GENESIS

CHAPTER 1: CREATION

• The Lord creates Earth and all its creatures in 6 days, and on the 7^th day he rests cause he got all the work done.

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CHAPTER 2: ADAM & EVE

• The Lord creates a garden called Eden and creates a man named Adam to take care of it.
• He also creates a tree of life and a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warns Adam that if you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will die.
• Adam gives names to all the animals.
• In order to help Adam tend to the garden the Lord takes a rib from Adam’s body and transforms it into a woman named Eve.

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CHAPTER 3: EVE TEMPTED

• Eve gets tempted by a snake into eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve then persuades Adam to it from it as well.
• The Lord comes to check in on Adam and Eve and realizes they ate from the tree of knowledge. The Lord then decides to banish them from the garden to insure they don’t eat from the tree of life as well.
• In order to keep them from re-entering the garden he places an angel named Cherubim at the entrance and puts a flaming sword that swings back and forth in front of the door.

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CHAPTER 4: CAIN AND ABEL

• Adam & Eve have two sons Cain and Abel. Cain worked the land, while Abel kept flocks.
• Cain and Abel bring offerings to the Lord, and Abel’s was larger.
• The Lord looks upon Abel with favor so Cain becomes jealous.
• The Lord tells Cain to do what is right and you will receive favor as well.
• Cain in turn murders Abel.
• God then banishes Cain and puts a mark on his head.
• Adam & Eve then then have another son named Seth.

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CHAPTER 5: ANCESTRY

• A list of descendants from Seth to Noah.

CHAPTER 6-9: NOAH AND THE FLOOD

• As the population of man begins to increase, the Lord realizes they are evil and decides to destroy them.
• However, there is one man named Noah who is righteous. The Lord tells Noah to build an Ark and take 7 of every clean animal plus a mate, and 2 of every unclean animal plus it’s mate. Then the Lord tells Noah that in 7 days he will flood the earth for 40 days.
• Noah does what he is told to do. The Lord does what he says he would do, 7+40 days later the flood ceases and Noah comes upon land.
• The Lord then promises Noah he would not destroy man again.
• Noah has three sons Japheth, Ham and Shem.

CHAPTER 10: NATIONS FOUNDED BY NOAH’S SONS

• Japheth - Japheth’s descendants became mariners and formed several nations, does not specifically describe where. Biblical historians claim they founded Greek nations (not backed by evidence).
• Ham - Ham’s descendants migrated to Mesopotamia, and founded the cities of Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, Calneh and Shinar. The first three cities were real places, the second two have not been discovered. Shinar histories people is a translation of Sumer.
• Shem – Shem’s descendants to a region that stretched from Mesha to Sephar. There is no evidence these locations existed. There was a King Mesha who ruled Moab in the 9^th century B.C. so possibly a reference to that region.

CHAPTER 11: THE TOWER OF BABEL

• The tower of Babel is a story that explains why there are different languages in the world.
• In the story humans initially speak one language but then they start building a tower that is to tall The Lord becomes nervous about their power and decides to give them multiple languages and scatter them across the world, in order to weaken them.

END OF CHAPTER 11: ABRAHAM INTRODUCED

• The end of chapter 11 lists descendants from Shem to Abraham.
• The story of Abraham starts in Ur a city in Mesopotamia, in the region of Chaldea.
• Abraham’s father Terah decides to move the family to Canaan, but instead settles in Haran.
• Abraham’s wife Sarah is introduced and is described as being infertile.

MAP OF ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY

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CHAPTER 12: THE CALL OF ABRAHAM

• God calls on Abraham and tells him to leave his father’s household, and travel to Canaan. The Lord promises Abraham he will bless him and make his descendants into a great nation.
• Abraham leaves and takes his Wife Sarah, and his brother Lot and family with him.
• Eventually God leads Abraham to Canaan, and tells him to settle here and build an altar for him.
• After pitching a tent and building an altar in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah head to Egypt.

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END OF CHAPTER 12: ABRAHAM IN EGYPT

• When they get to Egypt they pretend Sarah is the sister of Abraham instead of his wife because she is beautiful, and they fear the Egyptians.
• When they arrive the Egyptians treat them well because Sarah is beautiful.
• Sarah is taken to the Pharaohs palace, and Pharaoh gives Abraham livestock.
• The Lord then curses the Pharaoh because he marries Sarah, and she is already married. The Pharaoh gets angry with Abraham and Sarah because of this, and sends them off.

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CHAPTER 13: ABRAHAM AND LOT SEPARATE

• Abraham and Sarah meet back up with Lot, Abraham’s brother.
• They both have large herds of livestock by this time, but there was not enough land to support them both if they stayed together.
• Lot parted with Abraham and traveled to the plain of Jordan and lived among the cities and pitched his tent near a city called Sodom, which was sinful city.
• Meanwhile Abraham received another promise God, who told him his descendants would be numerous and all this land belongs to you.

CHAPTER 14: ABRAHAM RESCUES LOT

• Around this time there was a war between various Kingdoms. Sodom was part of the war and was on the losing side. When the victors plunder Sodom Lot and his family get kidnapped.
• One survivor reaches Abraham, and Abraham then rallies troops to rescue Lot. Abraham defeats Enemies of Sodom, ending the war, and rescuing Lot.
• Several Kings come to thank Abraham, including a priest King named Melchizedek who blesses Abraham.
• The King of Sodom offers Abraham gifts, but Abraham declines stating he made an oath with God not to be indebted to the King of Sodom. He allowed his men to have their share.

CHAPTER 15: THE LORD’S COVENANT

• The Lord promises Abraham that he will have offspring as numerous as the stars.
• Abraham makes a sacrifice to the Lord.
• The Lord promises Abraham all the land between Egypt and the Euphrates river.

CHAPTER 16: HAGAR & ISHMAEL

• Sarah Abraham’s wife who is barren, tells Abraham he should have children with here maid servant Hagar. Abrahams agrees.
• When Hagar becomes pregnant with a boy Sarah gets jealous, and mistreats her.
• Hagar runs away.
• An angel finds Hagar and tells her to go back to Sarah. The angel promises Hagar here descendants will be numerous, and to name her first son Ishmael.

CHAPTER 17: COVENANT

• The Lord tells Abraham to be blameless.
• The Lord tells Abraham to start circumcising all males.
• The Lord tells Abraham Sarah will have child.
• The Lord tells Abraham Ishmael will be blessed, and have numerous descendants.

CHAPTER 18: THE THREE ANGELS

• The Lord appears to Abraham in the form of three angels.
• Abraham prepares a meal for them.
• They promise Abraham Sarah will have a child soon. Sarah does not believe this for she is barren.
• The Lord then tells Abraham he is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham questions his judgement wondering if he will destroy the righteous along with the wicked. The Lord says he won’t.

CHAPTER 19: SODOM AND GOMORRAH

• Two angels went too Sodom to judge who is wicked. They run into Lot Abraham’s brother.. Lot insists they stay at his house.
• Other residents of Sodom come to Lot’s house and demand to meet the Angels so they can rape them.
• Lot offers his to be raped instead. Then the Angels blind the residents.
• The Angels then tell Lot they are going to destroy Sodom and to leave the city with his family, and head to the mountains. Lot argues they won’t be able to reach the mountains in time, and to spare this small town and allow to take refuge there. The Angels grant his request, and then destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
• After this Lot and his family head to the mountains. His two daughters realize there is no one to have sex with and impregnate them to preserve their family line. They decide to seduce their father by getting him drunk. Both daughters become pregnant.

CHAPTER 20: ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH

• Abraham moves to the region of Negev, and stays in Gerar. Once again he claims Sarah is his sister out of fear of the locals.
• The King of Gerar marries Sarah, but God came to him in a dream and told hm she was already married and to return her.
• The King of Gerar confronts Abraham. Abraham claims he was scared and that Sarah actually is his half sister, for they have the same father but not mother.
• Then the King of Gerar gives Abraham livestock and a thousand shekels of silver.
• Then Abraham prays to God that he would heal Abimelech.

CHAPTER 21: THE BIRTH OF ISAAC

• Sarah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a boy, who Abraham names Isaac.
• Ishmael starts to become jealous of Isaac. Sarah gets mad and tells Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away. God tells Abraham to obey Sarah.
• After Ishmael and Hagar are sent away the Lord continues to bless them.
• Abraham makes a treaty with the leader of the Philistines that Abraham will not deal with them falsely.

CHAPTER 22: ABRAHAM TESTED

• The Lord tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son.
• When Abraham arrives at the place the Lord has instructed him to sacrifice his son, the Lord appears and instructs him not to sacrifice his Son, and provides Abraham a ram to sacrifice instead.

CHAPTER 23: THE DEATH OF SARAH

• Abraham’s wife Sarah dies.
• Abraham purchases a field and cave from Ephron of the Hittites, to bury Sarah.

CHAPTER 24: ISAAC & REBEKAH

• When Abraham begins to get old, he orders his chief servant to go back to his homeland and find a wife for his son Isaac.
• The chief servant follows these instructions. When he reaches Nahor he prays to the Lord for guidance, and the Lord instructs him that if a woman helps him drink from a well she will be Isaac’s wife.
• He then goes to a well and a woman named Rebekah helps him drink from it. Rebekah is a grand-niece of Abraham.
• The servant offers to pay if he can stay with Rebekah’s family. They agree.
• The servant tells Rebekah’s parents why he is here and askes if he can take Rebekah back to Isaac to wed. They agree.
• The servant and Rebekah travel back to Canaan. Rebekah and Isaac get married.

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CHAPTER 25: THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM, ETC.

• Abraham gets married again, and has a few more children, then dies.
• Ishmael’s descendants settle between Egypt and Assyria, in an area near Havilah and Shur. An unknown location.
• Isaac has two sons Esau, and Jacob. Esau was first born so he has the birthright, (Birthright = Inheritor of Isaac’s possessions).
• One day when Esau comes home from hunting, and asks Jacob for food because he is very hungry. Jacob will only give him food if Esau sells him his birthright. Esau agrees.

CHAPTER 26: ISAAC AND ABIMELECH

• Due to famine Isaac and his family migrate to Gerar where King Abimelech still rules. Isaac tells him Rebekah is his sister out of fear of the locals. King Abimelech catches them caressing, and confronts Isaac.
• King Abimelech tells his people to leave Isaac and his wife alone.
• Isaac plants crops in this land, and his harvest was very large because the Lord blesses him. His herds also increase and he becomes very wealthy.
• The people of Gerar envy him, and they began to fill his wells. Abimelech then orders him to move away.
• Isaac moves to Beersheba where he builds a well. Abimelech visits and makes a treaty with Isaac.
• Esau marries two women, whiches causes grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

CHAPTER 27: JACOB RECEIVES ISAAC’S BLESSING

• When Isaac was old and nearing his death, he lost his sight. Fearing he would die soon, he calls Esau and tells him to go and hunt and prepare a meal for him, and that he will then give him his blessing.
• Rebekah overhears this and tells Jacob who she favored. She tells him she will prepare food so he can take it to Jacob and trick him into giving him the blessing because he will think he is Esau. She also dresses Jacob up in Esau’s clothes and put fur on Jacob’s hands (Esau is hairy), so to the smell and touch he will appear to be Esau (remember Isaac is blind).
• Jacob goes to Isaac. Isaac questions him saying you sound like Jacob, but after touching and smelling him he believes it is Esau, and blesses him.
• When Esau gets back from hunting he meets with his father and presents the food. His father realizes Jacob has tricked him and tells Jacob he only had one blessing.

END OF CHAPTER 27-28: JACOB FLEES TO HARAN

• Because Jacob stole Esau’s blessing, Esau plots to kill Jacob.
• Rebekah tells Jacob he should go to her brother Laban who lives in Haran for a while, until Esau is no longer angry. Isaac tells Jacob to do the same, and to also find a wife there.
• Esau gets married to one of Ishmael’s daughters.
• Jacob makes oath to the Lord.

CHAPTER 29: JACOB IN HARAN

• When Jacob reaches Haran he runs into Rachel Laban’s daughter, and also his Cousin. She runs to get Laban.
• After staying for a month Laban offers to pay Jacob for his labor. Jacob says he will work for 7 years if he can marry Rachel.
• After 7 years of working Jacob is ready to marry. Now Laban has two daughters Rachel who is the younger and Leah who is the older. So after the marriage celebration when it was dark Laban gives Jacob Leah instead of Rachel.
• The next day when Jacob wakes up he realizes he has been tricked. He goes to Laban and confronts him. Laban says if you work another 7 years for me I will give you Rachel as a wife as well.
• Jacob loved Rachel more then Leah. Because of this the Lord made Rachel barren while Leah became fertile. Leah had four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah.

CHAPTER 30: RACHEL’S CHILDREN

• Because Rachel can’t have children she orders her maidservant to have sex with Jacob. The maid produces 4 sons.
• Leah trades mandrakes with Rachel in order to have sex Jacob. She has 2 more sons and a daughter,
• Rachel finally conceives a son and names him Joseph.
• Jacob asks his Uncle Laban if they can leave, but Laban insists they stay an. Laban gives him part of his flock. Jacob’s flocks increase while Laban’s flocks decrease.

CHAPTER 31: JACOB FLEES FROM LABAN

• Laban and his Sons became Jealous.
• The Lord tells Jacob to return to Canaan.
• Jacob and his family decide to leave, without telling Laban. Rachel steals the household Gods from her father before leaving.
• Laban catches up to Jacob and confronts him about them leaving and accuses them of stealing. Laban searches them but Rachel hides the Gods. Laban cannot find anything.
• Laban and Jacob make a covenant, Jacob promises to take care of his daughters. Then Laban returns home.

CHAPTER 32: JACOB PREPARES TO MEET ESAU

• Jacob sends messengers ahead to meet Esau, instructs them to tell Esau he has amassed great wealth.
• In fear of Esau he divides the groups in case that if he is attacked the other group will survive.
• Jacob prepares gifts for Esau and prays to the Lord.
• Jacob sends messengers ahead to give gifts to Esau.
• That night after Jacob was alone a man comes and wrestles with Jacob. After wrestling all night Jacob forces the man to bless him. The man blesses Jacob and renames him Israel.
• The wrestling scene is very similar to a portion of the Babylonian myth the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh wrestles with the God Enkidu, who then blesses Giglamesh.

CHAPTER 33: JACOB MEETS ESAU

• Jacob meets Esau and Esau greets him.
• Jacob tells Esau to go ahead of him for he must go slowly to take care of the calves who must travel slowly.
• Jacob heads to Succoth and sets up a camp there.

CHAPTER 34: DINAH AND THE SHECHEMITES

• A neighbor of Jacob’s family named Shechem is attracted to Dinah Jacob’s daughter, and sexually violates her (details of the violation are not described).
• Shechem asks his father Hamor to get Dinah as his wife. Hamor consults Jacob who is aware she has been violated. Hamor offers that his daughters will marry Jacob’s sons.
• Jacob’s sons protest claiming Shechem’s sons are not circumcised. Jacob demands that his people be circumcised. Hamor agrees.
• A few days later Jacob’s sons Simeon, and Levi attack Hamor and his family, killing them and taking their livestock.
• When Jacob finds out, he is angry because he fears other neighbors will retaliate.

CHAPTER 35: JACOB RETURNS TO BETHEL

• The Lord tells Jacob to move to Bethel.
• Jacob tells his family to get rid of the foreign Gods.
• Jacob moves to Bethel. The Lord meets him and tells him his name is now Israel.
• Jacob keeps traveling.
• Rachel dies giving birth to another Son. The sons is named Benjamin. She is buried in Bethlehem.
• Jacob keeps traveling.

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CHAPTER 36: ESAU’S DESCENDANTS

• Esau gets married to a Canaanite women, and has lots of children.
• Esau and Jacob’s flocks increase. Esau moves away from Jacob where there is more land.

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CHAPTER 37: JOSEPH’S DREAMS

• Jacob favors his son Joseph.
• Jacob begins to have dreams. His dreams consist of his family bowing to him. When he tells his brothers his dreams they become offended.
• One day when Jacob goes to find his brothers, his brothers plot to kill him.
• His brothers assault Joseph and throw him in a hole. As some Ishmaelites pass by they decide instead to sell him to Ishmaelites.
• The brothers then take Josephs cloak and dipped in goats blood and brought it to Jacob telling them they found it. Jacob believes his son in dead.
• The Midianites sell Joseph to an Egyptian named Potiphar, who works for the Pharaoh.

CHAPTER 38: JUDAH AND TAMAR

• Judah one of Jacob’s sons gets married to a Canaanite women, and has several Children.
• His first son gets married to a women named Tamar, but is wicked so the Lord puts him to death.
• Judah orders his second Son to marry Tamar, but he is also wicked and put to death.
• Judah promises his Daughter-in-Law Tamar she can marry his third son.
• When his third son is old, and Tamar sees she is still not married to him, she disguises herself as a prostitute and sleeps with Judah. Judah pays her with some of his belongings.
• Three months later Tamar is pregnant and accused of prostitution, Judah sentences her to death. But then she says I became by the man who possessed these, and gives Judah back his belongings.
• Judah does not kill her. She gives birth to two sons.

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CHAPTER 39: JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR’S WIFE

• Joseph gained favor with Potiphar’s for he saw the Lord was with him in everything he did. Potiphar put him in charge of his household.
• Potiphar’s wife takes notice of Joseph and attempts to seduce him. Joseph turns her down.
• One day when she was trying to seduce Joseph, Joseph ran but forgot his cloak. The wife then used the cloak to frame Joseph claiming to Potiphar that he had tried to violate her.
• Potiphar then throws Joseph into prison. In prison Joseph finds favor with the warden, so he put Joseph in charge of the prison.

CHAPTER 40: THE CUPBEARER AND THE BAKER

• The Pharaoh becomes angry with his cupbearer and baker and throw them in the prison where Joseph is.
• While in prison the cupbearer and baker have dreams, and Joseph interprets the dreams and tells them the cupbearer will be released in 3 days, but the baker will be killed. Joseph tells the cupbearer to remember him and to help get him released.
• After the third day the cupbearer is released and the baker is killed, the cupbearer however forgets Joseph.

CHAPTER 41: PHARAOH’S DREAMS

• Two years later Pharaoh had a dream, and was troubled by them. At this time the cupbearer remembered Joseph had interpreted his dream. The Pharaoh called on joseph.
• The Pharaoh describes his dreams to Joseph. In the dream there were first 7 large cows, and then 7 scrawny cows. Then there were 7 large heads of grain, and then 7 thin heads.
• Joseph interprets the dreams, and tells Pharaoh the dreams represent 7 years of abundant harvest, and then 7 years of famine in Egypt. Joseph tells Pharaoh to save 1/5 of the harvest for the first 7 years so have a reserve during the famine. Pharaoh then puts Joseph in charge of the granaries.
• During the 7 years of abundance Joseph had two sons.
• When the 7 years of famine come Joseph begins selling the grain and people from all around come to Egypt to buy grain due to the shortage.

CHAPTER 42: JOSEPH’S BROTHERS GO TO EGYPT

• Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt except for the youngest Benjamin. Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him.
• Joseph then accuses them of being spies, and has them arrested. The brothers claim they are not, and tell Joseph of their family. He has you can go back to get you’re your younger brother to testify for you, but on brother must stay mind.
• Once the brothers return to their father Jacob and tells them what happened, Jacob refuses to send Benjamin to Egypt.

CHAPTER 43: THE BROTHERS RETURN TO EGYPT

• Eventually Jacob concedes and sends Benjamin to Egypt with them.
• When the brothers get to Egypt Joseph brings them to his house and prepares a feast for them.
• They eat.

CHAPTER 44: JOSEPH FRAMES HIS BROTHERS.

• The brothers get ready to return to Canaan.
• Joseph orders his servant to place silver in Benjamin’s bag.
• After they leave Joseph sends his servants after them in order to search them. They find the silver, and have to return to Egypt.
• The brother then plead with Joseph.

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CHAPTER 45: JOSEPH REVEALS HIMSELF

• Jacob reveals himself, and the brothers reunite.
• Jacob claims their wrong doings were all part of Gods plan so he would come to Egypt and be able to save lives.
• Pharaoh finds out that Joseph has been reunited with his family, and he orders all of Josephs family to come to Egypt.
• The brothers go back to Canaan while Joseph stays in Egypt.
• The brothers tell Jacob the news and he believes.

CHAPTER 46: JACOB GOES TO EGYPT

• Jacob goes to Egypt, when he gets there everyone is happy.
• Joseph tells his brothers he will get them land so they can tend to their levestock.

CHAPTER 47: JOSEPH DEALS WITH FAMINE

• His family receives land.
• Joseph returns to dealing with the famine.
• Joseph slowly sells the grain until there is no more money to purchase the grain. So the people give him their livestock for the grain. When there is no livestock, they give him their land. When there is no land, they become slaves. By the end of the famine the Pharaoh owns everything in Egypt, except for what belonged to the priests.
• Jacob is getting old and asks Joseph to bury him in Canaan.

CHAPTER 48: JACOB BLESSES HIS GRANDSON’S

• Jacob gets old blesses Joseph’s sons.

CHAPTER 49: JACOB DIES

• Joseph calls his brothers together, and Jacob blesses them.
• Jacob dies.

CHAPTER 50: THE END OF GENESIS

• Joseph buries Jacob in Canaan.
• His brothers are scared Joseph still holds a grudge against them for selling him. He reassures them he doesn’t.
• Joseph eventually dies and is buried in Egypt.