This second part of Genesis describes four great heroes: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

This section covers the life of Abraham.

Ur of the Chaldeans (see Genesis 11:31).

Abram will found a great nation; and God will bless him, make his name great, and cause him to bless others. Those who bless Abram will be blessed; those who curse him will be cursed. Everyone on earth will be blessed through him. This takes place through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abram.

Abram travels from Ur to Haran and from Haran to Canaan.

The Lord promises to give Canaan to Abram, and Abram builds an altar there.

Abram builds another altar.

Abram goes from Canaan to Egypt to escape a famine.

Afraid for his life, Abram tells Sarai to pretend she is his sister.

Pharaoh rewards Abram with riches for Sarai's sake, probably intending to marry her.

God plagues Pharaoh and his household for his plans to marry Sarai.

Pharaoh rebukes Abram for his deceit and sends him and Sarai away.

Abram arrives at Bethel and worships God again.

The herdsmen of Abram and Lot (his nephew) have a dispute over grazing rights.

Abram allows Lot to select his own land.

Lot foolishly chooses land close to the morally perverted city of Sodom.

After Lot's departure, God again promises to make Abram's descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth and to give them the land of Canaan.

Five Canaanite city-states rebel against Kedorlaomer of Elam.

Kedorlaomer and his allies defeat the armies of the five city-states, plunder their cities, and carry many people away as slaves.

Lot, now living in Sodom, is taken away as a sIave.

Upon learning of Lot's capture, Abram and his 318 trained servants ride out to rescue Lot.

Abram divides his men and initiates a surprise attack at night.

Kedorlaomer is defeated, and Lot is rescued.

As he is returning from battle to his home in Hebron, Abram meets Melchizedek, who blesses him. Abram offers him a tenth of all the goods he has recovered from Kedorlaomer.

In stark contrast, Abram refuses to have any fellowship with Bera, king of wicked Sodom.

Abram complains that upon his death all his goods will be passed on to Eliezer, one of his servants from Damascus. Eliezer will then become the heir to the covenant.

God tells Abram that the promised heir will be Abram's own son and that Abram's descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens!

"And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith."

God ratifies his promise to Abram with a covenant sealed by blood.

At sunset Abram falls into a deep sleep and sees troubling visions.

God speaks to Abram in his sleep, telling him his descendants will be enslaved for four hundred years. God also tells him that the oppressors will be punished, and that Abram's descendants will be set free and depart with great riches.

A smoking firepot and a flaming torch, probably symbolizing God himself, pass between the dead animals of the blood covenant.

God reveals to Abram the boundaries of the Promised Land, from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

Sarai is still unable to bear a son.

Sarai convinces Abram to marry Hagar, her servant, in order to have a son through her.

After Hagar conceives, she begins to look down upon Sarai.

After suffering harsh treatment from the frustrated Sarai, Hagar flees into the desert.

The angel of the Lord comes to her by a well and tells her, "Return to [Sarai] and submit to her authority."

The angel of the Lord tells Hagar that she will have innumerable descendants through her unborn son, who will be called Ishmael ("God hears").

She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is eighty-six years old.

God changes Abram's name from Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of many").

As a sign of the covenant, he is to circumcise himself, all males in his camp, and all baby boys eight days after their birth.

Those who refuse to be circumcised are to be cut off from the Israelites.

God changes her name from Sarai to Sarah ("princess").

God promises that this barren woman will indeed become the mother of nations.

God tells Abraham that Ishmael will become the ancestor of twelve princes and a great nation.

At age ninety-nine, Abraham circumcises himself, the thirteen-year-old Ishmael, and all the men in his camp.

The Lord himself and two angels visit Abraham near Hebron.

Abraham prepares a meal of veal, cheese curds, milk, and bread for his visitors.

In her tent Sarah overhears the Lord's promise concerning the birth of Isaac.

"Is anything too hard for the LORD? ... Sarah will have a son."

In fear, Sarah denies that she laughed in unbelief.

God determines to tell Abraham about his plan for the city of Sodom, since Abraham has been chosen to be the father of a righteous people.

The Lord tells Abraham about the wickedness of Sodom.

Abraham asks if the Lord will spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous people found there. The Lord answers yes.

For forty-five? Yes.

For forty? Yes.

For thirty? Yes.

For twenty? Yes.

For ten? Yes.

####### Lot and the angels (19:1-3):

Two angels visit Lot, and he invites them to spend the night in his home.

####### Lot and the Sodomites (19:4-11):

The men of Sodom demand that Lot hand over the two angels so that they can sexually molest them.

####### Lot and his family (19:12-14):

In vain Lot warns his daughters' fiancés to flee the city.

####### The firmness (19:15-17):

Reluctant to leave, Lot and his family are led out of the doomed city by the angels.

####### The fear (19:18-22):

Lot begs that they be allowed to live in Zoar, a small village near Sodom.

####### The fury (19:23-25):

The fiery wrath of God falls upon Sodom and other wicked cities of the plain.

####### The fatality (19:26):

Looking back to the burning Sodom, Lot's wife becomes a pillar of salt.

####### The firestorm (19:27-29):

From a distance of over twenty miles Abraham sees smoke rising from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

####### The supposition of two sisters (19:30-31):

Lot's daughters fear they will never marry and raise children.

####### The sins of two sisters (19:32-36):

They get their father drunk and sleep with him in order to become pregnant.

####### The sons of two sisters (19:37-38):

Moab, father of the Moabites, is born to Lot's older daughter, and Ben-ammi, father of the Ammonites, to Lot's younger daughter.

Again, fearing for his life, Abraham introduces Sarah as his sister.

In a dream God warns Abimelech that Sarah is married.

God tells Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham and promises that the patriarch will then pray for him.

"Why have you done this to us?"

Abraham says he feared that Abimelech would have killed him to marry Sarah.

Abimelech returns Sarah and compensates Abraham for his trouble. Abraham prays for Abimelech, and God lifts the curse he has placed upon Abimelech's household.

Sarah gives birth to the heir of the covenant!

He is named Isaac, meaning "laughter," because everyone who hears of this will laugh.

The purpose is to celebrate Isaac's weaning.

Sarah sees Ishmael mocking Isaac.

Sarah demands that Abraham order Hagar and Ishmael to leave the camp.

After Abraham is reassured by God that Hagar will be provided for, he sends her away with a supply of food and water.

In the wilderness Hagar fears both of them will soon die of exposure.

God provides food and water for Ishmael in the wilderness and later guides him into adulthood.

Just as God had foretold, Ishmael fathers twelve sons.

Abimelech and his commander, Phicol, come to make a treaty with Abraham.

Neither Abimelech nor Abraham will harm each other.

Abraham complains that Abimelech's servants have taken away one of his wells. Abimelech says he knew nothing about it.

A special peaceful covenant between the two men is ratified as Abraham gives Abimelech some sheep and oxen.

This is done at Beersheba ("well of the oath").

God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering.

Along with Isaac and two servants, Abraham heads out for the land of Moriah.

"Father? ... Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"

"God will provide a lamb, my son."

He allows Abraham to bind him on the altar.

He is commanded to offer up a nearby ram instead of Isaac.

Abraham calls that place "Yahweh Yir'eh" ("The LORD Will Provide").

The angel of the Lord again promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore.

Abraham learns that his brother Nahor has had eight sons. One of them is Bethuel, who will become the father of Rebekah (Isaac's wife).

He weeps for Sarah, who died at age 127.

He describes himself as a stranger and sojourner in Canaan and asks Ephron the Hittite if he may buy the cave of Machpelah that he might bury Sarah in it.

four hundred shekels of silver

the cave of Machpelah, located in Hebron

Abraham instructs his servant (probably Eliezer) to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham's native land of Mesopotamia.

Even if Eliezer cannot find a willing bride there, he is not to take Isaac there to live.

Abraham remembers the Lord's promise concerning the land of Canaan.

He will do exactly as Abraham has instructed. D. The preparation (24:10): The servant loads ten camels with gifts and departs.

The servant asks the Lord to cause the woman chosen as Isaac's bride to volunteer to provide water for him and his camels.

Even as the servant is praying, Rebekah appears upon the scene and fulfills the sign.

The servant gives Rebekah some gold jewelry.

Rebekah's brother invites the servant into his home.

The servant recounts to Laban the mission Abraham has given to him.

The servant recounts how God has answered his prayer.

The servant recounts his initial meeting with Rebekah.

He gives Rebekah more costly jewelry and clothing and invites her to accompany him back to Canaan to marry Isaac.

"Are you willing to go with this man?" And [Rebekah] replied, "Yes, I will go."

Abraham's servant and Rebekah and her servants leave Mesopotamia for Canaan.

Isaac is walking through a field when he meets his new bride. They marry and provide each other with love and comfort.

Abraham marries his third wife, Keturah.

Keturah bears him six sons, including Midian.

He passes on his wealth to his sons, giving the greatest part to Isaac.

He dies at the age of 175.

This section covers the life of Isaac.

He prays that Rebekah will conceive a child.

God answers Isaac's prayer in double measure!

Esau is born first, followed quickly by Jacob.

Upon reaching manhood, Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of stew.

During a famine, God forbids Isaac from going to Egypt, but allows him to enter Philistia.

As his father had previously done, Isaac lies to Abimelech (the Philistine king) about his wife, claiming she is his sister.

Upon seeing Isaac caressing Rebekah, Abimelech rebukes Isaac for deceiving him. In spite of this, God continues to bless Isaac.

An argument erupts concerning the ownership of some wells.

In a dream, the Lord appears to Isaac and confirms the covenant he made with Isaac's father, Abraham.

Realizing God's blessing upon Isaac, the Philistines propose a peace treaty with him. Isaac accepts and celebrates with a great feast.

Esau marries two Hittite women, who make life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.

Believing that death is near, Isaac instructs Esau to hunt some wild game and prepare a meal for him. Isaac promises to bless Esau following this meal.

Overhearing this conversation, Rebekah prepares a similar meal, disguises Jacob to resemble Esau, and sends him in to Isaac.

At first Isaac is confused, saying, "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's."

Jacob convinces Isaac that he is indeed Esau and receives his father's blessing.

As Jacob exits, Esau enters, ready to be blessed.

Weeping in sheer anger and frustration, Esau says: "O my father, bless me, too!"

Isaac predicts that Esau and his descendants will live by the sword and serve his brother for a time.

Esau vows to kill Jacob following the death of their father.

She urges him to escape Esau's wrath by going to her hometown of Haran in Mesopotamia.

Isaac tells Jacob to go to Haran and choose a bride from his mother's relatives.

Realizing that his Canaanite wives are a source of grief to his parents, Esau marries Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael (Abraham's son through Hagar).

This chapter is a list of Esau's descendants.

This section covers the life of Jacob.

During a dream at Bethel, Jacob sees angels ascending and descending upon a stairway reaching from earth to heaven.

The Lord is standing at the top of the stairway and reaffirms to Jacob the covenant he established with Abraham.

Upon waking, Jacob promises to serve God, but only if God protects him and provides for him.

Jacob meets Rachel by a well and rolls away a huge stone from its entrance so she can water her father's sheep. Her father is Laban, Jacob's uncle.

Jacob and Laban meet each other and decide that Jacob should work for Laban.

Jacob asks to marry Rachel in exchange for seven years of work for Laban.

On the eve of the wedding, Laban secretly substitutes Leah for Rachel, forcing Jacob to work yet another seven years.

Jacob's first wife

Jacob's second wife

Rachel's servant

Leah's servant

Leah's first son

Leah's third son

Bilhah's first son

Bilhah's second son

Zilpah's first son

Zilpah's second son

Leah's fifth son

Leah's sixth son

Rachel's first son

Rachel's second son

Jacob agrees to continue working for Laban under certain conditions.

Jacob asks that he be allowed to keep all the speckled and spotted animals from the flock.

Jacob becomes a very wealthy man!

Jacob finally decides to leave Laban.

Laban's sons turn his heart against his son-in-law, whom they envy.

The Lord tells Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather." So Jacob returns to Bethel.

Jacob's wives encourage him to follow what God tells him to do.

Jacob feels Laban has deceived him, changing his wages on ten occasions (see 31:7, 41).

Laban learns that Jacob and his entire camp have left without informing him and evidently have stolen the family idols.

During his ride to overtake Jacob, Laban is warned by God not to harm him.

Laban asks, "Why did you slip away secretly? ... Why have you stolen my household gods?"

Jacob replies that Laban's dishonesty caused him to leave. He says that he left secretly because of fear, but insists that he did not steal Laban's gods.

Both men agree to an uneasy truce, building a pile of stones to serve as a visible reminder.

As Jacob and his family continue on their way, angels come and meet them.

Upon learning that Esau is nearby, a frightened Jacob sends messengers to his brother, promising him great riches.

The messengers return with some terrifying news Esau is coming with four hundred men to meet Jacob.

Jacob "reminds" God of the covenant he established with Abraham and cries out for help.

He attempts to bribe Esau by sending him great herds and flocks of goats, rams, camels, cattle, and donkeys.

As Jacob is waiting alone by the Jabbok River during the night, a man comes and wrestles with him until dawn.

Jacob maintains the upper hand, and God changes his name from Jacob (meaning, "the deceiver") to Israel ("one who struggles with God").

Jacob calls the place Peniel, meaning "face of God." Following this event, he will (literally) never walk the same again! B. Jacob's reunion with Esau (33:1-16)

Jacob bows seven times as he approaches Esau. To Jacob's immense relief, Esau embraces and kisses him! Soon both are weeping for joy.

Here Jacob buys a field and builds an altar, calling it EI-Elohe-Israel, meaning "God, the God of Israel."

At God's command, Jacob returns to Bethel, where he first saw the dream of the stairway to heaven.

Jacob collects and buries all the idols in his camp, ordering each person to "wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing." Following this, Jacob builds an altar and calls it Elbethel, meaning "the God of the house of God."

God again confirms to Jacob the covenant he established with Abraham.

She had been Rebekah's former nurse.

Rachel dies while giving birth to Benjamin and is buried along the way to Bethlehem.

Both Jacob and Esau return to Hebron and bury their 180year-old father.

After Dinah is raped by Shechem, a local Canaanite prince, several events take place.

Hamor, father of Shechem, meets with Jacob, proposing close relationships between both peoples, beginning with the marriage between Dinah and Shechem.

Pretending to agree with this suggestion (but inwardly abhoring it), the brothers insist that Hamor and his men must first be circumcised.

On the third day, when the men of the town are helpless because of their wounds from circumcision, Simeon and Levi walk into their camp and slaughter them!

Jacob rebukes his sons for causing his name to "stink" among the other Canaanites in the land, fearing that some might seek revenge.

Reuben sleeps with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine and Rachel's former servant.

Judah fathers three sons by her: Er, Onan, and Shelah.

Judah chooses a woman named Tamar to be Er's wife. But Er dies before fathering any children, leaving Onan to raise up a family for him through Tamar. But Onan also dies without fathering any children.

Judah promises Tamar that Shelah, his youngest son, will someday take her as his wife.

Later, realizing this promise has not been kept, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and entices Judah to sleep with her.

Three months later, Judah learns of Tamar's pregnancy and orders her to be burned. Tamar, however, quickly produces irrefutable evidence that the father of her unborn child is none other than Judah himself!

A red-faced Judah acknowledges, "She is more in the right than I am."

These brothers, jealous of their father's special affection for Joseph, sell their younger brother into Egyptian slavery.

This section covers the life of Joseph.

"Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day he gave Joseph a special gift-a beautiful robe."

Joseph has two dreams that symbolically portray his brothers bowing down before him.

Jacob sends Joseph to check on the ten brothers. Joseph catches up with them at Dothan.

The brothers, still angry over Joseph's dreams and favored status with their father, plan to kill Joseph. But Reuben convinces them to throw him alive into a pit.

The brothers decide to sell Joseph to a band of Ishmaelite traders for twenty pieces of silver.

The brothers deceive Jacob into believing that Joseph has been killed and eaten by a wild animal.

Joseph becomes a faithful and highly effective servant in the house of Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's palace guard.

Potiphar's wife attempts to seduce Joseph.

He refuses her advances repeatedly, even running from the house on one occasion, leaving his shirt behind.

Joseph is falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison!

Joseph gains favor with the jailer, who places him in charge of the entire prison!

Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker anger him, and he throws them into prison. Joseph is assigned to take care of them.

Both the cup-bearer and the baker have dreams that they cannot understand.

Joseph interprets both dreams.

Pharaoh will release and restore him in three days.

He will be executed in three days!

Both prophecies come true at the end of three days. The cupbearer, however, promptly forgets Joseph.

Pharaoh has two dreams.

He sees seven thin cows devouring seven fat cows.

He sees seven thin heads of grain devouring seven healthy ones.

After no one is able to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, the cupbearer suddenly remembers that Joseph was able to interpret his dream.

Joseph is brought from prison to hear the king relate his two mysterious dreams.

God reveals to Joseph that Pharaoh's dreams are foretelling the events of the next fourteen years. The first seven years will witness abundant crops, while the next seven will see only famine.

Joseph suggests that someone be appointed to store up food supplies during the good years to prepare for the bad ones.

Pharaoh appoints Joseph to oversee the storage of grain, placing him in charge of the entire government in Egypt.

Joseph stores massive amounts of grain in nearby cities. So when the famine comes, "people from surrounding lands also [come] to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph."

####### The reason (42:1-6):

Jacob tells his ten oldest sons, "I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death."

####### The recognition (42:7-8):

Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him.

####### The rebuke (42:9-14):

Attempting to make them squirm, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies, which they deny.

####### The requirement (42:15-20):

Joseph demands that his brothers return home and bring back Benjamin, the youngest brother. Simeon is kept as a guarantee that they will return.

####### The remorse (42:21-23):

The guilt-stricken brothers conclude that God is punishing them for selling Joseph into slavery.

####### The restraint (42:24):

Upon hearing this, Joseph leaves the room so that he does not reveal his true identity as he weeps.

####### The return (42:25-28):

The nine brothers arrive in Canaan with their food. As they unpack, they are astounded to discover in their bags the money they had used to buy the food!

####### The review (42:29-38):

Jacob's sons tell him all about their first trip, including how "the man" (Joseph) has requested that Benjamin accompany them on their return journey. Jacob refuses.

####### The promise (43:1-14):

After Judah guarantees Benjamin's safety, a reluctant Jacob finally agrees to let Benjamin go.

####### The preparation (43:15-17):

Upon arriving, Joseph sends the brothers to his home, where food is being prepared for them.

####### The panic (43:18-25):

The manager of Joseph's household reassures the frightened brothers that his master means them no harm. Simeon is now released and joins them. (4) The presentation (43:26-30): Joseph enters and is "introduced" to Benjamin.

####### The placing (43:31-34):

To his brothers' amazement, Joseph seats them at the banquet table in the order of their ages.

####### The plot (44:1-17):

Joseph orders that his own silver cup be secretly placed in Benjamin's sack. Shortly after leaving the city, the brothers are stopped and searched. To the brothers' horror, the cup is found in Benjamin's sack, and he is arrested.

####### The plea (44:18-34):

Judah begs Joseph to release Benjamin, offering to be imprisoned in his place.

####### The climax (45:1-4):

Unable to hold back any longer, a tearful Joseph reveals his true identity to his astonished brothers!

####### The consolation (45:5-8):

Joseph tells his brothers that God has allowed everything to happen as it did so that he might save people from starvation during the famine.

####### The counsel (45:9-15):

Joseph tells his brothers to go home and tell their father to pack up and move to Egypt.

####### The command (45:16-24):

Pharaoh says the same to the brothers.

####### The confirmation (45:25-28):

Upon seeing the wealth brought back by his sons, Jacob believes their report about Joseph.

God directs Jacob to move to Egypt, promising to care for him there.

Jacob and his entire family, seventy in all, move to Egypt.

####### Between Jacob and Joseph (46:28-30):

Father and son meet and embrace in Goshen.

####### Between Jacob and Pharaoh (46:31-47:10):

Pharaoh gives the best of the land to Jacob and his family.

Joseph carefully attends to the needs of his father, Jacob.

####### The provision (47:11-12):

Joseph personally sees to it that his family has all the food they need.

####### The promise (47:27-31):

Joseph promises his father, Jacob, that he will bury him beside his ancestors in the Promised Land, not in Egypt.

The continuing famine eventually forces all the Egyptians (except for the priests) to sell their land to Pharaoh for food. Joseph then redistributes the land and establishes a law requiring one-fifth of all crops to be given to Pharaoh.

Manasseh and Ephraim now enjoy the same status as Jacob's other twelve sons.

Ignoring Joseph's initial objections, Jacob bestows the greater blessing on Ephraim, the younger son, instead of on Manasseh, the firstborn.

Each of the Jacob's sons receives a blessing from him.

He is as unruly as the stormy sea and is demoted because of his immorality.

They are violent men given to anger and cruelty, so their descendants will be scattered throughout Israel.

He will be praised by his brothers and will defeat his enemies. The scepter (royal line) will not depart from him "until the coming of the one to whom it belongs."

He will Iive by the seashore and become a harbor for ships.

He will work with animals and till the land.

He will be like a snake beside the road.

He will defend himself against all enemies.

He will produce rich food fit for kings.

He will be as free as a deer.

He will be like a fruitful tree beside a fountain, blessing others. He has been persecuted, but he has been strengthened by God. He will be blessed by God and will be a prince among his brothers.

He will devour his enemies like a hungry wolf.

Again Jacob requests to be buried with his ancestors in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron. Then he dies.

Following a 70-day period of mourning, the twelve brothers carry their father's embalmed body to Hebron.

After the brothers return to Egypt, Joseph tries to calm their fears that he will seek revenge. He tells them, "God turned into good what you meant for evil."

Joseph lives to see the third generation of Ephraim's children and dies at age 110.