Hebrew Bible

Revised Standard Version

Original Electronic Text at the web site of the Bible Gateway, Gospel Communications Network.

Genesis

Chapter 1
1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
3
And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4
And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6
And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
7
And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
8
And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
10
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11
And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so.
12
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14
And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
15
and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.
16
And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.
17
And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
18
to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19
And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20
And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens."
21
So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22
And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
23
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so.
25
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
29
And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
30
And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Chapter 2
1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2
And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
3
So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.
4
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5
when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6
but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground--
7
then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9
And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
11
The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12
and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
13
The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Cush.
14
And the name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
16
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;
17
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
18
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
19
So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
20
The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him.
21
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
22
and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
23
Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
24
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25
And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.
Chapter 3
1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"
2
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3
but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4
But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die.
5
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
7
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9
But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"
10
And he said, "I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
11
He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
12
The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."
13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
14
The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
16
To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
17
And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
20
The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21
And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.
22
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" --
23
therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
24
He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Chapter 11
26
When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27
Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.
28
Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chalde'ans.
29
And Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sar'ai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.
30
Now Sar'ai was barren; she had no child.
31
Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sar'ai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chalde'ans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32
The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.
Chapter 12
1
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
2
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3
I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."
4
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5
And Abram took Sar'ai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,
6
Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8
Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
9
And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
10
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Exodus

Chapter 19
1
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2
And when they set out from Reph'idim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.
3
And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
4
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
5
Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine,
6
and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
7
So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him.
8
And all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.
9
And the LORD said to Moses, "Lo, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
10
And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,
11
and be ready by the third day; for on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12
And you shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, 'Take heed that you do not go up into the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death;
13
no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain."
14
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments.
15
And he said to the people, "Be ready by the third day; do not go near a woman."
16
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
18
And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
19
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
20
And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21
And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze and many of them perish.
22
And also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out upon them."
23
And Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for thou thyself didst charge us, saying, 'Set bounds about the mountain, and consecrate it.'"
24
And the LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them."
25
So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Chapter 20
1
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3
"You shall have no other gods before me.
4
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5
you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
6
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work;
10
but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates;
11
for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
12
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
13
"You shall not kill.
14
"You shall not commit adultery.
15
"You shall not steal.
16
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's."
18
Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off,
19
and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die."
20
And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin."
21
And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
22
And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
23
You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
24
An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
25
And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you wield your tool upon it you profane it.
26
And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.'
Chapter 21
1
"Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them.
2
When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
3
If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's and he shall go out alone.
5
But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,'
6
then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.
7
"When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.
8
If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt faithlessly with her.
9
If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.
10
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
11
And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
12
"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
13
But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
14
But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him treacherously, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15
"Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
16
"Whoever steals a man, whether he sells him or is found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
17
"Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
18
"When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but keeps his bed,
19
then if the man rises again and walks abroad with his staff, he that struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.
20
"When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished.
21
But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be punished; for the slave is his money.
22
"When men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no harm follows, the one who hurt her shall be fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23
If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
24
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25
burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26
"When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free for the eye's sake.
27
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free for the tooth's sake.
28
"When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be clear.
29
But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
30
If a ransom is laid on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is laid upon him.
31
If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.
32
If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33
"When a man leaves a pit open, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass falls into it,
34
the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
35
"When one man's ox hurts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price of it; and the dead beast also they shall divide.
36
Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.
Chapter 22
1
"If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. He shall make restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
2
If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or an ass or a sheep, he shall pay double.
3
"If a thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him;
4
but if the sun has risen upon him, there shall be bloodguilt for him.
5
"When a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
6
"When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he that kindled the fire shall make full restitution.
7
"If a man delivers to his neighbor money or goods to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
8
If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God, to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's goods.
9
"For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for ass, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before God; he whom God shall condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
10
"If a man delivers to his neighbor an ass or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away, without any one seeing it,
11
an oath by the LORD shall be between them both to see whether he has not put his hand to his neighbor's property; and the owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.
12
But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.
13
If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
14
"If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.
15
If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hire.
16
"If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall give the marriage present for her, and make her his wife.
17
If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equivalent to the marriage present for virgins.
18
"You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19
"Whoever lies with a beast shall be put to death.
20
"Whoever sacrifices to any god, save to the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed.
21
"You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22
You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.
23
If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry;
24
and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
25
"If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him.
26
If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down;
27
for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
28
"You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
29
"You shall not delay to offer from the fulness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. "The first-born of your sons you shall give to me.
30
You shall do likewise with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
31
"You shall be men consecrated to me; therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs.


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