Genesis
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| Old Testament (Tanakh) |
|---|
Not in most versions* |
- For the British progressive rock group, see Genesis (band).
Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It means "creation". It starts with the start of the Universe. It ends with the death of Joseph.
[change] Summary
God created the universe and everything in it in six days. God rested on the seventh day and declared it a holy day of rest. God provided the Garden of Eden to the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve. God told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge, which would make them aware of morality and evil and slowly cause death. A snake tricked Eve, and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge. Because they did not obey him, God made them leave the garden forever.
Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain became jealous of Abel and killed him.
Later, when the world was full of people who were evil, God chose to kill them and save only the animals and the most morally right person alive. He told this man, named Noah, to build a huge boat and gather two of every mammal and lizard onto it. Noah built and filled the boat as he was told, and a flood covered the whole world. After 150 days, the boat landed on a mountain. God promised never to send another such flood, and he used the rainbow as a sign of that promise.
The people built a high tower to show the power of mankind. God felt insulted and gave people different languages to prevent the tower from ever being finished.
God chose Abram to be "the father of many nations." Abram changed his name to Abraham, and God promised him the land of Canaan (Israel) forever. As a sign of this promise, the sons of Abraham are circumcised. God tested Abraham's loyalty by asking him to kill his son Isaac. Abraham was ready to do it, but God sent an angel to stop him. God told him there would be no more human sacrifice.
God destroyed the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, saving only Abraham's nephew Lot and his daughters.
Isaac and his wife Rebekah had two twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob traded food to Esau for Esau's right to carry the family name. Rebekah helped trick Isaac, who was old and blind, into giving his final blessing to Jacob by dressing him in fur (Isaac felt Jacob's furs and thought he was his hairy twin, Esau). Esau later got a blessing of his own.
Jacob left to find a wife. He found Rachel and worked for her father, Lavan, for seven years to marry her, but was tricked into marrying her sister Leah. He worked for another seven years to marry Rachel. He went back to his home, then moved to Bethel, where God told him to change his name to Israel. Jacob later also marries the servants of Leah and Rachel, whose names are Bilah and Zilpah.
Jacob had twelve sons named Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issaschar, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Asher, Naftali, Joseph, and Benjamin. His wife Rachel died after she gave birth to Benjamin.
Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of many colors. Joseph's brothers were jealous, so they sold him into slavery in Egypt. They covered his coat in blood and told their father he had died. Joseph became a great leader in Egypt by predicting a long famine by explaining the pharaoh's dreams. During the famine, his brothers came to Egypt to buy food. They did not know that Joseph was the leader. Joseph first tricks the brothers, but then gives them food and lets them stay in Goshen in Egypt.
Jacob blesses his sons and then dies.
