<p class="bodytext">Then those who respected<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> spoke to one another, and the <sc>Lordsc> took notice.<n id="2" /> A scroll<n id="3" /> was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the <sc>Lordsc> and honored his name.

Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders have been carried out.<n id="1" /> To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But I<n id="2" /> have spoken to you over and over again,<n id="3" /> but you have not obeyed me!

<p class="poetry">But to Adam<n id="1" /> he said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because you obeyed<n id="2" /> your wifep> <p class="poetry">and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;You must not eat from it,&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">cursed is the ground<n id="3" /> thanks to you;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">in painful toil you will eat<n id="5" /> of it all the days of your life.p>

So Sarai said to Abram, &#8220;Since<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with<n id="2" /> my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.&#8221;<n id="3" /> Abram did what<n id="4" /> Sarai told him.p>

But God said to Abraham, &#8220;Do not be upset<n id="1" /> about the boy or your slave wife. Do<n id="2" /> all that Sarah is telling<n id="3" /> you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted.<n id="4" />

&#8220;I do not know who has done this thing,&#8221; Abimelech replied. &#8220;Moreover,<n id="1" /> you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.&#8221;p>

&#8220;Listen, sir,<n id="1" /> you are a mighty prince<n id="2" /> among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you<n id="3" /> from burying your dead.&#8221;p>

and said to Ephron in their hearing, &#8220;Hear me, if you will. I pay<n id="1" /> to you the price<n id="2" /> of the field. Take it from me so that I may<n id="3" /> bury my dead there.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">So Abraham agreed to Ephron&#8217;s price<n id="1" /> and weighed<n id="2" /> out for him<n id="3" /> the price<n id="4" /> that Ephron had quoted<n id="5" /> in the hearing of the sons of Heth &#8211; 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time.<n id="6" />p>

When he saw the bracelets on his sister&#8217;s wrists and the nose ring<n id="1" /> and heard his sister Rebekah say,<n id="2" /> &#8220;This is what the man said to me,&#8221; he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing<n id="3" /> by the camels near the spring.

When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister&#8217;s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob<n id="1" /> told Laban how he was related to him.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, &#8220;Because the <sc>Lordsc> heard that I was unloved,<n id="1" /> he gave me this one too.&#8221; So she named him Simeon.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jacob heard that Laban&#8217;s sons were complaining,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich<n id="2" /> at our father&#8217;s expense!&#8221;<n id="3" />

Now Jacob&#8217;s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news.<n id="1" /> They<n id="2" /> were offended<n id="3" /> and very angry because Shechem<n id="4" /> had disgraced Israel<n id="5" /> by sexually assaulting<n id="6" /> Jacob&#8217;s daughter, a crime that should not be committed.<n id="7" />p>

While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with<n id="1" /> Bilhah, his father&#8217;s concubine, and Israel heard about it.p> <p class="bodytext">Jacob had twelve sons:p>

<p class="bodytext">They said to one other,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Surely we&#8217;re being punished<n id="2" /> because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was<n id="3" /> when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress<n id="4" /> has come on us!&#8221;

When Pharaoh heard<n id="1" /> about this event,<n id="2" /> he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled<n id="3" /> from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian,<n id="4" /> and he settled<n id="5" /> by a certain well.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The elders<n id="1" /> will listen<n id="2" /> to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc>, the God of the Hebrews, has met<n id="3" /> with us. So now, let us go<n id="4" /> three days&#8217; journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice<n id="5" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8217;

And if<n id="1" /> they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you,<n id="2" /> then take<n id="3" /> some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

But Pharaoh said, &#8220;Who is the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> that<n id="2" /> I should obey him<n id="3" /> by releasing<n id="4" /> Israel? I do not know the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="5" /> and I will not release Israel!&#8221;