Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.’

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—

So the  Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.

So the  Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

Then the man and his wife heard 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 among the trees of the garden.

And they heard the sound of the  Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the  Lord God among the trees of the garden.

but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Then the  Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

The  Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?

Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’

Behold you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me.”

So Cain went out from the  Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Then Cain went away from the presence of the  Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,

So the  Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created – and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground – for I regret that I have made them.’

So the  Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

The  Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

Then the  Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.’

For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.

Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.

Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.

But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.

By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

He was a mighty hunter before the  Lord; that is why it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the  Lord.’

He was a mighty hunter before the  Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the  Lord.”

Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

So the  Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

So the  Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

That is why it was called Babel – because there the  Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the  Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the  Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the  Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.’

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan towards Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the  Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the  Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the  Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the  Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking brazier with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai ill-treated Hagar; so she fled from her.

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’

‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.

And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”

He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
towards all his brothers.’

He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the  Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the  Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

Abram fell face down, and God said to him,

Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,

Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!’

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

He said, ‘If I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.

and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.

Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way – now that you have come to your servant.’

‘Very well,’ they answered, ‘do as you say.’

while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”

He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the  Lord.

So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the  Lord.

Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?’

He answered, ‘I will not do it if I find thirty there.’

Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”

Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’

He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’

Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the  Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.’

For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the  Lord, and the  Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

He said to him, ‘Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of.

He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the  Lord.

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the  Lord.

He looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah, towards all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

And Abimelek said, ‘My land is before you; live wherever you like.’

And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,

And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,

‘I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so that I can bury my dead.’

“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

He said to them, ‘If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar,

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.