The Bible Is Broken...Down

By NeNe Nelson

Many people would like to read the Bible, but shy away from it for many reasons, one being their fear of its complexity. Even though the Bible can seem daunting to some, The Bible Is Broken was written to help the timid and doubtful move past the humdrum, difficult text that often torments new Bible readers, so that they too may embrace the divine wisdom that lies within the scriptures?

The Bible is Broken … Down, a version of the King James Bible, is shared for the inquisitive soul who has a deep desire to understand the Word of God. Whether looking for solace or just to examine its council and instructions or observe its warnings and predictions, this guide breaks the Bible down for spiritual seekers in a way that makes the text more compelling. While guiding readers through each verse, this presentation keeps intact its original manuscript, content, and context as it veers away from the idea that one should read the Bible cover-to-cover and instead focuses on helping the curious gain a greater understanding of its meaning and insight.

The Bible is Broken … Down is a spiritual guide that breaks down the Bible in a way that makes it easy to understand and less daunting for those seeking comfort and peace from within its pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665719759

NeNe Nelson

NeNe Nelson grew up in a city in the Southern region of the United States where a large percentage of the people in that region practiced only one faith—the Christian faith. However, as a child she found it confusing that there were so many versions of the Christian faith—Anglican, Episcopal, Assembly of God, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and the list goes on. She often pondered why so many different versions of Christianity existed—how did people go about choosing one over the other. When she grew up and moved away from the South, out into a world where, not only were there more versions of the Christian religion, but there were also many different types of religions other than Christianity—all over the world. This bewildered her even more. She told herself that she would take time to investigate them all—for she had to figure out—how could there be so many different truths. She eventually came to discover answers to her questions while residing in the Washington D.C. area for over thirty years, where a multitude of diverse religions and faiths exist. After mingling among so many different faiths, she came to the conclusion, that if one decides to serve a deity or partake in religion, they should start by getting to know the Bible for their own enlightenment and not depend on someone else to tell them what it says. For it is no surprise why so many are lead astray when it comes to choosing a religion, and why thousands of people are fooled into joining cults that use religion as a lure. She believes that it is because of these diversities among different faiths that modern civilization, though it has existed for thousands of years, and been given the aptitude and capacity of practical and common sense, as of yet, in all these thousands of years have not fully accomplished the commission to end hatred toward each other to the degree that there is abundant living and dignity for all.

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THE BIBLE IS BROKEN. . . DOWN

NeNe Nelson

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Copyright © 2022 NeNe Nelson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1974-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1976-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1975-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022903979

Archway Publishing rev. date: 05/10/2022

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

All About God! His Words! His Acts! His Will! Only His!

Death Threats From God

Every One Counted Old Testament

Places To Go And Land To Travel Old Testament

He Said, He Said, He Said And He Said

The Reasons For Jesus

The Reasons To Kill Jesus

Every One Counted New Testament

Places To Go And Land To Travel New Testament

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T he Holy Bible, King James Version. Website www.biblegateway.com (the Site), which is operated by The Zondervan Corporation, L.L.C. (Company or "we).

Recognition and thanks to the many noteworthy and great religions of the world that contribute to society. Each has something positive to offer and borrow from in its own unique way.

Judaism: Adam, Abraham, Israel—thank you for the idea that brings into reality the concept of one God.

Christianity: Thank you for the recorded history about Jesus’s life and his sacrifices. Had he not gone through with being nailed to and dying on the cross, only God knows what would have happened to this world.

Islam: Thank you for the practice of praying five times a day. If the whole world would do it as faithfully, maybe in our lifetime we could change evil intent and stamp out hatred, racism, terror of all kind, malice toward one another, destruction, and all that is detestable to God. You lead the world in following Jesus’s plea that men ought always to pray and not faint (Luke 18:1).

Hinduism: Thank you for teaching us that there is more than one way of life and to be tolerant and embrace other religious ideas and the many traditions and philosophies, as opposed to a single faith or religion.

Buddhism: Thank you for bringing to light the concept of karma—the sum of our actions in our current state of existence that determines our fate in future existence. Thank you also for urging people to seek enlightenment through meditation (as well as prayer). You have contributed to society an application of common sense to religion, faith, and everyday life.

To other religions and philosophical traditions: The one thing the vast majority of these contribute is an understanding of what is most common in the makeup of humankind: Most people need to believe in a higher power; most humans need a deity to believe in. And the beauty of it all is that each one of us gets to choose our own deity, our own religion, our own faith, our own belief system.

Acknowledgment goes out to all the people in the world who contributed to the inspiration of this book because they were created and gifted with the skills to make this world a better place. To doctors, nurses, and medical personnel and staff for all their efforts; educators, teachers, professors, and all academic personnel for their efforts; and scientists, engineers, volunteers, missionaries, farmers, and fishermen—all are souls who contribute to this world in a positive way to try and make this world a better place.

Acknowledgment goes out to all the souls who were created and gifted with the courage to put their lives on the line for the sake of others, like the dedicated firemen, brave and bold bomb technicians, honest and honorable law enforcers, emergency responders, first responders, the defenders of all our nations, the members of our military forces, and the fighters and protestors against injustice.

Acknowledgment goes out to all the people in the world who were created with goodness in their hearts, who retain righteousness on their minds all the time in order to make this world a better place.

Thank you!

INTRODUCTION

D o not be deceived! Watch out, and be aware of the messages that come after the notable words, The Bible says. Be cognizant of the one who utters the words, and be extra cautious of the verity and validity of the passage quoted and of the speech which aims to charm, flatter, or persuade. If an individual does not have some idea of the Bible from their own perspective—or at least the basic gist of it—they can be dangerously misled, even to their own demise, and should, therefore, carefully examine what others proclaim when they say, The Bible says.

As we live in a world that abounds in deceit, fabrication, brainwashing, and many of the other persuasions of trickery, it is extremely prudent that one take caution not to be fooled, especially when it comes to the Bible. It is the one book most people will find themselves making an instinctive decision about as to whether they accept what it says or not. No other book in history forces one to take a position more than the Bible does. No one asks, Do you believe in the encyclopedia? or Can the dictionary be trusted?

Many people can readily answer the question, Do you take stock in the Bible? And thank goodness that decision comes with a side of free will. But if they are asked, "Do you know the Bible?" many hesitate to answer. If they don’t know anything about it, and if one does decide to partake in a religion—particularly Christianity—it behooves the decision-maker to have some gist of the Bible from one’s own understanding and perspective.

Even if it means knowing only bits and pieces, an individual’s personal experience with the Bible might keep them safe from vicious predators who prey upon religions to seek out and deceive the helpless. There are rescuers or saviors out there who, if they discover that someone doesn’t know the Bible, will attempt to teach them what it says, what it means, and what that person should believe or not believe. This might be OK if the redeemer is genuine in the knowledge and truth of the Bible, but there are many Bible braggers who make up quotes, misinterpret verses, and deliver mixed messages. Sometimes these so-called good Samaritans can be convincing enough to lead the vulnerable to participate in impractical—and sometimes fatal—acts, simply because they readily accept as truth what someone tells them the Bible says.

The Bible is Broken … Down encourages individuals to read the Bible for their own benefit and enlightenment. It understands that reading the Bible can be a difficult and daunting task; therefore, it was written for the purpose of taking away some of those road blocks—too hard to read, too many ancient words, can’t make sense of it, or for any of the many other reasons given to avoid it. Hopefully this innovative approach will help those who find it difficult to get through the Bible with pleasure and ease.

This book was written especially for the person who asks, "Do I really need to know the Bible? This is truly a significant question. Does knowing the contents of the Bible really make a difference? Does it really change the circumstances in a person’s life? Does it keep the junkie from sticking the next needle in his or her arm? Does reading the Bible help a struggling mother pay her bills or feed her children? It might, or it might not. Yet these questions are often pondered by many: Why do I need to read the Bible in order to sustain life?; Is it really necessary to study the Bible to know right from wrong? or The Bible is too profound; how do I remember all the dos and don’ts?" All of these are legitimate questions that deserve reasonable answers.

Some people might respond with, No, you don’t need to know the Bible, simply because there is no solid evidence that indicates knowing the Bible is necessary in order to get on in life. Millions of people go about their daily lives never picking up a Bible; their ups and downs are no greater or fewer than someone who craves the Bible experience.

Substantial proof does not exist to indicate that life’s comfort level is better for someone who reads the Bible compared to someone who doesn’t. Millions of destitute people read the Bible, yet they live in a constant struggle to survive. Maybe reading the Bible helps them keep going in life by helping them tolerate its ups and downs. This doesn’t mean they have the right to tell others what it all means. It was once asked of a man who happened to be homeless, who read the Bible regularly, and who knew some of the scriptures, how he became homeless. He answered, According to King James, Romans 4: 5, ‘But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.’ I am homeless because I don’t want to work, but because I have faith in God, my homelessness is counted as righteousness. He is entitled to his own interpretation and understanding, but someone else might read that verse differently. The point is that he read it for himself and applied the meaning in his own way. He didn’t let someone interpret the verse for him or tell him how he should understand it. However, if someone gave their opinion to him as to what they thought the verse meant, and if the homeless man saw it their way, then they have shared in the knowledge of the Word, instead of there being one person pushing a one-sided, dogmatic, uncompromising viewpoint.

A person doesn’t have to know every single thing that’s written in the Bible in order to get the gist of it. One doesn’t even have to be able to quote a single scripture or remember a particular verse word for word. And forget about remembering which name goes with which story or which event took place in which location. As a matter of fact, it might be wise to tread lightly when in the company of those who quote scripture word for word or remember verses exactly as written, for it’s rumored that even Satan knows how to quote scripture.

The Bible is Broken … Down, a version of the King James Bible, was written for the inquisitive soul who has the desire to reach out and grasp that exclaimed and proclaimed Word of God to venture inside for whatever reason. Whether it is to seek comfort or just to examine its council and instructions or to observe its warnings and predictions, this book will help the apprehensive open the Bible, get past the humdrum that often torments new Bible readers, and enjoy the journey.

Unique in its format and style, The Bible is Broken . . . Down breaks the Bible down in a way that makes reading what some see as a cryptic book engaging and compelling, not challenging and daunting. This version of the King James Bible guides the reader through the Bible, verse after verse, keeping intact its original manuscript, content, and context, as it veers away from the idea that one should read the Bible cover to cover. In bits and pieces, it offers the reader the gist of the whole Bible. Actually, once the Bible has been read in these smaller bites, readers may find that going through the Bible cover to cover will go more smoothly and may even become an effortless undertaking.

When reading the chapter titled God Said, Only God Said, take note: only the words of God are recorded. So the reader has to be careful when it comes to omitted verses in which biblical characters are speaking when God is not present. Omitted verses are like cliffhangers—they should stimulate and encourage the reader to delve into the Bible and find out what happened in between the lines. The full chapter of Joshua 12 is missing because it has no words from God at all. It only talks about the kings who Moses defeated. And the entire book of Esther is missing altogether, believe it or not, because God does not directly speak or act in that book. Hopefully this entices the reader’s curious nature to want to examine the Bible and find out what it says about the missing stories or verses.

The only other time that the words of others or the acts of others are included with God’s words, is when God engages in a verbal exchange with a person. For example, God’s conversations with Moses—many of Moses’s words are included for conversation continuity. The words of The Holy Spirit and angels are recorded as God’s words, for it is evident that God speaks through both.

The book of Proverbs is tricky when it comes to the words that belong to God and the words that belong to Solomon; albeit, this is what makes the book of Solomon an interesting read. One could host an entire Bible study class for days on the subject of who’s speaking: Solomon or God. Either way, both speakers are revealing wisdom and understanding when it comes to the business of living life. After all, the Bible says, Wisdom came before God. (Really? Does it say that? Where does it say that?)

One of the biggest turn-offs about the Bible—the one thing that deters someone and can make them give up on reading it altogether—is the hundreds of names of the hundreds of people. Some names are repeated over and over, same name, different person—but who is who? And all those begats! He begat this one and he begat that one. Most Bible readers will confess that they literally skip over 1 and 2 Chronicles simply because of the numerous names and the consonants within the syllables that tie up and confuse the tongue.

The Bible is Broken … Down makes learning the names entertaining. In the chapter Every One Counted, each and every person is accounted for one time in the Old or New Testament. It mentions every single name or person who committed any act in the Bible. Each person is singled out and given a separate entry as they first appear in the Bible. A person does not get mentioned twice unless he or she is part of a category that keeps the list whole. For example, the list of names of the people who returned from exile recorded in Chronicles are also listed in Ezra and Nehemiah; therefore, there are some names recorded more than once, but they are not given a separate entry for their second appearance. One could host a whole class for several days on the subject of who is who in the Bible. Reading the list of names alone is enough to get the gist of the Bible. Have fun with it. Challenge the author as to whether a name was listed more than once or not listed. The names challenge should encourage reading the Bible in a playful way on occasion.

Careful though! Names of people and places can get a little tricky. Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that THE LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel (Numbers 32: 3–4). These could very well be names of people. However, within the King James Bible, these names are referred to only as territories. They were not listed as people in the chapter Every One Counted because they were only referred to as territories.

The names that could possibly belong to people are listed as places in the chapter "Places to go and Land to Travel. This chapter demonstrates that if one only had time to read the names of places and lands in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, the reader would get the gist of the Bible. Each place is accounted for, and like in the chapter Every One Counted, places are singled out and given a separate entry as they first appear in the Bible. A place does not get recorded twice unless it is part of a category that keeps the list whole. The lands written about in the Bible are the same lands that Abraham journeyed, that Moses and the Israelites traveled through, and that Jesus and many others roamed—the same lands we live in and around today. Although, during some points in a life span, names of places change and tectonic shifts happen, God’s land is still God’s land; it doesn’t belong to anyone else. It was God’s before humankind evolved, and it is still God’s land today—even as humans try to stake claim to it as being their own. We often hear comments like, Get out of my country, this is my land, go back to your own land or country, and so forth."

As the reader browses through this book, it will becomes obvious that, unlike the chapter God Said, God Did, the author has to include almost the entire first four books of the New Testament in Jesus Said! His Words! Only His Words because Jesus’s actions involve interacting with people on an on-going basis. It is very difficult to write only the words and actions of Jesus. As a result, everything from the book of Matthew through the book of Acts is written down in this chapter. However, there are a few verses omitted that don’t really involve Jesus directly. For example, Mark 6:15 is followed by Mark 6:30; the omitted verses are all about the acts of Herod. The author could have easily included the acts of Herod since it was only a few verses, but the whole idea is to encourage the reader to want to read the Bible for their own self-enlightenment, to delve inside and find out exactly what Herod’s actions were.

Only a few verses from the book of Acts were included, since most of the book records the actions of the disciples and apostles after Jesus had ascended and was no longer with them. You might have to go pick up that Bible and read it for yourself to get the complete story. Although this chapter is all about Jesus and only Jesus, the book continues to reference the acts of God in the New Testament as well.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John did their very best to recount the life of Jesus. Most people in the world do not question whether Jesus existed, as most agree there is enough evidence recorded that indicates, without a doubt, that this was a real man. However, because of the different accounts of Jesus’s life, and because these four men shared separate accounts about who Jesus was and about some of his acts during his time on earth, many question the truth and reality of his existence. It doesn’t mean that because only one person recorded the story of the virgin birth, others didn’t agree or disagree that it happened. It is possible that they decided that one disciple would be the one to tell that part of the story and the others would recount something else. This is why the chapter He Said, He Said, He Said, He Said is fun to get into, for in this chapter the author made it engaging and compelling to compare the similarities and differences in each man’s account.

The format and style of this book will become obvious once the reader begins. All the chapters, although broken down and separated from parts of the Bible, provides the reader with enough information, scriptures, and verses to get the gist of the whole text. One could read Matthew’s version alone and get the gist of the life of Jesus and the New Testament, but why deny one’s self the whole story? Get in there, read between the lines, and become a Bible explorer.

Don’t let the task of choosing a Bible version confuse you when it comes to deciding which to read. Though some think that the New American Standard Bible (NASB), first published in 1963, retains the reputation for being the most-accurate English Bible translation, research reveals that the vast number of versions of the Bible available is one of the many reasons fewer people read or trust the Bible.

The King James Bible alone has over sixty different translations available in print, which could be confusing to the novice reader. Which Bible? Which truth? How can the Bible be trusted? How much of the translation is absent from the original story? And what happened after the fourth century biblical canon was translated? What was lost or added from the original writings of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament of Judaism or the twenty-seven books of the Christian Bible’s New Testament?

Discover the answers to these questions for yourself—or don’t! Whatever you do, do not let someone merely tell you what lies within the Bible’s pages. Whether one chooses to read the Word or not, one should know the answer and be prepared to respond to the question when asked, Do you know the Bible? or Have you been saved?

So when you hear someone say, The Bible says, feel free to challenge the quote and ask, Which Bible? Which interpretation? Are you sure that’s what it really says? Or say, Point me to the Bible verse that says exactly that.

Have fun with the Bible! Bring together a Bible study group, bring in five different Bible versions, and dissect how one Bible says something one way versus another that says it differently. A simple article like a, an, or the can change the entire meaning of a verse. Discuss the different connotations, and see if the group can decide in unison what the verse truly means.

The bottom line is that the Bible experience should be a personal one. Letting someone tell you what the Bible says is robbing yourself of a great opportunity—a journey that one can take only on their own. When a friend goes on an exciting vacation and returns to tell others about the trip, they might tell it with enthusiasm and excitement, but that does not allow you as the listener the privilege of the actual experience. You can only live it through the storyteller. You might get the gist of their experience via their account, but unless you experience the trip on your own, you won’t truly know what it was like.

So jump in. Have fun with it. One can never know if that personal experience might lead to a revelation or a mystery being resolved because you read the Bible and got to experience it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. Feel free to go inside and take the fun-filled journey through the Bible. Even with its tales of burdens and afflictions and oppressions and destruction, it is one of the best how-to books to read and explore. The author is not declaring that reading the Bible for yourself is going to make you a better person, make life easier, or bestow upon you that blessing you so desperately pled for. But how will one ever know if one does not take the journey on their own?

The first step starts when you turn the page …

ALL ABOUT GOD! HIS WORDS! HIS ACTS! HIS WILL! ONLY HIS!

GENESIS 1

¹ In the beginning, GOD Almighty created the heavens and the earth.

² The Spirit of GOD soared over the deep waters, as darkness lay over a world void and without form.

³ When GOD said: Let there be light, there was light.

⁴ GOD recognized that the light was good; so, GOD separated the light out of the darkness.

⁵ GOD recognized the light as Day, and the darkness HE named Night—morning and evening, the first day.

⁶ GOD said, Let the void that is in the midst of the waters separate the waters from the waters.

⁷ GOD called the space above that separated the waters the firmament.

⁸ GOD called the expanse Heaven. Again, there was morning and there was evening, the second day.

⁹ GOD said, Let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered together so that the dry land will appear.

¹⁰ GOD called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together HE called the seas.

¹¹ GOD said, Let the earth bring forth seed within itself to sprout grass and vegetation, plant yielding seeds, fruit trees, and herb yielding seed, each according to its kind, on the earth. Thus, it came into being.

¹² GOD saw that it was good when the earth brought forth grass, vegetation, herb yielding seed, fruit trees, in which is their seed, each according to its own kind. GOD declared that it was good.

¹³ Again, there was morning and there was evening, the third day.

¹⁴ GOD said: Let there be lights in the firmament to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,

¹⁵ and the lights in the expanse of the heavens will give light upon the earth. Thus, it came into being.

¹⁶ GOD made the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night. HE made two lights and the stars.

¹⁷ GOD set them in the firmament to give light on the earth,

¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. GOD saw that it was good.

¹⁹ Again, there was morning and there was evening, the fourth day.

²⁰ GOD said, Let the waters bring forth swarms of existing creatures and birds that fly above the earth.

²¹ GOD created massive sea mammals, and every living creature that moves, and that which swarms the waters, according to their kinds, and every winged bird and fowl according to its kind; and GOD saw that it was good.

²² GOD blessed them and said: Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the waters in the seas. And let the birds multiply.

²³ Again, there was morning and there was evening, the fifth day.

²⁴ GOD said, Let the earth bring forth cattle and living creatures and creeping things according to their kinds.

²⁵ GOD made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and that which creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And GOD saw that it was good.

²⁶ GOD said: Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness. Let man have dominion over all the earth and over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens; over the livestock and over everything that creeps.

²⁷ Thus, GOD created man in HIS own image, in the image of GOD, HE created them, male and female.

²⁸ GOD blessed them. And GOD said to them: Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. And HE said: Have authority over the fish and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

²⁹ GOD said: Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it should be for food.

³⁰ Also, I have given to you every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens and everything that creeps upon the earth; I have given every green plant for food, everything that has the breath of life. Thus, it was so.

³¹ Then GOD saw everything that HE had created, and HE was pleased, for it was good. And then there was morning and then there was evening, the sixth day.

GENESIS 2

¹ The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host and all that existed within the heavens and earth.

² On the seventh day GOD completed HIS work; HE rested on the seventh day after all the works HE had created.

³ Then GOD blessed the seventh day; HE made it a holy day, for GOD rested from all that HE had created.

⁴ In the day that THE LORD created the heavens and the earth, thus, the generations of the heavens and the earth were created.

⁵ at that time, there were no shrubs or bushes of the field in the land, no small plants had yet sprung up, for THE LORD GOD had not caused it to rain on the earth; and, there was no man to work the ground yet;

⁶ but there was a mist that was going up from the land and wetting the whole face of the ground—

⁷ Later, THE LORD GOD formed the man out of the dust from the ground; HE breathed into his nostrils and gave him the breath of life; thus, the man became a living soul.

⁸ THE LORD planted a garden in the east in Eden; it was there that HE put the man HE created

⁹ THE LORD GOD made out of the ground every tree to spring up that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. HE also planted in the garden the tree of life, which provided the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁵ THE LORD GOD brought the man to the garden of Eden so that he could work it and maintain it.

¹⁶ THE LORD GOD warned the man that he may at any time eat of every tree of the garden,

¹⁷ but, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he must not eat, for in the day that he does, he will surely die.

¹⁸ THE LORD GOD understood that it was not good for man to be alone; so HE created a helper fit for him.

¹⁹ THE LORD GOD formed every animal of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man so that he could name them; whatever the man named every living creature, that was its name.

²⁰ The man named all the livestock and all the birds of the heavens and every beast of the field. But for Adam, so far, there was not found a helper for him.

²¹ Then THE LORD GOD caused a deep sleep to come upon the man; and while he slept GOD removed one of his ribs and closed up its wound with flesh.

²² The rib that THE LORD GOD removed from the man HE created a woman and made her known to the man.

²³ And GOD said to Adam: This is now bone of your bones, and flesh of your flesh, she will be called Woman, for she was taken out of the flesh of Man.

²⁴ Therefore, a man will leave his father and his mother, and will hold fast to his wife and they will be one flesh.

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

GENESIS 3

¹ Now the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field that THE LORD GOD had created. He asked the woman if GOD had actually said that you should not eat of any tree in the garden of Eden?

² She replied to the serpent: GOD said, the fruit of the tree that is in the garden of Eden we may eat;

³ but not the tree in the middle of it. GOD told us not to eat or touch the fruit of that tree; if we do, we will die.

⁴ The serpent said to the woman: No, not at all, for sure you will not die.

⁵ For GOD knows that when you touch it and eat of it, your eyes will be opened, you will be like GOD, and you will know good and evil.

⁶ The woman looked and saw that the tree was good for eating, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired and that the tree was to make one wise, so she took of it and ate; she also gave fruit to Adam her mate who was with her, and he too ate of the tree.

⁷ Then their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked; they used fig leaves to cover themselves.

⁸ Then they heard the sound of THE LORD GOD moving about in the garden during the cool of the day, and the man and the Woman hid themselves among the trees of the garden away from the presence of THE LORD GOD.

⁹ THE LORD GOD called out to the man and asked: Where are you?

¹⁰ The man told GOD that he had heard HIM moving about in the garden, and he was ashamed because he was naked, so he hid himself.

¹¹ GOD asked him: How do you know you are naked? Have you eaten of the tree? The one I warned not to eat?

¹² The man blamed the woman whom GOD had given to him to be with; he told GOD that she gave him the fruit of the tree, so he thought it was good to it eat of it.

¹³ Then GOD said to the woman: What have you done? The woman said that the serpent had deceived her, and said it was good to eat of it, so she ate.

¹⁴ GOD accused the serpent and told him that because he had done this, he would be cursed above all livestock and above all the animals of the field; on his belly he will crawl, and he would eat dust all the days of his life.

¹⁵ And There will be enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; her seed will bruise your head, and your seed will bruise your heel.

¹⁶ To the woman HE proclaimed: Your pain will be multiplied during childbearing; you will yearn to be loyal to your husband, and he will rule over you.

¹⁷ And to Adam HE said: Because you listened to the words of your wife and ate of the tree of which I told you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you; in pain you will eat of it all the days of your life;

¹⁸ The ground will bring forth to you thorns and thistles; and you will eat the herbs and the plants of the fields.

¹⁹ You will eat bread by the sweat of your body till you return to the ground, for out of the ground you were taken; for you were made from dust, thus to dust you will return.

²⁰ The man named the woman Eve, for she was the mother of all living creation.

²¹ Then THE LORD GOD made for Adam and for Eve garments of skins and clothed them.

²² Then GOD realized that the man had become as one who would know good and evil. Now, the man will reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever.

²³ Thus, THE LORD GOD sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from where he was taken.

²⁴ HE drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden HE protected it by placing the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the tree of life.

GENESIS 4

¹ Now Adam went into the woman Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain; and she knew she had gotten a child from GOD.

² And again, she gave birth to another child, his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain was a tiller of the soil.

³ And it came to pass that Cain brought to THE LORD an offering, an offering of fruit of the ground,

⁴ and Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. And THE LORD had respect for Abel’s offering,

⁵ but for Cain’s offering HE had no respect. So, Cain was angry, and the look on his face was that of enmity.

⁶ THE LORD asked Cain, why are you angry, and why has your face become a look of enmity?

⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? And if you do not right, sin is squatting at the door. Its desire is against you, but you have to be a ruler over it.

⁸ So, Cain went out to speak to Abel. When they were in the field, Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹ Then THE LORD GOD asked Cain: Where is your brother Abel? Cain said that he did not know, for he was not his brother’s keeper.

¹⁰ THE LORD said to Cain: What have you done? The voice of Abel’s blood cries out to ME from the ground.

¹¹ You are now cursed of the ground which has received the blood of your brother due to the rage of your hands.

¹² When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength. You will be a fugitive and a drifter on earth.

¹³ Cain exclaimed to THE LORD that his punishment was greater than he could endure.

¹⁴ Behold, you have banished me today away from the earth, and from your presence I will be hidden. I will be a fugitive on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.

¹⁵ THE LORD said to him: It will not be so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be returned to him sevenfold. Then THE LORD put a mark on Cain, so that anyone who found him would not attack him.

²⁵ Then Adam went into his wife again, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Seth, for she believed that GOD had blessed her with another offspring to replace Abel after Cain had killed him.

²⁶ To Seth a son was born whom he named Enosh. In those days, people began to call upon THE LORD GOD.

GENESIS 5

¹ The story of the origin of Adam: When GOD created man, HE made him in HIS likeness, in the likeness of GOD.

² They were created by GOD as male and female; then HE blessed them and called mankind by Adam’s name.

GENESIS 6

¹ As man began to multiply on the face of the land, daughters were born to them.

² The sons of GOD could see that the daughters of man were attractive. So, they chose them and they became their wives.

³ THE LORD knew that HIS Spirit would not abide in man forever, for he is mere flesh, his days will be 120 years.

⁵ THE LORD GOD could see that the wickedness of man was great in the earth; HE could see that their intentions and the thoughts of their heart would be continuously evil.

⁶ THE LORD GOD regretted that HE had created man on the earth, and this caused grief in HIS heart.

⁷ So THE LORD decided that HE would blot out man whom HE created from the dust of ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for HE was sorry that HE had created them.

⁸ But there was admiration for Noah in the eyes of THE LORD.

¹¹ During this time, in GOD’S sight, the earth was corrupt and filled with violence and corruption.

¹² GOD could see what the earth was becoming because of mankind; for they became corrupt on the earth.

¹³ GOD told Noah that HE had decided to end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. And then HE told Noah that HE will destroy them and remove all living creatures from the earth.

¹⁴ HE then told Noah to build an ark of gopher wood. Build rooms in the ark; cover it inside and out with pitch.

¹⁵ You are to build it making the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and the height 30 cubits.

¹⁶ You should build a window to the ark, and in a cubit you will finish it above; and the door of the ark you should set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories you should build it.

¹⁷ GOD told Noah that HE will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh which has the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth must die.

¹⁸ But GOD told Noah that HE would establish HIS covenant with him, and Noah should come into the ark, him, his sons, Noah’s wife, and his sons’ wives with him;

¹⁹ and to bring of every living thing that is made of flesh, two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive. They should be of both male and female.

²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort should come inside with you to keep them alive.

²¹ Also, bring with you every sort of food to eat, and store it up. It will serve as food for you and for them.

²² All that GOD commanded him, Noah was obedient to GOD and did.

GENESIS 7

¹ THE LORD GOD told Noah to go into the ark, him and all his household, for HE has seen that he is righteous before HIM in this generation.

² HE told Noah to take with him seven pairs of all clean animals, male and female, and a pair of the unclean animals, male and female;

³ bring seven pairs of the birds of the sky, male and female, to keep their seed alive on the face of the earth.

⁴ For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and for forty nights, and every living thing that I have created I will destroy from the face of the earth.

⁵ And all that the LORD had commanded him, Noah did.

¹⁶ As THE LORD GOD had commanded, male and female of all flesh went in. And THE LORD shut them in.

²³ GOD destroyed every living thing that was on the face of the earth, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah remained alive, and they who were with him in the ark.

GENESIS 8

¹ GOD remembered Noah, and every living thing, the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And GOD made a wind to blow over the earth, and the waters dispersed.

¹⁵ And it came to pass that GOD said to Noah:

¹⁶ Go out now, you may leave the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

¹⁷ Bring out of the ark every living thing that went in with you of all flesh—all the birds and the animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to THE LORD GOD. He did as THE LORD GOD said and took some of every clean animal, and some of every clean bird, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar.

²¹ When THE LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, THE LORD promised HIMSELF in HIS heart that he would never again curse the ground because of mankind, even though the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. HE promised HIMSELF to never again strike down every living creature as HE has done in this day and time.

²² While the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will not cease.

GENESIS 9

¹ So, GOD blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply and to fill all the earth.

² The fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the sky and upon everything that creeps upon the earth and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are given to you.

³ Many of the things that live will be food for you. Even the green herb I have given to you, I give you everything.

⁴ But flesh with its life still in it, that is, its blood, you should not eat.

⁵ GOD told Noah that for his lifeblood a reckoning would be required, of every beast it is required, and at the hand of every man it will be required; at the hand of every man’s brother it is required of the life of man.

⁶ GOD said: Whoever sheds the blood of man, his blood will be shed, for man was created in GOD’S image.

⁷ HE also told Noah to be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply upon the earth.

⁸ GOD told Noah and his sons with him

⁹ that HE would establish HIS covenant with him and his offspring after him,

¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with him; the birds of every kind, the livestock, and every beast of the earth, as many as came out of the ark; MY covenant is for every creature of the earth.

¹¹ I establish MY covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again, will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹² Then GOD told Noah that the sign of the covenant that HE will make between them and every living creature with him, will be for all future generations.

¹³ I have set MY rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and all the earth.

¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the clouds,

¹⁵ I will remember MY covenant between us and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters will never again flood the earth to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶ When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it, and I will remember the everlasting covenant between GOD and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

¹⁷ GOD said: This is the sign of the covenant that HE has established between them and all flesh on the earth.

GENESIS 11

⁵ Then THE LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built.

⁶ And THE LORD realized, the people are one, and because they have one language, nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

⁷ HE knew that HE had to go down and confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another.

⁸ So THE LORD scattered them and sent them abroad over all the earth. So, they stopped building the city.

⁹ Therefore the city is called Babel; because it was there that THE LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there THE LORD scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

GENESIS 12

¹ THE LORD told Abram to leave his country and his kin and his father’s house to the land that HE will show him.

² I will establish a great nation out of you; I will bless you and make your name great, you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you, curse all who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

⁴ So Abram departed, as THE LORD said, and Lot went with him. When he departed from Haran he was 75 years.

⁷ THE LORD appeared to Abram again and told him that HE will give the land of Canaan to his offspring.

¹⁷ THE LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with many great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

GENESIS 13

¹⁰ . . . before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah . . .

¹⁴ After Lot had separated from Abram, THE LORD told Abram to lift up his eyes and look from the place where he was standing, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

¹⁵ for all the land, as far as you can see, I will give to you and your seed and your offspring, forever.

¹⁶ I will make your seed as the dust of the earth; for the dust of the earth nor your seed is able to be counted.

¹⁷ Stand up, walk throughout the length of the land and the breadth of it, for all of it I will give it to you.

GENESIS 15

¹ And it came to pass that after these things, the word of THE LORD came to Abram in a vision: Fear not Abram, for I AM your shield; I AM your greatest reward.

² Then Abram asked GOD, what will YOU give me, for I am childless; Eliezer of Damascus is my heir?

³ And Abram reminded GOD that HE had given him no offspring; a member of his household will be his only heir.

⁴ The word of THE LORD came to him and said: This man will not be your heir; your own son will be your heir.

⁵ GOD brought him outside and told him to look toward heaven and number the stars; if he were able to number them, such would be the number of his offspring.

⁶ And Abram believed in THE LORD, and THE LORD GOD counted it to him as righteousness.

⁷ THE LORD said: I AM THE LORD; I brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.

⁸ But Abram asked: LORD, how am I to know that I will surely possess it?

⁹ HE told him to bring HIM a heifer three years old, a she goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

¹⁰ Abram brought HIM these things, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But, He did not divide the birds.

¹³ THE LORD said to Abram: Know for sure that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be strangers and servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years;

¹⁴ But the nation that they will serve, I will bring judgment upon them, and your people will leave there with great wealth.

¹⁵ And you will go to your fathers in peace; and you will be buried in a good old age.

¹⁶ But the fourth generation will return here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet finished.

¹⁸ That same day, THE LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying to him: I will give this land to your offspring—land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

¹⁹ the land occupied by the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

²⁰ And the land of the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims,

²¹ And the land of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.

GENESIS 16

⁷ The angel of THE LORD found her in the wilderness next to a spring of water, the spring on the way to Shur.

⁸ And GOD asked Hagar, servant of Sarai: Where have you come from and where are you going? She said to HIM: I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.

⁹ The angel of THE LORD told her to return to her mistress and submit herself to her.

¹⁰ The angel of THE LORD said to her: Your offspring will be multiplied, so many that they cannot be numbered.

¹¹ The angel of THE LORD said to her, see, you are pregnant and will bear a son. You will call his name Ishmael, for THE LORD has heard of your affliction.

¹² He will be a wild man, he will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will dwell in the presence of all his kinsmen.

GENESIS 17

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years, THE LORD appeared to Abram and said to him: I AM GOD ALMIGHTY; walk with ME, and be blameless,

² so that I may make MY covenant between ME and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.

³ Then Abram bowed before HIM. And GOD said to him:

⁴ Behold, MY covenant is with you, and you will be the father of many nations.

⁵ No longer is your name Abram, your name is Abraham, for I have made you the father of nations.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations to come out of you, and kings will come from you.

⁷ And I will establish my covenant between ME and you and your seed after you throughout many generations as an everlasting covenant; I will be GOD to you and to your offspring after you.

⁸ And I will give to you and to your offspring after you all the land of Canaan where you are a sojourner, for an eternal possession; and I will be their GOD for everlasting.

⁹ And GOD said: You should keep MY covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout all generations.

¹⁰ This is MY covenant, which you should keep between us: Every man child among you should be circumcised.

¹¹ In the flesh of your foreskin you should be circumcised; and it will be a sign of the covenant between us.

¹² The man child who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, he that is born in your house, or bought with your money from any stranger who is not of your offspring,

¹³ He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised; MY covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

¹⁴ And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul will be cut off from his people; for he has broken MY covenant.

¹⁵ GOD said to Abraham: As for Sarai your wife, you will no longer call her name Sarai, her name will be Sarah.

¹⁶ And I will bless her, and give you a son with her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations; kings of people will come from her.

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said inside himself: Will a child be born to a man as me who is up in age - a hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?

¹⁸ And Abraham said to GOD: O, for it is Ishmael who might live before YOU!

¹⁹ GOD said to him: No, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. MY covenant will be established with him and with his seed after him, as an everlasting covenant.

²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard your words; yes, I have blessed him, I will make him fruitful and multiply his seed abundantly. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

²¹ But, I will establish MY covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will give birth to at this same time next year.

²² When HE had finished talking with Abraham, GOD left him.

GENESIS 18

¹ THE LORD appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the day’s heat.

¹⁰ THE LORD said to Him: Surely, I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son. Sarah was listening at the tent door as they talked.

¹³ THE LORD asked Abraham: Why did Sarah laughed and say, ‘Will I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for ME? This time next year, at an appointed time, I will return, and Sarah will have a son.

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied laughing; for she was afraid. But, HE told her that she did laugh.

¹⁶ Then the men stood up and left that place, and headed toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to show them the way.

¹⁷ And THE LORD wondered if HE should hide from Abraham what HE was about to do,

¹⁸ seeing that Abraham was to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him?

¹⁹ For I know him, he will command his children and his household to keep the way of THE LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that THE LORD may bring unto Abraham what THE LORD has promised.

²⁰ THE LORD said: Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is extremely grievous,

²¹ HE would go down to see so that HE would know if they had done according to the outcry that HE had heard.

²⁶ THE LORD said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous within the city, I will spare the whole city for their sake.

²⁷ Abraham responded and said: I have taken upon me to speak to THE LORD, I who am but dust and ashes,

²⁸ but what if five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy everyone in the city for the lack of five? And GOD said: I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.

²⁹ He spoke to HIM again and asked: Suppose forty are found there. HE said: For the sake of forty I will not do it.

³⁰ Then Abraham said: Let not THE LORD be angry if I continue to speak. Suppose there are thirty found there. And GOD said to him: I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

³¹ He said to GOD: Since I have taken it upon myself to speak to THE LORD, what if twenty are found there? GOD said to him: For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.

³² Then Abraham continued asking: Let not THE LORD be angry; if I may speak again once more. What if ten are found there? GOD said to him: For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.

³³ When THE LORD had finished speaking to Abraham, HE