Genesis 4-7

Complete Jewish Bible

4 The man had sexual relations with Havah his wife; she conceived, gave birth to Kayin [acquisition] and said, “I have acquired a man from Adonai.” ² In addition she gave birth to his brother Hevel. Hevel kept sheep, while Kayin worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Kayin brought an offering to Adonai from the produce of the soil; ⁴ and Hevel too brought from the firstborn of his sheep, including their fat. Adonai accepted Hevel and his offering ⁵ but did not accept Kayin and his offering. Kayin was very angry, and his face fell. ⁶ Adonai said to Kayin, “Why are you angry? Why so downcast? ⁷ If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants you, but you can rule over it.” ⁸ Kayin had words with Hevel his brother; then one time, when they were in the field, Kayin turned on Hevel his brother and killed him.

⁹ Adonai said to Kayin, “Where is Hevel your brother?” And he replied, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s guardian?” ¹⁰ He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! ¹¹ Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands. ¹² When you farm the ground it will no longer yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive, wandering the earth.” ¹³ Kayin said to Adonai, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ You are banning me today from the land and from your presence. I will be a fugitive wandering the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ Adonai answered him, “Therefore, whoever kills Kayin will receive vengeance sevenfold,” and Adonai put a sign on Kayin, so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Kayin left the presence of Adonai and lived in the land of Nod [wandering], east of ‘Eden.

¹⁷ Kayin had sexual relations with his wife; she conceived and gave birth to Hanokh. Kayin built a city and named the city after his son Hanokh. ¹⁸ To Hanokh was born ‘Irad. ‘Irad fathered Mechuya’el, Mechuya’el fathered Metusha’el, and Metusha’el fathered Lemekh.

(S: v) ¹⁹ Lemekh took himself two wives; the name of the one was ‘Adah, while the name of the other was Tzilah. ²⁰ ‘Adah gave birth to Yaval; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have cattle. ²¹ His brother’s name was Yuval; and he was the ancestor of all who play lyre and flute. ²² Tzilah gave birth to Tuval-Kayin, who forged all kinds of tools from brass and iron; the sister of Tuval-Kayin was Na‘amah. ²³ Lemekh said to his wives,

²⁵ Adam again had sexual relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Shet [granted], “For God has granted me another seed in place of Hevel, since Kayin killed him.” ²⁶ To Shet too was born a son, whom he called Enosh. That is when people began to call on the name of Adonai.

5 (vi) Here is the genealogy of Adam. On the day that God created man he made him in the likeness of God; ² he created them male and female; he blessed them and called them Adam [humankind, man] on the day they were created. ³ After Adam lived 130 years he fathered a son like himself and named him Shet. ⁴ After Shet was born, Adam lived another 800 years and had both sons and daughters. ⁵ In all, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

⁶ Shet lived 105 years and fathered Enosh. ⁷ After Enosh was born, Shet lived another 807 years and had sons and daughters. ⁸ In all, Shet lived 912 years; then he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years and fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ After Kenan was born, Enosh lived another 815 years and had sons and daughters. ¹¹ In all, Enosh lived 905 years; then he died.

¹² Kenan lived seventy years and fathered Mahalal’el. ¹³ After Mahalal’el was born, Kenan lived another 840 years and had sons and daughters. ¹⁴ In all, Kenan lived 910 years; then he died.

¹⁵ Mahalal’el lived sixty-five years and fathered Yered. ¹⁶ After Yered was born, Mahalal’el lived another 830 years and had sons and daughters. ¹⁷ In all, Mahalal’el lived 895 years; then he died.

¹⁸ Yered lived 162 years and fathered Hanokh. ¹⁹ After Hanokh was born, Yered lived 800 years and had sons and daughters. ²⁰ In all, Yered lived 962 years; then he died.

²¹ Hanokh lived sixty-five years and fathered Metushelach. ²² After Metushelach was born, Hanokh walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters. ²³ In all, Hanokh lived 365 years. ²⁴ Hanokh walked with God, and then he wasn’t there, because God took him.

(vii) ²⁵ Metushelach lived 187 years and fathered Lemekh. ²⁶ After Lemekh was born, Metushelach lived 782 years and had sons and daughters. ²⁷ In all, Metushelach lived 969 years; then he died.

²⁸ Lemekh lived 182 years and fathered a son, ²⁹ whom he called Noach [restful]; for he said, “This one will comfort us in our labor, in the hard work we do with our hands [to get what comes] from the ground that Adonai cursed.” ³⁰ After Noach was born, Lemekh lived 595 years and had sons and daughters. ³¹ In all, Lemekh lived 777 years; then he died.

³² Noach was 500 years old; and Noach fathered Shem, Ham and Yefet.

6 In time, when men began to multiply on earth, and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. ³ Adonai said, “My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their life span is to be 120 years.” ⁴ The N’filim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; these were the ancient heroes, men of renown.

(Maftir) ⁵ Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. ⁶ Adonai regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart. ⁷ Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them.” ⁸ But Noach found grace in the sight of Adonai.

Haftarah B’resheet: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 42:5–43:10 (A); 42:5–21 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B’resheet: Mattityahu (Matthew) 1:1–17; 19:3–9; Mark 10:1–12; Luke 3:23–38; Yochanan (John) 1:1–18; 1 Corinthians 6:15–20; 15:35–58; Romans 5:12–21; Ephesians 5:21–32; Colossians 1:14–17; 1 Timothy 2:11–15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 1:1–3; 3:7–4:11; 11:1–7; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 3:3–14; Revelation 21:1–5; 22:1–5

Parashah 2: Noach (Noah) 6:9–11:32

⁹ Here is the history of Noach. In his generation, Noach was a man righteous and wholehearted; Noach walked with God. ¹⁰ Noach fathered three sons, Shem, Ham and Yefet. ¹¹ The earth was corrupt before God, the earth was filled with violence. ¹² God saw the earth, and, yes, it was corrupt; for all living beings had corrupted their ways on the earth.

¹³ God said to Noach, “The end of all living beings has come before me, for because of them the earth is filled with violence. I will destroy them along with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gofer-wood; you are to make the ark with rooms and cover it with pitch both outside and inside. ¹⁵ Here is how you are to build it: the length of the ark is to be 450 feet, its width seventy-five feet and its height forty-five feet. ¹⁶ You are to make an opening for daylight in the ark eighteen inches below its roof. Put a door in its side; and build it with lower, second and third decks.

¹⁷ “Then I myself will bring the flood of water over the earth to destroy from under heaven every living thing that breathes; everything on earth will be destroyed. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you; you will come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

¹⁹ “From everything living, from each kind of living being, you are to bring two into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they are to be male and female. ²⁰ Of each kind of bird, each kind of livestock, and each kind of animal creeping on the ground, two are to come to you, so that they can be kept alive. ²¹ Also take from all the kinds of food that are eaten, and collect it for yourself; it is to be food for you and for them.” ²² This is what Noach did; he did all that God ordered him to do.

7 (ii) Adonai said to Noach, “Come into the ark, you and all your household; for I have seen that you alone in this generation are righteous before me. ² Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean, one couple; ³ also of the birds in the air take seven couples — in order to preserve their species throughout the earth. ⁴ For in seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; I will wipe out every living thing that I have made from the face of the earth.” ⁵ Noach did all that Adonai ordered him to do.

⁶ Noach was 600 years old when the water flooded the earth. ⁷ Noach went into the ark with his sons, his wife and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. ⁸ Of clean animals, of animals that are not clean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ couples, male and female, went in to Noach in the ark, as God had ordered Noach.

¹⁰ After seven days the water flooded the earth. ¹¹ On the seventeenth day of the second month of the 600th year of Noach’s life all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the sky were opened. ¹² It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On that same day Noach entered the ark with Shem, Ham and Yefet the sons of Noach, Noach’s wife and the three wives of his sons accompanying them; ¹⁴ they, and every animal of every species, all the livestock of every species, every animal that creeps on the ground of every species, and every bird of every species — all sorts of winged creatures. ¹⁵ They went in to Noach in the ark, couples from every kind of living thing that breathes. ¹⁶ Those that entered went in, male and female, from every kind of living being, as God had ordered him; and Adonai shut him inside.

(iii) ¹⁷ The flood was forty days on the earth; the water grew higher and floated the ark, so that it was lifted up off the earth. ¹⁸ The water overflowed the earth and grew deeper, until the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ The water overpowered the earth mightily; all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered; ²⁰ the water covered the mountains by more than twenty-two-and-a-half feet. ²¹ All living beings that moved on the earth perished — birds, livestock, other animals, insects, and every human being, ²² everything in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life; whatever was on dry land died. ²³ He wiped out every living thing on the surface of the ground — not only human beings, but livestock, creeping animals and birds in the air. They were wiped out from the earth; only Noach was left, along with those who were with him in the ark. ²⁴ The water held power over the earth for 150 days.