Our Bible Study

By Margaret Meeres-Alton and Joan Bates

Our Bible Study is a condensed version of every verse, chapter and book of the Bible. The purpose was to take out the repetition so we could better understand what the message we were to receive meant. So often the words just spoke to us and we realized we needed to share our interpretation. Through experimenting with other studies we found that Our Bible Study simplified the understanding of Gods Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493176205

Margaret Meeres-Alton

Margaret Meeres - Alton Margaret was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta, the youngest of five. Although her family did not regularly attend church she had a Christian, loving, fair and disciplined upbringing. Margaret had 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. After living in BC for several years, she returned home to Red Deer to care for her mother, who struggled for 10 years with ever changing Alzheimer’s disease. Vicki, Margaret’s third child also lived in Red Deer, and made it her mission to bring Margaret to actively know Christ. Within two years Margaret was baptized and knew Christ was in her heart. Vicki has since been called home to be with the Father. Margaret’s experience of reading five versions of the Bible has aided in bringing about “Our Bible Study”. This book is a labour of love and has helped Margaret stay strong in her 22 years of battling cancer. Joan Bates Joan was born in a small town in Northern Ontario but came out to Alberta, with her family, when she was only six, to live on a farm just outside the village of Thorhild. After graduation, Joan’s career followed several paths, usually in the administrative field. She raised two daughters, mostly on her own, and at this time has two wonderful grandchildren. Joan has lived in several Alberta towns and cities and attended different churches along the way in her search for a Christian way of life. She believed that God was watching over her in her struggles along the way and guided her to the true friendship she found with Margaret. Joan wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but her mother did believe in the intrinsic values of the faith and thereby instilling in her children a good base with which to live their lives.

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Copyright © 2014 by Margaret Meeres-Alton and Joan Bates.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014903442

ISBN:                      Hardcover              978-1-4931-7621-2

                                 Softcover               978-1-4931-7622-9

                                 eBook                    978-1-4931-7620-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Rev. date: 09/19/2014

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Contents

The Old Testament

1. Genesis

2. Exodus

3. Leviticus

4. Numbers

5. Deuteronomy

6. Joshua

7. Judges

8. Ruth

9. 1 Samuel

10. 2 Samuel

11. 1 Kings

12. 2 Kings

13. 1 Chronicles

14. 2 Chronicles

15. Ezra

16. Nehemiah

17. Esther

18. Job

19. Psalms

20. Proverbs

21. Ecclesiastes

22. Song Of Songs

23. Isaiah

24. Jeremiah

25. Lamentations

26. Ezekiel

27. Daniel

28. Hosea

29. Joel

30. Amos

31. Obadiah

32. Jonah

33. Micah

34. Nahum

35. Habakkuk

36. Zephaniah

37. Haggai

38. Zechariah

39. Malachi

The New Testament

1. Matthew

2. Mark

3. Luke

4. John

5. Acts

6. Romans

7. 2 Corinthians

8. Galatians

9. Ephesians

10. Philippians

11. Colossians

12. 1 Thessalonians

13. 2 Thessalonians

14. 1 Timothy

15. 2 Timothy

16. Titus

17. Philemon

18. Hebrews

19. James

20. 1 Peter

21. 2 Peter

22. 1 John

23. 2 John

24. 3 John

25. Jude

26. Revelation

Appendices

1. Interesting Notes

2. Places of the Bible

3. People of the Old Testament

4. People of the New Testament

5. Rulers of Israel and Judah

6. How the Bible Was Built

7. References

8. Genealogy of Jesus

9. The temple

10. Old Testament—Exodus through Joshua

11. The Parables of Jesus

12. Reference Books

Dedication

Our Bible Study is dedicated in loving memory to Margaret

Victoria (Alton) Grauman born October 4, 1958 called

to Our Lord September 17, 2005.

The Old Testament

Introduction

This is a summary and exposition of the Bible version NIV Woman’s Devotional Bible as read, noted, and most of the time, understood by Margaret and Joan. We have learned that some things just have to be accepted by faith.

It was a joint effort, started by Joan’s desire to read the Bible from cover to cover. What sealed the agreement, and we are sure this was an act of God, was the first night together (planning session); we discovered that we had each brought the same version of the bible. Margaret’s final agreement came with the condition she take the time to make notes to better remember what they had read. Joan’s excitement was peaked when she saw the extent of the notes, and she volunteered to type the document so we could have something readable when we were finished.

This has been an exciting journey, and although we tried to gather once a week before God in prayer to go over what we had read, discuss what we felt we had learned from our reading, and go over our notes, it has taken over two years to bring this project to completion. The level of excitement each week has been astounding. We could never have imagined that the Bible—especially chapters such as Numbers, Deuteronomy, Chronicles, and Revelation—could bring us so much happiness, joy, and laughter. It gave us a great desire to know even more.

We have made a few personal notes (in italics) depicting our interpretation of what is being said, but for the most part, we have strictly adhered to what is written within this Bible version. Some chapters have been paraphrased in order to avoid excessive repetition. We have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for us to understand everything in the Bible, but we have developed a faith that there is no sin in that. Also, when faith is all we have, it is sufficient.

We know God chose us and we are loved by him. He brought us together for the full benefit of both of us that we might walk together as sisters in Christ. This undertaking has made positive changes in each of our lives. To God be the glory.

Note: Meaning of the word exposition: (1) setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of writing); (2) a discourse designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand; (3) the opening.

Genesis

Genesis—The book of Genesis was written and composed by Moses in the wilderness of Sinai to encourage the early Israelites while they were preparing to enter the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.

Genesis 1-11, Prologue

This provides keys that unlock the rest of the book and the rest of the Bible.

1. God is the Creator, the only true and living God.

2. Humanity inherited a state of sinfulness from Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden.

3. God judges and will judge the actions of all.

4. Sin continues to plague all humanity, but God has a plan to save humanity from its own evil deeds.

Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:1-21

God freely chose to make covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

Genesis is the beginning, and it provides the foundation for the Bible.

Genesis Chapter 1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty in darkness with the Spirit of God hovering over, and God said, Let there be light. He made night and day, evening and morning—the first day. God separated water from water. The expanse above was called sky—the second day. He gathered the water under the sky into one place and let dry ground appear. God called the dry ground land and the water seas, which was good. God said, Let the land produce vegetation: plants and trees bearing seeds of their own kind—the third day. God made the lights in the sky to separate day from night, and they would serve as signs to make seasons. The sun in the day; the moon and the stars in the night to give light—the fourth day. God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly across the sky. God blessed them and said, Multiply—the fifth day. God said, Let the land produce living creatures of all kinds: wild animals, livestock, all creatures that move along the ground. Then God made man in his own image to rule over all—the sixth day. (Adam and Eve were suggested to be vegetarians.)

Genesis Chapter 2

The seventh day God rested. (Sabbath means rest. This would be our Saturday). He blessed this day and made it holy. God had not yet sent rain. Streams came up from the earth and watered the surface. God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils. (This may have been the infusion of the Holy Spirit. The breath of life makes humans distinct from all other creatures—moral, intellectual, relational, and spiritual capacities.) God put man into a garden he had planted in the east—Eden—with everything pleasing. In the middle, he planted the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. A river flowed from Eden and separated into four: (1) Pishon, through the land of Havilah; (2) Gihon, through the land of Cush; (3) Tigris, along the east side of Asshur; and (4) Euphrates.

Notes: God spoke and everything happened. His words made the world, but he set boundaries of order, balance, and proportion. The beauty of his own work he proclaimed good. He put male and female in charge. The garden was man’s home, and he was to tend and keep it. He was free to eat anything except from the Tree of Good and Evil, or he would surely die. Adam named every living creature, and God saw he needed a helper. He took one of Adam’s ribs to make Eve. The man said, This is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united with his wife, and become one flesh, naked and feel no shame.

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Map of the Garden of Eden

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A river flowed from Eden and was separated into four: (1) Pishon, through the land of Havilah; (2) Gihon, through the land of Cush; (3) Tigris, along the east side of Asshur; and (4) Euphrates. All four rivers (or now dry riverbeds) of Genesis are still there today (Iraq-Arabia-Iran area).

Genesis Chapter 3

The serpent (craftiest of all animals). The serpent lured, lied, and lulled Eve into eating the forbidden fruit by saying, It will make you wise. She gave some to her husband. They realized they were naked and covered themselves with fig leaves. They hid from God when they heard him coming. The Lord called, Where are you? Adam answered, I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. God knew he had eaten the forbidden fruit. Adam blamed God for putting the woman there and Eve for giving him the fruit. Eve blamed the serpent. Then God condemned the serpent, cursed it above all animals, to crawl on its belly and eat dust. He put enmity between man and serpent, forever. He will curse your head and you will strike his heel (3:15). (Promises the coming one, the Messiah—Satan will send Jesus to the cross, and Jesus will overcome Satan.) The woman shall know pain in childbearing, and the man will rule over woman. Jesus will be the antidote of mutual respect and dignity. Adam caused the curse to the ground because he ate. It is not directed at the man but causes him trouble. Toil, thorns, sweat, and death. Adam named his wife Eve because it means ‘to live.’ The Lord made clothes for them from animal skins. The fruit of the Tree of Life is forbidden so we must surely die (3:21-22).

Note: Each of us has a choice: We can choose to accept the things we cannot change and learn to act on the things we can change. Self-respect comes from taking responsibility.

Genesis Chapter 4

Eve gave birth to Cain and later to Abel. Abel kept flocks. Cain kept crops. Cain gave fruits of the soil to God, but Abel brought his choicest meat. God favored Abel, and Cain became angry. Cain killed Abel. The Lord asked, Where is Abel? Cain replied, Am I my brother’s keeper? The Lord cursed Cain, and he became a restless wanderer (the Lord marked Cain). Cain said, My punishment is more than I can bear. The Lord said, Not so. If anyone kills Cain, he will suffer seven times over. Cain lived in the land of Nod—East of Eden. (First curse, serpent; second curse, the ground; third curse, Cain—see appendix 8, Genealogy.)

Genesis Chapter 5

Adam’s line (see appendix 8, Genealogy).

Genesis Chapter 6

The flood. The sons of God (angels), saw the daughters of man were beautiful, and they married them. The Lord’s spirit, now that there are many people, will only abide in man (120 years before the flood came). Man’s wickedness grieved the Lord. He said, I will wipe mankind from the face of the earth. Everyone, everything. But Noah found favor. Righteous, blameless, walking with God. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God told Noah, "Make an ark of cypress with rooms and coat it with tar (450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, 45 ft. high). Put a roof on it and a window within eighteen inches from the top. Put a door on the side. Have lower, middle, and upper decks. God made a covenant, a promise to Noah about who would enter the ark. You, your wife, your sons and their wives, two of all living creatures—male and female—two of every kind of bird, animal, and creature that moves along the ground. Take all the food you need to eat for you and them."

Genesis Chapter 7

Noah was six hundred years old when God told him to take his family and seven of every kind of clean animal for food and sacrifice, along with the two of every kind of animal and bird, male and female, into the ark. Seven days from now (warning), forty days and forty nights of rain will come. Noah obeyed. The Lord shut them in. (Note: The Lord probably orchestrated the gathering of birds and animals. Management was probably orchestrated by Noah and his sons. Forty is an important number representing fullness of time throughout the Bible.)

On the seventeenth day of the second month, all the springs burst forth, and the floodgates of heaven opened. All the high mountains, the entire earth under heaven, were underwater. Everything perished. The flood lasted 150 days. (Jesus affirmed this history as the days of Noah in Matthew 24:37-38 and Luke 17:26-27.)

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The seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountain of Ararat. Mount Ararat lies in the far east of Turkey, close to the borders with Iran, Iraq, and Armenia.

Genesis Chapter 8

God remembered Noah and sent a wind to dry up the waters. The springs were stopped, and the rain quit. It took another 150 days for the water to go down. The seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountain of Ararat. The water continued to recede until the tenth month. On the first of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains were visible. Another forty days and Noah opened the window. He sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until it found land. Noah sent out a dove. It returned, and Noah sent it out again in seven days. It came back with an olive leaf (a symbol of peace and restoration). Noah waited seven more days and sent out another dove. It didn’t return. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry (one year and ten days). God said, Come out and bring all. Noah built an altar. He sacrificed some of the clean animals and birds as burnt offerings. It was pleasing to the Lord. Never again would God curse the earth, nor destroy all living creatures as long as the earth endures, even though man’s heart is evil from his youth.

Genesis Chapter 9

God blessed Noah and his family. Be fruitful and fill the earth. The animals, birds, creatures, and fish belong to man. Everything is now food (including meat). God made a covenant—never another such flood. As a sign, he made a rainbow. Noah worked a vineyard and became drunk. His son Ham saw him naked and told his brothers. The brothers backed into the tent and covered Noah so as not to see him naked. When Noah found out Ham had seen him, he cursed Ham and made him a slave to his brothers.

Genesis Chapter 10

See appendix 8, Genealogy.

Genesis Chapter 11

There existed one language and a common speech. The people decided to build a city with a tower to reach the heavens to make a name for themselves. The Lord came down and confused their language and scattered them over the whole earth (see appendix 8, Genealogy). Terah took his son Abram, grandson Lot, and Sarai from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan. They settled in Haran.

Genesis Chapter 12

The call of Abram. God called Abram to go from Haran. He took Lot and his wife, Sarai, and all their possessions and went to Canaan. God gave Abram this land, so he built an altar there to the Lord. The Lord said, I will make you a great nation, your name great. I will bless you and curse those who curse Abram. They moved from Moreh at Shechem to the hills east of Bethel, near Ai, then toward Negev. There was a famine, so he went to Egypt. Because Sarai was beautiful, he told her to say she was his sister so no one would kill him to take her. Pharaoh saw she was beautiful, took them to his palace, and gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels for her sake. The Lord inflicted disease on Pharaoh and his wife to protect Sarai. Pharaoh summoned Abram and sent them all away, angry because he thought she was Abram’s sister. They got to keep their considerable wealth and went back to Bethel. Lot went with them.

Genesis Chapter 13

The land could not support them together, so they separated to keep peace. Lot chose the plain of the Jordan and headed east. He pitched his tent near Sodom. God promised all the land in every direction to the offspring of Abram: as many people as grains of dust. Abram went to Hebron.

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Genesis Chapter 14

There was war among the kingdoms. Four kings joined and took all the goods and food from Sodom and Gomorrah They also took Lot and his possessions. When Abram heard, he gathered all 318 trained men born in his household. During the night, he divided the men who routed the intruders out. He recovered Lot and all his possessions together with the women and other people. The king of Sodom toasted Abram and blessed him, so Abram gave him one-tenth of everything. The king wanted the people but offered Abram all the goods, which Abram refused so the king could not boast he had made Abram rich. (One-tenth is the first mention of tithe.)

Genesis Chapter 15

Abram had a vision. Abram regretted that he had no children. God said, You will have a son from your own body. Your offspring shall be as many as the stars. The Lord said, Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, and a dove and a pigeon. Abram prepared them. He then fell into a deep sleep. The Lord said to him, Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. Afterwards, I will punish the nation and give you great possessions. You will go in peace and be buried in old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will return here.

Genesis Chapter 16

Sarai told Abram to sleep with her maid, Hagar, to get a baby. Hagar conceived and began to hate Sarai. Then Sarai blamed Abram. Abram said, She is your servant, do with her as you please. Sarai mistreated Hagar, so she ran away. An angel found Hagar and told her to return to Sarai and submit to her. Then the angel told Hagar, If you do, I will increase your descendants too numerous to count. You shall name your son Ishmael. Your son will be wild, against everyone and in hostility, against his brothers.

Genesis Chapter 17

The covenant of circumcision. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God made a covenant with him. "You will be the father of many nations. You will no longer be called Abram (Exalted Father), you will be called Abraham (Father of Many). You will be fruitful, and kings will come from you. I will be your God, and the God of your descendants. I will give you Canaan as an everlasting possession for you and your descendants after you. Every male at eight days old shall be circumcised as a sign of this covenant, including those you have bought. The uncircumcised will be put out. Sarai will be called Sarah. I will give her a son by you. You will name your son Isaac (meaning ‘laughter’). She will be the mother of all nations. Abraham fell facedown and laughed. Will a son be born to a man of one hundred years and a woman of ninety years? Abraham said, But only if Ishmael will live under your blessing. The Lord said, I will make my own covenant with him and Isaac’s descendants." God will bless Ishmael, make him fruitful and the father of twelve rulers, and make him into a great nation. Abraham circumcised himself at ninety-nine, Ishmael at thirteen the same day, and all the other males in his household.

Note: The eyes of God are everywhere. God understands our pain and what we do.

Genesis Chapter 18

The Lord appeared. Abraham saw three men (two angels and the living God). He hurried and bowed low. Let us wash your feet, and you can rest under the tree. He told Sarah to make bread. He selected a choice calf to be prepared and served with curds and milk. He stood by while they ate. The Lord asked, Where is Sarah? Abraham replied, In the tent. The Lord said, This time next year, she will have a son. Sarah laughed to herself. She was past childbearing years. The Lord asked, Why laugh? Is anything too difficult for me? Sarah lied and said she didn’t laugh, but the Lord said, Yes, you did laugh. The men walked toward Sodom. The Lord said, I have heard Sodom and Gomorrah are evil. I will see, and I will know. Abraham asked, Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous, forty-five, forty, or thirty? God would not destroy if even twenty or even ten were righteous. Abraham was concerned for Lot and his family.

Genesis Chapter 19

The angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot greeted them and asked them to his house; he washed their feet and asked them to spend the night. They said no and that they would go to the square, but Lot insisted. He prepared a meal of bread without yeast. Before they had gone to bed, the men of the city came. They demanded the visitors come out to have sex. Lot said no, and he offered them his two virgin daughters. They threatened Lot. The men inside pulled Lot to safety. Then the gathered men were struck blind. Get all who live here out, we are going to destroy this place, said the angels. Lot called his sons-in-law, but they laughed. The hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were taken, and they were led to safety. God said, Flee for your lives, don’t stop nor look back. The mountains were too far, so God sent them to a little place called Zoar. By the time they reached Zoar, the sun had risen. Then the Lord rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Abraham saw the smoke, so he knew there were not even ten righteous people living there, but God had saved Lot.

Lot and his daughters went to the mountains for safety. They lived in a cave. As their father was old and there were no other men around, the girls were afraid they would have no children to preserve the family line. They got Lot drunk and lay with him. Lot was unaware (thus not incest by him). Both daughters became pregnant. The older had Moab, the younger had Ben-Ammi, both of whom would later greatly trouble Israel. (19:30-38)

Genesis Chapter 20

Sarah was the half sister of Abraham so he called her his sister again. King Abimelech took Sarah. God came to him in a dream and said, She is married. God threatened him, but Abimelech said he was still innocent. God said, Return her to the prophet Abraham who will pray for you, and you will live. Abimelech scolded Abraham for what he had done. Why have you done this? Abraham had been afraid of being killed. Abimelech gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves and told him to live wherever he wanted. He told Sarah he was giving her husband a thousand shekels to cover the offense. The Lord had closed every womb in Abimelech’s household, but Abraham prayed, and they were all healed.

Genesis Chapter 21

Isaac. Sarah bore a son, Isaac. Sarah said, God has brought me laughter and all will laugh with me. On the day Isaac was weaned, they held a great feast. But Ishmael was mocking, and Sarah told Abraham, Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for she will never share in the inheritance of Isaac. Abraham was troubled, but God told him to do as Sarah said. God would make Ishmael into a nation of his own. He sent Hagar and her son away. She was afraid the boy would die, and she cried. God told her, Do not be afraid, lift the boy up, and I will make him a great nation. The boy became an archer and married a girl from Egypt. Abimelech wanted a treaty with Abraham because he was so fortunate. Abraham gave him sheep and cattle. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs to give to the king as proof he had dug the contested well. Abraham planted a tree in Beersheba and stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Genesis Chapter 22

God tested Abraham. He told him to take his son to Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took two servants and Isaac. He took the cut wood for the burnt offering. Abraham left the servants on the third day and took Isaac to the chosen spot. He and his son carried the wood, the fire, and the knife. Isaac asked, Where is the lamb? Abraham set up the altar, arranged the wood, and laid his son securely on it. He took the knife to slay Isaac. The angel of the Lord stopped him, saying, You have proven your fear of God because you did not even withhold your son. There was a ram caught in a thicket to be used as the offering. Abraham called that place the Lord Will Provide. The Lord called a second time, I will bless you and make your descendants as many as the stars in the heavens and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of your enemies, and through your offspring, all nations will be blessed because you obeyed me. They went home with the donkey and servants. Abraham learned that his brother Nahor, married to Milcah, had borne sons: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, etc. (see appendix 8, Genealogy).

Genesis Chapter 23

Sarah died. Abraham said, I am an alien among you, sell me some burial land. They offered their choicest tomb, but he wanted to buy a cave. They wanted to give it to him but he wanted to pay. He bought the cave and the field for four hundred shekels. It was deeded to Abraham.

Genesis Chapter 24

Abraham made his servant swear to get a wife for Isaac from his own people. Bring her to this land, the Lord will send an angel with you. The servant took ten camels carrying all kinds of good things to the town of Nahor. He prayed, Let the girl who will give him a drink from the well and water his camels too be the one. Rebekah, daughter of Bethul, son of Nahor and Milcah, was a beautiful virgin. She gave him a drink and his camels as well. The servant asked, Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night? She said she was the daughter of the son of Milcah and Nahor, and there would be food, fodder, and a room. The man worshipped the Lord. The man would not eat until he told his mission. They gave their daughter to the servant because God had arranged it. The servant gave costly gifts to Rebekah, her brother, and her mother. They left the next morning. The mother wanted ten days, but Rebekah said she was ready. She took her nurse and maids. Isaac was working in the field when he saw them coming. Rebekah saw him. She got down from the camel, wondering who he was. She covered herself with her veil. He took her into the tent of his mother, Sarah, and he married Rebekah. He loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

Genesis Chapter 25

(See the genealogy of Jacob and Esau in appendix 8 [25:26-34].) Isaac prayed for his wife because she was barren for twenty years. His prayer was answered. She had twins who jostled inside her. Why? she asked. The Lord said, Two nations are in your womb. They will be separated, one stronger than the other. The older shall serve the younger. (This is not common.) The firstborn, Esau, was red and hairy. Jacob was grasping Esau’s heel when he came out. Esau became a skilled hunter. Jacob was a quiet man and stayed among the tents. Isaac liked meat and loved Esau. Rebekah loved Jacob. Jacob was cooking stew and Esau (sometimes called Edom) wanted some as he was famished. Jacob said, First sell me your birthright. Esau did. Jacob said, Swear it. Esau did and then ate.

Genesis Chapter 26

There was another famine (the original in Abraham’s time). Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines. The Lord appeared and said, Do not go to Egypt, live where I tell you. Stay and I will be with you. I will confirm my oath. So Isaac stayed in Gerar. He did the same as Abraham had done because he too was afraid of being killed, and he called Rebekah his sister. Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah and asked him why he lied. Because I was afraid. The king scolded him, One of my men might have slept with her and brought guilt. The king ordered, No man shall molest this man or his wife. Isaac planted crops that year and reaped one hundred fold by God’s blessing. He grew very wealthy. The Philistines grew jealous and began filling the wells Abraham had dug. Abimelech told Isaac to go away because he was too powerful. Isaac moved to the valley of Gerar. He reopened the wells and named them as Abraham had. His servants dug a new well named Esek. Because the Philistines disputed ownership, he dug another well, Sitnah, which they also quarreled about. He dug another well named Rehoboth with no dispute, for the Lord had placed them far enough apart. Isaac went to Beersheba. He built an altar, called on the name of the Lord, pitched his tent, and dug another well named Shibah (the name of the town near Beersheba). Abimelech brought his personal advisor, Ahuzzath and his commander, Phicol, to make a treaty with Isaac because he was doing so well. Isaac made a feast and, the next morning, left after swearing an oath of peace. When Esau was forty, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief for Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis Chapter 27

Isaac grew old. His eyes grew weak. He called Esau. Go out and hunt some wild game for me before I die, I want to give you my blessing. Rebekah heard this. She conspired with Jacob to bring two choice young goats. She would prepare tasty food the way Isaac liked it. Jacob would take it to Isaac and get the blessing. Because Esau was a hairy man and Jacob smooth-skinned, Isaac would find out and bring a curse on Jacob, so Rebekah said she would let the curse fall on her. She prepared the food, had Jacob dress in Esau’s best clothes, and covered his hands and neck with a goatskin. He went to his father and said he was Esau. Eat some of my meat and give me your blessing. Isaac queried, How did you get it so quickly? God gave me success, said Jacob. Come near, said Isaac, so I can really know you are Esau. He touched his pelt-covered hands and said, The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Isaac asked again if it was really Esau, and Jacob answered yes. Isaac ate the food, drank the wine, and told his son to kiss him. When he smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed Jacob. May God give you heaven’s due, an abundance of grain, and new wine from the earth’s riches. May nations serve you, people bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed. When Esau came in soon after with his game, he asked for Isaac’s blessing. Isaac asked, Who are you? Isaac trembled violently and told Esau what had happened. Esau burst out with a loud and bitter cry. Bless me too, my father. It is too late. Jacob had deceitfully taken Esau’s birthright and his blessing. There was only one blessing. Isaac said, You will live away from the earth’s richness, away from heaven’s due. You will live by the sword and serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will throw the yoke from off your head. Esau said, I will kill my brother. Rebekah sent Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran, in Syria, near the Euphrates River. I’ll send word when it is safe to return. Why should I lose both of you in one day? Rebekah told Isaac she didn’t want Jacob to marry a Hittite.

Genesis Chapter 28

Isaac blessed Jacob, commanded him to go to Rebekah’s family and find a wife there. Jacob obeyed. Esau realized that Canaanite women displeased his father, so he married one, Mahalath, descendant of Ishmael. (Spite?) As Jacob traveled, he had a dream. He saw a stairway from earth to heaven. The angels were on it, and God stood above it. He confirmed the blessing and vowed to stay with Jacob until the promises were met. Jacob placed the stone he had rested his head on as a pillar, poured oil on it, and named the place Bethel. He made a vow that if God kept him, fed him, returned him to his father’s place, then the Lord would be his God and his pillar, God’s house; and of all that God gave him, he would give a tenth.

Note: Tenth—a set amount for a tithe.

Genesis Chapter 29

As Jacob neared Haran, he saw a well and three flocks of sheep. The shepherds rolled away the stone cover to draw water and then rolled it back. They were from Haran and knew Nahor’s grandson, Laban. They saw his daughter Rachel coming. Jacob told the shepherds it was only noon, so they were to take the sheep out again. We can’t until all the sheep have been brought and watered. Jacob rolled the stone away to water his uncle’s sheep. Then he kissed Rachel and wept. He said they were related, so she ran and told her father who hurried to meet him. He kissed him and brought him home. Jacob worked for free for a month, and then Laban asked what he wanted for wages. Leah, the older girl, had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely. Jacob said he would work for seven years in return for Rachel. They agreed. After seven years—this seemed a short time because he was so in love—Jacob asked for his wife. They had a feast (indicates drinking) with everyone, but Laban gave him Leah, whom Jacob laid with. Laban gave Rachel his servant girl, Zilpah. The next morning, Jacob said, What have you done to me? (Jacob the deceiver had been deceived.) Laban told him, It is not our custom to let the youngest marry first. Finish this daughter’s bridal week, and I will give you Rachel for another seven years labor. Jacob lay with both, but he loved Rachel more. The Lord saw Leah was not loved, and he opened her womb. Leah had a son, Reuben. She hoped her husband would love her now. However, even four sons did not help (see appendix 8, Genealogy).

Genesis Chapter 30

Rachel became jealous. She told Jacob, Give me children. He said, It is up to God. She gave him her maidservant, Bilhah, who bore him a son (see appendix 8, Genealogy). During harvest, Reuben found some mandrake plants, which be brought to his mother, Leah. Rachel asked for some. Rachel traded a night with Jacob to Leah for the mandrakes. Leah got pregnant again, Issachar, and later, another son and daughter. The Lord remembered Rachel and opened her womb. After the birth of Joseph, he asked Laban to send him home. Laban asked him to stay because the Lord had blessed him because of Jacob. Jacob asked for all the speckled, spotted, and dark sheep, lambs, and goats in exchange for tending Laban’s herds. Any others shall be considered stolen. That shall be the wages. He gave this stock to Laban’s sons, and they went on a three-day trip away to keep them separated. Jacob stayed and tended Laban’s white flocks. Jacob prayed for lots of colored animals to be born, which would now become his, which he set aside. Branches placed near where they mated produced colored animals. Jacob left the weak-colored ones for Laban. Jacob grew prosperous with large flocks, servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis Chapter 31

Jacob flees Laban. Laban’s sons were saying, Jacob has taken everything from our father, gained his wealth from what belonged to Laban. Laban’s attitude changed also. God said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers. I will be with you. Jacob called his wives. He explained the problems and pointed out it was God who made things right when Laban kept changing his wages these ten times. God saw what was happening. Jacob told them God had said to leave. You girls have no more share in his estate, and he treats us like foreigners. They packed up and left as agreed. As they were leaving, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Also, Jacob deceived Laban by not telling him they were leaving. Three days later, Laban was told they were gone. He, with his relatives, pursued Jacob for seven days. He caught up to him in the hills of Gilead. God came to Laban in a dream, warning him not to say anything good or bad. They camped in the same place. Laban accused Jacob of deceit, carrying off his daughters like captives. Why didn’t you tell me so I could have sent you off with joy and I could have kissed them good-bye? He told Jacob of God’s warning but asked why he had stolen his gods. Jacob said he had been afraid, but he didn’t have the gods. If you find who has them, they shall not live. He didn’t know Rachel had them. Rachel had packed them on her camel and was sitting on them. She said, I cannot stand up because I am having my period. Jacob called Laban to task to be judged of any wrongdoing. I have been with you twenty years. You have prospered. If you had not feared the God of Abraham the God of Nahor and took an oath to the fear of his father Isaac, you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has rebuked you. Laban suggested a covenant between them even though he thought he owned everything. They gathered up a pile of stones. They ate there, and Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, May the Lord keep watch between you and me. Do not mistreat my daughters or take any other wives, as God is our witness. I will stay on my side of this heap, you on yours, and cause no harm. God will judge us. Jacob agreed, and he made a sacrifice. They parted the next morning.

Genesis Chapter 32

Jacob prepares to meet Esau. The angels of God went with Jacob. He sent messengers to Esau in the land of Seir in Edom. Tell him, ‘I have been with Laban all this time, and I have stock and servants. I want to find favor in your eyes.’ Esau went to meet Jacob with four hundred men. Jacob was afraid. He divided his household so at least half could get away. Jacob prayed, stated he was unworthy, yet had been blessed with much. He asked for protection. He selected a gift for Esau: two hundred female and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female and ten male donkeys. He told his servants to go ahead but keep the herds separated and to tell Esau they are a gift from his servant Jacob, who is coming. That night, Jacob sent his family across the Jabbok River. Then he sent over all his possessions. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him all night. The man could not overpower him, so he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it. He then said, Let me go. Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. The man changed Jacob’s name to Israel because he had struggled with God and with men and had overcome. Jacob named the place Peniel because he saw God’s face and yet his life was spared. (To this day Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the hip because Jacob was touched there.)

Genesis Chapter 33

Jacob saw Esau coming. He put his family behind him and bowed down seven times as he approached his brother. Esau ran to Jacob and embraced him. They wept. Esau met Jacob’s family, who bowed down. Esau asked about the gifts. Jacob said they were to gain Esau’s favor. Esau already had plenty, but Jacob said, I can see I have found favor in your eyes, and he insisted that Esau accept the gifts. Esau accepted. Esau wanted to accompany Jacob to his home in Seir, but Jacob sent him on ahead. Jacob went first to Succoth where he built a place for himself and shelters for the animals. He then went to near Shechem in Canaan. For one hundred pieces of silver, he bought a plot of ground. He set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

Genesis Chapter 34

Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit women and was raped by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hittite. He loved her and wanted her for his wife. Hamor went to talk to Jacob. The brothers heard and were full of grief and fury. Hamor said, My son loves your daughter, intermarry with us. He offered any price they wanted. They said that all the Hittites must be circumcised. The Hittites could see the advantage because the herds of Jacob would become theirs. Two days after the circumcisions and while all the men were in pain, Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi attacked the unsuspecting males and killed them all. They looted the city and took their flocks. They took everything including their women and children. Isaac was afraid because they brought trouble, but they would not let their sister be treated like a prostitute.

Genesis Chapter 35

Jacob returns to Bethel. God sent Jacob up to Bethel to settle and build an altar to God there (the first time God asked for an altar). Jacob said, Get rid of all foreign gods, purify yourselves, and change your clothes, and then come and we will go to Bethel. They gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them. God protected them. They arrived in Luz (Bethel in Canaan). He built an altar and called the place El Bethel. God appeared and blessed Jacob again. God said, You will no longer be called Jacob. You are Israel. A nation will come from you, and kings will come from your body. Then they moved on, and while still some distance from Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel went into a difficult labor. She died in childbirth. Israel named the son Benjamin. A pillar marks Rachel’s tomb. Jacob’s son Reuben slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and his father heard of it. Jacob came to the home of Isaac where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Isaac died at age 180.

Genesis Chapter 36

Esau took his wives and children and moved to the country of Seir because there was not enough room for all the stock in the same place as Jacob (see genealogy of Esau’s descendants, appendix 8).

Genesis Chapter 37

Joseph (favorite son of Jacob and Rachel), at seventeen, was not popular with his brothers. His father made him a richly ornamented robe. The brothers hated him more. Joseph dreamed and told his brothers, We were binding sheaves of grain when my sheaf rose and stood up while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down. They hated him more. He had another dream where the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowed down. When he told his father, Jacob asked, Will your mother and I and your brothers bow down to you? Israel sent Joseph to see his brothers who were tending flocks in the valley of Hebron and told him to come back and report. Joseph found his brothers had moved from Shechem to Dothan. The brothers plotted to kill him. They would throw the dreamer into a cistern and say a ferocious animal had devoured him. Reuben suggested they not shed any blood, just put him in the cistern. Reuben said this to rescue him. The brothers stripped him of his robe and threw him into the cistern, which was empty. As they were eating, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, loaded with spice bound for Egypt. Judah suggested they sell Joseph. They pulled him up and sold him for twenty shekels of silver. When Reuben returned, he tore his clothes. They slaughtered a goat, dipped the robe in blood, and returned to their father. They gave the robe to Jacob to see if it was his son’s. Where is the boy? Jacob believed Joseph had been torn to pieces by a wild animal. He mourned and wept. In the meantime, Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard.

Note: God makes wicked things work together for our good. Joseph was sold into Egypt by the wickedness of his brothers, but God made that wickedness the chariot that carried Joseph to his place of triumph over the Egyptians. We may remain certain that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Genesis Chapter 38

Meanwhile, Judah, fourth son of Jacob and Leah, went to stay with a man named Hirah. He married the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua. They had three sons—Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er married Tamar. Er was wicked, so the Lord put him to death. As was the tradition, Onan was to lie with Tamar to continue the line. He spilled his semen on the ground, so the Lord put him to death. Judah promised Tamar his son Shelah once he was grown up. Judah’s wife died. Later, he went with Hirah to Timnah. When Tamar heard Judah would be passing by, she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil, and waited. When Judah saw her, he thought her a prostitute and lay with her. Judah offered her a goat, but she asked for a pledge of his seal and its cord and his staff until she got the goat. She became pregnant. She returned to her widow’s clothes. She could not be found to give her the goat in exchange for Judah’s pledge. Later, Judah was told that Tamar was guilty of prostitution and was pregnant. Judah ordered her brought to him to be burned to death. She sent the pledge and asked if he recognized them. Judah said, She is more righteous than I since I wouldn’t give her Shelah. She had twin boys. One hand came out first, so a scarlet thread was tied on the baby’s wrist to know who was to be first. The other twin came out first and was named Perez. Then the one with the thread was born and named Zerah.

Genesis Chapter 39

Joseph. (Back to Joseph, who was taken to Egypt and bought by Potiphar at the age of