Chapter One
Genesis
Genesis begins "in the beginning." Its
fifty chapters sketch human history from Creation
to Babel (Genesis 1-11) and from Abraham to
Joseph (Genesis 12-50). The first eleven chapters
introduce the Creator God and the beginnings of
life, sin, judgment, family, worship, and salvation.
The remainder of the book focuses on the lives
of the four patriarchs of the faith-Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Joseph-from whom will come the nation
Israel . and ultimately the Savior, Jesus Christ.
WALK 1 JANUARY 1
"In the Beginning ." GENESIS 1-2
OVERVIEW Genesis opens with two accounts of Creation. The first (1:1-2:4)
describes the events in chronological order; the second (2:4-25) considers the events
topically in order to focus on one particular aspect of Creation. The first provides a wide-angle
view of the creation of the universe; the second takes a zoom-lens look at the
climax of Creation-man and woman-for they are the ones who will bear God's image
and enjoy God's fellowship in the garden prepared especially for them.
CHAPTER 1
In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and
empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.
And the Spirit of God was hovering
over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light," and
there was light. 4 And God saw that the
light was good. Then he separated the
light from the darkness. 5 God called
the light "day" and the darkness "night."
And evening passed and morning
came, marking the first day.
6 Then God said, "Let there be a space
between the waters, to separate the
waters of the heavens from the waters
of the earth." 7 And that is what
happened. God made this space to
separate the waters of the earth from
the waters of the heavens. 8 God called
the space "sky."
And evening passed and morning
came, marking the second day.
9 Then God said, "Let the waters beneath
the sky flow together into one place, so
dry ground may appear." And that is
what happened. 10 God called the dry
ground "land" and the waters "seas."
And God saw that it was good. 11 Then
God said, "Let the land sprout with
vegetation-every sort of seed-bearing
plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing
fruit. These seeds will then produce
the kinds of plants and trees from
which they came." And that is what
happened. 12 The land produced
vegetation-all sorts of seed-bearing
plants, and trees with seed-bearing
fruit. Their seeds produced plants and
trees of the same kind. And God saw
that it was good.
13 And evening passed and morning
came, marking the third day.
14 Then God said, "Let lights appear in the
sky to separate the day from the night.
Let them mark off the seasons, days, and
years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine
down on the earth." And that is what
happened. 16 God made two great
lights-the larger one to govern the day,
and the smaller one to govern the night.
He also made the stars. 17 God set these
lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to
govern the day and night, and to
separate the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good.
19 And evening passed and morning
came, marking the fourth day.
20 Then God said, "Let the waters swarm
with fish and other life. Let the skies be
filled with birds of every kind." 21 So God
created great sea creatures and every
living thing that scurries and swarms in
the water, and every sort of bird-each
producing offspring of the same kind.
And God saw that it was good. 22 Then
God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful
and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas,
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
23 And evening passed and morning
came, marking the fifth day.
24 Then God said, "Let the earth produce
every sort of animal, each producing
offspring of the same kind-livestock,
small animals that scurry along the
ground, and wild animals." And that is
what happened. 25 God made all sorts of
wild animals, livestock, and small animals,
each able to produce offspring of the
same kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make human
beings in our image, to be like us. They
will reign over the fish in the sea, the
birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild
animals on the earth, and the small
animals that scurry along the ground."
27 So God created human beings* in his
own image.
In the image of God he created
them;
male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said,
"Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth
and govern it. Reign over the fish in the
sea, the birds in the sky, and all the
animals that scurry along the ground."
29 Then God said, "Look! I have given
you every seed-bearing plant throughout
the earth and all the fruit trees for your
food. 30 And I have given every green
plant as food for all the wild animals, the
birds in the sky, and the small animals
that scurry along the ground-everything
that has life." And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had
made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning
came, marking the sixth day.
CHAPTER 2
So the creation of the heavens and the
earth and everything in them was
completed. 2 On the seventh day God
had finished his work of creation, so he
rested from all his work. 3 And God
blessed the seventh day and declared it
holy, because it was the day when he
rested from all his work of creation.
4 This is the account of the creation of the
heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the earth and
the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains
were growing on the earth. For the Lord God
had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and
there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead,
springs came up from the ground and
watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God
formed the man from the dust of the ground.
He breathed the breath of life into the man's
nostrils, and the man became a living person.
8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in
Eden in the east, and there he placed the
man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all
sorts of trees grow up from the ground-trees
that were beautiful and that produced
delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden
he placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed from the land of Eden,
watering the garden and then dividing into
four branches. 11 The first branch, called the
Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah,
where gold is found. 12 The gold of that
land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin
and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The
second branch, called the Gihon, flowed
around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third
branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the
land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called
the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God placed the man in the
Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
16 But the Lord God warned him, "You may
freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden-17 except
the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are
sure to die."
18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good
for the man to be alone. I will make a helper
who is just right for him." 19 So the Lord God
formed from the ground all the wild animals
and all the birds of the sky. He brought
them to the man to see what he would call
them, and the man chose a name for each
one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all
the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals.
But still there was no helper just right for
him.
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall
into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the
Lord God took out one of the man's ribs
and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord
God made a woman from the rib, and he
brought her to the man.
23 "At last!" the man exclaimed.
"This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called 'woman,'
because she was taken from `man.'"
24 This explains why a man leaves his
father and mother and is joined to his wife,
and the two are united into one.
25 Now the man and his wife were both
naked, but they felt no shame.
WALK 2 JANUARY 2
From Paradise to Pain GENESIS 3-5
OVERVIEW What began as paradise is quickly spoiled by sin. Satan, disguised as
a serpent, tempts the woman by turning her gaze from God's bountiful provision (the
many trees) to God's one prohibition (the single tree of the knowledge of good and
evil). Adam and Eve's disobedience in eating from the forbidden tree results in their
expulsion from the garden. The seeds of their sin quickly grow as their first son, Cain,
commits the first murder. For generation after generation the downward spiral continues,
setting the stage for God's judgment.
CHAPTER 3
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the
wild animals the Lord God had made. One
day he asked the woman, "Did God really say
you must not eat the fruit from any of the
trees in the garden?"
2 "Of course we may eat fruit from the
trees in the garden," the woman replied.
3 "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle
of the garden that we are not allowed to
eat. God said, `You must not eat it or even
touch it; if you do, you will die.'"
4 "You won't die!" the serpent replied to
the woman. 5 "God knows that your eyes will
be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will
be like God, knowing both good and evil."
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that
the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked
delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it
would give her. So she took some of the fruit
and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband,
who was with her, and he ate it, too.
7 At that moment their eyes were opened,
and they suddenly felt shame at their
nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together
to cover themselves.
8 When the cool evening breezes were
blowing, the man and his wife heard the
Lord God walking about in the garden. So
they hid from the Lord God among the
trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man,
"Where are you?"
10 He replied, "I heard you walking in the
garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was
naked."
11 "Who told you that you were naked?"
the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten from
the tree whose fruit I commanded you not
to eat?"
12 The man replied, "It was the woman you
gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman,
"What have you done?"
"The serpent deceived me," she replied.
"That's why I ate it."
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this, you are
cursed
more than all animals, domestic and
wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you
live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you
and the woman,
and between your offspring and her
offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel."
16 Then he said to the woman,
"I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your
husband,
but he will rule over you."
17 And to the man he said,
"Since you listened to your wife and ate
from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not
to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to
scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return."
20 Then the man-Adam-named his wife
Eve, because she would be the mother of all
who live. 21 And the Lord God made clothing
from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
22 Then the Lord God said, "Look, the human
beings have become like us, knowing
both good and evil. What if they reach out,
take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it?
Then they will live forever!" 23 So the Lord
God banished them from the Garden of
Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the
ground from which he had been made.
24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed
mighty cherubim to the east of the
Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming
sword that flashed back and forth to guard
the way to the tree of life.
CHAPTER 4
Now Adam had sexual relations with his
wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When
she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the
Lord's help, I have produced a man!" 2 Later
she gave birth to his brother and named him
Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd,
while Cain cultivated the ground.
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented
some of his crops as a gift to the
Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift-the best of
the firstborn lambs from his flock. The
Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did
not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain
very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 "Why are you so angry?" the Lord asked
Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? 7 You
will be accepted if you do what is right. But
if you refuse to do what is right, then watch
out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to
control you. But you must subdue it and be
its master."
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother,
"Let's go out into the fields." And while
they were in the field, Cain attacked his
brother, Abel, and killed him.
9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, "Where
is your brother? Where is Abel?"
"I don't know," Cain responded. "Am I my
brother's guardian?"
10 But the Lord said, "What have you
done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out
to me from the ground! 11 Now you are
cursed and banished from the ground,
which has swallowed your brother's blood.
12 No longer will the ground yield good
crops for you, no matter how hard you work!
From now on you will be a homeless wanderer
on the earth."
13 Cain replied to the Lord, "My punishment
is too great for me to bear! 14 You have
banished me from the land and from your
presence; you have made me a homeless
wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!"
15 The Lord replied, "No, for I will give a
sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills
you." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to
warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So
Cain left the Lord's presence and settled in
the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Cain had sexual relations with his wife,
and she became pregnant and gave birth to
Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he
named Enoch, after his son. 18 Enoch had a
son named Irad. Irad became the father of
Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of
Methushael. Methushael became the father
of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women. The first
was named Adah, and the second was Zillah.
20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first
of those who raise livestock and live in tents.
21 His brother's name was Jubal, the first of
all who play the harp and flute. 22 Lamech's
other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named
Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging
tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a
sister named Naamah. 23 One day Lamech
said to his wives,
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
listen to me, you wives of Lamech.
I have killed a man who attacked me,
a young man who wounded me.
24 If someone who kills Cain is punished
seven times,
then the one who kills me will be
punished seventy-seven times!"
25 Adam had sexual relations with his wife
again, and she gave birth to another son.
She named him Seth, for she said, "God has
granted me another son in place of Abel,
whom Cain killed." 26 When Seth grew up,
he had a son and named him Enosh. At that
time people first began to worship the Lord
by name.
CHAPTER 5
This is the written account of the descendants
of Adam. When God created human
beings, he made them to be like himself.
2 He created them male and female, and he
blessed them and called them "human."
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he
became the father of a son who was just
like him-in his very image. He named
his son Seth. 4 After the birth of Seth,
Adam lived another 800 years, and he
had other sons and daughters. 5 Adam
lived 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became
the father of Enosh. 7 After the birth of
Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and
he had other sons and daughters. 8 Seth
lived 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he became
the father of Kenan. 10 After the birth of
Kenan, Enosh lived another 815 years,
and he had other sons and daughters.
11 Enosh lived 905 years, and then he
died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he
became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After
the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived
another 840 years, and he had other
sons and daughters. 14 Kenan lived
910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he
became the father of Jared. 16 After the
birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived another
830 years, and he had other sons and
daughters. 17 Mahalalel lived 895 years,
and then he died.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he
became the father of Enoch. 19 After the
birth of Enoch, Jared lived another
800 years, and he had other sons and
daughters. 20 Jared lived 962 years, and
then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he
became the father of Methuselah.
22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch
lived in close fellowship with God for
another 300 years, and he had other
sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived
365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship
with God. Then one day he disappeared,
because God took him.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he
became the father of Lamech. 26 After
the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived
another 782 years, and he had other
sons and daughters. 27 Methuselah lived
969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he
became the father of a son. 29 Lamech
named his son Noah, for he said, "May
he bring us relief from our work and
the painful labor of farming this ground
that the Lord has cursed." 30 After the
birth of Noah, Lamech lived another
595 years, and he had other sons and
daughters. 31 Lamech lived 777 years,
and then he died.
32 By the time Noah was 500 years old, he
was the father of Shem, Ham, and
Japheth.
(Continues.)
