w hich
opened its mouth to receive your brothers
blood from your hand. 12When you work the
g round, it will no longer y ield its c rops for
you. You will be a restless wanderer on the
earth.
13Cain said to the Lord, My punishment
is more than I can bear. 14Today you are
drivi ng me from the land, and I will be hid
den from your presence; I will be a restless
wanderer on the earth, and whoever f inds
me will killme.
15But the Lord said to him, Not soe; any
one who k ills Cain will suffer vengeance sev
en t imes over. Then the Lord put a mark on
Cain so that no one who found him would
kill him. 16So Cain went out from the Lords
Genesis 5:5
presence and l ived in the land of Nod,f east

of Eden.
17Cain made love to his wife, and she be
came pregnant and gave birth to E
noch.
Cain was then buildi ng a city, and he named
it after his son Enoch. 18To Enoch was born
Irad, and Irad was the fat her of Mehujael,
and Mehujael was the fat her of Met hushael,
and Met hushael was the fat her of Lamech.
19La
m ech mar
r ied two wom
e n, one
named Adah and the other Zillah. 20Adah
gave birth to Jabal; he was the fat her of t hose
who live in t ents and raise livestock. 21His
brothers name was Jubal; he was the fat her
of all who play s tringed instruments and
pipes. 22Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain,
who forged all k inds of tools out ofg bronze
and iron. Tubal-Cains sister was Naa mah.
23Lamech said to his wives,
Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.
25Adam
made love to his wife again, and

she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,h
saying, God has granted me another child in
place of Abel, since Cain k illed him. 26Seth
also had a son, and he n
amed him Enosh.
At that time people began to call oni the
name of the Lord.
From Adam to Noah
This is the written account of Adams

family line.
When God create d mank ind, he made

them in the likeness of God. 2He created
them male and female and b
lessed them.
And he named them Mank indj when they
were created.
3When Adam had l ived 130 years, he had
a son in his own likeness, in his own image;
and he named him Seth. 4After Seth was
born, Adam lived 800 years and had other
sons and daughters. 5Altogether, Adam lived
a total of 930 y ears, and then he died.
a1OrThe man b1
Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired. c1Orhave acquired
Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have Lets go out to
the field. e15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well f16 Nod means wandering (see
verses 12 and 14). g22Orwho instructed all who work in h25 Seth probably means granted.
i26Orto proclaim j2Hebrewadam
d8
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 5:6
6When Seth had l ived 105 y

ears, he became
the fat hera of Enosh. 7After he became the fa
ther of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had
other sons and daughters. 8Altogether, Seth
lived a total of 912 y ears, and then he died.
9When E nosh had lived 90 y
ears, he be
came the fat her of Kenan. 10After he became
the fat her of Kenan, E nosh lived 815 y ears
and had other sons and daughters. 11Alto
gether, Enosh l ived a total of 905 years, and
then he died.
12When Kenan had l ived 70 y
ears, he be
came the fat her of Mahalalel. 13After he be
came the fat her of Ma ha la lel, Kenan l ived
840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14Altogether, Kenan l ived a tot al of 910 years,
and then he died.
15When Mahalalel had l ived 65 y
ears, he
bec ame the fat her of Jared. 16After he be
came the fat her of Ja red, Ma ha la lel l ived
830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17Altogether, Ma h a l a lel l ived a tot al of 895
years, and then he died.
18When Jared had l ived 162 y
ears, he be
came the fat her of Enoch. 19After he became
the fat her of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and
had other sons and daughters. 20Altogether,
Jared l ived a total of 962 y ears, and then he
died.
21When E noch had l ived 65 years, he be
came the fat her of Met huselah. 22After he
bec ame the fat her of Met huselah, E noch
w alked faithfully with God 300 years and
had other sons and daughters. 23Altogeth
er, E
noch l ived a total of 365 y ears. 24Enoch
walked faithf ully with God; then he was no
more, because God took him away.
25When Met hu selah had l ived 187 years,
he bec ame the father of Lamech. 26After
he became the fat her of Lamech, Met huse
lah l ived 782 y ears and had other sons and
daughters. 27Altogether, Met huselah l ived a
total of 969 years, and then he died.
28When Lamech had lived 182 years, he
had a son. 29He named him Noahb and said,
He will comfort us in the labor and painf ul
toil of our h
ands caused by the g round the
Lord has c ursed. 30After Noah was born,
Lamech l ived 595 years and had other sons
and daughters. 31Altogether, Lamech l ived a
total of 777 years, and then he died.
Genesis 6:15
32Af
ter Noah was 500 y ears old, he be
came the fat her of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Wickedness in theWorld
When human bei ngs began to increase

in number on the e arth and daughters
were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that
the daughters of hum ans were beautiful,
and they marr ied any of them they chose.
3Then the Lord said, My Spirit will not con
tend withc humans forever, for they are mor
tald; t heir days will be a hund red and twent y
years.
4The Nephi l im were on the earth in t hose
daysa nd also afterwardwhen the sons
of God went to the daughters of humans and
had child ren by them. They were the heroes
of old, men of renown.
5The Lord saw how g reat the wickedness
of the human race had become on the earth,
and that every inclinat ion of the t houghts of
the human heart was only evil all the time.
6The Lord reg retted that he had made hu
man bei ngs on the earth, and his h
eart was
deeply troubled. 7So the Lord said, I will
wipe from the face of the earth the human
race I have createda nd with them the an
imals, the birds and the creat ures that move
a long the g roundfor I reg ret that I have
made them. 8But Noah found favor in the
eyes of the Lord.
Noah and theFlood

9This is the account of Noah and his fami ly.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless

a mong the people of his time, and he walked
faithf ully with God. 10Noah had t hree sons:
Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11Now the e
arth was corrupt in G
ods
sight and was full of violence. 12God saw
how corr upt the earth had become, for all
the people on earth had corrupte d their
ways. 13So God said to Noah, I am goi ng to
put an end to all people, for the earth is f illed
with violence because of them. I am surely
going to destroy both them and the e arth.
14So make yourself an ark of cypresse wood;
make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside
uild it: The
and out. 15This is how you are to b
ark is to be t hree hund red cubits long, fift y
a6
Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 7-26. b29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for comfort.
Themeaning of the Hebrew for this word is
uncertain.
c3OrMy spirit will not remain in d3Orcorrupt e14
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 6:16
cubits wide and thirt y cubits high.a 16Make a

roof for it, leavi ng below the roof an openi ng
one cubit b high all a round.c Put a door in the
side of the ark and make lower, midd le and
ring floodwa
upper decks. 17I am goi ng to b
ters on the earth to destroy all life under the
heavens, every creat ure that has the breath
of life in it. Everyt hing on earth will perish.
18But I will est abl ish my covenant with you,
and you will enter the arkyou and your
sons and your wife and your sons w ives
with you. 19You are to bring into the ark two
of all living creat ures, male and female, to
keep them a live with you. 20Two of every
kind of bird, of every kind of ani mal and of
every kind of creat ure that moves a long the
g round will come to you to be kept a live.
21You are to take every kind of food that is to
be eaten and store it away as food for you and
for them.
22Noah did everyt hing just as God com
manded him.
The Lord then said to Noah, Go into
the ark, you and your whole fami ly, be
cause I have found you righteous in this gen
erat ion. 2Take with you seven pairs of every
kind of clean animal, a male and its mate,
and one pair of every kind of unclean an
imal, a male and its mate, 3and also seven
pairs of every kind of bird, male and female,
to keep t heir various k inds a live throughout
the earth. 4Seven days from now I will send
rain on the e arth for forty days and forty
n ights, and I will wipe from the face of the
earth every livi ng creat ure I have made.
5And Noah did all that the Lord com
manded him.
6Noah was six hund red y ears old when
the floodw aters came on the earth. 7And
Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons
w ives entered the ark to escape the waters of
the f lood. 8Pairs of c lean and unclean ani
mals, of birds and of all creat ures that move
a long the g round, 9male and female, came to
Noah and entered the ark, as God had com
manded Noah. 10And after the seven days
the floodwaters came on the earth.
11In the six hun
d redth year of Noa hs
life, on the seventeenth day of the second
monthon that day all the springs of the
Genesis 8:4
g reat deep burst forth, and the floodgates of

the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell on
the earth fort y days and fort y nights.
13On that very day Noah and his sons,
Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his
wife and the w
ives of his t hree sons, entered
the ark. 14They had with them every wild
animal according to its kind, all livestock
accordi ng to t heir k inds, every creat ure that
moves a long the g round acc ording to its
kind and every bird accordi ng to its kind, ev
eryt hing with w ings. 15Pairs of all creat ures
that have the breath of life in them came to
Noah and entered the ark. 16The ani mals go
ing in were male and female of every livi ng
t hing, as God had commanded Noah. Then
the Lord shut himin.
17For fort y days the f lood kept comi ng on
the e arth, and as the waters increased they
lifted the ark high above the earth. 18The
waters rose and inc reased greatly on the
earth, and the ark floated on the surface of
the water. 19They rose greatly on the earth,
and all the high mountains under the en
tire heavens were covered. 20The waters
rose and covered the mountains to a d
epth
of more than fifteen cubits.d,e 21Every liv i ng
t hing that moved on land perishedbirds,
livestock, wild anim als, all the creatures
that s warm over the earth, and all mank ind.
22Everyt hing on dry land that had the breath
of life in its nost rils died. 23Every liv i ng t hing
on the face of the e arth was w
iped out; peo
ple and ani mals and the creat ures that move
a long the g round and the birds were w
iped
from the earth. Only Noah was left, and
t hose with him in the ark.
24The waters flooded the earth for a hun
dred and fift y days.
But God remembered Noah and all the
wild ani mals and the livestock that were
with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over
the earth, and the waters receded. 2Now the
springs of the deep and the floodgates of the
heavens had been closed, and the rain had
stopped falli ng from the sky. 3The water re
ceded steadily from the e arth. At the end of
the hund red and fift y days the water had
gone down, 4and on the seventeenth day of
the seventh month the ark came to rest on
a15
That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and
14 meters high b16 That is, about 18inches or about 45 centimeters c16 The meaning of the
Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. d20 That is, about 23feet or about 6.8 meters e20Orrose more
than fifteen cubits, and the mountains were covered
11/10/11 11:13 AM
WEDNESDAY
The Main Point

John H. Walton
When the text identifies Noah as righteous, it does not imply that he deserves to be spared
or that he has earned Gods grace. It indicates rather that God takes careful note of righ
teousness. Blamelessness matters to God. It is an accolade to be called righteous in ones
generation, but undoubtedly Noah was considered by many in his generation simply as an
oddball. [G. K.] Chesterton straightens us out on that account:
A man with a definite belief always appears bizarre, because he does not change with
the world; he has climbed into a fixed star and the earth whizzes below him like a zoetrope.
Millions of mild black coated men call themselves sane and sensible merely because they
always catch the fashionable insanity, because they are hurried into madness after madness
by the maelstrom of the world.
We can all learn from Noahs refusal to conform to this world, but in the end we are
not supposed to be impressed with Noah but with God. The text is in fact oddly silent
about Noah on a number of serious counts; more to the point, Noah is silenthe never
speaks through the whole flood account. He has no response to Gods announcement, no
questions about the ark or the animals, no plea on the behalf of anyone else, no cries for
mercy, no bursts of joyful gratitude at the prospect of being saved, no grief for a world
destroyed, no impatience in the ark, no prayers of thanksgiving accompanying sacrifice. The
narrator leaves Noah a flat character. The only personality he has is found in the charac
teristics attributed to him by God. The text could not be clearer that Noah is a bit player
and that the star of the account is God. Whatever we might learn from Noah is totally
eclipsed by what we learn about God.
Mark Guy Pearse {ad 18421932}

All eyes see Gods benefits, but few see God.
reflection
1. In what ways do these readings shed new light on the way you read the
familiar story of Noah?
2. Why do you suppose were not given more character development details
on Noah?
3. Who is the main character in your life story?
|| 9||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
10
Genesis 8:5
the mount ains of Ara rat. 5The waters con

tinued to recede unt il the tenth month, and
on the f irst day of the tenth m
onth the tops of
the mountains became visible.
6After fort y days Noah opened a window
he had made in the ark 7and sent out a raven,
and it kept flying back and forth unt il the
water had d ried up from the earth. 8Then he
sent out a dove to see if the water had reced
ed from the surface of the g round. 9But the
dove could find nowhere to perch because
t here was water over all the surface of the
earth; so it ret urned to Noah in the ark. He
reached out his hand and took the dove and
brought it back to himself in the ark. 10He
waited seven more days and again sent out
the dove from the ark. 11When the dove re
turned to him in the even ing, there in its
beak was a freshly p
lucked olive leaf! Then
Noah knew that the water had receded from
the earth. 12He waited seven more days and
sent the dove out a gain, but this time it did
not ret urn to him.
13By the first day of the
f irst month of
Noa hs six hund red and f irst year, the wa
ter had d ried up from the earth. Noah then
removed the coveri ng from the ark and saw
that the surface of the g round was dry. 14By
the twent y-seventh day of the second month
the earth was completely dry.
15Then God said to Noah, 16Come out of
the ark, you and your wife and your sons and
t heir w ives. 17Bring out every kind of livi ng
creat ure that is with yout he b
irds, the an
imals, and all the creat ures that move a long
the g roundso they can multiply on the
earth and be fruitf ul and increase in num
ber onit.
18So Noah came out, to
gether with his
sons and his wife and his sons w ives. 19All
the ani mals and all the creat ures that move
a long the g round and all the birdsevery
thing that moves on landcame out of the
ark, one kind after another.
20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord
and, taking some of all the clean animals
and clean birds, he sacr i f iced burnt of fer
ings on it. 21The Lord smelled the pleasi ng
aroma and said in his heart: Never a gain
will I curse the g round because of humans,
even t hough a every inclination of the hu
man heart is evil from childhood. And never
Genesis 9:13
10
again will I destroy all livi ng creat ures, as I

have done.
22 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.
Gods Covenant With Noah
Then God blessed Noah and his sons,

saying to them, Be fruitf ul and increase
in number and fill the earth. 2The fear and
d read of you will fall on all the beasts of the
earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on ev
ery creat ure that moves a long the g round,
and on all the fish in the sea; they are given
into your hands. 3Every t hing that l ives and
moves about will be food for you. Just as I
gave you the g reen plants, I now give you ev
ery t hing.
4But you must not eat meat that has its
lifeblood s till in it. 5And for your lifeblood
I will surely demand an accounting. I will
demand an account i ng from every an i mal.
And from each human bei ng, too, I will de
mand an accounti ng for the life of another
human bei ng.
6 Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
7As for you, be fruitf ul and inc rease in num
ber; multiply on the e arth and inc rease

uponit.
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: 9I now establish my covenant
with you and with your descendants after
you 10and with every living creature that
was with yout he birds, the livestock and
all the wild ani mals, all t hose that came out
of the ark with youevery living creat ure
on earth. 11I establ ish my covenant with you:
Never again will all life be destroyed by the
waters of a f lood; never again will t here be a
f lood to destroy the earth.
12And God said, This is the sign of the
covenant I am making bet ween me and you
and every living creature with you, a cov
enant for all generat ions to come: 13I have
set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be
a21Orhumans, for
11/10/11 11:13 AM
11
Genesis 9:14
the sign of the covenant bet ween me and the

ring clouds over the
earth. 14Whenever I b
earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
15I will remember my covenant bet ween me
and you and all living creatures of every
kind. Never again will the waters become a
f lood to destroy all life. 16Whenever the rain
bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and
remember the everlasting covenant bet ween
God and all living creat ures of every kind on
the earth.
17So God said to Noah, This is the sign of
the covenant I have establ ished bet ween me
and all life on the earth.
The Sons of Noah

18The sons of Noah who came out of the
ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was
the fat her of Canaan.) 19These were the t hree
sons of Noah, and from them came the peo
ple who were scattered over the whole earth.
20Noah, a man of the soil, proc eede da to
rank some of
plant a vineyard. 21When he d
its wine, he bec ame d runk and lay uncov
ered inside his tent. 22Ham, the father of
Canaan, saw his fat her naked and told his
two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Ja
pheth took a garment and laid it a cross t heir
shoulders; then they w alked in backw ard
and covered t heir fat hers naked body. T heir
faces were t urned the other way so that they
would not see t heir fat her naked.
24When Noah a
woke from his wine and
found out what his youngest son had done to
him, 25he said,
Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.
26He also said,
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend Japhethsb territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of
Japheth.
28Af
ter
the flood Noah lived 350 years.
Genesis 10:16
11
29Noah l ived a tot al of 950 years, and then he
died.
The Table of Nations
10
This is the acc ount of Shem, Ham

and Japheth, Noa hs sons, who them
selves had sons after the flood.
The Japhethites
2 The sonsc of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Mada i, Javan, Tubal,
Meshek and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan:
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kitt ites and the
Rodan ites. d 5(From these the mar
itime peoples spread out into their
territories by t heir clans within t heir
nat ions, each with its own lang uage.)
The Hamites
6 The sons of Ham:

Cush, E
gypt, Put and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush:
Seba, Havi lah, Sabtah, Raa mah and
Sabteka.
The sons of Raa mah:
Sheba and Dedan.
8Cush was the fat here of Nimrod, who be
came a m
ighty warr ior on the earth. 9He was
a m ighty hunter before the Lord; that is why
it is said, Like Nimrod, a m
ighty hunter be
fore the Lord. 10The f irst centers of his king
dom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh,
inf Shinar.g 11From that land he went to As
syria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir,h
Calah 12and Resen, which is bet ween Nine
veh and Calahwhich is the g reat city.
13 Egypt was the fat herof

the Lud ites, Anam ites, Leh abites,
Napht u h ites, 14Path r usites, Kaslu
hites (from whom the Philistines
came) and Caphtor ites.
15 Canaan was the fat herof
Sidon his firstborn, i and of the Hit
tites, 16Jebusites, Amor ites, Girga
a20Orsoil, was the first b27
Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend. c2 Sons may mean
descendants or successors or nations; also in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31. d4 Some manuscripts of
the Masoretic Text and Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Septuagint and 1Chron. 1:7); most manuscripts of
the Masoretic Text Dodanites e8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13,
15, 24 and 26. f10OrUruk and Akkadall of them in g10That is, Babylonia h11OrNineveh
with its city squares i15Orof the Sidonians, the foremost
11/10/11 11:13 AM
THURSDAY
Bible Genealogies:
Unexpected Lessons
Genesis 10:132 or 10:14
Ruth A. Tucker
When Jo Shelter began working as a Wycliffe Bible translator among the remote Balangao
people of the Philippines in 1962, she found them entirely puzzled as to why she would
want to translate Gods Word into ... their own lowly language.
They were discouraging times for Jo as she worked in the Balangao valley. During her
first six years of missionary service, only two Balangaos became Christians. Most people
simply were not interested in her concept of God. One such individual was Canao, who had
become a father of sorts to her. When Juami arrived, I was shocked, he later recalled. Didnt
she know it wasnt safe for girls in our area? Didnt she realize we were headhunters? So I had
to become her father and take care of her. I had to be sure people saw her eating at our house
so they would know I was protecting her with my life, as is our custom here in Balangao.
But, Canao was not interested in her God. Juami always talked about God, but I
didnt like to always talk about Him, he confessed. Juami kept telling me about God and
how to believe. I already believed there was a god, so I just tried to be polite.
Then one day Jo showed him some of the translation work she had done and asked
him to help her with it. Canao was amazed to find that Gods Word could actually be writ
ten in a book and be read in a language he could understand. Most astonishingly of all was
that it was true. How did he know that? It actually had a genealogyabsolute proof to a
Balangao that its true. This one went back to the beginning of time. Through the impact of
the genealogy, I really began to understand and believe the truth about Jesus Christ.
John MEwan {ca. ad 1880}

In the diamond fields of South Africa a diamond was found, celebrated lately under the title
of flystone; placed under a magnifying glass, you see enclosed in all its brilliancy a little fly,
with body, wings and eyes in a most perfect state of preservation. How it came there no one
knows, but no human skill can take it out. So in Holy Scripture the Spirit of God is found
in a place from which no human power can remove it.
reflection
1. When have you experienced Gods presence while reading the Bible?
2. Why would God consider it important to include genealogies in the
Bible?
3. How has todays Bible reading given you new insight into the workings of
the Spirit of God?
|| 12||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 10:17
13
shites, 17Hiv ites, Ark ites, Sin ites,

18Arvadites, Zemar ites and Hamath
ites.
Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19and
the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon
tow ard Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to
ward Sodom, Gomorr ah, Admah and Ze
boyi m, as far as Lasha.
20These are the sons of Ham by t heir clans
and lang uages, in t heir ter r itor ies and na
tions.
The Semites
21Sons were also born to Shem, w
hose
older brother was a Japheth; Shem was the
ancestor of all the sons of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem:

Elam, Ashu r, Arphaxad, Lud and
Aram.
23 The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Get her and Meshek.b
24 Arphaxad was the fat her ofc Shelah,
and Shelah the fat her of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg,d bec ause in
his time the e arth was div ided; his
brother was named Joktan.
26 Joktan was the fat herof
Almod ad, Sheleph, Haz arm aveth,
Jer ah, 27Hador am, Uzal, Dik l ah,
28Obal, Abimae l, Sheb a, 29Ophir,
Havilah and Jobab. All these were
sons of Joktan.
30The
reg ion w
here they lived stretched
from Mesha tow ard Sephar, in the eastern
hill count ry.
31These are the sons of Shem by their
clans and lang uages, in t heir terr itor ies and
nat ions.
32These are the c lans of Noa hs sons, ac
cordi ng to t heir l ines of descent, withi n t heir
nat ions. From t hese the nat ions spread out
over the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11:15
13
The Tower of Babel
11
Now the w
hole w
orld had one lan
guage and a common speech. 2As
lain
people moved eastward, e they f ound a p
in Shinar f and sett led there.
3They said to each oth
er, Come, lets
make bricks and bake them thoroughly.
They used b
rick instead of s tone, and tar for
uild
mortar. 4Then they said, Come, let us b
ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to
the heavens, so that we may make a name
for ourselves; otherw ise we will be scattered
over the face of the w
hole earth.
5But the Lord came down to see the city
and the tower the people were building.
6The Lord said, If as one people speaki ng
the same lang uage they have beg un to do
this, then nothi ng they plan to do will be im
possible for them. 7Come, let us go down and
conf use t heir lang uage so they will not un
derstand each other.
8So the Lord scattered them from t here
over all the earth, and they stopped build
ing the city. 9That is why it was c alled Ba
belg b ec ause t here the Lord conf used
the lang uage of the whole world. From t here
the Lord scattered them over the face of the
whole earth.
From Shem to Abram

10This is the account of Shems fami ly line.
Two y ears after the f lood, when Shem was

100 years old, he became the fat herh of Ar
phax ad. 11And after he bec ame the fat her
of Arphaxad, Shem l ived 500 years and had
other sons and daughters.
12When Arphaxad had l ived 35 years, he
bec ame the father of Shelah. 13And after
he bec ame the father of Shelah, Arphax
ad l ived 403 years and had other sons and
daughters. i
14When Shelah had l ived 30 years, he be
came the fat her of Eber. 15And after he be
came the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403
years and had other sons and daughters.
a21OrShem, the older brother of b23
SeeSeptuagint and 1Chron. 1:17; Hebrew Mash.

Hebrew; Septuagint father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of d25 Peleg means division.
e2Orfrom the east; or in the east f2That is, Babylonia g9 That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the
Hebrew for confused. h10 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 11-25. i12,13Hebrew;
Septuagint (see also Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he became the father of Cainan. 13And
after he became the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then
he died. When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he became the father of
Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters
c24
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 11:16
14
16When Eber had lived 34 y

ears, he be
came the fat her of Peleg. 17And after he be
came the fat her of Peleg, Eber l ived 430 years
and had other sons and daughters.
18When Peleg had lived 30 y
ears, he be
came the fat her of Reu. 19And after he be
came the fat her of Reu, Peleg l ived 209 years
20When Reu had
l ived 32 years, he be
came the fat her of Ser ug. 21And after he be
came the fat her of Ser ug, Reu l ived 207 years
22When Ser ug had l ived 30 years, he be
came the father of Nahor. 23And after he
became the fat her of Nahor, Ser ug l ived 200
24When Nahor had l ived 29 years, he be
came the fat her of Terah. 25And after he be
came the fat her of Terah, Nahor lived 119
26After Ter ah had lived 70 y
ears, he be
came the fat her of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
Abrams Family
27This is the account of Terahs fami ly line.
Terah became the fat her of A

bram, Nahor
and Haran. And Haran became the fat her of
Lot. 28While his fat her Terah was still a live,
Haran died in Ur of the Chaldea ns, in the
land of his b
irth. 29Abram and Nahor both
married. The name of Abrams wife was Sarai,
and the name of Nahors wife was Milkah; she
was the daughter of Haran, the fat her of both
Milkah and Iskah. 30Now Sarai was childless
because she was not able to conceive.
31Terah took his son A
bram, his grandson
Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law
Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and togeth
er they set out from Ur of the Chaldea ns to go
to Canaan. But when they came to Harran,
they sett led there.
32Ter ah lived 205 y
ears, and he died in
Harran.
The Call of Abram
12
The Lord had said to A

bram, Go
from your count ry, your people and
your fathers household to the land I will
show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
Genesis 12:18
14
I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.a
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.b
4So
A
bram went, as the Lord had told
him; and Lot went with him. Abram was sev
ent y-five y ears old when he set out from Har
ran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot,
all the possessions they had acc u mu lated
and the people they had acquired in Harran,
and they set out for the land of Canaan, and
they arr ived there.
6Abram traveled t hrough the land as far
as the site of the g reat tree of Moreh at She
chem. At that time the Canaanites were in
the land. 7The Lord appeared to A
bram and
said, To your offspringc I will give this land.
So he built an altar t here to the Lord, who
had appeared to him.
8From t here he went on tow ard the h ills
east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with
Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. T here
he built an altar to the Lord and called on
the name of the Lord.
9Then A bram set out and cont inued to
ward the Negev.
Abram in Egypt
10Now t here was a fami ne in the land, and
bram went down to Egypt to live t here for
A
a while because the fami ne was severe. 11As
he was a bout to enter E
gypt, he said to his
wife Sarai, I know what a beaut if ul woma n
you are. 12When the Egypt ians see you, they
will say, This is his wife. Then they will kill
me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sis
ter, so that I will be treated well for your sake
and my life will be spared because of you.
14When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyp
tians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful
woma n. 15And when Pharaohs off icials saw
her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was
taken into his palace. 16He treated Abram
well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep
and catt le, male and female donkeys, male
and female servants, and camels.
17But the Lord in f licte d ser ious dise as
es on Pharaoh and his household bec ause
of Abrams wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh sum
moned Abram. What have you done to me?
a2Orbe seen as blessed b3Orearth / will use your name in blessings (see48:20) c7Orseed
11/10/11 11:13 AM
15
Genesis 12:19
Genesis 14:13
he said. Why d idnt you tell me she was your

wife? 19Why did you say, She is my sister, so
that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here
is your wife. Take her and go! 20Then Phar
aoh gave orders about A
bram to his men,
and they sent him on his way, with his wife
and everyt hing he had.
Abram and Lot Separate
13
So Abram went up from E

gypt to the
Negev, with his wife and everyt hing
he had, and Lot went with him. 2Abram had
become very w
ealthy in livestock and in sil
ver and gold.
3From the Negev he went from place to
place unt il he came to Bethel, to the p
lace
bet ween Bethel and Ai w here his tent had
been earl ier 4and where he had f irst built an
altar. T here Abram called on the name of the
Lord.
5Now Lot, who was moving a bout with
Abram, also had f locks and herds and tents.
6But the land c
ould not support them w
hile
they stayed together, for t heir possessions
were so g reat that they were not able to stay
together. 7And quar rel i ng a rose bet ween
Abrams herders and Lots. The Canaanites
and Peri zzites were also livi ng in the land at
that time.
8So Abram said to Lot, Lets not have any
quarreling bet ween you and me, or bet ween
your herders and mine, for we are close rela
ets
tives. 9Is not the whole land before you? L
part company. If you go to the left, Ill go to the
right; if you go to the r ight, Ill go to the left.
10Lot
looked a round and saw that the
whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was
well watered, like the garden of the Lord,
like the land of E
gypt. (This was before the
Lord des troyed Sodom and Gomor r ah.)
11So Lot c hose for hims elf the w hole plain
of the Jordan and set out tow ard the east.
The two men parte d company: 12Abram
l ived in the land of Canaan, while Lot l ived
a mong the cities of the plain and pitched his
tents near Sodom. 13Now the people of Sod
om were wicked and were sinn ing greatly
against the Lord.
14The Lord said to A bram after Lot had
parted from him, Look a round from w
here
you are, to the n
orth and south, to the east
and west. 15All the land that you see I will
a15Orseed; also in verse16 b1
15
give to you and your offspringa forever. 16I

will make your offspring like the dust of the
earth, so that if anyone could c ount the dust,
then your offspring c ould be counted. 17Go,
walk t hrough the length and breadth of the
land, for I am givi ng it to you.
18So
A bram went to live near the g reat
t rees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched
his tents. T here he built an altar to the Lord.
Abram Rescues Lot
14
At the time when Amraphel was king

of Shi n ar, b Ar ioch king of El las ar,
Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king
of Goy i m, 2these k ings went to war against
Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomor
rah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king
of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is,
Zoar). 3All these latter k ings joined forc
es in the Valley of Sidd im (that is, the Dead
Sea Valley). 4For t welve years they had been
subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth
year they rebelled.
5In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and
the k ings all ied with him went out and de
feated the Repha ites in Ashteroth Kar na
im, the Zuz ites in Ham, the Emites in Sha
veh Kir iat ha i m 6and the Hor ites in the hill
count ry of Seir, as far as El Paran near the
desert. 7Then they t urned back and went to
En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they con
quered the whole terr itor y of the Ama lekites,
as well as the Amor ites who were living in
Hazezon Tamar.
8Then the king of Sodom, the king of Go
morrah, the king of Admah, the king of Ze
boyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)
marched out and drew up t heir batt le l ines
in the Valley of Sidd im 9against Kedorla
omer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim,
Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king
of El lasar four k ings against five. 10Now
the Valley of Sidd im was full of tar pits, and
when the k ings of Sodom and Gomorrah
fled, some of the men fell into them and the
rest fled to the h ills. 11The four k ings seized
all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and
all t heir food; then they went away. 12They
also carr ied off Abrams nephew Lot and his
possessions, since he was livi ng in Sodom.
13A man who had esc aped came and re
porte d this to A bram the Hebrew. Now
That is, Babylonia; also in verse9
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 14:14
16
bram was living near the g reat trees of

A
Mam r e the Amor ite, a brother a of Esh
kol and Aner, all of whom were allied with
Abram. 14When Abram heard that his rela
tive had been taken capt ive, he c alled out the
318 t rained men born in his household and
went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15Duri ng the
n ight Abram div ided his men to attack them
and he routed them, pursui ng them as far as
Hobah, north of Da mascus. 16He recovered
all the g oods and brought back his relat ive
Lot and his possessions, together with the
women and the other people.
17Af ter A bram ret urned from defeat i ng
Kedorlaomer and the k ings allied with him,
the king of Sodom came out to meet him in
the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the K
ings Valley).
18Then Melc hiz ed ek king of Sa l em
brought out b
read and wine. He was priest
bram,
of God Most High, 19and he blessed A
say i ng,
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your
hand.
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everyt hing.
21The king of Sodom said to Abram, Give
me the people and keep the goods for your
self.
22But A bram said to the king of Sodom,
With r aised hand I have s worn an oath to
the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heav
en and earth, 23that I will accept nothing
belonging to you, not even a t hread or the
strap of a sandal, so that you will never be
able to say, I made Abram rich. 24I will ac
cept nothing but what my men have eaten
and the s hare that belongs to the men who
went with meto Aner, Eshkol and Mamre.
Let them have t heir share.
The Lords Covenant With Abram
15
After this, the word of the Lord came

to Abram in a vision:
Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield,b
your very great reward.c
2But A bram said, Sovereign Lord, what
can you give me since I remain childless and
Genesis 15:21
16
the one who will inheritd my estate is Elie

zer of Da masc us? 3And Abram said, You
have given me no child ren; so a servant in
my household will be my heir.
4Then the word of the Lord came to him:
This man will not be your heir, but a son
who is your own flesh and blood will be your
heir. 5He took him outside and said, Look
up at the sky and c ount the s tarsi f indeed
you can count them. Then he said to him,
So shall your offspringe be.
6Abram bel ieved the Lord, and he credit
ed it to him as righteousness.
7He also said to him, I am the Lord, who
brought you out of Ur of the Chaldea ns to
give you this land to take possession ofit.
8But A bram said, Sovereign Lord, how
can I know that I will gain possession ofit?
9So the Lord said to him, Bring me a
heifer, a goat and a ram, each t hree years old,
a long with a dove and a y oung pigeon.
10Abram
brought all these to him, cut
them in two and arranged the halves oppo
site each other; the b
irds, however, he did
not cut in half. 11Then b
irds of prey came
down on the carc asses, but A
bram d
rove
them away.
12As the sun was sett ing, A bram fell into
a deep sleep, and a t hick and dreadf ul dark
ness came over him. 13Then the Lord said
to him, Know for certain that for four hun
dred years your descendants will be strang
ers in a count ry not t heir own and that they
will be enslaved and mist reated t here. 14But
I will punish the nat ion they serve as slaves,
and afterward they will come out with g reat
possessions. 15You, however, will go to your
ancestors in peace and be buried at a good
old age. 16In the f ourth generat ion your de
scendants will come back here, for the sin
of the Amor ites has not yet reached its full
measure.
17When the sun had set and darkness had
fallen, a smoki ng firepot with a blazi ng t orch
appeared and p
assed bet ween the pieces.
18On that day the Lord made a covenant
with Abram and said, To your descendants I
give this land, from the Wadif of Egypt to the
g reat river, the Euphrates 19the land of the
Ken ites, Keni zz ites, Kadmonites, 20Hit t ites,
Per i zz ites, Repha ites, 21Amor ites, Canaan
ites, Girgashites and Jebusites.
a13Ora relative; or an ally b1Orsovereign c1Orshield; / your reward will be very great
d2
Themeaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. e5Orseed f18Orriver
11/10/11 11:13 AM
FRIDAY
Why God Made a Covenant With Us

Thomas Watson {ad 16201686}

Why should God make a covenant with us?
It is out of indulgence, favor and respect to us. A tyrant will not enter into a covenant
with slaves. He will not show them that kind of respect. Gods entering into a covenant with
us, to be our God, is a dignity he bestows upon us. A covenant is insigne honouris (a sign of
honor), that is to say, it is a way of proclaiming the difference between Gods people and
those who are not his p eople ... When the Lord told Abraham that he would enter into a
covenant with him, Abraham fell upon his face because he was amazed that the God of
glory should bestow such a favor upon him (see Genesis 17:13).
Dallas Willard
What did Abraham believe that led God to declare or [credit] him righteous [Genesis
15:6]? Was it that God had arranged payment for his sins? Not at all. The story makes it
very clear that Abraham believed God was going to give him a male baby, an heir, and
through that baby a multitude of descendants who would possess the land promised to him.
He trusted God, of course, but it was for things involved in his current existence.
He believed that God would interact with him nowjust as those who later gath
ered around Jesus did. He even dared to ask God how he could know that the promise of a
male heir would be fulfilled ...
In the face of such faith, God declared Abraham to be righteous. Does that mean he
declared he would go to heaven when he died? Not precisely that, but certainly that
Abrahams sins and failures would not cut him off from God in the present moment and in
their ongoing relationship in life together.
But would he go to heaven when he died? Of course! What else would God do with
such a person? They were friends, a fact made much of in Scripture (see 2Chronicles 20:7;
Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23), as we are to be friends of Jesus by immersing ourselves in his work
(see John 15:15). No friend of God will be in hell.
reflection
1. What did Gods covenant with Abraham reveal about the kind of
relationship he wanted to have with Abraham?
2. Jesus died on the cross so that God could establish an everlasting
covenant with you. What does this reveal about the kind of relationship
he wants to have with you?
3. What does God require from you in order to enter into this covenant
with him?
|| 17||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
18
Genesis 16:1
Hagar and Ishmael
16
Now Sarai, Abrams wife, had borne

him no child ren. But she had an
Egypt ian slave named Hagar; 2so she said to
Abram, The Lord has kept me from havi ng
child ren. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I
can build a fami ly t hrough her.
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3So after
Abram had been livi ng in Canaan ten years,
Sarai his wife took her Egypt ian slave Hagar
and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
4He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she be
gan to despise her mist ress. 5Then Sarai said
to Abram, You are responsible for the w rong
I am sufferi ng. I put my slave in your arms,
and now that she k nows she is pregnant, she
despises me. May the Lord judge bet ween
you andme.
6Your slave is in your
hands, A bram
said. Do with her whatever you t hink best.
Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled
from her.
7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near
a spring in the desert; it was the spring that
is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, Ha
gar, slave of Sarai, w
here have you come
from, and w
here are you goi ng?
Im runn ing away from my mist ress Sa
rai, she answered.
9Then the angel of the Lord told her, Go
back to your mistress and subm it to her.
10The angel added, I will inc rease your de
scendants so much that they will be too nu
merous to count.
11The angel of the Lord also said to her:
You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,a
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyones hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
b all his brothers.
toward
13She gave this name to the Lord who
s poke to her: You are the God who sees me,
for she said, I have now seenc the One who
sees me. 14That is why the well was c alled
Genesis 17:14
18
Beer Lahai Roid; it is s till t here, bet ween Ka

desh and Bered.
15So Hagar bore Abram a son, and A
bram
gave the name Ishmael to the son she had
borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old
when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
The Covenant ofCircumcision
17
When Abram was ninet y-nine years

old, the Lord appeared to him and
said, I am God Alm ightye; walk before me
faith f ul l y and be blameless. 2Then I will
make my covenant bet ween me and you and
will greatly increase your numbers.
3Abram fell facedown, and God said to
him, 4As for me, this is my covenant with
you: You will be the fat her of many nat ions.
5No longer will you be c
alled Abramf ; your
name will be Abraham,g for I have made you
a fat her of many nat ions. 6I will make you
very fruitf ul; I will make nat ions of you, and
k ings will come from you. 7I will est abl ish
my covenant as an everlasti ng covenant be
tween me and you and your des cend ants
after you for the generat ions to come, to be
your God and the God of your descendants
af ter you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where
you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as
an everlasting possession to you and your
descendants after you; and I will be t heir
God.
9Then God said to Abraham, As for you,
you must keep my covenant, you and your
descendants af ter you for the generat ions
to come. 10This is my covenant with you
and your descendants after you, the cov
enant you are to keep: Every male a mong
you shall be circ umc ised. 11You are to un
dergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of
the covenant bet ween me and you. 12For the
generat ions to come every male a mong you
who is e ight days old must be circ umcised,
including t hose born in your household or
bought with money from a foreigner t hose
who are not your offspring. 13Whether born
in your household or bought with your mon
ey, they must be circ umcised. My covenant
in your flesh is to be an everlasting cov
enant. 14Any uncirc umcised male, who has
not been circumcised in the f lesh, will be cut
a11
Ishmael means God hears. b12Orlive to the east / of c13Orseen the back of d14 Beer Lahai
Roi means well of the Living One who sees me. e1Hebrew El-Shaddai f5 Abram means exalted
father. g5 Abraham probably means father of many.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Running Away
G enesi s 1 6 : 1 1 0
read/meditate
Read Hagars story. Consider her solitude as she sat by the spring. Consider that she lived in
a culture in which a single, pregnant woman had nowhere to turn. Now read Hagars story
again, and think about God meeting her in that lonely, desperate place. Do you imagine she
heard him more clearly because of her desperation? Or do you think it was a miracle she
heard him at all?
pray
Imagine yourself beside your own spring. You have many mistakes behind you, much bag
gage to carry with you, and many unknowns ahead. Imagine God meeting you in that place.
What do you want to say to him? What do you need from him? What can you thank him
for? Be honest before him, as Hagar was.
contemplate
Think about Gods question to Hagar: Where have you come from, and where are you
going? (16:8). Consider your own answer to Gods question. Is there anything you are
running from? Anything youre running toward? Does God have direction for you today
whether its easy to hear or not?
perspectives
The wind of God is always blowing ... but you must hoist your sail.
Franois Fnelon
Man does not recognize the place he should fill. He has obviously gone astray. He
has fallen from the true status, and he cannot find it again. So he searches
everywhere anxiously but in vain, in the midst of great darkness.
Blaise Pascal
|| 19||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
20
Genesis 17:15
Genesis 18:19
20
off from his people; he has broken my cov

enant.
15God also said to Abraham, As for Sarai
your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai;
her name will be Sara h. 16I will bless her and
will surely give you a son by her. I will bless
her so that she will be the mother of nat ions;
k ings of peoples will come from her.
17Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and
said to himself, Will a son be born to a man
a hund red y ears old? Will Sara h bear a child
at the age of ninet y? 18And Abraham said to
God, If only Ishmael m ight live under your
blessi ng!
19Then God said, Yes, but your wife Sar
ah will bear you a son, and you will call him
Isaac. a I will establish my covenant with him
as an everlasting covenant for his descen
dants after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have
heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make
him fruitful and will greatly inc rease his
numbers. He will be the fat her of t welve rul
ers, and I will make him into a g reat nat ion.
21But my covenant I will est abl ish with Isaac,
whom Sara h will bear to you by this time
next year. 22When he had finished speaking
with Abraham, God went up from him.
23On that very day Abraham took his son
Ishmael and all t hose born in his household
or bought with his money, every male in his
household, and circ umc ised them, as God
told him. 24Abraham was ninet y-nine years
old when he was circumcised, 25and his son
Ish mael was thir teen; 26Abraham and his
son Ishmael were both circumcised on that
very day. 27And every male in Abrahams
household, including those born in his
household or bought from a foreigner, was
circumcised with him.
may all wash your feet and rest under this

tree. 5Let me get you somet hing to eat, so you
can be ref reshed and then go on your way
now that you have come to your servant.
Very well, they ans wered, do as you
say.
6So Abra
h am hurried into the tent to
Sara h. Quick, he said, get t hree sea hsc of
the finest f lour and k nead it and bake some
bread.
7Then he ran to the herd and selecte d a
choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant,
who hurr ied to prepare it. 8He then brought
some c urds and milk and the calf that had
been prepared, and set t hese before them.
W hile they ate, he stood near them under a
tree.
9Where is your wife Sara h? they a sked
him.
There, in the tent, he said.
10Then one of them said, I will surely re
turn to you about this time next year, and
Sara h your wife will have a son.
Now Sara h was listeni ng at the ent rance
to the tent, which was beh ind him. 11Abra
ham and Sara h were already very old, and
Sara h was past the age of childbeari ng. 12So
Sara h laughed to herself as she t hought, Af
ter I am worn out and my lord is old, will I
now have this pleasure?
13Then the Lord said to Abraham, Why
did Sara h laugh and say, Will I really have
a child, now that I am old? 14Is anyt hing too
hard for the Lord? I will ret urn to you at the
appointed time next year, and Sara h will
have a son.
15Sara h was a
fraid, so she lied and said, I
did not laugh.
But he said, Yes, you did laugh.
The Three Visitors
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
18
The Lord ap
p eared to Abra
h am
near the g reat t rees of Mamre while
he was sitt ing at the ent rance to his tent in
the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and
saw t hree men standing nearby. When he
saw them, he hurr ied from the ent rance of
his tent to meet them and bowed low to the
ground.
3He said, If I have found fav or in your
eyes, my lord,b do not pass your servant by.
4Let a litt le water be b
rought, and then you
16When
the men got up to leave, they

looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham
walked a long with them to see them on t heir
way. 17Then the Lord said, Shall I hide from
Abraham what I am a bout to do? 18Abraham
will surely become a g reat and powerf ul na
tion, and all nat ions on earth will be blessed
t hrough him. d 19For I have chosen him,
so that he will direct his child ren and his
household after him to keep the way of the
Lord by doi ng what is r ight and just, so that
a19
Isaac means he laughs. b3Oreyes, Lord c6 That is, probably about 36pounds or about
16kilograms d18Orwill use his name in blessings (see48:20)
11/10/11 11:13 AM
21
Genesis 18:20
the Lord will bring a bout for Abraham what

he has promised him.
20Then the Lord said, The outc ry against
Sodom and Gomorrah is so g reat and t heir
sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see
if what they have done is as bad as the outcry
that has reached me. If not, I will know.
22The men t urned away and went tow ard
Sodom, but Abra ham rem ained stand i ng
before the Lord.a 23Then Abrah am ap
proached him and said: Will you s weep
away the righteous with the wicked? 24What
if t here are fift y righteous people in the city?
Will you really sweep it away and not spareb
the place for the sake of the fift y righteous
people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a
t hingto kill the righteous with the wicked,
treati ng the righteous and the wicked a like.
Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all
the earth do right?
26The Lord said, If I find fift y righteous
people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the
whole place for t heir sake.
27Then Abrah am s
poke up again: Now
that I have been so bold as to s peak to the
Lord, t hough I am nothi ng but dust and ash
es, 28what if the number of the righteous
is five less than fift y? Will you destroy the
whole city for lack of five people?
If I find fort y-five t here, he said, I will
not destroyit.
29Once a
gain he spoke to him, What if
only fort y are f ound there?
He said, For the sake of fort y, I will not
doit.
30Then he said, May the Lord not be an
gry, but let me s peak. What if only thirt y can
be found there?
He answered, I will not do it if I find thir
ty there.
31Abrah am said, Now that I have been
so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only
twent y can be found there?
He said, For the sake of twent y, I will not
destroyit.
32Then he said, May the Lord not be an
gry, but let me speak just once more. What if
only ten can be found there?
He ans wered, For the sake of ten, I will
not destroyit.
33When the Lord had fini shed speaki ng
with Abraham, he left, and Abraham re
turned home.
a22
Genesis 19:14
21
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
19
The two angels arr ived at Sodom in

the even ing, and Lot was sitt ing in
the gateway of the city. When he saw them,
he got up to meet them and b
owed down
with his face to the g round. 2My lords, he
said, please turn a side to your serv ants
house. You can wash your feet and s pend the
n ight and then go on your way early in the
morni ng.
No, they ans wered, we will s pend the
n ight in the square.
3But he insisted so strongly that they did
go with him and entered his house. He pre
pared a meal for them, baking bread without
yeast, and they ate. 4Before they had gone to
bed, all the men from every part of the city of
Sodom both young and old surrounded
the house. 5They c alled to Lot, Where are the
men who came to you ton ight? Bring them
out to us so that we can have sex with them.
6Lot went outside to meet them and shut
the door beh ind him 7and said, No, my
f riends. Dont do this wicked t hing. 8Look,
I have two daughters who have never slept
with a man. Let me bring them out to you,
and you can do what you like with them.
But dont do anyt hing to t hese men, for they
have come under the protect ion of my roof.
9Get out of our way, they replied. This
fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he
wants to play the judge! Well t reat you worse
than them. They kept bringi ng pressure on
Lot and m
oved forward to break down the
door.
10But the men in
side reached out and
pulled Lot back into the house and shut the
door. 11Then they s truck the men who were
at the door of the house, young and old, with
blindness so that they could not find the door.
12The two men said to Lot, Do you have
anyone else heresons-in-law, sons or
daughters, or anyone else in the city who be
longs to you? Get them out of here, 13because
we are goi ng to destroy this place. The out
cry to the Lord against its people is so g reat
that he has sent us to destroyit.
14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-inlaw, who were p
ledged to marr yc his daugh
ters. He said, Hurr y and get out of this place,
because the Lord is about to destroy the city!
But his sons-in-law t hought he was joking.
Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
b24Orforgive; also in verse26 c14Orwere married to
11/10/11 11:13 AM
MONDAY
Bigger Than You Think

Genesis 18:133 or 18:1314
Arthur W. Pink {ad 18851952}

The sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of
God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare
that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Most High. It
means that he acts according to his will both in the army of heaven and among the inhabit
ants of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: What have you done?
(Daniel 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Almighty, the pos
sessor of all power in heaven and earth. It means that no one can defeat his plans, thwart his
purpose or resist his will (see Psalm 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he
rules over the nations (Psalm 22:28). It means he sets up kingdoms, overthrows empires
and determines the course of dynasties just as he pleases. To say that God is sovereign is to
declare that he is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1Tim
othy 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.
Carolyn Custis James

The questions about God that seem to surface most often in conversations I have ... center
on Gods sovereignty and character. Is God really in control, or does sovereignty change
hands from moment to moment, shifting between God, the devil and pure chance? Does
God care only about the major events and choices of my life, or does he also rule over the
details? What kind of God would allow such painful things to happen to us? Do I really
matter to God, or am I less important than others who seem more entitled to his atten
tions? These questions about God (which weighed heavily on my own heart) send us back
to read the Scriptures again, this time with theological eyes, searching for God. It can be a
mind-expanding experience, for theology inevitably enlarges our vision of God. As one
startled woman admitted, God is a lot bigger than I thought. When God is big, every
thing begins to look different.
reflection
1. When have you had your small view of God blown away and expanded?
2. How can knowing that God is bigbigger than you thinkmake a
difference in your life?
3. How does the sovereignty of God affect your faith?
|| 22||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
23
Genesis 19:15
15With the com

i ng of dawn, the angels
rged Lot, saying, Hurr y! Take your wife and
u
your two daughters who are here, or you will
be swept away when the city is punished.
16When he hesit ated, the men g rasped his
hand and the hands of his wife and of his two
daughters and led them safely out of the city,
for the Lord was mercif ul to them. 17As soon
as they had brought them out, one of them
said, Flee for your lives! Dont look back,
and dont stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to
the mountains or you will be s wept away!
18But Lot said to them, No, my lords,a
please! 19Yourb serv ant has found favor in
yourb eyes, and youb have shown g reat kind
ness to me in spari ng my life. But I cant flee
to the mountains; this disaster will overtake
me, and Ill die. 20Look, here is a town near
enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee
to itit is very small, isnt it? Then my life
will be spared.
21He said to him, Very well, I will g rant
this request too; I will not overthrow the
town you speak of. 22But flee t here quick
ly, because I cannot do anyt hing unt il you
reach it. (That is why the town was called
Zoar.c)
23By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun
had risen over the land. 24Then the Lord
rained down burni ng sulf ur on Sodom and
Gomorrah f rom the Lord out of the heav
ens. 25Thus he overt hrew t hose cities and
the ent ire plain, destroy i ng all t hose liv i ng
in the citiesa nd also the vegetat ion in the
land. 26But L ots wife looked back, and she
became a pillar of salt.
27Early the next morni ng Abraham got up
and ret urned to the place w
here he had stood
before the Lord. 28He looked down toward
Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land
of the p
lain, and he saw d
ense smoke risi ng
from the land, like s moke from a furnace.
29So when God destroyed the cities of the
plain, he remembered Abrah am, and he
brought Lot out of the catast rophe that over
threw the cities where Lot had lived.
Lot and His Daughters

30Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and
sett led in the mountains, for he was a fraid to
stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters l ived
Genesis 20:6
23
in a cave. 31One day the older daughter said

to the younger, Our fat her is old, and t here
is no man a round here to give us child ren
as is the custom all over the earth. 32Lets get
our fat her to d rink wine and then sleep with
him and preserve our family line t hrough
our fat her.
33That n
ight they got t heir fat her to d rink
wine, and the older daughter went in and
slept with him. He was not aware of it when
she lay down or when she gotup.
34The next day the older daughter said to
the younger, Last n ight I slept with my fa
ther. L ets get him to d
rink wine again to
night, and you go in and s leep with him so
we can preserve our fami ly line t hrough our
fat her. 35So they got t heir fat her to d rink
wine that n ight also, and the younger daugh
ter went in and slept with him. A
gain he was
not a ware of it when she lay down or when
she gotup.
36So both of L ots daughters bec ame preg
nant by t heir fat her. 37The older daughter
had a son, and she named him Moabd ; he
is the fat her of the Moabites of today. 38The
younger daughter also had a son, and she
named him Ben-Ammie; he is the fat her of
the Ammonites f of today.
Abraham and Abimelek
20
Now Abraham moved on from t here

into the reg ion of the Negev and l ived
bet ween Kadesh and Shur. For a w
hile he
stayed in Gerar, 2and t here Abraham said
of his wife Sara h, She is my sister. Then
Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sara h and
took her.
3But God came to Abimelek in a d ream
one n ight and said to him, You are as good
as dead because of the woma n you have tak
en; she is a marr ied woma n.
4Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so
he said, Lord, will you destroy an innocent
nat ion? 5Did he not say to me, She is my sis
ter, and d idnt she also say, He is my broth
er? I have done this with a clear conscience
and clean hands.
6Then God said to him in the d ream, Yes,
I know you did this with a clear conscience,
and so I have kept you from sinn ing against
me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
a18OrNo, Lord; or No, my lord b19TheHebrew is singular. c 22
Zoar means small. d37 Moab

sounds like the Hebrew for from father. e38 Ben-Ammi means son of my fathers people. f38Hebrew
Bene-Ammon
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 20:7
24
Genesis 21:21
24
7Now ret urn the mans wife, for he is a proph
5Abraham was a hund red years old when his
et, and he will pray for you and you will live.
But if you do not ret urn her, you may be sure
that you and all who belong to you will die.
8Early the next morni ng Abimelek sum
moned all his offic ials, and when he told
them all that had happened, they were very
much a fraid. 9Then Abimelek called Abra
ham in and said, What have you done to
us? How have I w ronged you that you have
brought such g reat g uilt upon me and my
kingdom? You have done t hings to me that
should never be done. 10And Abimelek
asked Abraham, What was your reason for
doi ng this?
11Abra
h am replied, I said to myself,
There is surely no fear of God in this place,
and they will kill me bec ause of my wife.
12Besides, she really is my sister, the daugh
ter of my fat her t hough not of my mother;
and she became my wife. 13And when God
had me wander from my fat hers household,
I said to her, This is how you can show your
love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, He
is my brother.
14Then Abimelek b
rought sheep and cat
tle and male and female s laves and gave
them to Abraham, and he ret urned Sara h his
wife to him. 15And Abimelek said, My land
is before you; live wherever you like.
16To Sar
a h he said, I am giving your
brother a thousand shekels a of silver. This
is to cover the offense against you before all
who are with you; you are completely vind i
cated.
17Then Abraham p
rayed to God, and God
healed Abimelek, his wife and his female
slaves so they c ould have child ren again,
18for the Lord had kept all the women in
Abimeleks household from conceiv i ng be
cause of Abrahams wife Sara h.
son Isaac was born to him.

6Sara h said, God has b
rought me laugh
ter, and everyone who hears about this will
laugh with me. 7And she adde d, Who
w ould have said to Abrah am that Sara h
would n
urse child ren? Yet I have b
orne him
a son in his old age.
The Birth of Isaac
21
Now the Lord was grac ious to Sar

ah as he had said, and the Lord did
for Sara h what he had promised. 2Sara h
bec ame pregnant and bore a son to Abra
ham in his old age, at the very time God had
prom i sed him. 3Abraham gave the name
Isaac b to the son Sara h bore him. 4When his
son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham cir
cumc ised him, as God comm anded him.
a16
d16
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8The c
hild grew and was w
eaned, and
on the day Isaac was w eaned Abrah am
held a g reat feast. 9But Sara h saw that the
son whom Hagar the Egyptian had b
orne
to Abraham was mocking, 10and she said
to Abraham, Get rid of that s lave woma n
and her son, for that woma ns son will never
share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.
11The matter dist ressed Abraham greatly
because it concerned his son. 12But God said
to him, Do not be so dist ressed about the
boy and your slave woma n. Listen to what
ever Sara h tells you, bec ause it is t hrough
Isaac that your offspringc will be reckoned.
13I will make the son of the slave into a na
tion also, because he is your offspring.
14Early the next morning Abrah am took
some food and a skin of water and gave them
to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and
then sent her off with the boy. She went on
her way and wandered in the Desert of Be
ersheba.
15When the water in the skin was gone,
she put the boy under one of the bushes.
16Then she went off and sat down a
bout a
bowshot away, for she thought, I cannot
watch the boy die. And as she sat t here, shed
began to sob.
17God h
eard the boy cryi ng, and the angel
of God called to Hagar from heaven and said
to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Do not
be a fraid; God has heard the boy cryi ng as
he lies t here. 18Lift the boy up and take him
by the hand, for I will make him into a g reat
nat ion.
19Then God opened her eyes and she saw
a well of water. So she went and filled the
skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20God was with the boy as he grew up. He
lived in the desert and bec ame an archer.
21While he was livi ng in the Desert of Paran,
his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms b3 Isaac means he laughs. c12Orseed
Hebrew; Septuagint the child
11/10/11 11:13 AM
TUESDAY
Be Real
Genesis 20:118 or 20:813
Adrian Plass
Most of us, whether we like it or not, are works in progress. God certainly knows that. We
know it, if were honest. What point is there in trying to persuade others or ourselves that
this is not the case? Folks will always see through religious or moral posing in the end.
People have quite often seen through some nonsense of mine. I wonder how many of Gods
lost and beloved children have turned disappointedly away from the idea of following Jesus
because of the hypocrisy they detected in Christians, people who managed to impress them
greatly on a personal level in the initial stages of their relationship and subsequently simply
couldnt keep it up.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky {ad 18211881}

The important thing is to stop lying to yourself. A man who lies to himself, and believes
his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he
ends up losing respect for himself as well as for others. When he has no respect for anyone,
he can no longer love and, in order to divert himself, having no love in him he yields to his
impulses, indulges in the lowest forms of pleasure and behaves in the end like an animal in
satisfying his vices. And it all comes from lyinglying to others and to yourself.
reflection
1. Why did Abraham choose to trust in his own power to deceive rather
than in Gods power to protect?
2. What did God do to protect Abraham, Sarah and Abimelek from the
consequences of Abrahams deception?
3. Have you ever been caught in a lie like Abraham was? What was the
result in your own life and in those who witnessed it?
|| 25||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 21:22
26
The Treaty at Beersheba

22At
that time Abimelek and Phicol the

commander of his forces said to Abraham,
God is with you in everything you do.
23Now s
wear to me here before God that
you will not deal falsely with me or my chil
dren or my descendants. Show to me and the
count ry where you now reside as a foreigner
the same kindness I have s hown to you.
24Abraham said, I s
wearit.
25Then Abra
ham complained to Abim
elek a bout a well of water that Abimeleks
servants had seized. 26But Abimelek said, I
dont know who has done this. You did not
tell me, and I h
eard a bout it only today.
27So Abra
h am brought s heep and cat
tle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two
men made a treat y. 28Abraham set apart sev
en ewe l ambs from the f lock, 29and Abime
lek asked Abraham, What is the meani ng of
t hese seven ewe lambs you have set apart by
themselves?
30He replied, Acc ept t hese seven l ambs
from my hand as a witness that I dug this
well.
31So that place was c alled Beersheba, a be
cause the two men swore an oath there.
32After the treat y had been made at Beer
sheba, Abimelek and Phicol the com mand
er of his forces ret urned to the land of the
Phi l ist ines. 33Abraham planted a tamar isk
tree in Beersheba, and t here he called on the
name of the Lord, the Eternal God. 34And
Abraham stayed in the land of the Philis
tines for a long time.
Abraham Tested
22
Some time later God tested Abra

ham. He said to him, Abraham!
Here I am, he replied.
2Then God said, Take your son, your
only son, whom you loveIsaaca nd go to
the reg ion of Mor ia h. Sacr if ice him t here as
ab
urnt offeri ng on a mountain I will show
you.
3Earl y the next morni ng Abraham got up
and loaded his donkey. He took with him
two of his servants and his son Isaac. When
he had cut enough wood for the burnt offer
ing, he set out for the p
lace God had told him
Genesis 22:19
26
about. 4On the t hird day Abraham l ooked up

and saw the p
lace in the distance. 5He said
to his servants, Stay here with the donkey
w hile I and the boy go over t here. We will
worship and then we will come back to you.
6Abraham took the wood for the burnt of
feri ng and p
laced it on his son Isaac, and he
himself carr ied the fire and the k nife. As the
two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke
up and said to his fat her Abraham, Fat her?
Yes, my son? Abraham replied.
The fire and wood are here, Isaac said,
but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?
8Abrah am ans wered, God hims elf will
prov ide the lamb for the burnt offeri ng, my
son. And the two of them went on together.
9When they reached the place God had
told him a bout, Abraham b
uilt an altar t here
and arranged the wood on it. He bound his
son Isaac and laid him on the alt ar, on top
of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand
and took the k nife to slay his son. 11But the
angel of the Lord c alled out to him from
heaven, Abraham! Abraham!
12Do not lay a hand on the boy, he said.
Do not do anyt hing to him. Now I know that
you fear God, because you have not withheld
from me your son, your only son.
13Abraham looked up and t here in a thick
et he saw a ramb caught by its horns. He went
over and took the ram and sacr if iced it as a
burnt offeri ng instead of his son. 14So Abra
ham c alled that place The Lord Will Pro
vide. And to this day it is said, On the moun
tain of the Lord it will be prov ided.
15The angel of the Lord c alled to Abra
ham from heaven a second time 16and said,
I s wear by myself, declares the Lord, that
bec ause you have done this and have not
withheld your son, your only son, 17I will
surely bless you and make your descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky and as
the sand on the seashore. Your descendants
will take possession of the cities of t heir en
em ies, 18and t hrough your offspringc all na
tions on earth will be b
lessed,d because you
have obeyedme.
19Then Abraham ret urned to his servants,
and they set off together for Beersheba. And
Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
a31
Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath. b13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text,
Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him
c18Orseed d18Orand all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see48:20)
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 22:20
27
Nahors Sons
20Some
time later Abrah am was told,

Milkah is also a mother; she has b
orne sons
to your brother Nahor: 21Uz the firstborn,
Buz his brother, Kemuel (the fat her of Aram),
22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bet hu
el. 23Bet huel became the fat her of Rebeka h.
Milk ah bore t hese eight sons to Abrahams
brother Na hor. 24His conc ubine, w hose
name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah,
Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.
The Death of Sarah
23
Sara h lived to be a hund red and

twent y-seven years old. 2She died
at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land
of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for
Sara h and to weep over her.
3Then Abraham rose from beside his dead
wife and spoke to the Hitt ites.a He said, 4I
am a foreigner and stranger a mong you. Sell
me some propert y for a buria l site here so I
can bury my dead.
5The Hitt ites replied to Abrah am, 6Sir,
listen to us. You are a m
ighty prince a mong
us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our
tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb
for buryi ng your dead.
7Then Abra
ham rose and bowed down
before the people of the land, the Hitt ites.
8He said to them, If you are willi ng to let me
bury my dead, then listen to me and inter
cede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf
9so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,
which belongs to him and is at the end of his
f ield. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price
as a buria l site a mong you.
10Ephron the Hittite was sitting a mong
his people and he replied to Abraham in the
heari ng of all the Hitt ites who had come to
the gate of his city. 11No, my lord, he said.
Listen to me; I giveb you the f ield, and I giveb
you the cave that is in it. I giveb it to you in
the presence of my people. Bury your dead.
12Again Abraham bowed down before the
people of the land 13and he said to Ephron in
t heir heari ng, Listen to me, if you will. I will
pay the p
rice of the f ield. Accept it from me
so I can bury my dead there.
14Ephron ans wered Abraham, 15Listen to
me, my lord; the land is w
orth four hund red
Genesis 24:10
27
shekels c of silver, but what is that bet ween

you and me? Bury your dead.
16Abraham agreed to Ephrons terms and
weighed out for him the price he had named
in the heari ng of the Hitt ites: four hund red
shekels of silver, acc ording to the w
eight
current a mong the merchants.
17So
Ephrons field in Machpelah near
Mamreboth the f ield and the cave in it,
and all the t rees within the borders of the
f ield w as deede d 18to Abrah am as his
propert y in the presence of all the Hitt ites
who had come to the gate of the city. 19After
ward Abraham buried his wife Sara h in the
cave in the f ield of Machpelah near Mamre
(which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20So the f ield and the cave in it were deeded
to Abraham by the Hitt ites as a buria l site.
Isaac and Rebekah
24
Abraham was now very old, and the

Lord had blessed him in every way.
2He said to the senior serv ant in his house
hold, the one in charge of all that he had,
Put your hand under my t high. 3I want you
to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and
the God of earth, that you will not get a wife
for my son from the daughters of the Ca
naanites, a mong whom I am livi ng, 4but will
go to my count ry and my own relat ives and
get a wife for my son Isaac.
5The ser
v ant a sked him, What if the
woma n is unw illi ng to come back with me to
this land? S hall I then take your son back to
the count ry you came from?
6Make sure that you do not take my son
back t here, Abraham said. 7The Lord, the
God of heaven, who brought me out of my
fat hers household and my nat ive land and
who spoke to me and promised me on oath,
saying, To your offspringd I will give this
landhe will send his angel before you so
that you can get a wife for my son from t here.
8If the wom
a n is unw illing to come back
with you, then you will be released from this
oath of mine. Only do not take my son back
t here. 9So the servant put his hand under
the t high of his master Abraham and s wore
an oath to him concerni ng this matter.
10Then the serv ant left, taki ng with him
ten of his masters camels loaded with all
k inds of good t hings from his master. He set
a3Orthe descendants of Heth; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18 and 20 b11Orsell c15
That is, about 10
pounds or about 4.6 kilograms d7Orseed
11/10/11 11:13 AM
28
Genesis 24:11
out for Aram Na ha ra i m a and made his way

to the town of Nahor. 11He had the camels
k neel down near the well outside the town; it
was toward even ing, the time the women go
out to draw water.
12Then he prayed, Lord, God of my mas
ter Abrah am, make me succ essful tod ay,
and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13See, I am standi ng beside this spring, and
the daughters of the townspeople are com
ing out to draw water. 14May it be that when I
say to a young woma n, Please let down your
jar that I may have a d rink, and she says,
Drink, and Ill water your camels toolet
her be the one you have chosen for your ser
vant Isaac. By this I will know that you have
shown kindness to my master.
15Before he had fini shed prayi ng, Rebek
ah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She
was the daughter of Bet huel son of Milk ah,
who was the wife of Abrahams brother Na
hor. 16The woma n was very beaut if ul, a vir
gin; no man had ever slept with her. She went
down to the spring, f illed her jar and came
up again.
17The servant hurr ied to meet her and said,
Please give me a litt le water from your jar.
18Drink, my lord, she said, and quickl y
lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a
drink.
19Af
ter she had given him a d rink, she
said, Ill draw water for your camels too,
unt il they have had enough to d
rink. 20So
she quickly empt ied her jar into the t rough,
ran back to the well to draw more water, and
drew enough for all his camels. 21Without
sayi ng a word, the man w
atched her closely
to learn whether or not the Lord had made
his journey successf ul.
22When the camels had finished drinki ng,
the man took out a gold nose ring weighi ng a
bekab and two gold bracelets weighing ten
shekels. c 23Then he asked, Whose daughter
are you? P
lease tell me, is t here room in your
fat hers house for us to s pend the night?
24She ans wered him, I am the daughter
of Bet huel, the son that Milk ah bore to Na
hor. 25And she added, We have plent y of
straw and fodder, as well as room for you to
spend the night.
26Then the man b owed down and wor
shiped the Lord, 27sayi ng, Praise be to the
Genesis 24:43
28
Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who

has not abandoned his kindness and faith
fulness to my master. As for me, the Lord
has led me on the journey to the house of my
masters relat ives.
28The young wom
a n ran and told her
mothers household a bout t hese t hings.
29Now Rebeka h had a brother named Laban,
and he hurr ied out to the man at the s pring.
30As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and
the bracelets on his sisters arms, and had
heard Rebeka h tell what the man said to her,
he went out to the man and found him stand
ing by the camels near the spring. 31Come,
you who are blessed by the Lord, he said.
Why are you standi ng out here? I have pre
pared the house and a p
lace for the camels.
32So the man went to the house, and the
camels were un loaded. Straw and fodder
were brought for the camels, and water for
him and his men to wash t heir feet. 33Then
food was set before him, but he said, I will
not eat until I have told you what I have to say.
Then tell us, Laban said.
34So he said, I am Abrah ams serv ant.
35The Lord has blessed my master abun
dantly, and he has become w
ealthy. He has
given him sheep and catt le, silver and gold,
male and female servants, and camels and
don k eys. 36My masters wife Sara h has
borne him a son in her old age, and he has
given him everything he owns. 37And my
master made me s wear an oath, and said,
You must not get a wife for my son from the
daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I
live, 38but go to my fat hers fami ly and to my
own clan, and get a wife for my son.
39Then I a
sked my master, What if the
woma n will not come back withme?
40He replied, The Lord, before whom I
have w
alked faithf ully, will send his angel
with you and make your journey a success,
so that you can get a wife for my son from my
own clan and from my fat hers fami ly. 41You
will be released from my oath if, when you go
to my clan, they refuse to give her to you
then you will be released from my oath.
42When I came to the
spring tod ay, I
said, Lord, God of my master Abraham, if
you will, please g rant success to the journey
on w
hich I have come. 43See, I am standi ng
beside this spring. If a young woma n comes
a10That is, Northwest Mesopotamia b22 That is, about 1/5ounce or about 5.7 grams c22 That is,
about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
11/10/11 11:13 AM
29
Genesis 24:44
out to draw water and I say to her, Please let

me d
rink a litt le water from your jar, 44and
if she says to me, Drink, and Ill draw water
for your camels too, let her be the one the
Lord has chosen for my masters son.
45Before I fini shed prayi ng in my heart,
Rebeka h came out, with her jar on her shoul
der. She went down to the spring and drew
water, and I said to her, Please give me a
drink.
46She quickly lowered her jar from her
shoulder and said, Drink, and Ill water your
camels too. So I d rank, and she watered the
camels also.
47I a
sked her, Whose daughter are you?
She said, The daughter of Bet huel son of
Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.
Then I put the ring in her nose and the
bracelets on her arms, 48and I b
owed down
and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord,
the God of my master Abraham, who had led
me on the r ight road to get the granddaugh
ter of my masters brother for his son. 49Now
if you will show kindness and faithf ulness
to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I
may know w
hich way to turn.
50Laban and Bet huel ans wered, This is
from the Lord; we can say nothing to you
one way or the other. 51Here is Rebeka h; take
her and go, and let her become the wife of
your masters son, as the Lord has directed.
52When Abra
hams serv ant heard what
they said, he bowed down to the g round be
fore the Lord. 53Then the servant brought out
gold and silver jewelr y and art icles of cloth
ing and gave them to Rebeka h; he also gave
costly g ifts to her brother and to her mother.
54Then he and the men who were with him
ate and d
rank and s pent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he
said, Send me on my way to my master.
55But her brother and her mother replied,
Let the young woma n remain with us ten
days or so; then youa maygo.
56But he said to them, Do not det ain me,
now that the Lord has granted success to my
journey. Send me on my way so I may go to
my master.
57Then they said, Lets call the young
woma n and ask her about it. 58So they
called Rebeka h and a sked her, Will you go
with this man?
a55Orshe b63
Genesis 25:9
29
I will go, she said.

59So they sent t heir sister Rebeka h on her
way, a long with her nurse and Abrahams
servant and his men. 60And they blessed Re
beka h and said to her,
Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies.
61Then Reb eka h and her attend ants got
ready and mounted the camels and went
back with the man. So the servant took Re
beka h and left.
62Now I saac had come from Beer Lah ai
Roi, for he was livi ng in the Negev. 63He went
out to the f ield one even ing to meditate,b and
as he looked up, he saw camels approachi ng.
64Rebeka h also l ooked up and saw I saac. She
got down from her camel 65and a sked the
servant, Who is that man in the f ield com
ing to meetus?
He is my master, the servant answered.
So she took her veil and covered herself.
66Then the serv ant told I saac all he had
done. 67Isaac brought her into the tent of
his mother Sara h, and he marr ied Rebeka h.
So she bec ame his wife, and he loved her;
and I saac was comforted after his mothers
death.
The Death of Abraham
25
Abra ham had taken another wife,

whose name was Ket urah. 2She bore
him Zim ran, Jok shan, Medan, Mid ia n, Ish
bak and Shua h. 3Jokshan was the fat her of
Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of De
dan were the Ashu rites, the Let ushites and
the Leu m m ites. 4The sons of Midia n were
Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaa h. All
t hese were descendants of Ket urah.
5Abra
ham left everything he o
wned to
Isaac. 6But while he was still livi ng, he gave
g ifts to the sons of his conc ubines and sent
them away from his son I saac to the land of
the east.
7Abra h am l ived a hund red and sevent yfive years. 8Then Abraham breathed his last
and died at a good old age, an old man and
full of years; and he was gathered to his peo
ple. 9His sons I saac and Ishmael buried him
in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the
Themeaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
30
Genesis 25:10
f ield of Ephron son of Zohar the Hitt ite, 10the

field Abrah am had bought from the Hit
tites.a T here Abraham was buried with his
wife Sara h. 11Af ter Abra hams death, God
blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near
Beer Lahai Roi.
Ishmaels Sons
12This is the account of the fami l y line of
Abrahams son Ishmael, whom Sara hs slave,
Hagar the Egypt ian, bore to Abraham.
13These are the names of the sons of Ish
mael, listed in the order of t heir birth: Neba
ioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel,
Mibsam, 14Mish ma, Du mah, Massa, 15Ha
dad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah.
16These were the sons of Ishmael, and t hese
are the names of the t welve triba l rulers ac
cord i ng to t heir set t lements and c amps.
17Ishmael l ived a hund red and thirt y-seven
years. He breathed his last and died, and he
was gathered to his people. 18His descen
dants settled in the area from Havilah to
Shur, near the eastern border of E
gypt, as
you go toward Ashu r. And they l ived in hos
tilit y toward b all the t ribes related to them.
Jacob and Esau

19This is the account of the fami l y line of
Abrahams son Isaac.
Abrah am bec ame the father of Isaac,

Isaac was forty y ears old when he
mar r ied Rebek a h daughter of Bet huel the
Ara mea n from Paddan Aram c and sister of
Laban the Aramea n.
21Isaac p
rayed to the Lord on behalf of his
wife, because she was childless. The Lord
ans wered his prayer, and his wife Rebeka h
became pregnant. 22The babies jost led each
other withi n her, and she said, Why is this
happeni ng to me? So she went to inquire of
the Lord.
23The Lord said to her,
20and
Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will
be separated;
one people will be stronger than the
other,
and the older will serve the younger.
Genesis 26:6
30
24When the time came for her to give birth,

t here were twin boys in her womb. 25The f irst
to come out was red, and his w
hole body was
like a h
airy garment; so they n
amed him
Esau.d 26After this, his brother came out,
with his hand grasping Esaus heel; so he was
named Jacob.e Isaac was sixt y years old when
Rebeka h gave b
irth to them.
27The boys grew up, and Esau be
c ame
a skillf ul hunter, a man of the open coun
try, while Jacob was content to stay at home
a mong the tents. 28Isaac, who had a taste for
wild game, loved Esau, but Rebeka h loved
Jacob.
29Once when Ja
c ob was cooking some
stew, Esau came in from the open count ry,
famished. 30He said to Jacob, Quick, let me
have some of that red stew! Im famished!
(That is why he was also c alled Edom.f)
31Jac ob replied, First sell me your birth
right.
32Look, I am a
bout to die, Esau said.
What good is the birthr ight tome?
33But Jacob said, Swear to me f irst. So he
s wore an oath to him, selli ng his birthr ight
to Jacob.
34Then Jac ob gave Esau some bread and
some lent il stew. He ate and d rank, and then
got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthr ight.
Isaac and Abimelek
26
Now t here was a famine in the land

besides the prev ious fami ne in Abra
hams timea nd Isaac went to Abimelek
king of the Phil ist ines in Gerar. 2The Lord
appeared to I saac and said, Do not go down
to Egypt; live in the land w
here I tell you to
live. 3Stay in this land for a while, and I will
be with you and will bless you. For to you
and your descendants I will give all t hese
lands and will conf irm the oath I s wore to
your fat her Abra ham. 4I will make your de
scendants as numerous as the stars in the
sky and will give them all t hese lands, and
t hrough your offspring g all nat ions on earth
will be b
lessed,h 5because Abraham obeyed
me and did everything I required of him,
keepi ng my commands, my decrees and my
instruct ions. 6So Isaac s tayed in Gerar.
a10Orthe descendants of Heth b18Orlived to the east of c20
That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

Esau may mean hairy. e26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
g
h
Edom means red. 4Orseed 4Orand all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring
in blessings (see48:20)
d25
f30
11/10/11 11:13 AM
31
Genesis 26:7
7When the men of that p

lace asked him
a bout his wife, he said, She is my sister, be
cause he was a fraid to say, She is my wife.
He t hought, The men of this place m ight
kill me on account of Rebeka h, because she
is beaut if ul.
8When Isaac had been t here a long time,
Abimelek king of the Phi l ist ines looked
down from a window and saw Isaac caress
ing his wife Rebeka h. 9So Abimelek sum
moned Isaac and said, She is really your
wife! Why did you say, She is my sister?
Isaac answered him, Because I t hought I
m ight lose my life on account of her.
10Then Abimelek said, What is this you
have done to us? One of the men m ight well
have slept with your wife, and you w
ould
have brought g uilt uponus.
11So Abimelek gave orders to all the peo
ple: Anyone who harms this man or his wife
shall surely be put to death.
12Isaac planted c
rops in that land and the
same year reaped a hund redfold, bec ause
the Lord b
lessed him. 13The man became
rich, and his wealth cont inued to grow unt il
he became very wealthy. 14He had so many
f locks and herds and servants that the Phi
list ines env ied him. 15So all the wells that his
fat hers servants had dug in the time of his
fat her Abraham, the Phil ist ines stopped up,
filli ng them with earth.
16Then Abim
elek said to Isaac, Move
away from us; you have become too power
ful forus.
17So
Isaac moved away from there and
encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he
sett led. 18Isaac reopened the wells that had
been dug in the time of his fat her Abraham,
which the Philist ines had stopped up after
Abraham died, and he gave them the same
names his fat her had given them.
19Isaacs serv ants dug in the valley and
discovered a well of f resh water t here. 20But
the herders of Gerar quarreled with t hose
of Isaac and said, The water is ours! So he
named the well Esek,a because they disput
ed with him. 21Then they dug another well,
but they quarreled over that one also; so he
named it Sitnah. b 22He moved on from t here
and dug another well, and no one quarreled
over it. He named it Rehoboth,c saying, Now
Genesis 27:3
31
the Lord has given us room and we will

flourish in the land.
23From there he went up to Beers heba.
24That n ight the Lord appeared to him and
said, I am the God of your fat her Abraham.
Do not be a fraid, for I am with you; I will
bless you and will inc rease the number of
your descendants for the sake of my servant
Abraham.
25Isaac built an alt ar t here and c alled on
the name of the Lord. T
here he p
itched his
tent, and t here his servants dug a well.
26Meanw hile, Abimelek had come to him
from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his persona l ad
viser and Phicol the commander of his forc
es. 27Isaac a sked them, Why have you come
to me, since you were host ile to me and sent
me away?
28They ans wered, We saw clearly that the
Lord was with you; so we said, There ought
to be a s worn agreement bet ween usbe
tween us and you. Let us make a treat y with
you 29that you will do us no harm, just as we
did not harm you but always treated you well
and sent you away peacef ully. And now you
are b
lessed by the Lord.
30Isaac then made a feast for them, and
they ate and d rank. 31Early the next morni ng
the men s wore an oath to each other. Then
Isaac sent them on t heir way, and they went
away peacef ully.
32That day Isaacs serv ants came and told
him a bout the well they had dug. They said,
Weve found water! 33He called it Shibah,d
and to this day the name of the town has
been Beersheba. e
Jacob Takes Esaus Blessing

34When Esau was fort y years old, he mar
ried Jud ith daughter of Beer i the Hitt ite, and
also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hitt ite.
35They were a source of g rief to Isaac and Re
beka h.
When Isaac was old and his eyes
were so weak that he could no longer
see, he called for Esau his older son and said
to him, My son.
Here I am, he answered.
2Isaac said, I am now an old man and
dont know the day of my death. 3Now then,
get your equipmentyour quiver and bow
27
a20 Esek means dispute. b21 Sitnah means opposition. c22 Rehoboth means room. d33 Shibah
can mean oath or seven. e33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
32
Genesis 27:4
and go out to the open count ry to hunt some

wild game for me. 4Prepare me the kind of
tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so
that I may give you my blessing before I die.
5Now Reb ek a h was list en i ng as I saac
spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for
the open count ry to hunt game and b
ring it
back, 6Rebeka h said to her son Jacob, Look,
I overheard your fat her say to your brother
Esau, 7Bring me some game and prepare me
some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you
my blessi ng in the presence of the Lord be
fore I die. 8Now, my son, listen caref ully and
do what I tell you: 9Go out to the f lock and
bring me two choice young goats, so I can
prepare some tasty food for your fat her, just
the way he l ikes it. 10Then take it to your fa
ther to eat, so that he may give you his bless
ing before he dies.
11Jac ob said to Rebeka h his mother, But
my brother Esau is a h
airy man w
hile I have
smooth skin. 12What if my father touches
me? I would appear to be tricki ng him and
would b
ring down a c urse on myself rather
than a blessi ng.
13His mother said to him, My son, let the
c urse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and
get them forme.
14So he went and got them and brought
them to his mother, and she prepared some
tasty food, just the way his fat her liked it.
15Then Re
beka h took the best c lothes of
Esau her older son, w hich she had in the
house, and put them on her younger son Ja
cob. 16She also covered his hands and the
smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.
17Then she handed to her son Jacob the t asty
food and the b
read she had made.
18He went to his fat her and said, My fa
ther.
Yes, my son, he answered. Who isit?
19Jacob said to his fat her, I am Esau your
firstborn. I have done as you told me. P
lease
sit up and eat some of my game, so that you
may give me your blessi ng.
20Isaac a
sked his son, How did you find it
so quickly, my son?
The Lord your God gave me success, he
replied.
21Then I saac said to Jac ob, Come near
so I can touch you, my son, to know whether
you really are my son Esau or not.
22Ja
c ob went c lose to his father Isaac,
a36
Genesis 27:36
32
who touched him and said, The v oice is the

voice of Jacob, but the hands are the h
ands
of Esau. 23He did not recogn ize him, for his
hands were hairy like t hose of his brother
Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24Are
you really my son Esau? he asked.
I am, he replied.
25Then he said, My son, bring me some
of your game to eat, so that I may give you
my blessi ng.
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he
brought some wine and he d rank. 26Then his
fat her Isaac said to him, Come here, my son,
and kissme.
27So he went to him and
k issed him.
When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,
he b
lessed him and said,
Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heavens dew
and earths richness
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow
down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.
30After I saac finished blessing him, and
Jacob had scarcely left his fat hers presence,
his brother Esau came in from hunti ng. 31He
too prepared some t asty food and brought
it to his fat her. Then he said to him, My fa
ther, please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your blessi ng.
32His fat her I saac a sked him, Who are
you?
I am your son, he answered, your first
born, Esau.
33Isaac trembled violently and said, Who
was it, then, that hunted game and brought
it to me? I ate it just before you came and I
blessed himand indeed he will be blessed!
34When Esau heard his fat hers words, he
burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said
to his fat her, Bless meme too, my fat her!
35But he said, Your brother came deceit
fully and took your blessi ng.
36Esau said, Isnt he rightly n amed Ja
coba? This is the second time he has taken
Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 27:37
33
advantage of me: He took my birthr ight, and

now hes taken my blessi ng! Then he asked,
Havent you reserved any blessi ng forme?
37Isaac ans wered Esau, I have made him
lord over you and have made all his relat ives
his servants, and I have sustained him with
g rain and new wine. So what can I possibly
do for you, my son?
38Esau said to his father, Do you have
only one blessi ng, my fat her? Bless me too,
my fat her! Then Esau wept aloud.
39His fat her Isaac ans wered him,
Your dwelling will be
away from the earths richness,
away from the dew of heaven above.
40 You will live by the sword
and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
you will throw his yoke
from off your neck.
41Esau
held a g rudge against Jacob be

cause of the blessing his father had given
him. He said to himself, The days of mourn
ing for my fat her are near; then I will kill my
brother Jacob.
42When Rebeka h was told what her older
son Esau had said, she sent for her younger
son Jac ob and said to him, Your brother
Esau is plann ing to avenge himself by kill
ing you. 43Now then, my son, do what I say:
Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran.
44Stay with him for a w hile unt il your broth
ers fury subsides. 45When your brother is no
longer ang ry with you and forgets what you
did to him, Ill send word for you to come
back from t here. Why should I lose both of
you in one day?
46Then Reb eka h said to I saac, Im dis
gusted with living because of t hese Hitt ite
women. If Jacob takes a wife from a mong the
women of this land, from Hitt ite women like
t hese, my life will not be w
orth livi ng.
So Isaac c alled for Jacob and b
lessed
him. Then he commanded him: Do
not marr y a Canaanite woma n. 2Go at once
to Paddan Aram, a to the house of your moth
ers fat her Bet huel. Take a wife for yourself
t here, from a mong the daughters of Laban,
your mothers brother. 3May God Alm ightyb
bless you and make you fruitf ul and increase
28
Genesis 28:17
33
your numbers unt il you become a commu

nit y of peoples. 4May he give you and your
descendants the blessi ng given to Abraham,
so that you may take possession of the land
where you now reside as a foreigner, the land
God gave to Abraham. 5Then Isaac sent
Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan
Aram, to Laban son of Bet huel the Ara mea n,
the brother of Rebeka h, who was the mother
of Jacob and Esau.
6Now Esau learned that I saac had b
lessed
Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to
take a wife from there, and that when he
blessed him he commanded him, Do not
marr y a Canaanite woma n, 7and that Jacob
had o
beyed his fat her and mother and had
gone to Paddan Aram. 8Esau then rea l i zed
how displeasi ng the Canaanite women were
to his fat her Isaac; 9so he went to Ishmael
and marr ied Mahalath, the sister of Neba
ioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abra
ham, in add it ion to the w ives he already had.
Jacobs Dream at Bethel

10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Har
ran. 11When he r eached a certain place, he
stopped for the night because the sun had set.
Taking one of the stones t here, he put it un
der his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had
a d ream in which he saw a stairway resting
on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven,
and the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it. 13There a bove itc stood the
Lord, and he said: I am the Lord, the God of
your fat her Abraham and the God of Isaac. I
will give you and your descendants the land
on which you are lying. 14Your descendants
will be like the dust of the earth, and you will
spread out to the west and to the east, to the
north and to the south. All peoples on earth
will be blessed through you and your off
spring.d 15I am with you and will w
atch over
you wherever you go, and I will bring you
back to this land. I will not leave you unt il I
have done what I have promised you.
16When Jac ob awoke from his s
leep, he
t hought, Surely the Lord is in this place,
and I was not aware of it. 17He was a fraid
and said, How awesome is this p
lace! This
is none other than the house of God; this is
the gate of heaven.
a2 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7 b3Hebrew El-Shaddai c13OrThere
beside him d14Orwill use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see48:20)
11/10/11 11:13 AM
WEDNESDAY
Right Goal Wrong Way

Genesis 27:145 or 27:3237
Herbert C. Leupold {ad 18921972}

Jacob was really a spiritually minded man with an appreciation of spiritual values. He had
distinct spiritual ambitions, especially in the matter of continuing the line of promise from
which the Savior would come. His aspirations were not his own idea; they were birthed by
the divine word of promise. The Lord had destined Jacob to this place of honor. Jacob
gladly accepted the choice and aspired to reach the promised treasure. His eagerness was
commendable. His choice of means in arriving at the desired end was not always as com
mendable. He felt he had to help the good Lord along occasionally. He was not fully
confident of Gods methods for arriving at the goal. Thus, he felt the need to occasionally
insert a bit of assistance of his own. Such an attitude was one of mistrust. Jacob had confi
dence in human ingenuity rather than in divine dependability, an attitude described in one
wordunbelief.
Marva J. Dawn
When we can rest enough to trust with our times the One who is trustable, then we dont
have to ask the how long? questions. We will be able to see that however long God allows
certain processes to continue is partly the gift of his perfect wisdom ...
We are all challenged by the need to grow in our ability to trust. We will sometimes
fail to depend on God, because we will always be humanyet in those times the character
of YHWH is all the more precious to us, because we perpetually learn afresh that he is a
forgiving and affirming God, our Comforter. Just when we trust him least, he is the most
trustable, continuing to love us with perfect mercy. Therefore, we are set free to go on,
feebly trusting, but learning to trust him more.
reflection
1. In what scenarios are you most likely to ask God, How long?
2. When have you been guilty of taking matters into your own hands?
3. Have you found that those times drew you closer to God or did they
overwhelm you so much that you forgot about him?
|| 34||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 28:18
35
18Early the next morning Jac ob took the

s tone he had p
laced under his head and set
it up as a pillar and p
oured oil on top of it.
19He c alled that p
lace Bethel,a t hough the
city used to be called Luz.
20Then Jacob made a vow, sayi ng, If God
will be with me and will watch over me on
this journey I am taking and will give me
food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I re
turn safely to my fat hers household, then
the Lordb will be my God 22andc this stone
that I have set up as a pillar will be G ods
house, and of all that you give me I will give
you a tenth.
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
29
Then Jacob continued on his jour

ney and came to the land of the
eastern peoples. 2There he saw a well in the
open count ry, with t hree f locks of sheep ly
ing near it because the f locks were watered
from that well. The stone over the mouth of
the well was large. 3When all the f locks were
gathered t here, the shepherds would roll the
stone away from the wells mouth and water
the sheep. Then they would ret urn the s tone
to its place over the m
outh of the well.
4Jac ob a sked the shepherds, My broth
ers, where are you from?
Were from Harran, they replied.
5He said to them, Do you know Laban,
Nahors grandson?
Yes, we know him, they answered.
6Then Jacob a
sked them, Is he well?
Yes, he is, they said, and here comes his
daughter Rachel with the sheep.
7Look, he said, the sun is still high; it is
not time for the f locks to be gathered. Water
the sheep and take them back to past ure.
8We
c ant, they replied, until all the
f locks are gathered and the stone has been
rolled away from the m
outh of the well. Then
we will water the sheep.
9While he was still talki ng with them, Ra
chel came with her fat hers s heep, for she
was a shepherd. 10When Jacob saw Rachel
daughter of his uncle Laban, and Labans
s heep, he went over and rolled the stone
away from the mouth of the well and wa
tered his uncles sheep. 11Then Jacob k issed
Rachel and began to weep a loud. 12He had
told Rachel that he was a relat ive of her fa
a19
Genesis 29:30
35
ther and a son of Rebeka h. So she ran and

told her fat her.
13As soon as Laban heard the news about
Jacob, his sisters son, he hurr ied to meet
him. He embraced him and k issed him and
brought him to his home, and t here Jacob
told him all t hese t hings. 14Then Laban said
to him, You are my own f lesh and blood.
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jac ob had stayed with him for a
whole month, 15Laban said to him, Just be
cause you are a relat ive of mine, should you
work for me for nothi ng? Tell me what your
wages shouldbe.
16Now La
ban had two daughters; the
name of the older was Leah, and the name
of the younger was Rachel. 17Leah had weakd
eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figu re and was
beaut i f ul. 18Jacob was in love with Rachel
and said, Ill work for you seven years in re
turn for your younger daughter Rachel.
19Laban said, Its better that I give her to
you than to some other man. Stay here with
me. 20So Jacob served seven years to get Ra
chel, but they seemed like only a few days to
him because of his love for her.
21Then Jacob said to Laban, Give me my
wife. My time is completed, and I want to
make love to her.
22So Laban brought together all the peo
ple of the place and gave a f east. 23But when
even ing came, he took his daughter Leah
and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made
love to her. 24And Laban gave his servant Zil
pah to his daughter as her attendant.
25When morni ng came, t here was Leah!
So Jacob said to Laban, What is this you
have done to me? I served you for Rachel,
d idnt I? Why have you deceivedme?
26Laban replied, It is not our custom here
to give the younger daughter in marr iage
before the older one. 27Finish this daugh
ters brida l week; then we will give you the
younger one also, in ret urn for another sev
en years of work.
28And Jacob did so. He fini shed the week
with Leah, and then Laban gave him his
daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29Laban gave
his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as
her at tendant. 30Jacob made love to Rachel
also, and his love for Rachel was greater than
Bethel means house of God. b20,21OrSince God... fathers household, the Lord
c21,22Orhousehold, and the Lord will be my God, 22then d17Ordelicate
11/10/11 11:13 AM
36
Genesis 29:31
his love for Leah. And he w

orked for Laban
another seven years.
Jacobs Children
31When the Lord saw that Leah was not
l oved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel
remained child less. 32Leah bec ame preg
nant and gave birth to a son. She named him
Reuben, a for she said, It is because the Lord
has seen my misery. Surely my husband will
love me now.
33She conceived again, and when she gave
birth to a son she said, Because the Lord
heard that I am not loved, he gave me this
one too. So she named him Simeon.b
34Again she con
c eived, and when she
gave birth to a son she said, Now at last my
husband will become attached to me, be
cause I have borne him t hree sons. So he
was named Levi.c
35She con
c eived a gain, and when she
gave birth to a son she said, This time I will
praise the Lord. So she named him Judah.d
Then she stopped havi ng child ren.
When Rachel saw that she was not
beari ng Jacob any child ren, she be
came jealous of her sister. So she said to Ja
cob, Give me child ren, or Ill die!
2Jac ob bec ame ang ry with her and said,
AmI in the place of God, who has kept you
from havi ng child ren?
3Then she said, Here is Bilh ah, my ser
vant. Sleep with her so that she can bear
child ren for me and I too can build a fami ly
t hrough her.
4So she gave him her serv ant Bilhah as a
wife. Jacob slept with her, 5and she became
pregnant and bore him a son. 6Then Rachel
said, God has vind ic ated me; he has lis
tened to my plea and given me a son. Be
cause of this she n
amed him Dan.e
7Rachels serv ant Bilhah conceived again
and bore Jacob a second son. 8Then Rachel
said, I have had a g reat strugg le with my
sister, and I have won. So she n
amed him
Naphtal i. f
9When Leah saw that she had
stopped
havi ng child ren, she took her servant Zilpah
30
Genesis 30:26
36
and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10Lea hs ser

vant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11Then Leah
said, What good fort une!g So she n
amed
him Gad.h
12Lea hs serv ant Zilpah bore Jac ob a sec
ond son. 13Then Leah said, How happy I
am! The women will call me happy. So she
named him Asher. i
14Duri ng w heat harvest, Reuben went out
into the fields and found some mand rake
plants, which he brought to his mother Leah.
Rachel said to Leah, Please give me some of
your sons mand rakes.
15But she said to her, Wasnt it enough
that you took away my husband? Will you
take my sons mand rakes too?
Very well, Rachel said, he can s leep
with you ton ight in return for your sons
mand rakes.
16So when Jac ob came in from the f ields
that even ing, Leah went out to meet him.
You must sleep with me, she said. I have
h ired you with my s ons mand rakes. So he
slept with her that night.
17God listened to Leah, and she bec ame
pregnant and bore Jacob a f ifth son. 18Then
Leah said, God has rewarded me for givi ng
my servant to my husband. So she named
him Issachar. j
19Leah conc eived again and bore Jacob a
sixth son. 20Then Leah said, God has pre
sented me with a precious gift. This time my
husband will t reat me with honor, because I
have b
orne him six sons. So she named him
Zebu lun. k
21Some time lat
er she gave b
irth to a
daughter and named her Dinah.
22Then God remembered Rac hel; he lis
tened to her and enabled her to conceive.
23She bec ame pregnant and gave birth to a
son and said, God has taken away my dis
grace. 24She named him Joseph,l and said,
May the Lord add to me another son.
Jacobs Flocks Increase

25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob
said to Laban, Send me on my way so I can
go back to my own homeland. 26Give me my
a32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son. b33 Simeon
probably means one who hears. c34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for
attached. d35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. e6 Dan here
means he has vindicated. f8 Naphtali means my struggle. g11OrA troop is coming! h11 Gad
can mean good fortune or a troop. i13 Asher means happy. j18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for
reward. k20 Zebulun probably means honor. l24 Joseph means may he add.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
37
Genesis 30:27
ives and child ren, for whom I have served

w
you, and I will be on my way. You know how
much work Ive done for you.
27But Laban said to him, If I have f ound
favor in your eyes, p
lease stay. I have l earned
by divi nat ion that the Lord has blessed me
bec ause of you. 28He added, Name your
wages, and I will pay them.
29Jacob said to him, You know how I have
worked for you and how your livestock has
fared under my care. 30The litt le you had be
fore I came has inc reased greatly, and the
Lord has b
lessed you wherever I have been.
But now, when may I do somet hing for my
own household?
31What shall I give you? he asked.
Dont give me anyt hing, Jacob replied.
But if you will do this one t hing for me, I will
go on tendi ng your f locks and watchi ng over
them: 32Let me go t hrough all your f locks to
day and remove from them every speckled
or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb
and every spotted or speckled goat. They
will be my wages. 33And my honest y will tes
tif y for me in the fut ure, whenever you check
on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in
my possession that is not speckled or spot
ted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will
be considered stolen.
34Agreed, said Laban. Let it be as you
have said. 35That same day he removed all
the male goats that were s treaked or spotted,
and all the speckled or spotted female g oats
(all that had white on them) and all the darkcolored lambs, and he p
laced them in the
care of his sons. 36Then he put a t hree-day
jour ney bet ween himself and Jacob, w hile
Jacob cont inued to tend the rest of Labans
flocks.
37Jac ob, howe ver, took f resh-cut branch
es from poplar, almond and p
lane t rees and
made white s tripes on them by peeli ng the
bark and exposi ng the white inner wood of
the branches. 38Then he placed the peeled
branches in all the wateri ng t roughs, so that
they w
ould be directly in f ront of the f locks
when they came to d
rink. When the f locks
were in heat and came to d rink, 39they mat
ed in f ront of the branches. And they bore
young that were s treaked or speckled or
spot ted. 40Jacob set apart the young of the
f lock by themselves, but made the rest face
the streaked and dark-colored ani mals that
belonged to Laban. Thus he made sepa rate
Genesis 31:14
37
f locks for himself and did not put them with

Labans an i mals. 41Whenever the stronger
females were in heat, Jacob would place the
branches in the t roughs in f ront of the ani
mals so they w
ould mate near the branches,
42but if the ani mals were weak, he would not
place them t here. So the weak ani mals went
to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43In
this way the man grew exc eedingly pros
perous and came to own large f locks, and
female and male servants, and camels and
donkeys.
Jacob Flees From Laban
31
Jacob h
eard that Labans sons were
say i ng, Jacob has taken every t hing
our father o
wned and has gained all this
wealth from what belonged to our fat her.
2And Jacob not iced that Labans att it ude to
ward him was not what it had been.
3Then the Lord said to Jacob, Go back to
the land of your fat hers and to your relat ives,
and I will be with you.
4So Jac ob sent word to Rac hel and Leah
to come out to the fields w here his f locks
were. 5He said to them, I see that your fa
thers att it ude toward me is not what it was
before, but the God of my fat her has been
orked for your
with me. 6You know that Ive w
fat her with all my s trength, 7yet your fat her
has cheated me by changi ng my wages ten
t imes. However, God has not allowed him
to harm me. 8If he said, The speckled ones
will be your wages, then all the f locks gave
birth to speckled young; and if he said, The
streaked ones will be your wages, then all
the f locks bore streaked young. 9So God has
taken away your fat hers livestock and has
given them tome.
10In breedi ng season I once had a d ream
in which I looked up and saw that the male
goats mating with the f lock were streaked,
speck led or spot ted. 11The angel of God
said to me in the d
ream, Jacob. I answered,
Here I am. 12And he said, Look up and see
that all the male goats mati ng with the f lock
are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have
seen all that Laban has been doi ng to you. 13I
am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a
pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now
leave this land at once and go back to your
nat ive land.
14Then Rac hel and Leah replied, Do we
still have any share in the inheritance of our
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 31:15
38
fat hers est ate? 15Does he not regard us as

foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he
has used up what was paid for us. 16Surely
all the wealth that God took away from our
fat her belongs to us and our child ren. So do
whatever God has told you.
17Then Ja
c ob put his child ren and his
w ives on camels, 18and he d rove all his live
stock a head of him, a long with all the goods
he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, a to go
to his fat her Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19When La
ban had gone to shear his
sheep, Rachel stole her fat hers household
gods. 20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the
Ara mea n by not telli ng him he was runn ing
away. 21So he fled with all he had, c rossed
the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill
count ry of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob

22On
the third day Laban was told that

Jacob had fled. 23Tak i ng his relat ives with
him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and
c aught up with him in the hill country of
Gilead. 24Then God came to Laban the Ar
amea n in a d ream at n
ight and said to him,
Be caref ul not to say anyt hing to Jacob, ei
ther good or bad.
25Ja
c ob had pitched his tent in the hill
count ry of Gilead when Laban overtook him,
and Laban and his relat ives c amped t here
too. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, What have
you done? Youve deceived me, and y ouve
carr ied off my daughters like capt ives in war.
27Why did you run off sec retl y and dec eive
me? Why d
idnt you tell me, so I could send
you away with joy and singi ng to the music
of timbrels and harps? 28You d idnt even let
me kiss my grandchild ren and my daughters
goodbye. You have done a foolish t hing. 29I
have the power to harm you; but last n ight
the God of your fat her said to me, Be caref ul
not to say anyt hing to Jacob, eit her good or
bad. 30Now you have gone off because you
longed to ret urn to your fat hers household.
But why did you s teal my gods?
31Jac ob ans wered Laban, I was a fraid,
bec ause I thought you w
ould take your
daughters away from me by force. 32But if
you find anyone who has your gods, that per
son s hall not live. In the presence of our rel
at ives, see for yourself whether t here is any
a18
Genesis 31:44
38
thing of yours here with me; and if so, take

it. Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had
stolen the gods.
33So La
ban went into Jac obs tent and
into Lea hs tent and into the tent of the two
female servants, but he found nothing. Af
ter he came out of Lea hs tent, he entered
Rachels tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the
household gods and put them inside her
camels sadd le and was sitt ing on them. La
ban searched t hrough everyt hing in the tent
but found nothi ng.
35Rac hel said to her fat her, Dont be an
gry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your
presence; Im having my perio d. So he
searched but could not find the household
gods.
36Jacob was ang ry and took Laban to task.
What is my c rime? he a sked Laban. How
have I w ronged you that you hunt me down?
37Now that you have s earched t hrough all
my goods, what have you f ound that belongs
to your household? Put it here in f ront of your
relat ives and mine, and let them judge be
tween the two ofus.
38I have been with you for twent y years
now. Your s heep and g oats have not mis
carr ied, nor have I eaten rams from your
ring you animals torn
f locks. 39I did not b
by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And
you demanded payment from me for what
ever was stolen by day or n
ight. 40This was
my situat ion: The heat consumed me in the
dayt ime and the cold at n
ight, and sleep fled
from my eyes. 41It was like this for the twen
ty years I was in your household. I worked
for you fourteen years for your two daugh
ters and six y ears for your f locks, and you
changed my wages ten t imes. 42If the God of
my fat her, the God of Abraham and the Fear
of Isaac, had not been with me, you would
surely have sent me away empty-handed.
But God has seen my hardship and the toil
of my hands, and last n ight he rebuked you.
43Laban ans wered Jacob, The women are
my daughters, the child ren are my child ren,
and the f locks are my f locks. All you see is
mine. Yet what can I do today about t hese
daughters of mine, or a bout the child ren
they have borne? 44Come now, lets make a
covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a wit
ness bet weenus.
That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 31:45
39
45So Jac ob took a s

tone and set it up as a
pillar. 46He said to his relatives, Gather
some s tones. So they took stones and p
iled
them in a heap, and they ate t here by the
heap. 47Laban called it Jegar Sahadut ha, and
Jacob called it Galeed. a
48Laban said, This heap is a witness be
tween you and me today. That is why it was
called Galeed. 49It was also called Mizpah,b
because he said, May the Lord keep watch
bet ween you and me when we are away from
each other. 50If you mist reat my daughters or
if you take any w
ives besides my daughters,
even t hough no one is with us, remember
that God is a witness bet ween you andme.
51Laban also said to Jac ob, Here is this
heap, and here is this pillar I have set up be
tween you and me. 52This heap is a witness,
and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go
past this heap to your side to harm you and
that you will not go past this heap and pil
lar to my side to harm me. 53May the God of
Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of
t heir fat her, judge bet weenus.
So Jacob took an oath in the name of the
Fear of his fat her Isaac. 54He offered a sacr i
fice t here in the hill count ry and inv ited his
relat ives to a meal. After they had eaten, they
spent the n ight there.
55Ear
l y the next morning Laban k issed
his grandchild ren and his daughters and
blessed them. Then he left and returned
home.c
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
32
Jacob also went on his way, and the

angels of God met him. 2When Ja
cob saw them, he said, This is the camp of
God! So he n
amed that p
lace Mahanai m.e
3Jac ob sent mess engers a head of him to
his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the coun
try of Edom. 4He instructed them: This is
what you are to say to my lord Esau: Your
servant Jacob says, I have been stayi ng with
Laban and have remained t here till now. 5I
have catt le and donkeys, sheep and g oats,
male and female servants. Now I am send
ing this message to my lord, that I may find
favor in your eyes.
6When the messengers ret urned to Jacob,
they said, We went to your brother Esau,
Genesis 32:21
39
and now he is comi ng to meet you, and four

hund red men are with him.
7In g reat fear and distress Jac ob div id
ed the people who were with him into two
g roups, f and the f locks and herds and cam
els as well. 8He t hought, If Esau comes and
at t acks one g roup, g the g roupg that is left
may escape.
9Then Jac ob prayed, OGod of my fat her
Abraham, God of my fat her Isaac, Lord, you
who said to me, Go back to your country
and your relat ives, and I will make you pros
per, 10I am unwort hy of all the kindness and
faithf ulness you have shown your servant. I
had only my staff when I c rossed this Jordan,
but now I have become two c amps. 11Save
me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau,
for I am a fraid he will come and attack me,
and also the mothers with their child ren.
12But you have said, I will surel y make you
prosper and will make your descendants
like the sand of the sea, w hich cannot be
counted.
13He spent the n ight t here, and from what
he had with him he selected a gift for his
brother Esau: 14two hund red female goats
and twent y male g oats, two hund red ewes
and twenty rams, 15thir t y fem ale camels
with t heir young, fort y cows and ten b
ulls,
and twenty female donkeys and ten male
don keys. 16He put them in the care of his
servants, each herd by itself, and said to his
servants, Go a head of me, and keep some
space bet ween the herds.
17He instructed the one in the lead: When
my brother Esau meets you and asks, Who
do you belong to, and where are you goi ng,
and who owns all t hese ani mals in f ront of
you? 18then you are to say, They belong to
your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my
lord Esau, and he is comi ng beh indus.
19He also instructed the second, the t hird
and all the others who followed the herds:
You are to say the same t hing to Esau when
you meet him. 20And be sure to say, Your
servant Jacob is comi ng beh ind us. For he
t hought, I will paci f y him with t hese g ifts I
am sendi ng on a head; later, when I see him,
perhaps he will rec eive me. 21So Jac obs
g ifts went on a head of him, but he himself
spent the n ight in the camp.
a47TheAramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap. b49
Mizpah
means watchtower. c55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1. dIn Hebrew texts
e
f
g
32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33. 2 Mahanaim means two camps. 7Orcamps 8Orcamp
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 32:22
40
Jacob Wrestles With God

22That n ight Jacob got up and took his two
ives, his two female servants and his elev

w
en sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
23After he had sent them across the stream,
he sent over all his possessions. 24So Jacob
was left a lone, and a man wrestled with
him till daybreak. 25When the man saw that
he c ould not overpower him, he touched
the socket of Jacobs hip so that his hip was
w renched as he wrestled with the man.
26Then the man said, Let me go, for it is day
break.
But Jacob replied, I will not let you go un
less you b
lessme.
27The man
a sked him, What is your
name?
Jacob, he answered.
28Then the man said, Your name will
no longer be Jacob, but Israel,a because you
have strugg led with God and with humans
and have overcome.
29Jacob said, Please tell me your name.
But he replied, Why do you ask my
name? Then he blessed him there.
30So Jac ob c alled the place Pen iel, b say
ing, It is because I saw God face to face, and
yet my life was spared.
31The sun rose above him as he passed Pe
niel, c and he was limpi ng because of his hip.
32Therefore to this day the Isr aelites do not
eat the tendon attached to the socket of the
hip, bec ause the socket of Jacobs hip was
touched near the tendon.
Jacob Meets Esau
33
Jacob looked up and t here was Esau,

comi ng with his four hund red men;
so he div ide d the child ren a mong Leah,
Rac hel and the two fem ale serv ants. 2He
put the female serv ants and t heir child ren
in front, Leah and her child ren next, and
Rac hel and Jos eph in the rear. 3He him
self went on a head and b
owed down to the
g round seven t imes as he approached his
brother.
4But Esau ran to meet Ja
c ob and em
braced him; he t hrew his arms a round his
neck and k issed him. And they wept. 5Then
Esau looked up and saw the women and
Genesis 33:20
40
child ren. Who are these with you? he

asked.
Jacob ans wered, They are the child ren
God has graciously given your servant.
6Then the female serv ants and t heir chil
dren approached and b
owed down. 7Next,
Leah and her child ren came and bowed
down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,
and they too bowed down.
8Esau a
sked, Whats the meaning of all
t hese f locks and h
erds I met?
To find favor in your eyes, my lord, he
said.
9But Esau said, I already have plent y, my
brother. Keep what you have for yourself.
10No, please! said Jacob. If I have f ound
favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me.
For to see your face is like seei ng the face of
God, now that you have received me favor
ably. 11Please acc ept the present that was
brought to you, for God has been gracious to
me and I have all I need. And because Jacob
insisted, Esau acceptedit.
12Then Esau said, Let us be on our way;
Ill accompany you.
13But Jac ob said to him, My lord k
nows
that the child ren are tender and that I must
care for the ewes and cows that are nurs
ing t heir young. If they are driven hard just
one day, all the animals will die. 14So let
my lord go on a head of his servant, while I
move a long slowly at the pace of the f locks
and h
erds before me and the pace of the chil
dren, unt il I come to my lord in Seir.
15Esau said, Then let me leave some of
my men with you.
But why do that? Jacob asked. Just let
me find favor in the eyes of my lord.
16So that day Esau started on his way back
to Seir. 17Jacob, however, went to Suk koth,
where he built a place for himself and made
shelters for his livestock. That is why the
place is called Sukkoth. d
18After Jac ob came from Padd an Aram,e
he arr ived safely at the city of Shechem in
Canaan and camped withi n sight of the city.
19For a hund red pieces of silver,f he b
ought
from the sons of Hamor, the fat her of She
chem, the plot of g round where he pitched
his tent. 20There he set up an altar and called
it El Elohe Israel. g
a28 Israel probably means he struggles with God. b30 Peniel means face of God. c31Hebrew
Penuel, a variant of Peniel d17 Sukkoth means shelters. e18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
f19Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value. g20 El
Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
THURSDAY
Wrestling With God

Genesis 32:132 or 32:2232
Charles Haddon Spurgeon {ad 18341892}

In ancient times, a smack on the ear given by a master to a slave meant liberty: little would
the newly freed slave care how hard the blow was. By a stroke from the sword the warrior
was knighted by his monarch: small matter was it to the newly made knight if the hand was
heavy. When the Lord intends to lift his servants into the higher stage of spiritual life, he
frequently sends them a severe trial; he makes his Jacobs to be prevailing princes, but he
confers the honor after a night of wrestling and accompanies it with a lasting wound. Be it
so: Who among us would wish to be deprived of the trials, if they are the necessary atten
dants of spiritual advancement?
Michael Marshall
At the outset of his long journey of faith, Augustine had declared that it was the very nature
of the human condition that our hearts would always be restless until we had come to rest
totally in God. Much later in his pilgrimage, when he was a bishop, he wrote these reassur
ing words: Even while we are being tossed about by the waves of the sea, we have the anchor
of hope already fixed upon the land. Augustine lived in this world in the sure and confident
hope that the day would come when faith would become sight, when desire would be swal
lowed up in delight, when the things that could be shaken off would be shaken off forever,
and when all that remained would be the One who remains forever. Nothing less, he now
knew, was worth living for, and nothing less constituted a life worth living.
We might say that in middle life Augustine became homesick for heaven and expe
rienced the deep desire and yearning which overtook his earlier, more negative restlessness.
He had discovered, if you like, the point of it allsometimes summed up in the words,
In the end, God.
reflection
1. When was the last time you wrestled with God?

2. What lasting wounds have helped you grow closer to God?
3. When are you most likely to resonate with the phrase, In the end, God?
|| 41||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
42
Genesis 34:1
Dinah and the Shechemites
34
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had

borne to Jacob, went out to visit the
women of the land. 2When Shechem son of
Hamor the Hiv ite, the ruler of that area, saw
her, he took her and r aped her. 3His heart
was d rawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he
loved the young woma n and spoke tenderly
to her. 4And Shechem said to his fat her Ha
mor, Get me this girl as my wife.
5When Jac ob h
eard that his daughter Di
nah had been def iled, his sons were in the
f ields with his livestock; so he did nothing
about it unt il they came home.
6Then She
c hems father Hamor went
out to talk with Jacob. 7Meanwhile, Jacobs
sons had come in from the f ields as soon as
they heard what had happened. They were
s hocked and fu r ious, bec ause Shec hem
had done an outrageous t hing ina Israel by
sleeping with Jacobs daughtera t hing that
should not be done.
8But Hamor said to them, My son She
chem has his h
eart set on your daughter.
Please give her to him as his wife. 9Inter
marr y with us; give us your daughters and
take our daughters for yourselves. 10You can
sett le a mong us; the land is open to you. Live
in it, t radeb in it, and acquire propert y init.
11Then She
chem said to Dinahs father
and brothers, Let me find favor in your eyes,
and I will give you whatever you ask. 12Make
the price for the bride and the gift I am to
bring as g reat as you like, and Ill pay what
ever you ask me. Only give me the young
woma n as my wife.
13Be
c ause their sister Din ah had been
def iled, Jacobs sons replied deceit f ul ly as
they spoke to Shechem and his fat her Ha
mor. 14They said to them, We cant do such
a t hing; we cant give our sister to a man who
is not circumcised. That w
ould be a disg race
to us. 15We will enter into an agreement
with you on one cond it ion only: that you be
come like us by circumcisi ng all your m
ales.
16Then we will give you our daughters and
take your daughters for ourselves. Well set
tle a mong you and become one people with
you. 17But if you will not agree to be circum
cised, well take our sister andgo.
18Their proposa l seemed good to Hamor
and his son Shec hem. 19The young man,
Genesis 35:2
42
who was the most honored of all his fa

thers fami ly, lost no time in doi ng what they
said, because he was del ighted with Jacobs
daughter. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem
went to the gate of t heir city to s peak to the
men of t heir city. 21These men are friendly
toward us, they said. Let them live in our
land and t rade in it; the land has plent y of
room for them. We can marr y t heir daugh
ters and they can marr y ours. 22But the men
will agree to live with us as one people only
on the cond it ion that our males be circ um
cised, as they themselves are. 23Wont t heir
livestock, t heir propert y and all t heir oth
er ani mals become ours? So let us agree to
t heir terms, and they will sett le a mongus.
24All the men who went out of the city gate
agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem,
and every male in the city was circumcised.
25Three days later, w hile all of them were
still in pain, two of Jacobs sons, Simeon and
Levi, Dinahs brothers, took their s words
and attacked the unsuspecting city, kill
ing every male. 26They put Hamor and his
son Shechem to the s word and took Dinah
from Shechems house and left. 27The sons
of Jac ob came upon the dead bodies and
looted the city wherec t heir sister had been
def iled. 28They seized t heir f locks and herds
and donkeys and everyt hing else of t heirs in
the city and out in the f ields. 29They carr ied
off all t heir wealth and all t heir women and
child ren, tak i ng as plunder every t hing in
the houses.
30Then Ja
c ob said to Simeon and Levi,
You have brought trouble on me by maki ng
me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Peri z
zites, the people livi ng in this land. We are
few in number, and if they join forces a gainst
me and attack me, I and my household will
be destroyed.
31But they replied, Should he have treat
ed our sister like a prost it ute?
Jacob Returns to Bethel
35
Then God said to Jacob, Go up to

Bethel and settle there, and build
an altar t here to God, who appeared to you
when you were fleeing from your brother
Esau.
2So Jacob said to his household and to all
who were with him, Get rid of the foreign
a7Oragainst b10Ormove about freely; also in verse21 c27Orbecause
11/10/11 11:13 AM
43
Genesis 35:3
gods you have with you, and pur ify your

selves and change your clothes. 3Then come,
let us go up to Bethel, w
here I will build an
altar to God, who answered me in the day of
my dist ress and who has been with me wher
ever I have gone. 4So they gave Jacob all the
foreign gods they had and the r ings in t heir
ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at
Shechem. 5Then they set out, and the terror
of God fell on the t owns all a round them so
that no one pursued them.
6Jac ob and all the people with him came
to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
7There he built an alt ar, and he c alled the
place El Bethel, a bec ause it was t here that
God revealed himself to him when he was
fleei ng from his brother.
8Now Debor ah, Reb ek a hs nurse, died
and was buried under the oak outside Beth
el. So it was n
amed Allon Bakuth.b
9Af t er Jac ob ret urned from Padd an
Aram,c God appeared to him a gain and
blessed him. 10God said to him, Your name
is Jacob, d but you will no longer be called Ja
cob; your name will be Israel.e So he named
him Israel.
11And God said to him, I am God Al
mightyf ; be fruitf ul and increase in number.
A nat ion and a commun it y of nat ions will
come from you, and k ings will be a mong
your descendants. 12The land I gave to Abra
ham and I saac I also give to you, and I will
give this land to your descend ants after
you. 13Then God went up from him at the
place w
here he had t alked with him.
14Jac ob set up a s tone pillar at the place
w here God had talked with him, and he
poured out a d rink offering on it; he also
poured oil on it. 15Jac ob c alled the place
where God had t alked with him Bethel.g
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16Then they moved on from Bethel. W
hile
they were still some distance from Ephrath,
Rachel began to give birth and had g reat dif
fic ult y. 17And as she was havi ng g reat diff i
cult y in childbirth, the midw ife said to her,
Dont despair, for you have another son.
18As she b
reathed her lastfor she was dy
ingshe named her son Ben-Oni.h But his
fat her named him Benjam in. i
Genesis 36:6
43
19So Rac hel died and was buried on the

way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Over
her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day
that pillar marks Rachels tomb.
21Isr ael moved on again and pitched his
tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22While Israel was
living in that reg ion, Reuben went in and
slept with his fat hers concubine Bilhah, and
Israel heard ofit.
Jacob had t welve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and
Zebu lun.
24 The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjam in.
25 The sons of Rachels servant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtal i.
26 The sons of Lea hs servant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were
born to him in Paddan Aram.
27Ja
cob
came home to his father Isaac

in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, He
bron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28Isaac
l ived a hund red and eighty years.
29Then he b
reathed his last and died and was
gathered to his people, old and full of y ears.
And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Esaus Descendants
36
This is the account of the fami ly line

of Esau (that is, Edom).
2Esau took his w ives from the wom

en of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon
the Hit t ite, and Ohol iba mah daughter
of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon
the Hiv ite 3also Basemath daughter
of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Base
math bore Reuel, 5and Oholibam ah
bore Jeu sh, Jalam and Korah. T hese
were the sons of Esau, who were born to
him in Canaan.
6Esau took his w ives and sons and
daughters and all the members of his
household, as well as his livestock and
all his other ani mals and all the g oods
he had acquired in Canaan, and moved
a7
El Bethel means God of Bethel. b8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping. c9 That is, Northwest
Mesopotamia; also in verse26 d10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
e10 Israel probably means he struggles with God. f11Hebrew El-Shaddai g15 Bethel means house
of God. h18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble. i18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 36:7
44
to a land some distance from his broth

er Jacob. 7Their possessions were too
g reat for them to remain together; the
land w here they were staying c ould
not support them both because of t heir
livestock. 8So Esau (that is, Edom) set
tled in the hill count ry of Seir.
9This is the acc ount of the fami ly line of
Esau the fat her of the Edomites in the hill
count ry of Seir.
10 These are the n

ames of Esaus sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esaus wife Adah,
and Reuel, the son of Esaus wife Bas
emath.
11 The sons of Eliphaz:
Tem an, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and
Kenaz.
12 Esaus son Eliphaz also had a concu
bine named Timna, who bore him
Ama lek. T hese were grandsons of
Esaus wife Adah.
13 The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Miz
zah. T hese were grandsons of Esaus
wife Basemath.
14 The sons of E saus wife Oholibamah
daughter of Anah and granddaughter
of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
15These were the chiefs a mong E
saus de
scendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of
Esau:
Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
16Korah, a Gat am and Ama lek. T hese
were the chiefs descended from Eli
phaz in Edom; they were grandsons
of Adah.
17 The sons of Esaus son Reuel:
Chiefs Na h ath, Zer ah, Sham m ah
and Mizz ah. T
hese were the chiefs
descended from Reuel in Edom; they
were grandsons of E
saus wife Base
math.
18 The sons of Esaus wife Oholibamah:
Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. T
hese
were the
c hiefs de
s cend
e d from
Esaus wife Oholibamah daughter of
Anah.
Genesis 36:37
44
19These were the sons of Esau (that is,

Edom), and t hese were t heir chiefs.
20These were the sons of Seir the Hor ite,
who were livi ng in the reg ion:
Lot an, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21Di
shon, Ezer and Dishan. T hese sons
of Seir in Edom were Hor ite chiefs.
22 The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam.b Timna was Lo
tans sister.
23 The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Mana hath, Ebal, Shepho and
Onam.
24 The sons of Zibeon:
Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah
who discovered the hot springsc in
the desert while he was grazi ng the
donkeys of his fat her Zibeon.
25 The child ren of Anah:
Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of
Anah.
26 The sons of Dishond:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
27 The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
28 The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
29 These were the Hor ite chiefs:
Lot an, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30Di
shon, Ezer and Dishan. T hese were
the Hor ite chiefs, accord i ng to t heir
div isions, in the land of Seir.
The Rulers of Edom

31These were the k
ings who reigned in
Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom.
His city was n
amed Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah
from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the
land of the Tem an ites succ eede d
him as king.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Be
dad, who defeate d Midia n in the
count ry of Moab, succeeded him as
king. His city was n
amed Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Mas
rekah succeeded him as king.
37 When Samlah died, Shau l from Reho
a16
Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (also verse11 and 1Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah.
Vulgate; Syriac discovered water;
the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. d26Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon
b22Hebrew Hemam, a variant of Homam (see 1Chron. 1:39) c24
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 36:38
45
both on the river succeeded him as

king.
38 When Shau l died, Baal-Hanan son of
Akbor succeeded him as king.
39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died,
Hadad a succeeded him as king. His
city was named Pau, and his w ifes
name was Mehetabel daughter of
Mat red, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40These were the c hiefs des cende d from
Esau, by name, accordi ng to t heir clans and
reg ions:
Tim na, Alv ah, Jet heth, 41Ohol iba
mah, Elah, Pinon, 42Kenaz, Teman,
Mibz ar, 43Magd iel and Iram. T hese
were the chiefs of Edom, according
to t heir sett lements in the land they
occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the fat her

of the Edomites.
Josephs Dreams
37
Jacob l ived in the land w

here his fa
ther had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2This is the account of Jacobs fami ly line.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was

tending the flocks with his brothers, the
sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his
fat hers w ives, and he brought t heir fat her a
bad report about them.
3Now Isr ael loved Jos eph more than any
of his other sons, because he had been born
to him in his old age; and he made an or
nateb robe for him. 4When his brothers saw
that t heir fat her loved him more than any of
them, they hated him and could not speak a
kind word to him.
5Joseph had a d
ream, and when he told it
to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
6He said to them, Lis
ten to this d
ream I
had: 7We were bindi ng sheaves of g rain out
in the f ield when suddenly my s heaf rose and
stood upr ight, while your sheaves gathered
a round mine and b
owed down toit.
8His brothers said to him, Do you intend
to r eign over us? Will you act ua lly rule us?
And they hated him all the more because of
his d
ream and what he had said.
9Then he had another d ream, and he told
Genesis 37:24
45
it to his brothers. Listen, he said, I had

another d
ream, and this time the sun and
moon and eleven stars were bowing down
tome.
10When he told his fat her as well as his
brothers, his fat her rebuked him and said,
What is this d ream you had? Will your
mother and I and your brothers actua lly
come and bow down to the g round before
you? 11His brothers were jealous of him, but
his fat her kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12Now his brothers had gone to g raze t heir
fat hers f locks near Shechem, 13and Israel
said to Joseph, As you know, your brothers
are grazi ng the f locks near Shechem. Come,
I am goi ng to send you to them.
Very well, he replied.
14So he said to him, Go and see if all is
well with your brothers and with the f locks,
and bring word back to me. Then he sent
him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arr ived at Shechem, 15a man
found him wandering a round in the f ields
and asked him, What are you looki ng for?
16He replied, Im looki ng for my brothers.
Can you tell me w
here they are grazi ng t heir
flocks?
17They have moved on from here, the
man ans wered. I heard them say, Lets go
to Dot han.
So Joseph went after his brothers and
found them near Dothan. 18But they saw
him in the distance, and before he r eached
them, they plotted to kill him.
19Here comes that dreamer! they said to
each other. 20Come now, lets kill him and
t hrow him into one of t hese cisterns and say
that a ferocious ani mal devoured him. Then
well see what c omes of his dreams.
21When Reu
ben h
eard this, he tried to
rescue him from t heir hands. Lets not take
his life, he said. 22Dont shed any b
lood.
T hrow him into this cistern here in the wil
derness, but d
ont lay a hand on him. Reu
ben said this to resc ue him from them and
take him back to his fat her.
23So when Jos eph came to his brothers,
they stripped him of his robet he ornate
robe he was weari ng24and they took him
a39
Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1Chron. 1:50);
most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar b3 Themeaning of the Hebrew for this word is
uncertain; also in verses 23 and32.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
46
Genesis 37:25
and t hrew him into the cistern. The cistern

was empt y; t here was no water init.
25As they sat down to eat t heir meal, they
looked up and saw a carav an of Ishmael
ites comi ng from Gilead. T heir camels were
loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and
they were on t heir way to take them down to
Egypt.
26Jud ah said to his brothers, What will
we gain if we kill our brother and cover up
his blood? 27Come, lets sell him to the Ish
maelites and not lay our hands on him; af
ter all, he is our brother, our own f lesh and
blood. His brothers agreed.
28So when the Midia nite merchants came
by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the
cistern and sold him for twent y shekelsa of
silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to
Egypt.
29When Reub en ret urned to the cistern
and saw that Joseph was not t here, he tore
his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers
and said, The boy isnt t here! W here can I
turn now?
31Then they got Josephs robe, slaughtered
a goat and d
ipped the robe in the blood.
32They took the ornate robe back to t heir fa
ther and said, We found this. Exa mi ne it to
see whether it is your s ons robe.
33He recogn ized it and said, It is my s
ons
robe! Some ferocious an i mal has devoured
him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sack
cloth and mourned for his son many days.
35All his sons and daughters came to com
fort him, but he refused to be comforted.
No, he said, I will cont inue to mourn unt il
I join my son in the g rave. So his fat her wept
for him.
36Meanw hile, the Midia nites b sold Joseph
in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaohs off i
cials, the captain of the guard.
Judah and Tamar
38
At that time, Judah left his brothers

and went down to stay with a man of
Adul lam named Hi rah. 2There Judah met
the daughter of a Canaanite man n
amed
Shua. He marr ied her and made love to her;
3she be
c ame pregnant and gave birth to
a son, who was named Er. 4She conceived
again and gave birth to a son and named
Genesis 38:18
46
him Onan. 5She gave b

irth to still another
son and named him Shelah. It was at Kez ib
that she gave birth to him.
6Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and
her name was Tamar. 7But Er, Judahs first
born, was wicked in the Lords sight; so the
Lord put him to death.
8Then Jud ah said to Onan, Sleep with
your brothers wife and fulf ill your duty to
her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring
for your brother. 9But Onan knew that the
child would not be his; so whenever he slept
with his brothers wife, he spilled his se
men on the g round to keep from prov idi ng
offspring for his brother. 10What he did was
wicked in the Lords sight; so the Lord put
him to death also.
11Jud ah then said to his daughter-in-law
Tam ar, Live as a widow in your fathers
household unt il my son Shelah g rows up.
For he t hought, He may die too, just like his
brothers. So Tamar went to live in her fa
thers household.
12Af
t er a long time Jud ahs wife, the
daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had
rec overed from his g rief, he went up to
Timnah, to the men who were sheari ng his
sheep, and his f riend Hirah the Adullamite
went with him.
13When Ta
m ar was told, Your fatherin-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his
sheep, 14she took off her widows clothes,
covered herself with a veil to disg uise her
self, and then sat down at the ent rance to
Enai m, w
hich is on the road to Timnah. For
she saw that, t hough Shelah had now g rown
up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15When Judah saw her, he t hought she was
a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16Not rea li zi ng that she was his daughter-inlaw, he went over to her by the roadside and
said, Come now, let me s leep with you.
And what will you give me to sleep with
you? she asked.
17Ill send you a
young goat from my
f lock, he said.
Will you give me somet hing as a pledge
unt il you send it? she asked.
18He said, What
pledge s hould I give
you?
Your seal and its cord, and the staff in
your hand, she answered. So he gave them
a28
That is, about 8ounces or about 230 grams b36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and
Syriac (see also verse28); Masoretic Text Medanites
11/10/11 11:13 AM
FRIDAY
Dont Expect Respect

Genesis 37:136 or 37:2328
Robert Jamieson {ad 18021880}

Imagine Joseph approaching his brothers in all the unsuspecting openness of brotherly
affection. How astonished and terrified must he have been at their cold reception, their
ferocious facial expressions and the rough treatment by his perverse assailants! ... Their
common share in this conspiracy is not the only dismal feature in the story. The rapidity,
the almost instantaneous manner in which the proposal of attacking Joseph was followed
by their joint agreement to do so, is astonishing. And the cool indifference that followed,
or rather the fiendish satisfaction, with which his brothers sat down to feast themselves, is
equally astonishing. It is impossible that mere envy at his dreams, his colorful coat or the
doting partiality of their common father could have goaded them on to such a pitch of
frenzied resentment or solidified their decision to commit such complete wickedness.
Their hatred of Joseph must have had a far deeper source ... His brothers envy must have
been produced by their dislike of his piety and other excellencies, which made his character
and conduct a constant and unspoken condemnation of theirs. On account of this, they
found that they could never be at ease until they had rid themselves of Josephs hated pres
ence. This was the true explanation for the mystery of Josephs brothers hostility, just as it
was in the case of Cain.
Derek Kidner
It was Gods intention, already revealed to Abraham (see Genesis 15:1316), to bring the
chosen family under foreign domination until the [sin] of the Amorites should be full
and Canaan ripe for possession. So the train of events to lead Israel into Egypt is set in
motion through the rivalries and predicaments of the 12 brothers, under the hand of God
... [It also exhibits] a human pattern that runs through the Old Testament to culminate
at Calvary: the rejection of Gods chosen deliverers, through the envy and unbelief of their
kith and kinyet a rejection which is finally made to play its own part in bringing about
the deliverance.
reflection
1. Why did Josephs goodness inspire his brothers hostility?

2. In what ways can you relate to Joseph? How have you been on the
receiving end of anothers hostilityall because of your desire to follow
God and do whats right?
3. Do you expect that your life will go well because of your faith in Christ?
What does this passage say about such an expectation?
|| 47||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Genesis 38:19
48
to her and s lept with her, and she became

pregnant by him. 19After she left, she took off
her veil and put on her widows clothes again.
20Meanw hile Jud ah sent the young goat
by his f riend the Adullamite in order to get
his p
ledge back from the woma n, but he did
not find her. 21He asked the men who l ived
t here, Where is the s hrine prost it ute who
was beside the road at Enai m?
There h
asnt been any s hrine prost it ute
here, they said.
22So he went back to Jud ah and said, I
d idnt find her. Besides, the men who l ived
there said, There hasnt been any shrine
prost it ute here.
23Then Judah said, Let her keep what she
has, or we will become a laughi ngstock. Af
ter all, I did send her this young goat, but you
d idnt find her.
24About
t hree months later Jud ah was
told, Your daughter-in-law Tamar is g uilty
of prostitution, and as a result she is now
pregnant.
Judah said, Bring her out and have her
burned to death!
25As she was bei ng brought out, she sent a
message to her fat her-in-law. I am pregnant
by the man who owns t hese, she said. And
she added, See if you recogn ize whose seal
and cord and s taff t hese are.
26Judah recogn ized them and said, She is
more righteous than I, s ince I wouldnt give
her to my son Shelah. And he did not s leep
with her again.
27When the time came for her to give
birth, there were twin boys in her womb.
28As she was givi ng b
irth, one of them put
out his hand; so the midw ife took a scarlet
t hread and tied it on his w rist and said, This
one came out f irst. 29But when he drew back
his hand, his brother came out, and she said,
So this is how you have broken out! And he
was named Perez. a 30Then his brother, who
had the scarlet t hread on his w
rist, came out.
And he was named Zerah.b
Joseph and Potiphars Wife
39
Now Joseph had been taken down

to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egypt ian who
was one of Pharaohs off icials, the captain of
the g uard, bought him from the Ishmaelites
who had taken him there.
a29
Genesis 39:18
48
2The Lord was with Jo

seph so that he
prospered, and he l ived in the house of his
Egypt ian master. 3When his master saw that
the Lord was with him and that the Lord
gave him success in everyt hing he did, 4Jo
seph f ound favor in his eyes and became his
attendant. Potiphar put him in c harge of his
household, and he ent rusted to his care ev
ery t hing he owned. 5From the time he put
him in charge of his household and of all
that he o
wned, the Lord blessed the house
hold of the Egypt ian because of Joseph. The
blessing of the Lord was on everything
Potiphar had, both in the house and in the
f ield. 6So Potiphar left everyt hing he had in
Josephs care; with Joseph in charge, he did
not concern himself with anyt hing except
the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and hand
some, 7and after a w
hile his masters wife
took not ice of Joseph and said, Come to bed
withme!
8But he re
f used. With me in c harge,
he told her, my master does not concern
himself with anyt hing in the house; every
thing he owns he has ent rusted to my care.
9No one is greater in this house than I am.
My master has withheld nothing from me
except you, because you are his wife. How
then could I do such a wicked t hing and sin
against God? 10And t hough she spoke to Jo
seph day after day, he ref used to go to bed
with her or even be with her.
11One day he went into the house to at
tend to his dut ies, and none of the household
servants was inside. 12She caught him by his
cloak and said, Come to bed with me! But
he left his c loak in her hand and ran out of
the house.
13When she saw that he had left his cloak
in her hand and had run out of the house,
14she c alled her household serv ants. Look,
she said to them, this Hebrew has been
brought to us to make sport of us! He came
in here to sleep with me, but I s creamed.
15When he
heard me scream for help, he
left his cloak beside me and ran out of the
house.
16She kept his c loak bes ide her unt il his
master came home. 17Then she told him
this stor y: That Hebrew slave you b
rought
us came to me to make sport of me. 18But as
Perez means breaking out. b30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
49
Genesis 39:19
soon as I s creamed for help, he left his cloak

beside me and ran out of the house.
19When his mas
ter heard the stor y his
wife told him, saying, This is how your
s lave treated me, he burned with anger.
20Jos ephs master took him and put him in
prison, the place where the k ings prisoners
were conf ined.
But w hile Joseph was there in the pris
on, 21the Lord was with him; he showed
him kindness and granted him favor in the
eyes of the prison warden. 22So the warden
put Joseph in charge of all t hose held in the
prison, and he was made responsible for all
that was done t here. 23The warden paid no
at tent ion to any t hing under Josephs care,
because the Lord was with Joseph and gave
him success in whatever he did.
The Cupbearer and the Baker
40
Some time later, the cupbearer and

the baker of the king of E
gypt offend
ed t heir master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh
was ang ry with his two offic ials, the chief
cupbearer and the c hief baker, 3and put
them in custod y in the house of the cap
tain of the g uard, in the same prison w
here
Joseph was con f ined. 4The captain of the
g uard assigned them to Joseph, and he at
tended them.
After they had been in custody for some
time, 5each of the two ment he cupbearer
and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were
bei ng held in prisonhad a d ream the same
n ight, and each d ream had a meani ng of its
own.
6When Jo
s eph came to them the next
morning, he saw that they were dejected.
7So he a sked Pharaohs off ic ials who were
in custody with him in his masters house,
Why do you look so sad today?
8We both had d
reams, they ans wered,
but t here is no one to interpret them.
Then Joseph said to them, Do not in
terpretat ions belong to God? Tell me your
dreams.
9So the c hief cupb earer told Jos eph his
d ream. He said to him, In my d ream I saw
a vine in f ront of me, 10and on the vine were
t hree branches. As soon as it budded, it blos
somed, and its clusters ripened into g rapes.
11Pharaohs cup was in my hand, and I took
Genesis 41:6
49
the g rapes, squeezed them into Pharaohs

cup and put the cup in his hand.
12This is what it m
eans, Joseph said to
him. The three branches are three days.
13Withi n t hree days Pharaoh will lift up your
head and restore you to your posit ion, and
you will put Pharaohs cup in his hand, just as
you used to do when you were his cupbearer.
14But when all goes well with you, remem
ber me and show me kindness; ment ion me
to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15I
was forcibly carr ied off from the land of the
Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing
to deserve being put in a dungeon.
16When the c hief baker saw that Jos eph
had given a fav orable int er pret at ion, he
said to Joseph, I too had a d ream: On my
head were t hree baskets of b
read.a 17In the
top basket were all k inds of baked g oods for
Pharaoh, but the birds were eati ng them out
of the basket on my head.
18This is what it m
eans, Joseph said.
The t hree baskets are t hree days. 19With
in t hree days Pharaoh will lift off your head
and impale your body on a pole. And the
birds will eat away your flesh.
20Now the t hird day was Pharaohs birth
day, and he gave a feast for all his off icials.
He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbear
er and the c hief baker in the presence of his
of f icials: 21He restored the chief cupbearer
to his posit ion, so that he once again put the
cup into Pharaohs hand22but he impaled
the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to
them in his interpretat ion.
23The c hief cupbearer, howe ver, did not
remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Pharaohs Dreams
41
When two full y ears had passed,

Pharaoh had a d ream: He was stand
ing by the Nile, 2when out of the river t here
came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they
g razed a mong the reeds. 3After them, seven
other cows, ugly and g aunt, came up out of
the Nile and stood beside t hose on the riv
erbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and
gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then
Pharaoh wokeup.
5He fell a
sleep a gain and had a second
d ream: Seven heads of g rain, healthy and
good, were growi ng on a sing le stalk. 6After
them, seven other heads of g rain sprouted
a16Orthree wicker baskets
11/10/11 11:13 AM
Gods Providence
G enesi s 3 9 : 1 2 3
read/meditate
Read this story aloud, as you would a dramatic reading. Focus on Joseph as a real person,
just like you. Watch his choices and opportunities. Imagine his ponderings as someone
who is living the story, not simply reading it as you are.
pray
Be honest with God about the way you would like to be used by him. Admit any fears or
misgivings you have. Be bold about your passions and gifts (which he has given you). Give
him time to adjust your hopes and dreams to his.
contemplate
Close your eyes and scroll through the different areas of your life. Could there be places
where God has specifically placed youat just the right place and just the right timeto
be a part of his plan? Whether he reveals that to you or not, surrender your heart to his
process. Let Josephs story remind you that its Gods hand that makes the difference.
perspectives
When we are obedient, God guides our steps and our stops.
Corrie ten Boom
The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by
the man who is fully consecrated to Him.
Henry Varley
Trust the past to Gods mercy, the present to Gods love and the future to Gods
providence.
Saint Augustine
|| 50||
11/10/11 11:13 AM
51
Genesis 41:7
thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The

thin h
eads of g rain swallowed up the seven
healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up;
it had been a dream.
8In the morni ng his mind was troubled, so
he sent for all the mag icians and wise men of
Egypt. Pharaoh told them his d
reams, but no
one could interpret them for him.
9Then the c hief cupbearer said to Phar
aoh, Today I am rem inde d of my short
comi ngs. 10Pharaoh was once ang ry with
his serv ants, and he imprisoned me and
the chief baker in the house of the capt ain
ream the
of the g uard. 11Each of us had a d
same n
ight, and each d
ream had a meani ng
of its own. 12Now a young Hebrew was t here
with us, a servant of the captain of the g uard.
We told him our d reams, and he interpreted
them for us, givi ng each man the interpre
tat ion of his d ream. 13And t hings t urned out
exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was
restored to my posit ion, and the other man
was impaled.
14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was
quickly brought from the dungeon. When
he had s haved and changed his clothes, he
came before Pharaoh.
15Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a d
ream,
and no one can interpret it. But I have heard
it said of you that when you hear a d ream you
can interpretit.
16I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Phar
aoh, but God will give Pharaoh the answer
he desires.
17Then Phar
aoh said to Joseph, In my
d ream I was standing on the bank of the
Nile, 18when out of the river t here came up
seven cows, fat and s leek, and they g razed
a mong the reeds. 19After them, seven oth
er cows came upscrawny and very ugly
and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in
all the land of Egypt. 20The lean, ugly cows
ate up the seven fat cows that came up f irst.
21But even after they ate them, no one c
ould
tell that they had done so; they looked just as
ugly as before. Then I wokeup.
22In my d
ream I saw seven heads of grain,
full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23Af
ter them, seven other heads sproutedw ith
ered and thin and scorched by the east wind.
24The thin heads of g rain swallowed up the
seven good heads. I told this to the magicians,
but none of them c ould explain it tome.
Genesis 41:42
51
25Then Jo
s eph said to Pharaoh, The
reams of Pharaoh are one and the same.
d
God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is
about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven good heads of g rain are
seven years; it is one and the same d ream.
27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up af
terward are seven years, and so are the sev
en worthless heads of g rain scorched by the
east wind: They are seven years of fami ne.
28It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has
shown Pharaoh what he is a bout to do.
29Seven y
ears of g reat abundance are com
ing throughout the land of Egypt, 30but sev
en years of fami ne will follow them. Then all
the abundance in E
gypt will be forgotten,
and the fami ne will ravage the land. 31The
abundance in the land will not be remem
bered, bec ause the famine that follows it
will be so severe. 32The reason the d ream
was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the
matter has been firmly decided by God, and
God will do it soon.
33And now let Pharaoh look for a discern
ing and wise man and put him in charge of
the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh appoint
commissioners over the land to take a f ifth of
the harvest of Egypt duri ng the seven years
of abundance. 35They s hould collect all the
food of these good years that are coming
and store up the g rain under the aut horit y
of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.
36This food should be held in reserve for the
count ry, to be used during the seven years of
famine that will come upon E
gypt, so that the
count ry may not be ruined by the famine.
37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and
to all his off icials. 38So Pharaoh a sked them,
Can we find anyone like this man, one in
whom is the spirit of Goda?
39Then Phar
aoh said to Joseph, Since
God has made all this k nown to you, t here is
no one so discerni ng and wise as you. 40You
shall be in c harge of my palace, and all my
people are to subm it to your orders. Only
with respect to the t hrone will I be greater
than you.
Joseph in Charge of Egypt

41So
Pharaoh said to Joseph, I here

by put you in charge of the w hole land of
Egypt. 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring
from his finger and put it on Josephs finger.
a38Orof the gods
11/10/11 11:13 AM
52
Genesis 41:43
He d ressed him in r obes of fine linen and

put a gold chain a round his neck. 43He had
him ride in a chariot as his second-in-com
mand,a and people shoute d before him,
Make wayb! Thus he put him in charge of
the whole land of Egypt.
44Then Phar
aoh said to Joseph, I am
Pharaoh, but without your word no one will
lift hand or foot in all Egypt. 45Pharaoh gave
Joseph the name Zaphenath-Pa nea h and
gave him Asenath daughter of Pot iphera,
priest of On,c to be his wife. And Joseph went
throughout the land of Egypt.
46Joseph was thirt y years old when he en
tered the serv ice of Pharaoh king of E
gypt.
And Joseph went out from Pharaohs pres
ence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47Dur
ing the seven y ears of abundance the land
produced plent i f ul l y. 48Jos eph collecte d
all the food produced in t hose seven y ears
of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the
cities. In each city he put the food g rown in
the f ields surroundi ng it. 49Joseph stored up
huge quant it ies of g rain, like the sand of the
sea; it was so much that he stopped keepi ng
records because it was beyond measure.
50Before the y ears of famine came, two
sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daugh
ter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51Jos eph
named his firstborn Ma nasseh d and said,
It is bec ause God has made me forget all
my trouble and all my fat hers household.
52The second son he n amed Ephrai me and
said, It is because God has made me fruitf ul
in the land of my sufferi ng.
53The seven years of abundance in Egypt
came to an end, 54and the seven years of
fami ne began, just as Joseph had said. T here
was fami ne in all the other lands, but in the
whole land of Egypt t here was food. 55When
all Egypt began to feel the fami ne, the peo
ple cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh
told all the Egypt ians, Go to Joseph and do
what he t ells you.
56When the famine had s pread over the
whole count ry, Joseph opened all the store
houses and sold g rain to the Egypt ians, for
the famine was severe throughout E
gypt.
57And all the w orld came to E
gypt to buy
g rain from Joseph, because the fami ne was
severe every where.
Genesis 42:18
52
Josephs Brothers Go toEgypt
42
When Jacob learned that t here was

g rain in Egypt, he said to his sons,
Why do you just keep looki ng at each oth
er? 2He cont inued, I have h
eard that t here
is g rain in E
gypt. Go down t here and buy
some for us, so that we may live and not die.
3Then ten of Josephs brothers went down
to buy g rain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not
send Benjam in, Josephs brother, with the
others, bec ause he was a fraid that harm
m ight come to him. 5So Israels sons were
a mong those who went to buy g rain, for
there was fami ne in the land of Canaan also.
6Now Joseph was the governor of the land,
the person who sold g rain to all its people. So
when Josephs brothers arr ived, they b
owed
down to him with t heir faces to the g round.
7As soon as Jo
s eph saw his brothers, he
recogn ized them, but he pretended to be a
stranger and spoke harshly to them. Where
do you come from? he asked.
From the land of Canaan, they replied,
to buy food.
8Alt hough Jos eph recog n ized his broth
ers, they did not recogn ize him. 9Then he re
membered his d reams about them and said
to them, You are spies! You have come to see
where our land is unprotected.
10No, my lord, they ans wered. Your ser
vants have come to buy food. 11We are all the
sons of one man. Your servants are honest
men, not spies.
12No! he said to them. You have come
to see where our land is unprotected.
13But they replied, Your serv ants were
t welve brothers, the sons of one man, who
l ives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is
now with our fat her, and one is no more.
14Jos eph said to them, It is just as I told
you: You are spies! 15And this is how you will
be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you
will not leave this place unless your youn
gest brother comes here. 16Send one of your
number to get your brother; the rest of you
will be kept in prison, so that your words
may be tested to see if you are telling the
t ruth. If you are not, then as surely as Phar
aoh l ives, you are spies! 17And he put them
all in custody for t hree days.
18On the t hird day, Jos eph said to them,
a43Orin the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot b43OrBow down
c45
That is, Heliopolis; also in verse50 d51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the
Hebrew for forget. e52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.
11/10/11 11:13 AM
53
Genesis 42:19
Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19If

you are honest men, let one of your brothers
stay here in prison, w
hile the rest of you go
and take g rain back for your starvi ng house
ring your youngest
holds. 20But you must b
brother to me, so that your w
ords may be
veri f ied and that you may not die. This they
proceeded todo.
21They said to one another, Surely we are
bei ng punished because of our brother. We
saw how dist ressed he was when he pleaded
with us for his life, but we would not listen;
t hats why this dist ress has come onus.
22Reub en replied, Didnt I tell you not
to sin against the boy? But you wouldnt lis
ten! Now we must give an accounti ng for his
blood. 23They did not rea lize that Joseph
could understand them, since he was usi ng
an inter preter.
24He t urned away from them and began to
weep, but then came back and spoke to them
again. He had Simeon taken from them and
bound before t heir eyes.
25Joseph gave orders to fill t heir bags with
g rain, to put each m
ans silver back in his
sack, and to give them prov isions for t heir
journey. After this was done for them, 26they
loaded t heir g rain on t heir donkeys and left.
27At the place w here they stopped for the
n ight one of them opened his sack to get feed
for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the
mouth of his sack. 28My silver has been re
turned, he said to his brothers. Here it is in
my sack.
Their hearts sank and they t urned to each
other trembling and said, What is this that
God has done tous?
29When they came to t heir fat her Jac ob
in the land of Canaan, they told him all that
had happened to them. They said, 30The
man who is lord over the land spoke harshly
to us and treated us as t hough we were spy
ing on the land. 31But we said to him, We
are honest men; we are not spies. 32We were
t welve brothers, sons of one fat her. One is no
more, and the youngest is now with our fa
ther in Canaan.
33Then the man who is lord over the
land said to us, This is how I will know
whether you are honest men: L eave one of
your brothers here with me, and take food
for your starving households and go. 34But
bring your youngest brother to me so I will
Genesis 43:10
53
know that you are not spies but honest men.

Then I will give your brother back to you,
and you can t radea in the land.
35As they were empt yi ng t heir sacks, t here
in each mans sack was his pouch of silver!
When they and t heir fat her saw the money
pouches, they were frightened. 36Their fa
ther Jacob said to them, You have deprived
me of my child ren. Joseph is no more and
Simeon is no more, and now you want to take
Benjam in. Everyt hing is againstme!
37Then Reu
ben said to his father, You
may put both of my sons to death if I do not
bring him back to you. Ent rust him to my
care, and I will bring him back.
38But Jacob said, My son will not go down
t here with you; his brother is dead and he is
the only one left. If harm comes to him on
the journey you are taking, you will b
ring
my gray head down to the g rave in sorrow.
The Second Journey to Egypt
43
Now the famine was still severe in

the land. 2So when they had eaten all
the g rain they had brought from Egypt, t heir
fat her said to them, Go back and buy us a
litt le more food.
3But Judah said to him, The man w arned
us solemnly, You will not see my face a gain
unless your brother is with you. 4If you will
send our brother a long with us, we will go
down and buy food for you. 5But if you will
not send him, we will not go down, because
the man said to us, You will not see my face
again unless your brother is with you.
6Is
r ael a sked, Why did you b
ring this
trouble on me by telling the man you had
another brother?
7They replied, The man quest ioned us
closely a bout ourselves and our family. Is
your fat her still livi ng? he a sked us. Do you
have another brother? We simply answered
his questions. How were we to know he
would say, Bring your brother down here?
8Then Ju
d ah said to Israel his father,
Send the boy a long with me and we will go
at once, so that we and you and our child ren
may live and not die. 9I myself will guara n
tee his safet y; you can hold me persona lly re
sponsible for him. If I do not b
ring him back
to you and set him here before you, I will
bear the blame before you all my life. 10As it
a34Ormove about freely
11/10/11 11:13 AM
54
Genesis 43:11
is, if we had not delayed, we c ould have gone

and ret urned twice.
11Then their father Isr ael said to them,
If it must be, then do this: Put some of the
best products of the land in your bags and
take them down to the man as a gifta lit
tle balm and a litt le honey, some spices and
myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
12Take dou
ble the a mount of silver with
you, for you must ret urn the silver that was
put back into the m
ouths of your sacks. Per
haps it was a mist ake. 13Take your brother
also and go back to the man at once. 14And
may God Alm ightya g rant you merc y before
the man so that he will let your other broth
er and Benjam in come back with you. As for
me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.
15So the men took the g ifts and double the
a mount of silver, and Benjam in also. They
hurr ied down to Egypt and presented them
selves to Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benja
min with them, he said to the stewa rd of his
house, Take t hese men to my house, slaugh
ter an ani mal and prepare a meal; they are to
eat with me at noon.
17The man did as Joseph told him and took
the men to Josephs h
ouse. 18Now the men
were frightened when they were taken to his
house. They t hought, We were brought here
because of the silver that was put back into
our sacks the f irst time. He w
ants to attack us
and overpower us and seize us as slaves and
take our donkeys.
19So they went up to Josephs stewa rd and
spoke to him at the ent rance to the house.
20We beg your pardon, our lord, they said,
we came down here the first time to buy
lace w
here we stopped for
food. 21But at the p
the n
ight we opened our sacks and each of us
found his silvert he exact w
eighti n the
mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back
with us. 22We have also brought add it iona l
silver with us to buy food. We d
ont know
who put our silver in our sacks.
23Its all r ight, he said. Dont be a fraid.
Your God, the God of your fat her, has given
you treasure in your sacks; I received your
silver. Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24The stew
a rd took the men into Jo
sephs h
ouse, gave them water to wash t heir
feet and prov ided fodder for t heir donkeys.
25They prepared t heir g ifts for Jos ephs ar
Genesis 44:5
54
riva l at noon, because they had heard that

they were to eat there.
26When Joseph came home, they present
ed to him the g ifts they had brought into the
house, and they bowed down before him to
the g round. 27He asked them how they were,
and then he said, How is your aged fat her
you told me a bout? Is he s till livi ng?
28They replied, Your serv ant our fat her is
still a live and well. And they bowed down,
prost rati ng themselves before him.
29As he looked a
bout and saw his brother
Benjam in, his own mothers son, he a sked,
Is this your youngest brother, the one you
told me about? And he said, God be gra
cious to you, my son. 30Deeply moved at the
sight of his brother, Joseph hurr ied out and
looked for a place to weep. He went into his
private room and wept there.
31After he had w
ashed his face, he came
out and, cont roll ing himself, said, Serve the
food.
32They s
erved him by himself, the broth
ers by themselves, and the Egypt ians who
ate with him by themselves, because Egyp
tians could not eat with Hebrews, for that
is detestable to Egypt ians. 33The men had
been seated before him in the order of t heir
ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and
they looked at each other in astonishment.
34When port ions were served to them from
Josephs table, Benja m ins por t ion was five
times as much as anyone elses. So they
feasted and d
rank freely with him.
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44
Now Joseph gave t hese instruct ions

to the stewa rd of his house: Fill the
mens s acks with as much food as they can
carr y, and put each m
ans silver in the mouth
of his sack. 2Then put my cup, the silver one,
in the mouth of the youngest ones sack,
a long with the silver for his g rain. And he
did as Joseph said.
3As morni ng dawned, the men were sent
on t heir way with t heir donkeys. 4They had
not gone far from the city when Joseph said
to his stewa rd, Go after t hose men at once,
and when you c atch up with them, say to
them, Why have you repaid good with evil?
5Isnt this the cup my master d rinks from
and also uses for divi nat ion? This is a wick
ed t hing you have done.
a14Hebrew El-Shaddai
11/10/11 11:13 AM
55
Genesis 44:6
6When he
c aught up with them, he re
peated t hese words to them. 7But they said
to him, Why does my lord say such t hings?
Far be it from your servants to do anyt hing
like that! 8We even brought back to you from
the land of Canaan the silver we f ound inside
the mouths of our sacks. So why would we
steal silver or gold from your masters h
ouse?
9If any of your serv ants is found to have it, he
will die; and the rest of us will become my
lords slaves.
10Very well, then, he said, let it be as
you say. Whoever is found to have it will be
come my slave; the rest of you will be free
from blame.
11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to
the g round and o
pened it. 12Then the stew
ard proc eeded to search, beg in n ing with
the oldest and ending with the youngest.
And the cup was f ound in Benjam ins sack.
13At this, they tore t heir c
lothes. Then they
all loaded t heir donkeys and ret urned to the
city.
14Jos eph was s
till in the house when Ju
dah and his brothers came in, and they
t hrew themselves to the g round before him.
15Joseph said to them, What is this you have
done? Dont you know that a man like me
can find t hings out by divi nat ion?
16What can we say to my lord? Jud ah
replied. What can we say? How can we
prove our in nocence? God has uncovered
your servants g uilt. We are now my lords
slaveswe ourselves and the one who was
found to have the cup.
17But Joseph said, Far be it from me to do
such a t hing! Only the man who was f ound to
have the cup will become my s lave. The rest
of you, go back to your fat her in peace.
18Then Jud ah went up to him and said:
Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak
a word to my lord. Do not be ang ry with your
serv ant, t hough you are e qual to Pharaoh
himself. 19My lord a sked his serv ants, Do
you have a fat her or a brother? 20And we an
swered, We have an aged fat her, and t here
is a young son born to him in his old age. His
brother is dead, and he is the only one of his
mothers sons left, and his fat her l oves him.
21Then you said to your serv ants, Bring
him down to me so I can see him for myself.
22And we said to my lord, The boy cannot
leave his fat her; if he leaves him, his fat her
will die. 23But you told your servants, Un
Genesis 45:6
55
less your youngest brother comes down with

you, you will not see my face again. 24When
we went back to your servant my fat her, we
told him what my lord had said.
25Then our fat her said, Go back and buy
a litt le more food. 26But we said, We can
not go down. Only if our youngest brother is
with us will we go. We cannot see the mans
face unless our youngest brother is withus.
27Your serv ant my fat her said to us, You
know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One
of them went away from me, and I said, He
has surely been torn to pieces. And I have
not seen him since. 29If you take this one
from me too and harm comes to him, you
will bring my gray head down to the g rave
in misery.
30So now, if the boy is not with us when I
go back to your servant my fat her, and if my
fat her, w
hose life is closely b
ound up with
the b
oys life, 31sees that the boy i snt t here,
he will die. Your servants will b
ring the gray
head of our fat her down to the g rave in sor
row. 32Your ser v ant guara nteed the boys
safet y to my fat her. I said, If I do not bring
him back to you, I will bear the blame before
you, my fat her, all my life!
33Now then, please let your serv ant re
main here as my lords slave in place of the
boy, and let the boy ret urn with his brothers.
34How can I go back to my fat her if the boy is
not with me? No! Do not let me see the mis
ery that w
ould come on my fat her.
Joseph Makes Himself Known
45
Then Joseph c ould no longer con

trol himself before all his attendants,
and he cried out, Have everyone leave my
presence! So t here was no one with Joseph
when he made himself k nown to his broth
ers. 2And he wept so loudly that the Egyp
tians h
eard him, and Pharaohs household
heard aboutit.
3Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph!
Is my father still living? But his brothers
were not able to ans wer him, because they
were terr if ied at his presence.
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come
close to me. When they had done so, he
said, I am your brother Joseph, the one you
sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be dis
tressed and do not be ang ry with yourselves
for selling me here, bec ause it was to save
lives that God sent me a head of you. 6For
11/10/11 11:13 AM
56
Genesis 45:7
Genesis 46:10
two years now t here has been fami ne in the

land, and for the next five y ears t here will be
no plowi ng and reapi ng. 7But God sent me
a head of you to preserve for you a remnant
on earth and to save your l ives by a g reat de
livera nce. a
8So then, it was not you who sent me
here, but God. He made me fat her to Phar
aoh, lord of his ent ire household and ruler
of all Egypt. 9Now hurr y back to my fat her
and say to him, This is what your son Joseph
says: God has made me lord of all Egypt.
Come down to me; dont delay. 10You shall
live in the reg ion of Goshen and be near
me you, your child ren and grandchild ren,
your f locks and h
erds, and all you have. 11I
will prov ide for you t here, because five years
of famine are still to come. Otherw ise you
and your household and all who belong to
you will become dest it ute.
12You can see for yourselves, and so can
my brother Benjam in, that it is really I who
am speaki ng to you. 13Tell my fat her a bout
all the honor acc orde d me in Egypt and
about everyt hing you have seen. And bring
my fat her down here quickly.
14Then he
t hrew his arms a round his
brother Benjam in and wept, and Benjam in
embraced him, weepi ng. 15And he k issed all
his brothers and wept over them. Afterward
his brothers talked with him.
16When the news
r eached Phar
aohs
palace that Josephs brothers had come,
Pharaoh and all his off ic ials were pleased.
17Pharaoh said to Jos eph, Tell your broth
ers, Do this: Load your ani mals and ret urn
to the land of Canaan, 18and bring your fa
ther and your fami l ies back to me. I will give
you the best of the land of Egypt and you can
enjoy the fat of the land.
19You are also directed to tell them, Do
this: Take some c arts from E
gypt for your
child ren and your w
ives, and get your fat her
and come. 20Never mind a bout your belong
ings, bec ause the best of all Egypt will be
yours.
21So the sons of Is
r ael did this. Joseph
gave them carts, as Pharaoh had com
manded, and he also gave them prov isions
for t heir jour ney. 22To each of them he gave
new clothi ng, but to Benjam in he gave t hree
hund red shekels b of silver and five sets of
a7Orsave you as a great band of survivors b22
56
clothes. 23And this is what he sent to his fa

ther: ten donkeys loaded with the best t hings
of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded
with g rain and bread and other prov isions
for his journey. 24Then he sent his brothers
away, and as they were leaving he said to
them, Dont quarrel on the way!
25So they went up out of Egypt and came
to t heir fat her Jacob in the land of Canaan.
26They told him, Joseph is still a live! In fact,
he is ruler of all Egypt. Jacob was stunned;
he did not believe them. 27But when they
told him everything Joseph had said to
them, and when he saw the c arts Joseph had
sent to carr y him back, the spirit of t heir fa
ther Jacob rev ived. 28And Israel said, Im
conv inced! My son Joseph is s till a live. I will
go and see him before I die.
Jacob Goes to Egypt
46
So Israel set out with all that was his,

and when he reached Beers heba,
he offered sacr if ices to the God of his fat her
Isaac.
2And God s
poke to Israel in a vision at
n ight and said, Jacob! Jacob!
3I am God, the God of your fat her, he
said. Do not be a fraid to go down to Egypt,
for I will make you into a g reat nat ion t here.
4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will
surely b
ring you back again. And Josephs
own hand will close your eyes.
5Then Jac ob left Beer s heba, and Isr aels
sons took t heir fat her Jacob and t heir chil
dren and t heir w
ives in the c arts that Phar
aoh had sent to transport him. 6So Jac ob
and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking
with them their livestock and the posses
sions they had acquired in Canaan. 7Jacob
brought with him to Egypt his sons and
grandsons and his daughters and grand
daughters a ll his offspring.
8These
are the names of the sons of Isra

el (Jacob and his descendants) who went to
Egypt:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karm i.
10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Ja m in, Ohad, Ja k in, Zohar
That is, about 71/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
11/10/11 11:13 AM

NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible: Insights From The Past and Present

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NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible: Insights From The Past and Present

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NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible

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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2011941536

The Old Testament

Book . . . . . . . Abbreviation. . . . . . . . Page

The New Testament

Weekend Readings. We encourage you to find a few minutes on Satur

What Is the Bible?

Genesis through Deuteronomy

Job through Song of Songs

Books of the Prophets

What is the Bible?

Romans through Revelation

In the beg inn ing God created the

3 And God said, Let there be light, and

the sky to give l ight on the earth. And it

D. L. Moody {ad 18371899}

1. Why are you reading the Bible?

27 So God created mankind in his own

Thus the heavens and the earth were

2 By the seventh day God had finished the

Adam and Eve

is the account of the heavens and

8Now the Lord God had plante d a gar

This is now bone of my bones

a5Orland; also in verse6 b6Ormist c7

TheHebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be

George Fox {ad 16241691}

1. What does the vastness of creation teach you about God?

is why a man leaves his fat her and

Now the serpent was more crafty than

Cursed are you above all livestock

I will make your pains in childbearing

Cursed is the ground because of you;

amed his wife Eve,d bec ause

Cain and Abel

made love to his wife Eve, and

presence and l ived in the land of Nod,f east

made love to his wife again, and

From Adam to Noah

This is the written account of Adams

When God create d mank ind, he made

6When Seth had l ived 105 y

When human bei ngs began to increase

Noah and theFlood

Noah was a righteous man, blameless

c3OrMy spirit will not remain in d3Orcorrupt e14

cubits wide and thirt y cubits high.a 16Make a

g reat deep burst forth, and the floodgates of

The Main Point

Mark Guy Pearse {ad 18421932}

the mount ains of Ara rat. 5The waters con

again will I destroy all livi ng creat ures, as I

Gods Covenant With Noah

Then God blessed Noah and his sons,

ber; multiply on the e arth and inc rease

the sign of the covenant bet ween me and the

The Sons of Noah

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!

the flood Noah lived 350 years.

29Noah l ived a tot al of 950 years, and then he

The Table of Nations

This is the acc ount of Shem, Ham