Genesis

God creates the universe in six days—light, sky, land, celestial bodies, sea life, birds, land animals, and humanity in His image—then rests, sanctifying the seventh day.

Zoom-in on Eden: God forms Adam from dust, breathes life, plants the garden, establishes the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge, fashions Eve from Adam’s rib, and ordains marriage.

The serpent tempts Eve; she and Adam eat the forbidden fruit, bringing sin, curses, and death; God promises a woman’s offspring who will crush the serpent and expels them from Eden.

Cain murders Abel out of jealousy, is cursed to wander yet protected by a mark; Cain’s lineage builds the first city, while Adam’s line continues through Seth and public worship begins.

Genealogy from Adam to Noah highlights extraordinary life spans and Enoch’s unique translation to God, setting the stage for humanity’s expansion and impending judgment.

Human wickedness provokes God to plan a cleansing flood; Noah finds favor, receives instructions to build an ark and preserve his family and animal kinds.

Noah, his family, and chosen animals enter the ark; the fountains of the deep and heavens open, flooding earth for forty days, covering mountains and destroying all land life.

Waters recede; ark rests on Ararat; Noah sends raven and doves to test dryness, exits after a year, offers sacrifices, and God promises never again to curse earth by flood.

God covenants with Noah—meat permitted, murder prohibited, rainbow as sign; Noah’s vineyard leads to Ham’s disrespect and Canaan’s curse, while Shem and Japheth receive blessings.

Table of Nations traces descendants of Noah’s sons—Japheth, Ham, Shem—forming the post-flood peoples and kingdoms, including Nimrod’s early empire in Babel.

Humanity unites to build Babel’s tower; God confuses languages, scattering nations; genealogy from Shem to Abram bridges to the patriarchal story.

God calls Abram to Canaan, promising nationhood and blessing; famine drives him to Egypt where he passes Sarai off as sister, but God delivers them with wealth.

Abram and Lot separate to avoid strife; Lot chooses fertile Jordan plain; God reiterates land and offspring promise to Abram, who settles at Hebron and builds an altar.

Four eastern kings defeat five Canaanite kings, capturing Lot; Abram rescues him, meets Melchizedek king-priest of Salem, tithes to him, and refuses Sodom’s rewards.

God covenants with Abram through a vision: promises innumerable descendants and land from Egypt to Euphrates; Abram’s faith credited as righteousness.

Sarai gives Hagar to Abram; Hagar conceives Ishmael, flees Sarai’s harshness, encounters the Angel of the LORD, returns, and bears Abram’s first son.

God changes Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, institutes circumcision as covenant sign, promises Isaac through Sarah, and blesses Ishmael with twelve princes.

Three visitors (including the LORD) promise Isaac’s birth; Abraham intercedes for Sodom, negotiating down to ten righteous as threshold for sparing the city.

Angels rescue Lot; Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire; Lot’s wife turns to salt; cave episode where Lot’s daughters birth Moab and Ammon through their father.

Abraham repeats sister-wife deception with Abimelech of Gerar; God protects Sarah, warns Abimelech in a dream, and Abraham prays for healing.

Isaac is born; Hagar and Ishmael expelled but preserved; Abraham and Abimelech make a well treaty at Beersheba; Abraham plants tamarisk and calls on everlasting God.

God tests Abraham to sacrifice Isaac; angel stops him, providing a ram; covenant oath renewed promising multiplied offspring and global blessing.

Sarah dies at Hebron; Abraham purchases Machpelah field and cave from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site.

Abraham’s servant, led by divine guidance, finds Rebekah in Mesopotamia as wife for Isaac; family consents; Rebekah returns and marries Isaac.

Abraham dies and is buried; Ishmael’s twelve princes listed; twins Jacob and Esau born—Esau sells birthright for stew; Esau becomes Edom.

Famine sends Isaac to Gerar; repeats wife-sister ruse; God blesses his farming; quarrels over wells lead to Beersheba covenant with Abimelech; Esau marries Hittites.

Jacob, prompted by Rebekah, deceives blind Isaac to secure Esau’s blessing; Esau vows revenge; Jacob sent to Laban in Haran.

Jacob’s Bethel dream of a ladder to heaven affirms Abrahamic covenant; he vows that the LORD will be his God and pledges a tithe.

Jacob meets Rachel; works seven years for her but is deceived into marrying Leah first; marries Rachel after a week for another seven years’ labor; Leah bears four sons.

Rachel’s envy prompts surrogate children via Bilhah; Leah adds via Zilpah; mandrake trade yields Issachar and Zebulun; God remembers Rachel—Joseph born; Jacob prospers through selective breeding.

Jacob secretly flees Laban; confrontation ends in covenant at Mizpah; they set a boundary pillar and invoke God as witness.

Jacob prepares to meet Esau, sends gifts, wrestles a mysterious man all night, receives name ‘Israel’ and a limp; names site Peniel.

Esau meets Jacob with forgiveness; Jacob bows, family introduced; refusal of Esau’s escort; Jacob settles at Shechem, erects altar ‘El-Elohe-Israel.’

Shechem rapes Dinah; offers marriage; sons deceitfully demand circumcision, then Simeon and Levi massacre city; Jacob laments resulting danger.

God sends Jacob to Bethel; renews covenant, changes name Israel officially; Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin; Isaac dies; Reuben sleeps with Bilhah.

Genealogy of Esau/Edom lists chiefs and kings, contrasting Edomite formation with Israel’s yet-future monarchy.

Joseph favored with a multicolored robe and dreams ruling brothers; brothers sell him to Ishmaelites, deceive Jacob with bloodied robe; Joseph sold to Potiphar in Egypt.

Judah’s line: marries Canaanite, sons Er and Onan die; Tamar disguises as prostitute, conceives twins Perez and Zerah, securing lineage.

In Egypt Joseph prospers in Potiphar’s house; resists wife’s seduction; falsely accused, imprisoned, where the LORD continues to favor him.

Joseph interprets dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer (restored) and baker (executed); cupbearer forgets Joseph after release.

Pharaoh’s dreams of cows and ears; Joseph interprets seven years plenty, seven famine; elevated to vizier; stores grain; sons Manasseh and Ephraim born.

Famine drives Jacob’s sons to Egypt; Joseph recognizes them, accuses as spies, imprisons Simeon, demands Benjamin; they recall guilt over Joseph.

Brothers return with Benjamin and gifts; Joseph honors them at feast, moved to tears; seating in birth order amazes them; Benjamin receives extra portions.

Joseph’s silver cup planted in Benjamin’s sack; brothers arrested; Judah offers himself as slave to spare Benjamin and grieving father.

Joseph reveals identity, weeps, attributes events to God’s saving plan; invites family to Goshen; Pharaoh supplies wagons; Jacob revives with news.

Jacob/I srael journeys to Egypt, vision at Beersheba assures him; seventy descendants listed; Joseph meets father in Goshen.

Joseph introduces family to Pharaoh; they settle in Goshen; famine intensifies; Joseph buys land and livestock for Pharaoh, institutes 20% tax; Jacob blesses Pharaoh and later makes Joseph swear burial in Canaan.

Jacob ill; blesses Ephraim and Manasseh, crossing hands—greater blessing to younger Ephraim; claims Joseph’s sons as his own tribes.

Jacob prophetically blesses/assesses twelve sons: leadership to Judah, priestly Levi tempered, Joseph fruitful; Jacob dies, commands burial at Machpelah.

Jacob embalmed and buried in Canaan; brothers fear Joseph but he reassures them, declaring God meant their evil for good; Joseph dies at 110, promises God will bring Israel out of Egypt and requests his bones be carried up.