(Now the people of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.)

But the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.

Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac.

He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.

The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows.

I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”

for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.”

Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. Our wishes are of no concern.

so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.”

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, “Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”

Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”

So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.

The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up.

The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent seven years of famine.

If you take this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair in tragedy to the grave.’

For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s pain.”