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N E W L I F E

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ContentsThe New Life Good News Bible includes the full text of the Good News Bible, as well as some helpful lists to help you fi nd key events and stories, and fi nd passages for certain occasions and situations. You will also fi nd helpful maps, an index and a word list at the back.

This colour section gives you a bigger overview of the whole Bible; what it is, when all the events happened, where we get the Bible from, who’s in it and how it impacts our lives today.

What is the Bible?

What is the Bible? 4What is in the Bible? 5Six myths about the Bible? 6What do I do with the Bible? 8

When did events in the Bible happen?

Visual timeline of the Bible 10

Where does the Bible come from?

Sources of the Bible 18Languages of the Bible 19

Who is who in the Bible?

Life Files of key Bible characters 20

How does the Bible impact us today?

Summaries of Biblical teaching on practical issues

Abortion 48Alcohol 49Environment 50Euthanasia 51Fair trade 52

Food & Eating 53Internet 54Media 55Money 56Politics 57

Pornography 58Racism 59Refugees 60School 61Sex 62

Sport 63Work 64


[what?] [when?] [where?] [who?] [how?]

The boring,

missing the main

point answer

The Bible is a collection of books written by many different authors, across thousands of years. It contains 66 books, including books of history, prophecy, poetry, letters and biographies of Jesus. It’s very, very old and very, very big.

The exciting,

why you should

read it answer

The Bible is the most amazing book ever written. It’s like no other book, because this is a book that speaks to you. Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God. Which means that the people who wrote it were passing on messages from God – messages which were not only for the people of their time, but for all people, everywhere and in any time.

Think about that for a minute: if you read this book, you’ll be hearing from God. Yes, it has 66 books in it, written in different styles; yes it’s very old – but, the language in the Good News Bible is not old. The key thing about the Bible is that it’s the word of God. What we have to do is explore it for ourselves.

What is the Bible?


What is the Bible? 5

Old and New Testaments

The Bible is split into two parts, the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament also forms the Jewish scriptures. For this reason some people call the Old Testament ‘the Jewish Scripture’.

Sections

The Old Testament is split into fi ve sections: the Law, which some people call ‘the Pentateuch’ or ‘the Books of the Law’, the Historical books, the Poetic books, and the Major and Minor prophets.

The New Testament is divided into four sections: the Gospels, the book of Acts, Letters from people such as Paul, John and Peter, and the book of Revelation.

Books

Each of these sections is made up of different numbers of books. The Law, for example, consists of fi ve books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Gospels, in the New Testament, are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Some books are huge, some are just one page long. They are written in different styles. The Psalms,

for instance, are collections of poems; Kings is a long history. Some books follow on from each other, such as 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles.

Chapters

Each book of the Bible is broken down into chapters. Some similar chapters or sections appear in more than one book; Chronicles and Kings share a lot of the same content, as do Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Verses

Finally the chapters are split into individual, numbered verses.

Bible references

To fi nd our way around the Bible we use ‘Bible references’ – a bit like an address. Here’s how those ‘addresses’ are used in this bible:• John 3.16 means the book of John,

chapter 3, verse 16. • 2 Chronicles 1.1–17 means the

second book of Chronicles, chapter one, verses 1 to 17.

• James 4.13,15, 5.6 means read James chapter 4, verse 13, verse 15 and chapter 5, verse 6.

the Bible?What is in


[what?] [when?] [where?] [who?] [how?] [what?] [when?] [where?] [who?] [how?]

Creation

In the beginning, God creates the heavens and the earth. He shapes the earth and fi lls it with plants and creatures. Most importantly, he looks at it, and sees that it is good. Finally, he creates Adam and Eve – man and woman. He provides a place for them to live in – a garden in a place called Eden. They are given the responsibility of looking after the world. Adam and Eve are given only one rule: don’t eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. It is their choice: obey God, or follow their own desires. In the end, they give into temptation. Humanity chooses to follow its own desires and the result is that sin enters the world. God expels them from the garden; from now on they must make their own way.

Genesis 1–2OT p3–5

Decline

In the generations following the fall of Adam and Eve, both bad and good things happen. Adam’s eldest son, Cain, murders his brother Abel in a fi t of jealous rage (Gen 4.1–16).There are the fi rst signs of violence and revenge (Gen 4.23–4). But there is good as well; humans start to farm the land and keep livestock (Gen 4.20); they play music (Gen 4.21); they start to make tools (Gen 4.22). But, as people start to spread throughout the earth, the evil behaviour starts to outweigh the good things. Eventually things get so bad that God looks at the earth and regrets ever starting the whole thing (Gen 6.5–6). Something must be done...


Flood

God decides to send a fl ood to wash earth clean and destroy all the people. Well, not quite all. Noah is a good man, so God decides that he and his family should be the ones to survive and start again. God commands Noah to build an ‘ark’ – a huge fl oating box in which he and the animals will be safe from the fl ood. Noah does as he is told and, when the fl ood subsides, God gives him a promise: never again will he wipe out humanity in this way. As a sign of this promise he sends a rainbow over the earth. The rainbow is to be a reminder to all humanity that God will never again wipe them out.


Visual timeline of the Bible

Enoch Noah

Creation and Fall

Adam & Eve

Cain

Abel

Flood• Tower

of Babel


When did events in the Bible happen? 11

Promise

Abraham is living in Haran, when God calls him to move to Canaan. God promises that Abraham’s descendants will become a mighty nation, a nation which will bring a blessing on all the people of earth (Gen 12.1–7). Abraham has faith in God, he believes that God will keep his promise. This promise is repeated several times to Abraham (Gen 15 & 17) as well as to Abraham’s son Isaac (Gen 26.1–5) and his grandson Jacob (Gen 28.10–15). It is given in the form of a covenant, a solemn agreement.


Egypt

Joseph – Jacob’s favourite son – is not popular with his brothers. In the end they become so angry at his perceived arrogance, they sell him into slavery and pretend to his father that he has died (Gen 37). Years later there is a famine in Canaan and Jacob sends his sons down to Egypt to get some food. There, they eventually discover that Joseph has survived and is now second in command to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt (Gen 39–41). Eventually, Joseph reveals himself and invites the rest of his family down to Egypt. Jacob and his family move to Egypt and settle in the land (Gen 42–46).


Tribes

The descendants of Jacob’s sons become twelve tribes – taking their name from their ancestors. The ten main tribes are Judah, Reuben, Levi, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Naphtali and Benjamin. The other two tribes are named after Joseph’s two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim (Gen 49). These tribes eventually go on to occupy territory in the Promised Land. One tribe – the Levites – will be the priestly tribe, owning no land, but providing the priests for the rest of the nation.


-2100BC -2000BC -1900BC -1800BC

Abraham

Ishmael

Isaac

Esau

Jacob

Covenant with Abraham Israel in Egypt• Sodom & Gomorrah

destroyed• Joseph

to Egypt• Jacob

to Egypt

Joseph



The Hebrew Scriptures

The Old Testament is made up of the Hebrew Scriptures, the holy books of the Jews. They arrange the books in three sections: Law, Prophets and Writings. The early Church used the Jewish Scriptures, probably singing from the Psalms and reading the prophets to see how they pointed to Jesus. But they also told stories and shared memories of Jesus’s life and teaching, passing on these memories from group to group.

Writings of the early church

After a while the church had grown and the original eyewitnesses began to die. So various people began to write down their own accounts, drawing on a range of material and their own observations. At the same time, leaders such as Paul, Peter or John wrote to different churches helping them to solve problems and offering spiritual advice. These letters were collected and copied and passed around the early Church.

True or false

The trouble was that, along with these true documents, fake gospels began to circulate, full of bizarre

details and false teaching. So various church leaders began to draw up their lists of ‘recommended’ reading. In AD376, Bishop Athanasius wrote to the churches in his region, with his list of what constituted ‘Holy Scripture’. He listed books which were attributed to apostles or people closely associated with Jesus. His list was eventually confi rmed by two councils, one in Rome in AD382 and one in Carthage in AD397 and that is the New Testament that we have today.

It’s a surprising fact that, although individual books date from as early as AD50, the collection of books that we know as ‘The Bible’ was not agreed until around AD400.

Sources of the Bible


Where does the Bible come from? 19

We read the whole thing in English, but the Bible was originally written in several different kinds of languages, depending on who was writing and the time it was written.

Hebrew

Is the language of the Old Testament (apart from a bit in the book of Daniel which was written in Aramaic). After the exile, it was replaced by Aramaic in common use, but it continued to be the ‘religious language’ used in religious ritual and, of course, when reading the Hebrew scriptures.

Aramaic

The Aramaic language was used throughout most of the Assyrian and Persian empire. After the restoration of the Jews, Aramaic was adopted as the common language. This was the language that Jesus spoke. Aramaic words which appear in the New Testament include ‘Abba’ (Mark 14.36) and ‘Talitha, koum’ (Mark 5.41), which many translations leave as they are.

Greek

The New Testament is written in Greek. But this is not the Greek of classical literature. This is what is known as koine or common Greek. This was the language used by ordinary people throughout the Roman empire, the language used for trade and commerce. Even in Rome, most people spoke Greek, with Latin being reserved for offi cial use, or used by the upper classes. It’s worth remembering that the New Testament was not written in a posh language, but the language of ordinary, working people of the time.

Latin

Latin only occurs in the New Testament in a handful of places, mostly to do with offi cial terms such as census, Centurion or denarius. Most people spoke Aramaic or Greek. However, Latin became widely used in the medieval church and the fi rst translations of the New Testament were into Latin.

of the BibleLanguages


Aaron

Brother of Moses. Acted as his brother’s spokesman before the King of Egypt.

▼ What’s the story?Aaron acted as Moses’ spokesman and second-in-command. Once the Israelites escaped from Egypt, Aaron was appointed High Priest.

Obviously he had a lot of good qualities. He was specifi cally chosen by God (Numbers 17.1–13) for what was a diffi cult and even dangerous job. He didn’t fl inch from the task.

But what is amazing about Aaron is that he broke the law. When the people wanted to build a false idol to worship, Aaron went along with it. Perhaps he was scared, perhaps he didn’t know what else to do, but he clearly disobeys God. Then he goes and criticises Moses and seems to get away with it (Numbers 12.1–16), although his sister is punished.

Perhaps the truth is that Aaron was punished, but in a less obvious way. Like Moses, he never got to the Promised Land. And his two sons died as a result of not obeying the Lord’s commands precisely (Leviticus 10.1–3). Perhaps, too, he recognises his sins and repents. Maybe his failing was that he was too easily led.

▼ What’s the point?Aaron’s role is signifi cant in the Bible. As the fi rst High Priest, and the ancestor of the priestly tribe of Levi, he had a signifi cant role. He made mistakes; he did things wrong. But he served God faithfully as well.

Abrahama.k.a. Abram

Son of Terah. Husband of Sarah (formerly Sarai).

▼ What’s the story?Abram was living in Haran when God called him. Aged 75 and without any children, God promises to bless Abram and make him a ‘great nation’ (Genesis 12.2).

Abraham ‘put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him’ (Genesis 15.6). He left his home and travelled far away when God told him. He believed that he would have a son, even though he was in his old age. He was even prepared to give up his precious son if God asked. He had faith that God would do what he said he would do. (Of course, there were times when he was not so sure – such as the times when he passed his wife off as his sister; but nobody’s perfect.)

▼ What’s the point?Abraham is the man of faith of the Old Testament. Think about it: he had no prior experience on which to base his faith, no Bible, no historical books to examine. He just had to trust God’s promises.

Faith in God means acting on his commands. Abraham didn’t just believe in God, he started walking.

▼ Brief Encounter

A week with Abraham

Origins: Genesis 11.26–31, 12.1–9Abram in Egypt Genesis 12.10–13.1Abram and Lot: Genesis 13.2–18Abram to Abraham: Genesis 17.1–27Abraham argues with God: Genesis 18.16–33Abraham has a son: Genesis 18.1–15, 21.1–8Abraham’s faith: Genesis 22.1–19



Adam & EveAdam:Created by God. The original.

Eve: the 2nd human. ‘Eve’ sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘living’.

▼ What’s Adam’s story?Adam was told to look after the garden. There was only one rule: not to eat from one specifi c tree. It was a question of obedience. Leaving it says, ‘I’ll obey God.’ Eating it says, ‘I’m going to make my own decisions.’

In the end he gave in. He ate the fruit, and the world changed.

From now on work will be hard (Genesis 3.17–19). He will not live forever. But more than that, Adam and Eve’s action brought sin into the world. Creation was never the same.

▼ What’s Adam’s point?Adam had it all. But he chose to follow his own desires, and that meant leaving the garden and infecting the whole of creation.

▼ What’s Eve’s story?Eve was created to be Adam’s partner. She gave into temptation, disobeyed God, persuaded Adam to do the same and, like him, was banished from the garden.

▼ What’s Eve’s point?Eve gave into sin. Her actions and her husband’s brought sin into the world.

▼ Brief Encounter

Five days with Adam and Eve

Happy birthday: Genesis 2.7–22Disobedience: Genesis 3.1–8Excuses, excuses: Genesis 3.9–24Adam’s children: Genesis 4.1–19; 5.1–5Adam and Christ: Romans 5.12–21

Balaam

A Prophet at the time of King Moab.

▼ What’s the story?Alarmed at their success, the king of Moab asks Balaam to curse the Israelites. (In those days a curse was thought to have great power.) Balaam asks God whether he should go. Eventually, God says ‘yes’, providing he does exactly what the Lord says.

Balaam sets out, only to have his donkey break down on him. It swerves off the path, crushes Balaam’s leg against the wall and fi nally sinks to the ground, leaving Balaam beating it in frustration. The donkey then has a right go at Balaam, at which Balaam’s eyes are opened and he sees an angel standing in the way with drawn sword to bar his passage. The so-called ‘holy man’ cannot see the angel, but the ‘dumb’ beast can. In the end Balaam goes to Balak but, instead of cursing Israel, he blesses them, and delivers a prophecy that, in the far future a ‘king of Israel will appear like a star’.

▼ What’s the point?Angels, talking donkeys, curses – this is a seriously strange story. Perhaps the key to it lies in the story of Balaam’s death. This was a prophet who never seemed to know his own mind. God warned him to do what he was told, but perhaps he was tempted to earn money from the king of Moab. One thing is sure, if your donkey starts behaving strangely, pay attention; it might be the Lord!

21Who is who in the Bible?



An estimated 50 million abortions are taking place annually worldwide. That’s more than one abortion every second. Britain’s laws allow for abortion right up until 24 weeks into pregnancy. In cases of serious physical or mental handicap a mother can abort at any time before birth.

The Bible tells us that a child is created in the image of God (Genesis 1.27) and is to be protected. Why? Because from the moment of conception, every child has its own unique genetic make-up with everything there to provide life. God counts them as valuable individuals in their own right. In Psalm 139, David states that he was as valuable in the womb as he was outside of it.

Women don’t make this decision lightly. For many women, keeping the child could mean losing a current boyfriend or career, disappointing parents, having to raise the child alone, or adding pressure to an already strained family. Although many women are told that abortion is a normal, minor surgical procedure, not every woman experiences this. Women can suffer emotional and physical consequences of their decision to abort, including depression, grief, guilt and anger.

Christians have a responsibility to defend the weak and to stand for justice. But we also have a

responsibility to respond in mercy. If we say that abortion is not found in the heart of God then there will be a cost involved as we support women in crisis pregnancy – who will care for these children brought into the world? Jesus rebuked the Pharisees saying ‘you put loads on people’s backs which are hard to carry, but you yourselves will not stretch out a fi nger to help them’ (Luke 11.46). An inevitable result of fewer abortions will be a greater need for child-care and adoption. In what ways can you and your church respond with compassion?

Think

What are the reasons that might cause someone to choose abortion?How could churches respond in positive ways?

Is it enough for Christians to say ‘abortion’s wrong’? What else should we be doing?

Act

Let your friends know what you’ve discovered about this issue.

Check

Job 10.8–11, 31.15; Psalm 22.9–10, 51.5, 71.6, 119.73; Jeremiah 1.5; Luke 1.5–56; Ephesians 1.4; 2 Timothy 1.9

Abortion


How does the Bible impact us today? 49

Drinking alcohol is one of those issues which is and will continue to be controversial. Six hundred or more biblical references and two thousand years of Christian tradition have not yet provided a clear answer.

The Bible tells us that Jesus wined and dined with sinners (Matthew 11.19); Paul advised Timothy to drink a little wine (1 Timothy 5.23) and Jesus turned water into wine (John 2.1–11); while Psalm 104.15 mentions wine makes men happy. However, there are strong statements about not getting drunk (Proverbs 20.1; 23.29–35; Ephesians 5.18; 1 Peter 4). And in Proverbs 31.1–9 a king is advised to stay away from drink if he wants to make wise decisions. So although there is no 11th Commandment saying ‘Thou shalt not drink alcohol’, to drink without thinking of the consequences is to act without exercising responsibility.

Whilst some people consume alcohol without any apparent problems, millions of people are harmed as a result of drinking.

Members of the International Blue Cross Federation (a Christian organisation with member societies in over 50 countries) choose to help by adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle. Their personal sacrifi ce encourages alcoholics to stay ‘dry’ and helps people to be confi dent about choosing

to live without drink.

Think

Jesus made up to 160 gallons of wine at Cana, but would he have made anything that would intoxicate or bring harm to anyone? Would he have done this today?

If alcohol, cannabis, tobacco had all been discovered recently and only one could be made available legally, which one should it be?

Would you consider adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle?

Act

Find out more about charities that help people with alcohol problems like the International Blue Cross Federation and Hope UK.

Check

Psalm 104.15; Proverbs 20.1, 23.29–35, 31.1–9; Matthew 11.19; John 2.1–11; 1 Corinthians 10.23; Ephesians 5.18; 1 Timothy 5.23; 1 Peter 4.7

Alcohol


T H E B I B L E S O C I E T I E S / C O L L I N S

Old TestamentThe Law

Genesis 3Exodus 54Leviticus 96Numbers 125Deuteronomy 163

Historical booksJoshua 200Judges 224Ruth 2491 Samuel 2542 Samuel 2881 Kings 3182 Kings 3501 Chronicles 3822 Chronicles 413

Ezra 448Nehemiah 460Esther 477

Poetic booksJob 485Psalms 521Proverbs 615Ecclesiastes 640Song of Songs 649Lamentations 777

Major prophetsIsaiah 656Jeremiah 716Ezekiel 784Daniel 835

Minor prophetsHosea 851Joel 861Amos 866Obadiah 873Jonah 875Micah 878Nahum 884Habakkuk 887Zephaniah 890Haggai 893Zechariah 895Malachi 905

New TestamentThe Gospels

Matthew 3Mark 43Luke 70John 112

The good news spreadsActs 142

LettersRomans 1801 Corinthians 1972 Corinthians 213

Galatians 223Ephesians 229Philippians 235Colossians 2401 Thessalonians 2442 Thessalonians 2481 Timothy 2512 Timothy 256Titus 260Philemon 262Hebrews 264

James 2771 Peter 2822 Peter 2871 John 2902 John 2943 John 295Jude 296

ProphecyRevelation 298

Contents

How to use the Good News Bible vWell-known events viPeople viiMiracles of Jesus viiiParables of Jesus viiiSpecial occasions ixWhere to find help xWhere to find passages about x

Old Testament mapsThe world of Genesis xiThe route of the Exodus xiiThe division of Canaan xiiiThe united Israelite kingdom xivJerusalem in Old Testament times xvThe divided Israelite kingdoms xvi

New Testament mapsJerusalem in New Testament times 316Palestine in the time of Jesus 317Palestine and Syria in Acts 318Paul’s first missionary journey 319Paul’s second and third journeys 320Paul’s journey to Rome

(including the seven churchesin Revelation 2—3) 321

Index 322Word list 350Introductory reading plan 354Information about the translation 355

Miracles of Jesus

Man born blindJohn 9, NT 125

Officer’s servantMatthew 8.5–13, NT 11

Raising of Jairus’ daughter from the deadMatthew 9.18–19, NT 13; Mark 5.22–24, NT 50; Luke 8.41–42, NT 84

Feeding of the five thousandMatthew 14.15–21, NT 21; Mark 6.30–44, NT 52; Luke 9.12–17, NT 85; John 6.5–13, NT 119

Catch of fishLuke 5.1–11, NT 77

Stilling of the stormMatthew 8.23–27, NT 12; Mark 4.37–41, NT 48; Luke 8.22–25, NT 120

Walking on waterMatthew 14.25, NT 21; Mark 6.48–51, NT 52; John 6.19–21, NT 120

Turning water into wineJohn 2.1–11, NT 114

Ten men with leprosyLuke 17.11–19, NT 98

Jesus heals a possessed manMark 5.1–20, NT 49

The paralysed manLuke 5.18–25, NT 78

Parables of Jesus

Gold coinsLuke 19.11–27, NT 101

Good SamaritanLuke 10.29–37, NT 88

Great feastLuke 14.15–24, NT 95

Hidden treasureMatthew 13.44, NT 20

Lost coin, lost son, lost sheepMatthew 18.10–14, NT 25; Luke 15, NT 96

Pearl, treasure in the fieldMatthew 13.45–46, NT 20

Pharisee and the tax collectorLuke 18.9–14, NT 99

SowerMatthew 13.3–9, 18–23, NT 18; Mark 4.3–8, 13–20, NT 47; Luke 8.5–8, 11–15, NT 82

Tenants in the vineyardMatthew 20.1–16, NT 27; Matthew 21.33–46, NT 30

Two sonsMatthew 21.28–32, NT 30

House on rock and sandMatthew 7.24–27, NT 11; Luke 6.47–49, NT 80

GENESIS

INTRODUCTION

The name Genesis means “origin”. The book tells about the creation of the uni-verse, the origin of the human race, the beginning of sin and suffering in theworld, and about God’s way of dealing with humanity. Genesis can be dividedinto two main parts: (1) The creation of the world and the early history of thehuman race. Here are the accounts of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah andthe flood, and the Tower of Babylon (chapters 1—11). (2) The history of theearly ancestors of the Israelites. The first is Abraham, who was notable for hisfaith and his obedience to God. Then follow the stories of his son Isaac, andgrandson Jacob (also called Israel), and of Jacob’s twelve sons, who were thefounders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Special attention is given to one of thesons, Joseph, and the events that brought Jacob and his other sons with theirfamilies to live in Egypt (chapters 12—50).

While this book tells stories about people, it is first and foremost anaccount of what God has done. It begins with the affirmation that God createdthe universe, and it ends with a promise that God will continue to show hisconcern for his people. Throughout the book the main character is God, whojudges and punishes those who do wrong, leads and helps his people, andshapes their history. This ancient book was written to record the story of a peo-ple’s faith and to help keep that faith alive.

Outline of ContentsCreation of the universe and of the human race 1.1—2.25The beginning of sin and suffering 3.1–24From Adam to Noah 4.1—5.32Noah and the flood 6.1—10.32The tower of Babylon 11.1–9From Shem to Abram 11.10–32The patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob 12.1—35.29The descendants of Esau 36.1–43Joseph and his brothers 37.1—45.28The Israelites in Egypt 46.1—50.26

The Story of CreationIn the beginning, when God createdthe universe,* 2ithe earth was formless

and desolate. The raging ocean that cov-ered everything was engulfed in totaldarkness, and the Spirit of God* was mov-ing over the water. 3iThen God com-manded, “Let there be light” — and lightappeared. 4iGod was pleased with what

he saw. Then he separated the light from thedarkness, 5iand he named the light “Day”and the darkness “Night”. Evening passedand morning came — that was the first day.

6–7iThen God commanded, “Let there be adome to divide the water and to keep it intwo separate places” — and it was done.So God made a dome, and it separated thewater under it from the water above it.8iHe named the dome “Sky”. Eveningpassed and morning came — that was thesecond day.

9iThen God commanded, “Let the waterbelow the sky come together in one place,

1.1 In the beginning… the universe; or In thebeginning God created the universe; or When Godbegan to create the universe.

1.2 the Spirit of God; or the power of God; or a windfrom God; or an awesome wind.

See also: 1.3: 2 Cor 4.6 See also: 1.6–8: 2 Pet 3.5

so that the land will appear” — and it wasdone. 10iHe named the land “Earth”, andthe water which had come together henamed “Sea”. And God was pleased withwhat he saw. 11iThen he commanded,“Let the earth produce all kinds of plants,those that bear grain and those that bearfruit” — and it was done. 12iSo the earthproduced all kinds of plants, and God waspleased with what he saw. 13iEveningpassed and morning came — that was thethird day.

14iThen God commanded, “Let lightsappear in the sky to separate day fromnight and to show the time when days,years, and religious festivals* begin;15ithey will shine in the sky to give light tothe earth” — and it was done. 16iSo Godmade the two larger lights, the sun to ruleover the day and the moon to rule over thenight; he also made the stars. 17iHe placedthe lights in the sky to shine on the earth,18ito rule over the day and the night, andto separate light from darkness. And Godwas pleased with what he saw. 19iEveningpassed and morning came — that was thefourth day.

20iThen God commanded, “Let thewater be filled with many kinds of livingbeings, and let the air be filled with birds.”21iSo God created the great sea monsters,all kinds of creatures that live in the water,

and all kinds of birds. And God waspleased with what he saw. 22iHe blessedthem all and told the creatures that live inthe water to reproduce, and to fill the sea,and he told the birds to increase in num-ber. 23iEvening passed and morningcame — that was the fifth day.

24iThen God commanded, “Let the earthproduce all kinds of animal life: domesticand wild, large and small” — and it wasdone. 25iSo God made them all, and hewas pleased with what he saw.

26iThen God said, “And now we willmake human beings; they will be like usand resemble us. They will have powerover the fish, the birds, and all animals,domestic and wild,* large and small.”27iSo God created human beings, makingthem to be like himself. He created themmale and female, 28iblessed them, andsaid, “Have many children, so that yourdescendants will live all over the earth andbring it under their control. I am puttingyou in charge of the fish, the birds, and allthe wild animals. 29iI have provided allkinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for youto eat; 30ibut for all the wild animals andfor all the birds I have provided grass andleafy plants for food” — and it was done.31iGod looked at everything he had made,and he was very pleased. Evening passedand morning came — that was the sixthday.

And so the whole universe was com-pleted. 2iBy the seventh day God fin-

ished what he had been doing and stoppedworking. 3iHe blessed the seventh day andset it apart as a special day, because by thatday he had completed his creation* andstopped working. 4iAnd that is how theuniverse was created.

The Garden of EdenWhen the LORD* God made the universe,

5ithere were no plants on the earth andno seeds had sprouted, because he hadnot sent any rain, and there was no one to

4 GENESIS 1 Old Testament

Let the earth produce all kinds ofplants … creatures that live in thewater (1.11,21)

1.14 religious festivals; or seasons.

1.26 One ancient translation animals, domestic andwild; Hebrew domestic animals and all the earth.

2.3 by that day he had completed his creation; or onthat day he completed his creation.

2.4 THE LORD: See LORD in Word List

See also: 1.26: 1 Cor 11.7 1.27: Mt 19.4; Mk 10.61.27–28: Gen 5.1–2 2.2: Heb 4.4, 102.2–3: Ex 20.11

cultivate the land; 6ibut water wouldcome up from beneath the surface andwater the ground.

7iThen the LORD God took some soil fromthe ground* and formed a man* out of it;he breathed life-giving breath into his nos-trils and the man began to live.

8iThen the LORD God planted a garden inEden, in the East, and there he put theman he had formed. 9iHe made all kindsof beautiful trees grow there and producegood fruit. In the middle of the gardenstood the tree that gives life and the treethat gives knowledge of what is good andwhat is bad.*

10iA stream flowed in Eden and wateredthe garden; beyond Eden it divided into fourrivers. 11iThe first river is the Pishon; it flowsround the country of Havilah. 12i(Pure gold isfound there and also rare perfume and pre-cious stones.) 13iThe second river is theGihon; it flows round the country of Cush.*14iThe third river is the Tigris, which flowseast of Assyria, and the fourth river is theEuphrates.

15iThen the LORD God placed the man inthe Garden of Eden to cultivate it andguard it. 16iHe said to him, “You may eatthe fruit of any tree in the garden,17iexcept the tree that gives knowledgeof what is good and what is bad.* Youmust not eat the fruit of that tree; if youdo, you will die the same day.”

18iThen the LORD God said, “It is not goodfor the man to live alone. I will make a suit-able companion to help him.” 19iSo hetook some soil from the ground andformed all the animals and all the birds.Then he brought them to the man to seewhat he would name them; and that ishow they all got their names. 20iSo theman named all the birds and all the ani-mals; but not one of them was a suitablecompanion to help him.

21iThen the LORD God made the man fallinto a deep sleep, and while he was sleep-ing, he took out one of the man’s ribs andclosed up the flesh. 22iHe formed a woman

out of the rib and brought her to him.23iThen the man said,

“At last, here is one of my own kind —Bone taken from my bone, and flesh

from my flesh.‘Woman’ is her name because she

was taken out of man.”*24iThat is why a man leaves his father andmother and is united with his wife, andthey become one.

25iThe man and the woman were bothnaked, but they were not embarrassed.

Human DisobedienceNow the snake was the most cunninganimal that the LORD God had made.

The snake asked the woman, “Did Godreally tell you not to eat fruit from any treein the garden?”

2i“We may eat the fruit of any tree in thegarden,” the woman answered, 3i“exceptthe tree in the middle of it. God told us notto eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it;if we do, we will die.”

4iThe snake replied, “That’s not true;you will not die. 5iGod said that, becausehe knows that when you eat it you will belike God* and know what is good andwhat is bad.”*

6iThe woman saw how beautiful thetree was and how good its fruit would beto eat, and she thought how wonderful itwould be to become wise. So she tooksome of the fruit and ate it. Then she gavesome to her husband, and he also ate it.7iAs soon as they had eaten it, they were

The Law GENESIS 3 5

How wonderful it would be to becomewise (3.6)

2.7 GROUND… MAN: The Hebrew words for “man” and“ground” have similar sounds.

2.9, 2.17 knowledge of what is good and what isbad; or knowledge of everything.

2.13 Cush (of Mesopotamia); or Ethiopia.

See also: 2.7: 1 Cor 15.45 2.9: Rev 2.7, 22.2, 14

2.23 WOMAN… MAN: The Hebrew words for “woman”and “man” have similar sounds.

3.5 God; or the gods.3.5 know what is good and what is bad; or know

everything.

See also: 2.24: Mt 19.5; Mk 10.7–8; 1 Cor 6.16;Eph 5.31 3.1: Rev 12.9, 20.2

given understanding and realized thatthey were naked; so they sewed fig leavestogether and covered themselves.

8iThat evening they heard the LORD Godwalking in the garden, and they hid fromhim among the trees. 9iBut the LORD Godcalled out to the man, “Where are you?”

10iHe answered, “I heard you in the gar-den; I was afraid and hid from you, becauseI was naked.”

11i“Who told you that you were naked?”God asked. “Did you eat the fruit that I toldyou not to eat?”

12iThe man answered, “The womanyou put here with me gave me the fruit,and I ate it.”

13iThe LORD God asked the woman,“Why did you do this?”

She replied, “The snake tricked me intoeating it.”

God Pronounces Judgement14iThen the LORD God said to the snake,

“You will be punished for this; you alone ofall the animals must bear this curse: fromnow on you will crawl on your belly, andyou will have to eat dust as long as youlive. 15iI will make you and the womanhate each other; her offspring and yourswill always be enemies. Her offspring willcrush your head, and you will bite her off-spring’s* heel.”

16iAnd he said to the woman, “I willincrease your trouble in pregnancy andyour pain in giving birth. In spite of this,you will still have desire for your husband,yet you will be subject to him.”

17iAnd he said to the man, “You lis-tened to your wife and ate the fruitwhich I told you not to eat. Because ofwhat you have done, the ground will beunder a curse. You will have to work hardall your life to make it produce enoughfood for you. 18iIt will produce weedsand thorns, and you will have to eat wildplants. 19iYou will have to work hard andsweat to make the soil produce any-thing, until you go back to the soil fromwhich you were formed. You were madefrom soil, and you will become soilagain.”

20iAdam* named his wife Eve,* becauseshe was the mother of all human beings.21iAnd the LORD God made clothes out ofanimal skins for Adam and his wife, and heclothed them.

Adam and Eve are Sent Outof the Garden

22iThen the LORD God said, “Now theman has become like one of us and hasknowledge of what is good and what isbad.* He must not be allowed to take fruitfrom the tree that gives life, eat it, and livefor ever.” 23iSo the LORD God sent him outof the Garden of Eden and made him culti-vate the soil from which he had beenformed. 24iThen at the east side of the gar-den he put living creatures* and a flamingsword which turned in all directions. Thiswas to keep anyone from coming near thetree that gives life.

Cain and AbelThen Adam had intercourse with hiswife, and she became pregnant. She

bore a son and said, “By the LORD’s help Ihave acquired a son.” So she named himCain.* 2iLater she gave birth to another son,Abel. Abel became a shepherd, but Cainwas a farmer. 3iAfter some time, Cainbrought some of his harvest and gave it asan offering to the LORD. 4iThen Abel broughtthe first lamb born to one of his sheep,killed it, and gave the best parts of it as anoffering. The LORD was pleased with Abeland his offering, 5ibut he rejected Cain andhis offering. Cain became furious, and hescowled in anger. 6iThen the LORD said toCain, “Why are you angry? Why that scowlon your face? 7iIf you had done the rightthing, you would be smiling; * but becauseyou have done evil, sin is crouching at yourdoor. It wants to rule you, but you mustovercome it.”

6 GENESIS 3 Old Testament

3.15 her offspring’s; or their.

See also: 3.13: 2 Cor 11.3; 1 Tim 2.143.15: Rev 12.17 3.17–18: Heb 6.8

3.20 ADAM: This name in Hebrew means “humanity”.3.20 EVE: This name sounds similar to the Hebrew

word for “living”, which is rendered in this contextas “human beings”.

3.22 knowledge of what is good and what is bad; orknowledge of everything.

3.24 LIVING CREATURES: See Word List.4.1 CAIN: This name sounds like the Hebrew for

“acquired”.4.7 you would be smiling; or I would have accepted

your offering.

See also: 3.22: Rev 22.14 4.4: Heb 11.4

Index

The numbers in heavy type are the page numbers. The verses containingthe reference are given after the page numbers.

[OT] Old Testament [NT] New Testament

Aaron [OT] 57 Ex 4.1458 Ex 5.172 Ex 17.1281 Ex 2883 Ex 2986 Ex 32

136 Num 12143 Num 17145 Num 20

[NT] 151 Acts 7.40267 Heb 5.4268 Heb 7.11270 Heb 9.4

Abel [OT] 6 Gen 4.2–9, 25[NT] 33 Mt 23.35

91 Lk 11.51273 Heb 11.4275 Heb 12.24

Abraham, Abram [OT]born 12 Gen 11.26

married Sarai 13 Gen 11.29migrated from Ur to Haran 13 Gen 11.31called by God 13 Gen 12.1–5went to Egypt 13 Gen 12.10–20separated from Lot 14 Gen 13.7–11rescued Lot 14 Gen 14.13–16God’s covenant with 15 Gen 15.18

16 Gen 17.1–22name changed from

Abram to Abraham 16 Gen 17.5entertained angels 17 Gen 18.1–21interceded for Sodom 17 Gen 18.22–23banished Hagar and

Ishmael 20 Gen 21.9–21willing to offer Isaac 21 Gen 22.1–14buried Sarah in Machpelah 22 Gen 23married Keturah 24 Gen 25.1death and burial 25 Gen 25.8–9[NT] 5 Mt 3.9

72 Lk 1.7398 Lk 16.22–30

124 Jn 8.33–58184 Rom 4.1–22231 Gal 3.6–29273 Heb 11.8–11, 17279 Jas 2.21, 23

Absalom [OT] 291 2 Sam 3.3301 2 Sam 13.21—

18.33Achaia [NT] 166 Acts 18.12, 27

167 Acts 19.21195 Rom 15.26212 1 Cor 16.15213 2 Cor 1.1219 2 Cor 9.2244 1 Thes 1.7–8

Adam [OT] 6 Gen 3.20–216 Gen 4.1, 257 Gen 5.1–5

[NT] 185 Rom 5.12–21

210 1 Cor 15.22,45–49

252 1 Tim 2.13, 14Agabus [NT] 157 Acts 11.28

170 Acts 21.10Agrippa [NT](a) Herod Agrippa I 157 Acts 12.1–4, 6, 11,

19–23(b) Herod Agrippa II 174 Acts 25.13–26.2

176 Acts 26.19, 27–32Ahab [OT] 341 1 Kgs 16.28–33

342 1 Kgs 18.1—19.1345 1 Kgs 20.2—22.40

Ahasuerus see XerxesAmalek, Amalekite [OT] 72 Ex 17.8–16

230 Judg 6.3232 Judg 7.12269 1 Sam 15.2–20286 1 Sam 30.1–18288 2 Sam 1.1–13

Ammon, Ammonite [OT] 19 Gen 19.38166 Deut 2.37236 Judg 10.7—12.3297 2 Sam 10.1—11.1402 1 Chr 19.1—20.3300 2 Sam 12.26–31435 2 Chr 26.8435 2 Chr 27.5768 Jer 49.1–6804 Ezek 21.28–32808 Ezek 25.1–7, 10

Amorite [OT] 138 Num 13.29147 Num 21.13169 Deut 4.47208 Josh 10.5–10225 Judg 1.34–35237 Judg 11.19–23

Ananias [NT](a) Ananias and Sapphira 148 Acts 5.1–6(b) Ananias of Damascus 154 Acts 9.10–17

171 Acts 22.12–16(c) High Priest 172 Acts 23.2

173 Acts 24.1Andrew [NT] 6 Mt 4.18

44 Mk 1.1662 Mk 13.3

114 Jn 1.40, 44119 Jn 6.8129 Jn 12.22

Angel(s)(a) messengers and agents

of God [OT] 18 Gen 19.1, 1520 Gen 21.1729 Gen 28.1251 Gen 48.16

149 Num 22.22–35344 1 Kgs 19.5–7404 1 Chr 21.12–30585 Ps 103.20895 Zech 1.9–19

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