Bible/King James/Documentary Hypothesis/Jahwist source

According to the documentary hypothesis, the Torah is composed from a number of originally independent sources joined by a redactor. One of these supposed sources is named the "Jahwist source", due to its preference of referring to God as Yahweh (usually translated as "The LORD"). This prose source contains within it two poems thought to have been earlier separate sources - the Song of the Sea, and the Blessing of Jacob.

There follows the reconstructed text of the Jahwist Source, using the King James Translation of the Torah.

• The main body of the source is highlighted in black
• The following highlighted sections are older, originally independent units that were incorporated into the Jahwist source:
  • The text of the Song of Lamech is highlighted in bright red (view in isolation)
  • The text of the Blessing of Jacob is highlighted in deep sky blue (view in isolation)
  • The text of the Song of the Sea is highlighted in royal blue (view in isolation)
  • The text of the Blessing of Moses is highlighted in green
• Late supplements to the J text are highlighted in maroon red
• Interpolated sections, believed to be removed by a redactor, are included in brackets
• Sections moved from their place in the final text to their original location are surrounded by asterisks

Although the text is ordered as it appears in the bible, the partitions do not reflect, in any way, the original partitioning of the text, and simply exists for the ease of modern readership

Creation

1In the day that the LORD made the earth and the heavens,

2And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew:

3For the LORD had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

4But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

5And the LORD formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

6And the LORD planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

7And out of the ground made the LORD to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;

8The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

9And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

10The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

11And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

12And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

13And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

14And the LORD took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

15And the LORD commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

16But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

17And the LORD said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

18And out of the ground the LORD formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air;

19And brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21And the LORD caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22And the rib, which the LORD had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The fall of Man

1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD had made.

2And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

3And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

4But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

5And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

6For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

7And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

8She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

9And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;

10And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

11And they heard the voice of the LORD walking in the garden in the cool of the day:

12And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD amongst the trees of the garden.

13And the LORD called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

14And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

15And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?

16Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

17And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

18And the LORD said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?

19And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

20And the LORD said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;

21Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

22And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;

23It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

24Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;

25And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

26And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,

27And hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:

28Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

29Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

30In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;

31For out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

32And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

33Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD make coats of skins, and clothed them.

34And the LORD said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:

35And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

36Therefore the LORD sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man;

37And he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

8And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

9And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field,

10That Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

11And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

12And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

13And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

14When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

15And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

16Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid;

17And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

18And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.

19And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

20And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

21And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch:

22And he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

23And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

24And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

25And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

26And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

27And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

28And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

29If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

30And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth:

31For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

32And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

33[And Enos begat a son.]

34And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

The Nephilim

1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

The flood

1And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

2And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

3And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

4But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

5Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations,

6And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

7Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

8Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

9For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

10And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

11And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And the LORD shut him in.

13And the flood was forty days upon the earth.

14And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

15And the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually.

16And it came to pass at the end of forty days, also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

17But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

18And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

19And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

20And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

21And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

22And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

23And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

24While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

The curse of Ham

1And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

2And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

3And Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

4And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

5And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

6And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

7And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

8God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

The Table of Nations

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1And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

2He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

3And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

4Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

5And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

6And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

7And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

8And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,

9And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

10And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

11And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

12And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

13Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

14And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

15And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

16And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

17And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

18And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

19And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

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The tower of Babel

1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: And from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

The migration of Abraham

1And Abra[ha]m and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abra[ha]m's wife was Sara[h]; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

2But Sara[h] was barren; she had no child.

3Now the LORD had said unto Abra[ha]m, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

4And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

5And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

6So Abra[ha]m departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him:

7And Abra[ha]m passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

8And the LORD appeared unto Abra[ha]m, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

9And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

Abraham's wife as his sister

1And Abra[ha]m journeyed, going on still toward the south.

2And there was a famine in the land: and Abra[ha]m went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

3And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sara[h] his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

4Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

5Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

6And it came to pass, that, when Abra[ha]m was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

7The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

8And he entreated Abra[ha]m well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

9And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah[h] Abra[ha]m's wife.

10And Pharaoh called Abra[ha]m, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

11Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

12And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

13And Abra[ha]m went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

The partition between Abraham and Lot

1And Abra[ha]m was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

2And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

3Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abra[ha]m called on the name of the LORD.

4And Lot also, which went with Abra[ha]m, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

5And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abra[ha]m's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

6And Abra[ha]m said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

7Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

8And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

9Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

10But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

11And the LORD said unto Abra[ha]m, after that Lot was separated from him, lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

12For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

13And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

14Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

15Then Abra[ha]m removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Chedorlaomer

1And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;

2That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

3All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

7And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

8And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;

9With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

10And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

11And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.

12And they took Lot, Abra[ha]m's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abra[ha]m the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abra[ha]m.

14And when Abra[ha]m heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

17And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

18And the king of Sodom said unto Abra[ha]m, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

19And Abra[ha]m said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD,

20That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abra[ha]m rich:

21Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Hagar and Ishmael

1And Sara[h] said unto Abra[ha]m, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abra[ha]m hearkened to the voice of Sara[h].

2And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

3And Sara[h] said unto Abra[ha]m, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

4But Abra[ha]m said unto Sara[h], Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sara[h] dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

5And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

6And he said, Hagar, Sara[h]'s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sara[h].

7And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

8And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, And shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

9And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

10And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

11Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

The Lord and two angels visit Abraham and Sarah

1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

3And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

8And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Sodom and Gomorrah

1And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

2And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

3Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

4For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; That the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

5And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

6I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

7And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

8And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

9Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

10That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: And that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

11And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

12And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:

13Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

14And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.

15And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

16And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

17And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

18And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

19And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

20And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, And wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

21And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

22But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

23And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

24And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

25And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

26Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

27And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

28But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

29And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

30And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

31For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

32And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

33And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

34And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

35And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

36And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:

37Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life;

38And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

39Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

40And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

41Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

42The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

43Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

44And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

45But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

46And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

47And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Lot's daughters

1And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

2And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

3Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

4And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

5And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: Let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

6And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

7Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

8And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

9And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

The children of Abraham

1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age,

3And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

4And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

5Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

6And Abraham said, I will swear.

7And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

8Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

9Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

10And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

11And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

12Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

13And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

14And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

15And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Isaac and Rebekah

1And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

3And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

4But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

5And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

6And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

7The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

8And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

9And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

10And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

11And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

12And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

13Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:

14And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

15And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

22And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

23And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?

24And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

25She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

27And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.

28And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.

29And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

30And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

31And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

32And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.

33And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

34And he said, I am Abraham's servant.

35And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

36And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

37And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

38But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

39And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

40And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:

41Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

42And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:

43Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

44And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.

45And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

46And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

47And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.

48And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.

49And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

51Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

52And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

53And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

54And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.

55And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

56And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

57And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.

58And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

59And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.

60And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

61And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

65For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

66And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

67And Isaac brought her into the tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Abraham's Children with Keturah

1Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

6But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

7[And Abraham died.]

Jacob and Esau

1And Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

2And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

3And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

4And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

5And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

6And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

7And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:

8And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

9And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

10And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

11And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

12And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

13And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

14And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

15Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

The covenant with Isaac

1And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

5Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Isaac's wife as his sister

1And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

2And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

3And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

4And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

5And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? One of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

6And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

The wells of Isaac

1Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

2And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

3And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

4And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

5And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

6And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

7And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

8And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

9And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

10And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.

11Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

12And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

13And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

14That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.

15And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

16And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

17And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

18And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

The blessing of Isaac

1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

2And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

4And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

5And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

7Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

9Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

15And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

17And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

21And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

24And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

28Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

30And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

32And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

33And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

34And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

35And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

36And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

38And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

40And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

41[And Isaac died.]

The exile of Jacob

1And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

2And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

3Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

4And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

5Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

Jacob's dream

1And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

2And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

3And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

4And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

5And he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, then shall the LORD be my God.

The sheep and the stone

1Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.

2And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.

3And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.

4And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.

5And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.

6And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.

7And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.

8And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.

9And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them.

10And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

11And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

The two wives of Jacob

1And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father.

2And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

3And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.

4And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?

5And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

6Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.

7And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

8And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.

9And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

10And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.

11And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

12And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

13And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?

14And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

15Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.

16And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

17And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

The children of Jacob

Due to the extreme textual difficulties of this section, the parts ascribed to E are included in brackets.

1And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

2And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.

3And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.

4And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.

5And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

6And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

7And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

8[And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.]

9And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: [and Jacob went in unto her.]

10And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

11And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

12And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

13And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

14When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

15And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

16And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

17And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

18And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

19And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

20And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.

21And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

22[And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.]

23[And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.]

24[And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.]

25[And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry;] now will my husband dwell with me, [and she called his name Zebulun.]

26[And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.]

27[And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.]

28[And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:]

29[And she called his name Joseph;] and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

The blemished flock

1And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

2Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

3And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

4And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

5And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.

6For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

7And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.

8I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

9So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

10And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

11And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

12And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

13And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

14And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

15And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

16And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

17And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

18But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

19And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

Jacob's Reunion with Esau

1And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

2And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

3And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

4And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

5Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

6And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

7And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

8I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

9Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

10And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

11And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

12Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

13Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

14And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

15And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

16Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

17And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

18And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.

19So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

20And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

21And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

22And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

23And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

24And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he blessed him there.

25And the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

26Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

27And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

28And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

29And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

30And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

31And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

32Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

33And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

34And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

35And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.

36And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

37Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.

38And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

39And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.

40Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

41And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

42So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

43And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

The rape of Dinah

1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2[Shechem] took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

4And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

5That two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword,

6And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

7And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

8And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

Reuben and Bilhah

1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6[And Jacob came to] Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

7And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

8But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

9And Jacob set up a pillar, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

10And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

11And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it.

Joseph enslaved

1Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

2And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

3And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

4And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

5For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

6And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

7And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

8And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

9And his brethren envied him, and they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

10Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

11And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

12And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

13And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

14Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

15And sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

16And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

17And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

18And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

19And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

20And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

Judah and Tamar

1And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

3And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

7And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

8And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

9And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, That he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

10And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

11Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

12And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; aor she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

16And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

18And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

22And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

25When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

29And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

The Egyptian's wife

1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

5And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

6And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

7And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

8But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

9There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

10And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

11And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

12And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

13And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

14That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

15And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

16And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

17And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

18And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

19And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

20And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

21But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

23The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Joseph's Rise to Power

..........................................................................POTENTIAL DISCONTINUITY........................................................................

1And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

2And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

3And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

4And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

5And the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And the famine was over all the face of the earth.

6And all countries came into Egypt for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

Joseph and his brothers

1Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

3And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

4But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

5And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

7And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

9And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

10And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

11We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

12And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

13And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

14And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:

15Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

17And he put them all together into ward three days.

18And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

19If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

20But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

21And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

22And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

25Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.

26And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

27And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.

28And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:

32We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:

34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

36And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

37And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

39And the famine was sore in the land.

40And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

41And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

42If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

43But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

44And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

45And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

46And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

47I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

48For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

49And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

50And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

51Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

52And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

53And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

54And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.

55And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.

56And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

57And they came near to the of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

58And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:

59And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.

60And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

61And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

62And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

63And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

64And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

65And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?

66And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.

67And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

68And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.

69And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

70And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

71And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

72And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

73And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

74And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

75As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

76And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

77Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

78And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

79And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

80Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

81With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

82And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

83Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

84And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

85Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

86And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

87And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

88And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

89And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

90Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

91My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?v

92And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

93And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

94And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

95And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

96And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

97And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

98And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

99And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

100And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

101And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

102Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

103It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

104For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

105Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

106For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

107Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

108And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

109And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

110And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

111Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

112For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

113And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

114So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

115Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

116And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

117And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

118And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

119And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

120And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

121Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

122And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

123And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

124And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

125Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

126Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

127And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

128To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

129And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

130So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

131And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,

132And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.

133And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

134And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

Israel's migration to Egypt

1And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

2And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

3And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

4And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

5And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

6And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.

7And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

8That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

9Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

10And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.

11And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.

12They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

13The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

14And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

15And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

16And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

17And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

18And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

19And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

20When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

21Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

22And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.

23And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

24Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

25Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

26And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

27And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.

28And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.

29And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

30But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

31And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.

The blessing of Jacob

1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

5Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

9Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

11Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

15And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

16Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

19Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

The burial of Jacob

1And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

3And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

4And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

5My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.

6And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

7And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

10And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.

12And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

The death of the generation of Joseph

1And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

2And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

3So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

4And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

5And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

6But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

7Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

8And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

9And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

The exile of Moses

1Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

2And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

3Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

4Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

5But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

6And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

7And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

8And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

9And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

10Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

11Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

12And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

13And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

14And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

15And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

16And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

17And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

18And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died.

Zipporah at the inn

1*And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

2And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt:

3And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

4Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

5So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.*

The burning bush

1And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

2And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

3And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

4And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

5And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

6Now therefore, go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

7And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

8And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

9And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

10And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

11And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

12But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

13And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

14And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

15And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

16And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

17That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

18And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

19And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

20And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

21And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

22And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

23And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

24Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

25And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

26And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

27And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

28And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

29And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

30And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

31And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

32And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

33And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

34And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

35And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

36And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Pharaoh is Stubborn

1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

21And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

The plagues of Egypt

1Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

2And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

3Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

4And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

5Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

6And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

7And he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

8And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river;

9And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

10And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

11And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

12And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

13And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:

14And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:

15And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

16And the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

17Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.

18And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

19And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.

20And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.

21And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.

22And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.

23And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.

24But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart.

25And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

26Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

27And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

28And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

29And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

30And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

31And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

32We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

33And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

34And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.

35And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.

36And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

37And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

38Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

39For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,

40Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

41And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.

42And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

43And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

44And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

45And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

46For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

47For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

48And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

49As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

50Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.

51Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.

52He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:

53And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

54And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

55Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

56And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

57Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

58And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD's.

59But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

60And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

61And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

62And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: and Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

63Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

64And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:

65And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

66And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

67And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?

68And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.

69And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

70Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

71And the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. Very grievous were they; for they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened;

72Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

73Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

74And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.

75And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

76And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

77And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.

78Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.

79And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.

80And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

The Passover

1And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

2Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver and jewels of gold.

3And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

4And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

5And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

6And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

7But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

8And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

9Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and spake unto them, and the people bowed the head and worshipped.

10And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

11And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

12And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

13Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

14And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

15And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

16And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

17And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

18About six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children; and a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

19And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

The crossing of the red sea

1And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

2But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

3He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

4And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

5And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

6And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

7And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid:

8And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

9Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

10And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

11The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

12And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

13And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

14And the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night,

15And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

16And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

17And the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

18Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

19And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

The song of the sea

1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

2The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

4Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

5The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.

6Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

7And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

10Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

11Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

12Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.

13Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

14The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.

15Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.

16Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

17Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.

18The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

Survival in the wilderness

1So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur;

2And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

3And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

4And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

5And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

6Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

7And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

8Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

9And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

10And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

11See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

12So the people rested on the seventh day.

13And there was no water for the people to drink.

14Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

15And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

16And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

17And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

18Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

19*And when Moses saw that the people were naked, then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.*

20*And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.*

21*And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.*

22*For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.*

23And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

24And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

The arrival at Sinai

1And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

2And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

3And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

4There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

5And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

6And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

7And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

8And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

9And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

10And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them

11And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

12And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

13So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

14And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

15And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

16Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

17And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

18And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God.

Moses Sees The LORD

1And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:

2Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.

3And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put [off] him his ornaments.

4For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

5And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments.

6And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

7Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

8And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

9And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

10For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

11And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

12And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

13And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

14And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

15And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

16And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

17And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

18And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

19And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

20And Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai.

21And he stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

22And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

23Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

24And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

25And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Departing Sinai

1And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, we are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.

2And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

3And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

4And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

5And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.

6And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.

7And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

8And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

The People Complain at Taberah

1And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.

3And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

The Shower of Quail

1And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

2We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

3But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

4Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

5Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

6And [the LORD said unto Moses,] say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

7Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

8But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

9And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

10Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

11And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

12And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD,

13And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

14And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

15And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

16And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

The Report of the Spies

1[And Moses gathered men from the camp] and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

2And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

3And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

4And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

5And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

6And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

7The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

8[And they returned] to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

9And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

10Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

11The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

12And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

13But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

14And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

15And the people wept that night.

16And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

17I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

18And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

19And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

20Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

21Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

22And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

23The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

24Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

25And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

26But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

27Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

28Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

29But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

30(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

31And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

War with the Amalekites and Canaanites

1And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.

2And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.

3Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

4For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

5But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

6Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

7And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

8And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

9And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

10And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

11Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

12The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

13And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

14And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

The Story of Balaam

1And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

2And Moab said, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

3He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

4Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

5And the elders of Moab departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

6And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

7And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

8And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me saying,

9Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

10And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

11And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

12And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

13And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

14And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:

15For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

16And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

17Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

18And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

19And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

20And the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

21And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

22But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

23And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

24And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

25And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

26And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

27And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

28And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

29Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

30And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

31And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

32And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

33And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

34And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.

35And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?

36And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

37And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.

38And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

39And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

40And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

41And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

42And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.

43And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

44And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

45And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.

46And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

47How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

48For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

49Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

50And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

51And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?

52And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

53And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

54And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

55And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

56And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?

57And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

58God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

59Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

60He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

61God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

62Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

63Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

64And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

65But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

66And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

67And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.

68And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

69And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

70And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

71And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

72And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

73He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

74How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!

75As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.

76He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

77God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

78He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

79And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.

80Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

81And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,

82If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?

83And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

The heresy of Peor

1And the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

3And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

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The Blessing of Moses

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1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

2And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

3Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

4Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

5And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

6Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

7And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

8And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

9Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

11Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

12And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

13And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

14And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

15And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

16And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

19They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

21And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

23And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

24And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

25Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

28Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

29Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

The Death of Moses

1[And Moses went up] to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,

2And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,

3And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

4And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

5[And Moses died,] and he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.