Genesis 35 Cross References - MSB

¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ² So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. ³ Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem. ⁵ As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. ⁶ So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. ⁷ There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother. ⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth. ⁹ After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. ¹⁰ And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. ¹¹ And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. ¹² The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” ¹³ Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him. ¹⁴ So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. ¹⁵ Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. ¹⁶ Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. ¹⁷ During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” ¹⁸ And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day. ²¹ Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. ²² While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: ²³ The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. ²⁴ The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵ The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. ²⁶ And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram. ²⁷ Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ²⁸ And Isaac lived 180 years. ²⁹ Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

⁸ From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.

³ From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched, ⁴ to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

⁸ “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.

¹⁴ And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” ⁴² When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. ⁴³ So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. ⁴⁴ Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides— ⁴⁵ until your brother’s rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

¹⁰ Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. ¹³ And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!” ¹⁸ Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, ¹⁹ and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz. ²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, ²¹ so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. ²² And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

³ Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

⁷ There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.

³⁶ For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

¹ For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

⁴ He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah

¹⁵ When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.

⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. ⁶ Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?

⁴ Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there—

¹⁵ Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be utterly cut off.

¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

¹⁹ Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.

³⁴ Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

² When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised. ²⁵ Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male.

²² While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

¹⁰ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes

¹⁴ When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.

³ You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

¹³ Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

⁵ Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

¹⁶ But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”

²⁴ On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

⁷ You shall have no other gods before Me.

¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

²⁵ You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.

²⁸ but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

¹⁶ They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.

⁷ So you are not to associate with these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them or bow down to them.

² And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.

¹⁵ But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

²⁰ If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you.”

²³ “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

¹⁶ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”

³ Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

²³ And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt.

¹⁰ Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”

¹² Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”

²⁹ Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.

²⁶ For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.

⁵ And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

² Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

² I will ponder the way that is blameless—when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with integrity of heart. ³ I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. ⁴ A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know nothing of evil. ⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure. ⁶ My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me. ⁷ No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.

¹ Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

¹⁶ Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!

¹¹ Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.

⁷ “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes.

²⁷ Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields—I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?”

²⁰ Can man make gods for himself? Such are not gods!”

³¹ Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

⁷ And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

²⁵ I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

¹⁰ Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

²⁶ And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.

⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”

¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ¹⁷ “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

¹ Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

⁸ Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

¹ Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow,

²³ save others with fear by snatching them from the fire, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.

¹² And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. ¹³ And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

¹⁵ Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

⁷ In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.

²⁴ So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

¹³ I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You— ¹⁴ the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress.

¹ Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds— ³ He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, ⁵ who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.

¹ I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. ² Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

¹⁶ Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds. ¹⁷ I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. ²¹ I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation. ²² The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

¹⁹ O people in Zion who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious when you cry for help; when He hears, He will answer you.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

² So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

²⁰ Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

⁵ Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.

²⁵ On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance. ²⁶ Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of the LORD.

²⁴ Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ “We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it. ²⁶ The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels. ²⁷ From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

⁶ Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.

²⁰ In that day men will cast away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold—the idols they made to worship.

²² So you will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, saying to them, “Be gone!”

¹³ I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,” declares the LORD.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, ¹⁶ and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.

²⁷ I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

²⁴ For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

²⁵ No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.

⁹ and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. ¹¹ When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

¹ Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

⁷ He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they turned out as one man.

¹⁵ Then terror struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked and panic spread from God.

¹⁴ and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there.

¹⁰ And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

⁵ There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.

¹⁹ and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.

²² And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me

²² The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. ²³ They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz), ²⁴ and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” ²⁵ So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. ²⁶ And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

¹³ And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

³ Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

¹⁵ And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner.

²⁴ So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

³⁵ The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

⁵⁹ So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

¹ Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,

⁵ So they called that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.

¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

¹ Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.

² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.

¹¹ In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² ‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

¹ Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

²⁴ So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. ²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” ²⁹ And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there. ³⁰ So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

² And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob. ³ “I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me ⁴ and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

³ The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.

² And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

⁵ No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.

²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. ²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

³¹ And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”

³⁴ To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

¹⁶ I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

⁵ And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

⁵ No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ⁷ I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

¹⁶ And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹⁴ Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁸ Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. ⁴ And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

¹² But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”

¹⁴ May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

³ “I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

⁷ but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them.

¹ On the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He said: ² “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. ⁴ And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you. ⁵ These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; ⁶ from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; ⁷ from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; ⁸ from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; ⁹ from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon; ¹⁰ from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; ¹¹ from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; ¹² from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; ¹³ from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran; ¹⁴ from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; ¹⁵ and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.” ¹⁶ These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel. ¹⁷ So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, ¹⁸ and on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age or older, ¹⁹ just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So Moses numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai: ²⁰ From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²¹ those registered to the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500. ²² From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²³ those registered to the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300. ²⁴ From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²⁵ those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650. ²⁶ From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

¹ Now there was a man named Elkanah who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. ³ Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD. ⁴ And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb. ⁶ Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her viciously. ⁷ And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat. ⁸ “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” ⁹ So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. ¹⁰ In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. ¹¹ And she made a vow, pleading, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.” ¹² As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!” ¹⁵ “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.” ¹⁷ “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸ “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began eating again, and her face was no longer downcast. ¹⁹ The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. ²⁰ So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” ²¹ Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, ²² but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” ²³ “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. ²⁴ Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. ²⁵ And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, ²⁸ I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

¹⁸ And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

¹⁴ After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, ¹⁵ for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. ¹⁷ Get up and walk around the land, through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you.”

¹⁸ On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—

³ Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

⁴ and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

⁸ I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

¹ Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. ² And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor. ³ March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. ⁵ And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.” ⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.” ⁷ And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” ⁸ After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. ⁹ While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there. ¹² Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD. ¹³ And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. ¹⁵ Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! ¹⁷ Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. ¹⁹ For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.” ²⁰ So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it. ²¹ At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

¹ At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, ² because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). ³ As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent. ⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God ⁵ and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests. ⁶ While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king ⁷ to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ And I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. ⁹ Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense. ¹⁰ I also learned that because the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had gone back to their own fields. ¹¹ So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts, ¹² and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms. ¹³ I appointed as treasurers over the storerooms Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites. ¹⁴ Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services. ¹⁵ In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. ¹⁶ Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? ¹⁸ Did not your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!” ¹⁹ When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Once or twice, the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem, ²¹ but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath. ²² Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion. ²³ In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. ²⁵ I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! ²⁶ Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. ²⁷ Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” ²⁸ Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me. ²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. ³⁰ Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites. ³¹ I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, with favor.

⁵ Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.

²² When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

³³ When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.

²¹ Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

²⁰ When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.

³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.

¹⁸ Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, ¹⁹ and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.

⁴⁵ So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar,

²⁰ Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.

¹² Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”

¹⁶ To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

⁷ Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

² The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” said Elisha. But after Naaman had traveled a short distance,

¹⁹ When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur.

⁶ We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.

¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

¹⁵ Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

²⁴ She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

¹⁹ Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her. ²⁰ As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed. ²¹ And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

¹ When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.

⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

³⁸ But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

²⁷ And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. ²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ ³⁰ So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, ³¹ sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

⁷ They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

⁹ Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

¹⁰ For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

¹⁷ Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand, on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.

¹² They cry out to their mothers: “Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers.

²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

⁴⁶ Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

¹⁵ It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.

¹¹ “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

² Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel:

⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”

¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

⁹ After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

¹⁴ So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.

² When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’

¹⁷ They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home. ¹⁸ During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

⁸ And you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—the former dominion will be restored to you; sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”

⁸ And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

³¹ When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. ³² And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.” ³³ Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon. ³⁴ Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. ³⁵ And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

⁵ and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan. ⁷ And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali. ⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. ¹¹ Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. ¹² When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, ¹³ Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher. ¹⁴ Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” ¹⁵ But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” ¹⁶ When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. ¹⁷ And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. ¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. ¹⁹ Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. ²⁰ “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. ²¹ After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. ²² Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, ²³ and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. ²⁴ She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

¹⁸ And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

⁸ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. ⁹ The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. ¹¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹² The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. ¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three. ¹⁶ The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸ These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all. ¹⁹ The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. ²¹ The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all. ²³ The son of Dan: Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all. ²⁶ All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons. ²⁷ And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

¹ Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come: ² Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. ³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. ⁴ Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it. ⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence. ⁶ May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. ⁸ Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you. ⁹ Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. ¹¹ He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. ¹² His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. ¹³ Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon. ¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds. ¹⁵ He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant. ¹⁶ Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷ He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward. ¹⁸ I await Your salvation, O LORD. ¹⁹ Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels. ²⁰ Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies. ²¹ Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. ²² Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. ²³ The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility. ²⁴ Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, ²⁵ by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb. ²⁶ The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers. ²⁷ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.” ²⁸ These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

¹ These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. ⁵ The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

¹⁴ These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben. ¹⁵ The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon. ¹⁶ These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

⁸ You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.

⁵ These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; ⁶ from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; ⁷ from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; ⁸ from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; ⁹ from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon; ¹⁰ from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; ¹¹ from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; ¹² from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; ¹³ from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran; ¹⁴ from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; ¹⁵ and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

²⁰ From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²¹ those registered to the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500. ²² From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²³ those registered to the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300. ²⁴ From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²⁵ those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650. ²⁶ From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²⁷ those registered to the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600. ²⁸ From the sons of Issachar, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ²⁹ those registered to the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400. ³⁰ From the sons of Zebulun, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ³¹ those registered to the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400. ³² From the sons of Joseph: From the sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ³³ those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500. ³⁴ And from the sons of Manasseh, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ³⁵ those registered to the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200. ³⁶ From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ³⁷ those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400. ³⁸ From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ³⁹ those registered to the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700. ⁴⁰ From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ⁴¹ those registered to the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500. ⁴² From the sons of Naphtali, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, ⁴³ those registered to the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400. ⁴⁴ These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. ⁴⁵ So all the Israelites twenty years of age or older who could serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. ⁴⁶ And all those counted totaled 603,550.

³ On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard: The leader of the descendants of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab, ⁴ and his division numbers 74,600. ⁵ The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar, ⁶ and his division numbers 54,400. ⁷ Next will be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon, ⁸ and his division numbers 57,400. ⁹ The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Judah is 186,400; they shall set out first. ¹⁰ On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur, ¹¹ and his division numbers 46,500. ¹² The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, ¹³ and his division numbers 59,300. ¹⁴ Next will be the tribe of Gad. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel, ¹⁵ and his division numbers 45,650. ¹⁶ The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Reuben is 151,450; they shall set out second. ¹⁷ In the middle of the camps, the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the Levites. They are to set out in the order they encamped, each in his own place under his standard. ¹⁸ On the west side, the divisions of Ephraim are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud, ¹⁹ and his division numbers 40,500. ²⁰ The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, ²¹ and his division numbers 32,200. ²² Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the Benjamites is Abidan son of Gideoni, ²³ and his division numbers 35,400. ²⁴ The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Ephraim is 108,100; they shall set out third. ²⁵ On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, ²⁶ and his division numbers 62,700. ²⁷ The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ocran, ²⁸ and his division numbers 41,500. ²⁹ Next will be the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan, ³⁰ and his division numbers 53,400. ³¹ The total number of men in the camp of Dan is 157,600; they shall set out last, under their standards.” ³² These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. The total of those counted in the camps, by their divisions, was 603,550. ³³ But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹² On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering. ¹³ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ¹⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ¹⁵ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ¹⁶ one male goat for a sin offering; ¹⁷ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. ¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near. ¹⁹ The offering he presented was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ²⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ²¹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ²² one male goat for a sin offering; ²³ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. ²⁴ On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near. ²⁵ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ²⁶ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ²⁷ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ²⁸ one male goat for a sin offering; ²⁹ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. ³⁰ On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites, drew near. ³¹ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ³² one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ³³ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ³⁴ one male goat for a sin offering; ³⁵ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur. ³⁶ On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites, drew near. ³⁷ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ³⁸ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ³⁹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁴⁰ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁴¹ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ⁴² On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near. ⁴³ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁴⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁴⁵ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁴⁶ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁴⁷ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. ⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near. ⁴⁹ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁵¹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁵² one male goat for a sin offering; ⁵³ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud. ⁵⁴ On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites, drew near. ⁵⁵ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁶ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁵⁷ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁵⁹ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ⁶⁰ On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the Benjamites, drew near. ⁶¹ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁶² one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁶³ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁶⁵ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni. ⁶⁶ On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites, drew near. ⁶⁷ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁶⁸ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁶⁹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁷⁰ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁷¹ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ⁷² On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the Asherites, drew near. ⁷³ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁷⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁷⁵ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁷⁶ one male goat for a sin offering; ⁷⁷ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran. ⁷⁸ On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites, drew near. ⁷⁹ His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; ⁸⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; ⁸¹ one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; ⁸² one male goat for a sin offering; ⁸³ and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan. ⁸⁴ So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. ⁸⁵ Each silver platter weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels. The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. ⁸⁶ The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and twenty shekels. ⁸⁷ All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male goats for the sin offering. ⁸⁸ All the livestock sacrificed for the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed. ⁸⁹ When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony. Thus the LORD spoke to him.

⁵ Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were the descendants of Reuben: The Hanochite clan from Hanoch, the Palluite clan from Pallu, ⁶ the Hezronite clan from Hezron, and the Carmite clan from Carmi. ⁷ These were the clans of Reuben, and their registration numbered 43,730. ⁸ Now the son of Pallu was Eliab, ⁹ and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who fought against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD. ¹⁰ And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign. ¹¹ However, the line of Korah did not die out. ¹² These were the descendants of Simeon by their clans: The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel, the Jaminite clan from Jamin, the Jachinite clan from Jachin, ¹³ the Zerahite clan from Zerah, and the Shaulite clan from Shaul. ¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon, and there were 22,200 men. ¹⁵ These were the descendants of Gad by their clans: The Zephonite clan from Zephon, the Haggite clan from Haggi, the Shunite clan from Shuni, ¹⁶ the Oznite clan from Ozni, the Erite clan from Eri, ¹⁷ the Arodite clan from Arod, and the Arelite clan from Areli. ¹⁸ These were the clans of Gad, and their registration numbered 40,500. ¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah. ²¹ And these were the descendants of Perez: the Hezronite clan from Hezron and the Hamulite clan from Hamul. ²² These were the clans of Judah, and their registration numbered 76,500. ²³ These were the descendants of Issachar by their clans: The Tolaite clan from Tola, the Punite clan from Puvah, ²⁴ the Jashubite clan from Jashub, and the Shimronite clan from Shimron. ²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar, and their registration numbered 64,300. ²⁶ These were the descendants of Zebulun by their clans: The Seredite clan from Sered, the Elonite clan from Elon, and the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel. ²⁷ These were the clans of Zebulun, and their registration numbered 60,500. ²⁸ The descendants of Joseph included the clans of Manasseh and Ephraim. ²⁹ These were the descendants of Manasseh: The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead, and the Gileadite clan from Gilead. ³⁰ These were the descendants of Gilead: the Iezerite clan from Iezer, the Helekite clan from Helek, ³¹ the Asrielite clan from Asriel, the Shechemite clan from Shechem, ³² the Shemidaite clan from Shemida, and the Hepherite clan from Hepher. ³³ Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh, and their registration numbered 52,700. ³⁵ These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah, the Becherite clan from Becher, and the Tahanite clan from Tahan. ³⁶ And the descendants of Shuthelah were the Eranite clan from Eran. ³⁷ These were the clans of Ephraim, and their registration numbered 32,500. These clans were the descendants of Joseph. ³⁸ These were the descendants of Benjamin by their clans: The Belaite clan from Bela, the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel, the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram, ³⁹ the Shuphamite clan from Shupham, and the Huphamite clan from Hupham. ⁴⁰ And the descendants of Bela from Ard and Naaman were the Ardite clan from Ard and the Naamite clan from Naaman. ⁴¹ These were the clans of Benjamin, and their registration numbered 45,600. ⁴² These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: The Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan. ⁴³ All of them were Shuhamite clans, and their registration numbered 64,400. ⁴⁴ These were the descendants of Asher by their clans: The Imnite clan from Imnah, the Ishvite clan from Ishvi, and the Beriite clan from Beriah. ⁴⁵ And these were the descendants of Beriah: the Heberite clan from Heber and the Malchielite clan from Malchiel. ⁴⁶ And the name of Asher’s daughter was Serah. ⁴⁷ These were the clans of Asher, and their registration numbered 53,400. ⁴⁸ These were the descendants of Naphtali by their clans: The Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel, the Gunite clan from Guni, ⁴⁹ the Jezerite clan from Jezer, and the Shillemite clan from Shillem. ⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali, and their registration numbered 45,400. ⁵¹ These men of Israel numbered 601,730 in all.

⁵⁷ Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari. ⁵⁸ These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram, ⁵⁹ and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. ⁶⁰ Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron, ⁶¹ but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD. ⁶² The registration of the Levites totaled 23,000, every male a month old or more; they were not numbered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.

¹⁴ For the tribes of the Reubenites and Gadites, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, have already received their inheritance. ¹⁵ These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, toward the sunrise.” ¹⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁷ “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. ¹⁸ Appoint one leader from each tribe to distribute the land. ¹⁹ These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; ²⁰ Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; ²¹ Elidad son of Chislon from the tribe of Benjamin; ²² Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe of Dan; ²³ Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; ²⁴ Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader from the tribe of Ephraim; ²⁵ Eli-zaphan son of Parnach, a leader from the tribe of Zebulun; ²⁶ Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader from the tribe of Issachar; ²⁷ Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader from the tribe of Asher; ²⁸ and Pedahel son of Ammihud, a leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”

¹ This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. ² He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand. ³ Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words— ⁴ the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob. ⁵ So the LORD became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together. ⁶ Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.” ⁷ And concerning Judah he said: “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause, but may You be a help against his foes.” ⁸ Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah. ⁹ He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant. ¹⁰ He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar. ¹¹ Bless his substance, O LORD, and accept the work of his hands. Smash the loins of those who rise against him, and of his foes so they can rise no more.” ¹² Concerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.” ¹³ Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath, ¹⁴ with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, ¹⁵ with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills, ¹⁶ with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers. ¹⁷ His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.” ¹⁸ Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents. ¹⁹ They will call the peoples to a mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness. For they will feast on the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.” ²⁰ Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head. ²¹ He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.” ²² Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.” ²³ Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.” ²⁴ And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil. ²⁵ May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.” ²⁶ “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty. ²⁷ The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’ ²⁸ So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew. ²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”

¹ Now Joshua was old and well along in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed. ² This is the land that remains: All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites, ³ from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites; ⁴ to the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites; ⁵ the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath. ⁶ All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you. ⁷ Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.” ⁸ The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them: ⁹ The area from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, ¹⁰ and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites; ¹¹ also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah— ¹² the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim. Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them, ¹³ but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day. ¹⁴ To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He had promised them. ¹⁵ This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Reuben: ¹⁶ The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba, ¹⁷ to Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, ¹⁸ Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, ¹⁹ Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley, ²⁰ Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth— ²¹ all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.

²¹ Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

³ When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace, and he placed them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but he no longer slept with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.

¹ These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ² Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

¹ These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright.

²³ Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD: ²⁴ From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears. ²⁵ From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle. ²⁶ From Levi: 4,600, ²⁷ including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men, ²⁸ and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family. ²⁹ From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time. ³⁰ From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans. ³¹ From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king. ³² From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command. ³³ From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David. ³⁴ From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear. ³⁵ From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle. ³⁶ From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle. ³⁷ And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war. ³⁸ All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king. ³⁹ They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. ⁴⁰ And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

¹⁶ These officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri; over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah; ¹⁷ over Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel; over Aaron was Zadok; ¹⁸ over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar was Omri son of Michael; ¹⁹ over Zebulun was Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; over Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel; ²⁰ over the Ephraimites was Hoshea son of Azaziah; over one of the half-tribes of Manasseh was Joel son of Pedaiah; ²¹ over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner; ²² and over Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

¹ “Now these are the names of the tribes: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion bordering the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath and running on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus with Hamath to the north, and extending from the east side to the west side. ² Asher will have one portion bordering the territory of Dan from east to west. ³ Naphtali will have one portion bordering the territory of Asher from east to west. ⁴ Manasseh will have one portion bordering the territory of Naphtali from east to west. ⁵ Ephraim will have one portion bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west. ⁶ Reuben will have one portion bordering the territory of Ephraim from east to west. ⁷ Judah will have one portion bordering the territory of Reuben from east to west. ⁸ Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary. ⁹ The special portion you set apart to the LORD shall be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. ¹⁰ This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD. ¹¹ It will be for the consecrated priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray. ¹² It will be a special portion for them set apart from the land, a most holy portion adjacent to the territory of the Levites. ¹³ Bordering the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. The whole length will be 25,000 cubits, and the width 10,000 cubits. ¹⁴ They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this best part of the land, for it is holy to the LORD. ¹⁵ The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for common use by the city, for houses, and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it ¹⁶ and will have these measurements: 4,500 cubits on the north side, 4,500 cubits on the south side, 4,500 cubits on the east side, and 4,500 cubits on the west side. ¹⁷ The pastureland of the city will extend 250 cubits to the north, 250 cubits to the south, 250 cubits to the east, and 250 cubits to the west. ¹⁸ The remainder of the length bordering the holy portion and running adjacent to it will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ The workers of the city who cultivate it will come from all the tribes of Israel. ²⁰ The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits. You are to set apart the holy portion, along with the city property. ²¹ The remaining area on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, extending eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the holy district toward the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border. And in the center of them will be the holy portion and the sanctuary of the temple. ²² So the Levitical property and the city property will lie in the center of the area belonging to the prince—the area between the borders of Judah and Benjamin. ²³ As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have one portion extending from the east side to the west side. ²⁴ Simeon will have one portion bordering the territory of Benjamin from east to west. ²⁵ Issachar will have one portion bordering the territory of Simeon from east to west. ²⁶ Zebulun will have one portion bordering the territory of Issachar from east to west. ²⁷ And Gad will have one portion bordering the territory of Zebulun from east to west. ²⁸ The southern border of Gad will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD. ³⁰ “These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, ³¹ the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi. ³² On the east side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. ³³ On the south side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. ³⁴ And on the west side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. ³⁵ The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

⁸ Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even named among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.

⁴ And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel: ⁵ From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, ⁶ from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, ⁷ from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, ⁸ from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. ¹⁹ Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. ²⁰ “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.

² He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

⁸ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. ⁹ The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. ¹¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹² The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. ¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

¹⁶ Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. ¹⁷ During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” ¹⁸ And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

¹⁹ The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. ²¹ The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

⁴ So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her, ⁵ and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan. ⁷ And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.

² This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

²³ The son of Dan: Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

² “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. ¹¹ Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. ¹² When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, ¹³ Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

¹⁸ and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸ These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

¹³ Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.

² She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

¹² Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.” ¹³ Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.

¹³ According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)

¹¹ They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)

¹ Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,” the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” replied the LORD.

³ David also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.

¹¹ And the length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.

⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁷ Abraham lived a total of 175 years.

²⁸ And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.

²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.

¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

¹⁵ You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.

⁷ Abraham lived a total of 175 years. ⁸ And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people. ⁹ His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.

¹⁷ Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.

¹ When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied. ² “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death.

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

³¹ There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.

³³ When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

²⁶ You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

⁵ when men fear the heights and dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels—for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets. ⁶ Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, ⁷ before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.