Genesis 12 Cross References - ISV

¹ God Calls AbramThe LORD told Abram, “You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to the land that I’m going to show you. ² I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I’ll bless those who bless you, but I’ll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed.”
⁴ So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. ⁵ Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the servants he had acquired while living in Haran. Then they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram traveled through the land to the place called Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there Abram traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. ⁹ Then Abram traveled on, continuing into the Negev.
¹⁰ Abram and Sarai in EgyptThere was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because the famine was so severe. ¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he told his wife Sarai, “Look, I’m aware that you’re a beautiful woman. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ Then they’ll kill me, but allow you to live. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister, so things will go well for me for your sake. That way, you’ll be saving my life.”
¹⁴ As Abram was entering Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful Sarai was. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they brought her to the attention of Pharaoh and took the woman to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well because of her, so Abram acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. ¹⁷ But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me! Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!”
²⁰ So Pharaoh assigned men to Abram, and they escorted him, his wife, and all that he had out of the country.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there, ³² where Terah died at the age of 205 years.

⁷ The LORD spoke to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance.”

² and Joshua told all of the people, “This is what the LORD God of Israel has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah, father of both Abraham and Nahor, where they served other gods. ³ Then I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, and gave him his son Isaac.

⁷ You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans and to whom you gave the name Abraham.

¹⁰ Listen, daughter! Consider and pay attention. Forget your people and your father’s house, ¹¹ and the king will greatly desire your beauty. Because he is your lord, you should bow in respect before him.

⁹ you whom I encouraged from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners, and told you, ‘You’re my servant, I’ve chosen you and haven’t cast you aside.’

² Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. For when he was only one person I called him, but I made him fruitful and made him many.

²⁴ “Son of Man, those who are living among these ruins of the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, but he was able to possess the land! As for us, we’re a multitude, and the land has been given to us as an inheritance.’

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever doesn’t carry his cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.
²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. He will first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough money to finish it, won’t he? ²⁹ Otherwise, if he lays a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will begin to ridicule him ³⁰ and say, ‘This person started a building but couldn’t finish it.’
³¹ “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He will first sit down and consider whether with 10,000 men he can fight the one coming against him with 20,000 men, won’t he? ³² If he can’t, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away. ³³ In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”

² Stephen replied: “Listen, brothers and fathers! “The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. ³ God told him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I’ll show you.’ ⁴ So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. ⁵ God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. ⁶ “This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years.

¹⁷ Therefore, “Get away from them and separate yourselves from them,” declares the Lord, “and don’t touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

⁴ The Warning to Leave BabylonThen I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you don’t participate in her sins and also suffer from her diseases.

¹⁶ I’ll make your descendants as plentiful as the specks of dust of the earth, so that if one could count the specks of dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted.

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken prisoner, he gathered together 318 of his trained men, who had been born in his household, and they went out in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ During the night, Abram and his servants divided his forces, conquered his enemies, and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶ He recovered all the goods and brought back his nephew Lot, together with his possessions, the women, and the other people.

⁵ Then the LORD took him outside. “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if you can!” he said. “Your descendants will be that numerous.”

⁴ “Look, I’ve made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I’ll make you the father of many nations. ⁶ I’m going to cause you to have many descendants, and I’ll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you.

¹⁸ “since Abraham’s descendants will become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him?

²⁹ And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

¹⁷ I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸ Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command.”

³⁵ “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

⁴ I’ll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I’ll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another.

²⁹ May people serve and bow before you; may you be master over your brothers; may your mother’s sons bow before you; may anyone who curses you be cursed; and may anyone who blesses you be blessed.”

³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful so that your descendants become a whole group of people. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessings that he gave Abraham. May you possess the land where you have lived that God gave to Abraham.”

¹⁴ Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

¹¹ and also told him, “I am God Almighty. You are to be fruitful and multiply. You will become a nation— in fact, an assembly of nations! Kings will come from you— they’ll emerge from your own loins!

³ “I’m God, your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to move down to Egypt, because I’m going to turn you into a mighty nation there.

⁷ But the Israelis were fruitful and increased abundantly. They multiplied in numbers and became very, very strong. As a result, the land was filled with them.

¹⁰ Now let me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may consume them, but I’ll make a great nation of you.”

¹² “That’s why I’m going to attack them with pestilence and disinherit them. Instead, I’ll make you a great nation—even mightier than they are!”

⁹ He crouches, laying low like a lion. Who would awaken him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed.”
¹⁰ Balak flew into a rage and he started hitting his fists together. “I called you to curse my enemies,” he yelled at Balaam. “But look here! You’ve blessed them three times!

⁵ Then you are to affirm and declare in the presence of the LORD your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, who went down to Egypt and traveled there with very few family members, yet there he became a great, powerful, and populous nation.

⁹ “‘“Furthermore, I have remained with you everywhere you have gone, annihilating all your enemies right in front of you. I will make a great reputation for you, like the reputation of great ones who have lived on earth.

⁴⁷ In addition to all of this, the king’s servants have come along to congratulate our lord King David. They’ve been telling David ‘May your God make Solomon’s reputation even more famous than yours, and may he make his throne greater than yours!’ The king has himself bowed in worship on his own bed

⁸ Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”

²⁰ You will remain true to Jacob, and merciful to Abraham, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

¹¹ Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Therefore, he is the ancestor of all who believe while uncircumcised, in order that righteousness may be credited to them.

⁷ You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham’s real descendants.

¹⁴ This happened in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

¹⁸ Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command.”

²⁷ Then Laban responded, “If I’ve found favor in your sight, please stay with me, because I’ve learned through divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.

³⁰ What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?”

⁵ From the time he appointed Joseph to be overseer over his entire household and everything that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The LORD’s blessing rested on Joseph, whether in Potiphar’s household or in Potiphar’s fields.

²² Indeed, if you carefully obey him and do everything that I say, then I’ll be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries,

⁹ He crouches, laying low like a lion. Who would awaken him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed.”

¹⁷ Praising the God of IsraelMay his fame be eternal— as long as the sun— may his name endure, and may they be blessed through him, and may all nations call him blessed.

⁴⁰ The king will answer them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’

⁴⁵ Then he will say to them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you didn’t do it for one of the least important of these, you didn’t do it for me.’

²⁵ You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways.”

³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

⁸ Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, “Through you all nations will be blessed.”

¹⁶ Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn’t say “descendants,” referring to many, but “your descendant,” referring to one person, who is the Messiah.

²⁸ Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female.

³ The Many Blessings of SalvationBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! He has blessed us in the Messiah with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm,

¹¹ In him there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free person. Instead, the Messiah is all and in all.

⁹ The Vision of Tribulation SaintsAfter these things, I looked, and there was a crowd so large that no one was able to count it! They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb and were wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

²⁷ Descendants of TerahNow these are the family records of Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there,

¹⁹ The Canaanite border extended south from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and east toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken prisoner, he gathered together 318 of his trained men, who had been born in his household, and they went out in pursuit as far as Dan.

²¹ Conversation with the King of SodomThe king of Sodom told Abram, “Return the people to me, and you take the possessions for yourself.”

⁵ So Jacob got up and left Beer-sheba, and Israel’s sons carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the transport wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry them. ⁶ They took their livestock and their household property that they had acquired in the land of Canaan and traveled to Egypt. Jacob and all of his descendants went with him— ⁷ including his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—every one of his descendants accompanied him to Egypt.
⁸ List of Those who Went to Egypt
Here’s a list of the names of Israel’s sons, that is, of Jacob and his sons who moved to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn; ⁹ Reuben’s sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; ¹⁰ Simeon’s sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaanite woman; ¹¹ Levi’s sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; ¹² and Judah’s sons Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Technically, Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ Also included were Issachar’s sons Tola, Puvvah, Job, and Shimron; ¹⁴ along with Zebulun’s sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These were all sons from Leah, whom she bore for Jacob in Paddan-aram, along with his daughter Dinah. He had 33 sons and daughters.
¹⁶ Also included were Gad’s sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli; ¹⁷ Asher’s sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons Heber and Malchiel were also included. ¹⁸ These were all sons from Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore these sixteen children for Jacob.
¹⁹ Jacob’s wife Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁰ Joseph’s sons born in the land of Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, bore for him. ²¹ Benjamin’s sons included Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These were all the sons of Rachel, who were born for Jacob—fourteen in all.
²³ Also included were Dan’s son Hushim; ²⁴ Naphtali’s sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were sons of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. She bore these children for Jacob—seven in all.
²⁶ All of these people, who belonged to Jacob’s family, traveled to Egypt. All of Jacob’s direct descendants, not including his sons’ wives, numbered 66 persons in all.

⁴ So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise,

¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, along with the Hittites,

¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later, the Canaanite families were widely scattered. ¹⁹ The Canaanite border extended south from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and east toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

⁷ There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot’s livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

¹⁸ That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River— ¹⁹ including the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

¹⁸ Jacob Buys Land in ShechemAfter Jacob had arrived safely from Paddan-aram, he entered the city of Shechem, which was located in the territory of Canaan, and encamped facing that city.

² When Hamor the Hivite’s son Shechem, the regional leader, saw her, he grabbed her and raped her, humiliating her.

⁴ So they handed over to Jacob all their foreign gods on which they had been depending, along with the rings that they were wearing on their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that grew near Shechem.

³⁰ They’re across the Jordan River to the west, aren’t they, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

³² They also buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelis brought up from Egypt, in the parcel of ground at Shechem that Jacob had purchased from the descendants of Shechem’s father Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver. It became part of the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

¹ God Chooses Gideon’s 300 SoldiersThen Jerubbaal, also known as Gideon, got up early along with all of his soldiers. They encamped near the Harod Spring. The Midian encampment lay in the valley to their north, near the hill of Moreh.

¹ Abimelech Attempts to Become KingThen Jerubbaal’s son Abimelech went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem. He spoke to the entire family of his mother’s father, telling them,

¹ Secession of the Northern Tribes
Rehoboam traveled to Shechem because all of Israel went there to install him as king.

⁵ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

¹⁶ They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor’s descendants in Shechem.

⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise,

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings on it from every clean animal and every clean bird.

⁸ From there Abram traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

⁴ where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

¹⁵ because I’m going to give you and your descendants all of the land that you see—forever!

¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and settled beside the oaks of Mamre that are by Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

¹⁸ That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

¹ God Appears to AbramWhen Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, “I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I’m always with you, and be blameless.

³ Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him.

⁸ I’ll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession. I will be their God.”

¹ Abraham’s Three VisitorsLater, the LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks belonging to Mamre. As Abraham was sitting near the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day,

⁹ and came to the place about which God had spoken. Abraham built an altar there, arranged the wood, tied up his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.

³ Remain in this land, and I’ll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham.

²⁵ In response, Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. He also pitched his tents there and his servants dug a well.

¹³ And there was the LORD, standing above it and telling Jacob, “I am the LORD God of your grandfather Abraham. I’m Isaac’s God, too. I’m giving you and your descendants the ground on which you’re sleeping.

³⁰ Jacob would later call that place Peniel, because “I saw God face to face, but my life was spared.”

²⁰ set up an altar, and named it El-elohe-israel.

³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, and did I not reveal to them my name ‘LORD’?

¹ The LORD Instructs Israel to LeaveThe LORD told Moses, “Go up from here, you and the people whom you brought out of Egypt, to the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saying, ‘I’ll give it to your descendants.’

¹¹ ‘Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly,

⁸ Look! I’ve given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.’”

¹⁰ Serve the LORD Only“When the LORD your God brings you to the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you large and beautiful cities that you didn’t build,

²⁰ Love the LORD your God, obey his voice, and cling to him, because he is your life—even your long life—so that you may live in the land that the LORD promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

⁹ like the covenant he made with Abraham, and his promise to Isaac. ¹⁰ He presented it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. ¹¹ He said: “I will give Canaan to you as the allotted portion that is your inheritance.” ¹² When the Hebrews were few in number—so very few— and were sojourners in it,

⁸ That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God’s children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants.

²⁸ So you, brothers, are children of the promise, like Isaac.

¹³ All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth.

²⁶ Seth also fathered a son, whom he named Enosh. At that time, profaning the name of the LORD began.

³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD God Everlasting.

¹⁹ and named the place Beth-el, although previously the city had been named Luz.

³ Then let’s get up and go to Bethel, where I’ll build an altar to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who was with me on the road, wherever I went.”

¹⁵ and named the place where God had spoken to him Beth-el.
¹⁶ Rachel Dies in ChildbirthLater, they set out from Beth-el. While still a long way from Ephrathah, Rachel started to have trouble giving birth.

² Meanwhile, Joshua had sent some soldiers from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth-aven, east of Bethel. He ordered them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the soldiers went up and scouted Ai and

³ So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night,

¹⁷ There wasn’t a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn’t run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

²² Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

³¹ The descendants of Benjamin lived from Geba to Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,

⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD, “LORD, please deliver me!”

²⁸ The Coming Judgment of God“The Assyrian commander has come upon Aiath and has passed through Migron; he stores his supplies at Michmash.

³² And everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will be delivered. For as the LORD has said, ‘In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, the survivors whom the LORD is calling.’”

²¹ Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

¹² There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. ¹³ “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
¹⁴ How, then, can people call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching?

² To: God’s church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah—their Lord and ours.

¹ Abram and Lot Part WaysAbram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household—including Lot—to the Negev.

³ He journeyed by stages from the Negev to Bethel, the place where his tent had formerly been, between Bethel and Ai,

⁶² Isaac Marries RebekahLater on, as Isaac was returning one evening from Beer-lahai-roi (he had been living in the Negev),

¹³ they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

¹³ All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. ¹⁴ For people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own.

¹ Isaac Lives in Philistia for a WhileLater on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham’s lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
² That’s when the LORD appeared to Isaac. “You are not to go down to Egypt,” he said. “Instead, you are to settle down in an area within this land where I’ll tell you. ³ Remain in this land, and I’ll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham.

⁵ Israel’s sons went in a caravan that included others who were going to Egypt to buy grain, because the famine pervaded the land of Canaan, too.

¹ Preparing to Return to EgyptMeanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.

³ “I’m God, your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to move down to Egypt, because I’m going to turn you into a mighty nation there. ⁴ I’m going down with you to Egypt, and I’m certainly going to bring you back again. And Joseph himself will be with you when you die.”

¹³ The Famine ContinuesMeanwhile, there continued to be no food throughout the land, because the famine remained very severe. As a result, both Egypt and Canaan languished under the effects of the famine.

¹ Naomi’s FamilyNow there came a time of famine while judges were ruling in the land of Israel. A man from Bethlehem of Judah, his wife, and his two sons left to live in the country of Moab.

¹ Retribution for the GibeonitesOne time there was a famine during David’s reign that went on for three straight years. David sought the LORD, who said, “Saul and his household are guilty because he executed the Gibeonites.”

¹ Elijah Calls for a DroughtElijah the foreigner, who was an alien resident from Gilead, told Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I’m standing, there will be neither dew nor rain these next several years, except when I say so.”
² Later, this message came to him from the LORD: ³ “Leave here and go into hiding at the Wadi Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River. ⁴ You will be able to drink from that brook, and I’ve commanded some crows to sustain you there.”
⁵ So Elijah left and did exactly what the LORD had told him to do—he went to live near the Wadi Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River. ⁶ Crows would bring him bread and meat both in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. ⁷ But after a while, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
⁸ Elijah Visits the Widowed Mother of ZarephathThen this message came to him from the LORD: ⁹ “Get up, move to Zarephath in Sidon, and stay there. Look! I’ve commanded a widow to sustain you there.”
¹⁰ So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance to the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he asked her, “Please, may I have some water in a cup so I can have a drink.” ¹¹ While she was on her way to get the water, he called out to her, “Would you please also bring me a piece of bread while you’re at it?”
¹² “As the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have so much as a muffin, just a handful of flour in a bowl and some oil left in a bottle. Now I’m going to find some sticks so I can cook a last meal for my son and for me. Then we’re going to eat it and die.”
¹³ But Elijah told her, “You can stop being afraid. Go and do what you said, but first make me a muffin and bring it to me. Then make a meal for yourself and for your son, ¹⁴ because this is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘That jar of flour will not run out, nor will that bottle of oil become empty until the very day that the LORD sends rain on the surface of the ground.’”
¹⁵ So she went out and did precisely what Elijah told her to do. As a result, Elijah, the widow, and her son were fed for days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour never ran out and the bottle of oil never became empty, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah.
¹⁷ Elijah Restores the Widow’s SonSometime later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. In fact, his illness became so severe that he died. ¹⁸ “What do we have in common, you man of God?” she accused Elijah. “You came to me so you could uncover my guilt! And you’re responsible for the death of my son!”

³⁸ Poisoned Stew is PurifiedElisha returned to Gilgal during a time of famine in the land. While the Guild of Prophets were having a meal with him, he instructed his attendant, “Put a large pot on the fire and boil some stew for the Guild of Prophets.”

²⁵ until there was a great famine throughout Samaria. The siege lasted until a donkey’s head cost 80 silver coins and one quarter of a unit of dove’s dung cost five silver coins.

¹ Elisha Predicts Deliverance the Next DaySo Elisha responded, “Listen to this message from the LORD! ‘This is what the LORD says: “At about this time tomorrow, in Samaria’s city gate, a seah of finely ground flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel.”’”
² But the royal attendant on whom the king depended responded to the man of God: “Look here! Even if the LORD were to open a window in the sky, how could this happen?”
He replied, “No, you look! You’ll see it with your eyes, but you won’t eat any of it!”
³ The Arameans FleeNow there happened to be four lepers who were at that very moment at the entrance to the city gate. As they were talking with one another, they said, “Why are we sitting here waiting to die? ⁴ If we tell ourselves, ‘Let’s remain in the city,’ we’ll die there since there’s famine in the city. But if we sit here, we’ll die, too. So let’s go over to the Arameans! If they spare our lives, we’ll live, and if they kill us…we’re dying anyway!”
⁵ So they got up at dusk and went out to the Aramean encampment. But when they arrived at the outskirts of the Aramean encampment, there was no one there! ⁶ The LORD had made the Aramean army hear the sounds of chariots, horses, and a large army, so they told one another, “Look! The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the Egyptians to come attack us!” ⁷ So the Arameans got up and ran away in the gathering darkness. They left behind their tents, horses, and donkeys just as they were—and fled for their lives!
⁸ When the lepers arrived at the outskirts of the encampment, they entered one tent and ate and drank. Then they carried off from there some silver, gold, and clothes, and went out and hid them. After this, they returned, entered another tent, raided it, and went and hid all of that, too!

¹ The Shunammite’s Land is RestoredMeanwhile, Elisha urged the woman whose son he had restored to life, “You must get up and leave with your household to go live wherever you can, because the LORD has called for a famine, and it’s going to come over the land for seven years.” ² So the woman followed the instructions given to her by the man of God, and she went to the territory of the Philistines to live for seven years with her household.

¹⁹ A righteous person will have many troubles, but the LORD will deliver him from them all.

³⁴ and a fruitful land into a salty waste, due to the wickedness of its inhabitants.

¹ A Terrible Drought in the LandThis is this message from the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

³³ I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!”

¹¹ “But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn’t find any food.

²² strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships,” they said, “to get into the kingdom of God.”

¹⁴ As Abram was entering Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful Sarai was.

⁷ Isaac Lies about His WifeLater on, the men of that place asked about his wife, so he replied, “She’s my sister,” because he was afraid to call her “my wife.” He kept thinking, “…otherwise, the men around here will kill me on account of Rebekah, since she’s very beautiful.”

¹⁷ Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance.

⁶ Everything that he owned, he entrusted into Joseph’s care. He never concerned himself about anything, except for the food he ate.
Potiphar’s Wife Accuses JosephNow Joseph was well built and good looking. ⁷ That’s why, sometime later, Joseph’s master’s wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: “Come on! Let’s have a little sex!”

² Late one afternoon about dusk, David got up from his couch and was walking around on the roof of the royal palace. From there he watched a woman taking a bath, and she was very beautiful to look at.

³⁰ No wisdom, insight, or counsel can prevail against the LORD.

¹⁴ My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.

¹¹ “I thought that there’s no fear of God in this place,” Abraham replied, “and that they would kill me because of my wife.

¹ David Escapes to Philistine TerritoryDavid told himself, “One of these days I’ll perish by Saul’s hand. There is nothing better for me to do than to escape to Philistine territory. Saul will give up searching for me anymore within the borders of Israel, so I’ll escape from him.”

²⁵ Fearing any human being is a trap, but confiding in the LORD keeps anyone safe.

²⁸ Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

⁸ If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves. ⁹ If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word has no place in us.

²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and Iscah.

² because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister,” King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.

⁵ Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister’? And she also said, ‘He’s my brother.’ I did this with pure intentions and clean hands.”

¹² Besides, she really is my sister—she’s my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter—so she could become my wife. ¹³ When God caused me to journey from my father’s house, I asked her to do me this favor and say, ‘He’s my brother.’”

³ Do not look to nobles, nor to mere human beings who cannot save. ⁴ When they stop breathing, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans evaporate! ⁵ Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

¹¹ “Whom did you so dread— and while you feared me— that you lied, and you did not remember me, and did not lay to heart these things? Haven’t I remained silent for a long time, and still you don’t fear me?”

⁵ Two Ways ContrastedThis is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind, who makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. ⁶ He will be like a bush in the desert, and he won’t see when good comes. He will dwell in parched places in the wilderness, a land of salt, without inhabitants. ⁷ Blessed is the person who trusts in the LORD, making the LORD his trust. ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by a stream. He won’t fear when the heat comes, and his leaves will be green. In a year of drought he won’t be concerned, nor will he stop producing fruit.”

⁴ Look! Every living soul belongs to me—the father’s as well as the son’s. So pay attention! The person who keeps on sinning is going to die.”

⁶⁹ Peter Denies Jesus
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.”
⁷⁰ But he denied it in front of them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he exclaimed.
⁷¹ As he went out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”
⁷² Again he denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”
⁷³ After a little while, the people who were standing there came up and told Peter, “Obviously you’re also one of them, because your accent gives you away.”
⁷⁴ Then he began to curse violently. “I don’t know the man!” he swore solemnly. Just then a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Peter remembered the words of Jesus when he said, “Before a rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times.” Then he went outside and cried bitterly.

⁴⁴ You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and has never stood for truth, since there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

⁶ Of course not! Otherwise, how could God judge the world? ⁷ For if through my falsehood God’s truthfulness glorifies him even more, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸ Or can we say—as some people slander us by claiming that we say—“Let’s do evil that good may result”? They deserve to be condemned!

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord.

¹² Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men came, he withdrew from the gentiles and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. ¹³ The other Jews also joined him in this hypocritical behavior, to the extent that even Barnabas was caught up in their hypocrisy.

⁶ It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.

⁶ When the woman saw that the tree produced good food, was attractive in appearance, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate some, too.

² some divine beings noticed how attractive human women were, so they took wives for themselves from a selection that pleased them.

⁷ That’s why, sometime later, Joseph’s master’s wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: “Come on! Let’s have a little sex!”

²⁸ But I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

² Pharaoh was so angry with his two officers—his senior security advisor and his head chef—

¹ Pharaoh’s DreamTwo years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River,

⁵ Pharaoh’s Daughter Adopts MosesThen Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the Nile River to bathe while her maids walked along the river bank. She saw the container among the reeds and sent a servant girl to get it.

¹⁵ Moses Flees to MidianWhen Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh, settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.

¹ Solomon Prays for Wisdom
Later, Solomon intermarried with the family of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt by taking his daughter and bringing her to the City of David to live until he had completed building his own palace, the LORD’s Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.

²¹ Look, you’re trusting on Egypt to lean on like a staff, but it’s a crushed reed, and if you lean on it, it will collapse and pierce your hand. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is just like that to everyone who relies on him!

² Then the young men who attended the king suggested, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ³ Let the king appoint officials in all the provinces of his kingdom to bring all the beautiful young virgins into the harem in Susa the capital. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women to give them their beauty treatments. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king rule in place of Vashti.” This advice pleased the king, and he did this.
⁵ Esther’s BackgroundIn Susa the capital there was a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin, Jair’s son Mordecai, who was a descendant of Kish’s son Shimei the descendant of Benjamin. ⁶ He had been taken into captivity from Jerusalem along with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had taken into exile. ⁷ Mordecai had raised his cousin Hadassah, or Esther, because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her mother and father died Mordecai had taken her as his daughter.
⁸ The king’s order and edict was proclaimed, and many young women were brought to Susa the capital under the care of Hegai. Esther was taken to the palace into the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. ⁹ The young woman pleased him and gained his favor. He quickly provided her beauty treatments and gave her portions of food to her. He also assigned her seven suitable young women from the palace and transferred her and her young women to the best place in the harem. ¹⁰ Esther did not make known her people or heritage because Mordecai had instructed her not to make it known. ¹¹ Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to find out about Esther’s well-being and what was happening to her.
¹² Esther Becomes QueenEach young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus at the end of the twelve month period, at which time she was treated according to the regulations for women. This process completed the period of her beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and cosmetics for women. ¹³ After that the young woman would go in to the king, and whatever she asked for would be given to her to take with her from the harem to the palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go into the palace and in the morning she would return to the second harem, into the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the mistresses. She would not go again to the king unless the king wanted her and she was called for by name. ¹⁵ Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who had been Mordecai’s uncle. Mordecai had taken Esther in as his own daughter. When her turn came to go in to the king, she did not want anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, advised. Esther found favor with everyone who saw her. ¹⁶ Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

⁴ Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his face continually.

²⁹ So also is it with someone who has sex with his neighbor’s wife; anyone touching her will not remain unpunished.

¹² When a ruler is listening to lies, all of his officials tend to become wicked.

¹⁹ Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his officials, his princes, and all his people;

¹⁷ There they’ll cry out, ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is just a big noise. He has let the appointed time pass by.’

² “Son of Man, start singing this lamentation about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, ‘You may have called yourself a lion among nations, but you’re a monster at sea. You thrash about in your rivers, muddy the water with your feet, and relieve yourself in the rivers.’

⁴ All of them are adulterers— they burn like an oven prepared by the baker, who has ceased stoking it until the dough is leavened. ⁵ “On the king’s festival day the princes got drunk from wine, so the king joined the mockers.

⁴ Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.

² Now Abram had become quite wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.

¹⁴ So Abimelech took some sheep and oxen, and some male and female servants, gave them to Abraham, returned his wife Sarah to him,

¹⁴ He owned so many sheep, cattle, and servants that the Philistines eventually became envious of him.

⁵ I now have cattle, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants. I’m sending this message to you, sir, so that you’ll show favor to me.”’”

¹³ Jacob spent the night there. Out of everything that he had brought with him, he chose a gift for his brother Esau— ¹⁴ 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵ 30 milking camels with their young, 40 cows with ten bulls, and 20 female donkeys with ten male donkeys.

³ His livestock included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants. Indeed, the man’s stature greatly exceeded that of many people who lived in the East.

¹² The LORD blessed Job during the latter part of his life more than the former, since he owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.

¹³ May our granaries be filled, storing produce in abundance; may our sheep bring forth thousands, even tens of thousands in our fields. ¹⁴ May our cattle grow heavy with young, with no damage or loss. May there be no cry of anguish in our streets!

¹⁸ since the LORD had made all the women barren in Abimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

²¹ he did not let anyone wrong them. He warned kings on their behalf,

²² David told Ornan, “Give me the threshing floor as a site to build an altar to the LORD on it. Give it to me at its full price, so the plague may be averted from the people.”

¹⁹ Who isn’t partial to princes? Who doesn’t give preference to the nobles over the poor? Nevertheless, all of them are his handiwork.

¹⁴ He did not allow anyone to oppress them, or any kings to reprove them. ¹⁵ “Don’t touch my anointed or hurt my prophets!”

¹³ Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What did you do?”
“The Shining One misled me,” the woman answered, “so I ate.”

¹⁰ “What did you do?” God asked. “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You’ve done things to me that ought not to have been done.”
¹⁰ Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What could you have been thinking when you did this?”

⁹ So Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him. “She is definitely your wife!” he accused him, “So why did you claim, ‘She’s my sister?’”
Isaac responded, “Because I had thought ‘…otherwise, I’ll die on account of her.’”
¹⁰ “What have you done to us?” Abimelech asked. “Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty.” ¹¹ So he issued this order to everyone: “Whoever touches this man or his wife is to be executed.”

²⁶ Then Laban asked Jacob, “What did you do? You deceived me, carried off my daughters like you would war captives,

¹⁵ and Joseph asked them, “Why did you do this? Don’t you know that I’m an expert at divination?”

²¹ Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought such great sin upon them?”

¹⁹ Joshua then spoke to Achan, “My son, give glory and praise to the LORD God of Israel. Tell me right now what you did. Don’t hide anything.”

⁴³ Saul told Jonathan, “Tell me what you’ve done.”
So Jonathan spoke to him: “I did taste a little honey from the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I’m ready to die!”

¹ Thoughts on the Sovereignty of God A king’s heart is a water stream that the LORD controls; he directs it wherever he pleases.

²⁷ Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he went to his own land.

⁶ Achish Sends David HomeThen Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you are trustworthy, and it seems good to me for you to campaign with me as part of the army. Indeed, I’ve not found any evil in you from the time you came to me until now. But the leaders don’t approve of you. ⁷ Now return and go in peace, so you do nothing to displease the Philistine leaders.”
⁸ David told Achish, “What have I done, and what have you found in your servant from the time I came before you until this very moment, that I shouldn’t go out and fight the enemies of your majesty?”
⁹ Achish answered David, “I know that I’m pleased with you. You’re like an angel of God. But the Philistine leaders have said, ‘He mustn’t go into battle with us.’ ¹⁰ Now, get up early in the morning along with your lord’s servants who came with you. Get up early in the morning, and go as soon as you have light.” ¹¹ So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to Philistine territory, while the Philistines went up to Jezreel.