The <sc>Lordsc> God formed<n id="1" /> out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would<n id="2" /> name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> God said to the serpent,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because you have done this,p> <p class="poetry">cursed<n id="2" /> are you above all the wild beastsp> <p class="poetry">and all the living creatures of the field!p> <p class="poetry">On your belly you will crawl<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and dust you will eat<n id="4" /> all the days of your life.p>

And the <sc>Lordsc> God said, &#8220;Now<n id="1" /> that the man has become like one of us,<n id="2" /> knowing<n id="3" /> good and evil, he must not be allowed<n id="4" /> to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">And Adam had marital relations<n id="1" /> with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, &#8220;God has given<n id="2" /> me another child<n id="3" /> in place of Abel because Cain killed him.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">God said, &#8220;No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.<n id="1" /> I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual<n id="2" /> covenant for his descendants after him.

<p class="bodytext">Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money)<n id="1" /> and circumcised them<n id="2" /> on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.

When God made me wander<n id="1" /> from my father&#8217;s house, I told her, &#8216;This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me:<n id="2" /> Every place we go, say about me, &#8220;He is my brother.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;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;Do not harm the boy!&#8221;<n id="1" /> the angel said.<n id="2" /> &#8220;Do not do anything to him, for now I know<n id="3" /> that you fear<n id="4" /> God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.&#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>

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, &#8220;If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food<n id="1" /> to eat and clothing to wear,

Then Leah said, &#8220;God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.&#8221; So she named him Zebulun.<n id="1" />p>

If the God of my father &#8211; the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears<n id="1" /> &#8211; had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked,<n id="2" /> and he rebuked you last night.&#8221;p>

When Esau<n id="1" /> looked up<n id="2" /> and saw the women and the children, he asked, &#8220;Who are these people with you?&#8221; Jacob<n id="3" /> replied, &#8220;The children whom God has graciously given<n id="4" /> your servant.&#8221;

&#8220;No, please take them,&#8221; Jacob said.<n id="1" /> &#8220;If I have found favor in your sight, accept<n id="2" /> my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me,<n id="3" /> it is as if I have seen the face of God.<n id="4" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then God said to Jacob, &#8220;Go up at once<n id="1" /> to Bethel<n id="2" /> and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.&#8221;<n id="3" />

God said to him, &#8220;Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.&#8221; So God named him Israel.<n id="1" />

He said to his brothers, &#8220;My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!&#8221; They were dismayed;<n id="1" /> they turned trembling one to another<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;What in the world has God done to us?&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When Joseph looked up<n id="1" /> and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother&#8217;s son, he said, &#8220;Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?&#8221; Then he said, &#8220;May God be gracious to you, my son.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Now go up to my father quickly<n id="1" /> and tell him, &#8216;This is what your son Joseph says: &#8220;God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay!