(4) Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.
When the ETERNAL God made earth and heaven— (5) when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the ETERNAL God had not sent rain upon the earth and there were no human beings to till the soil, (6) but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth— (7) the ETERNAL God formed a Human from the soil’s humus, blowing into his nostrils the breath of life: the Human became a living being. (8) The ETERNAL God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the Human who had been fashioned. (9) And from the ground the ETERNAL God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.

(10) A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches. (11) The name of the first is Pishon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. (12) (The gold of that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli.) (13) The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush. (14) The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (15) The ETERNAL God settled the Human in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. (16) And the ETERNAL God commanded the Human, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; (17) but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.” (18) The ETERNAL God said, “It is not good for the Human to be alone; I will make a fitting counterpart for him.” (19) And the ETERNAL God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the Human to see what he would call them; and whatever the Human called each living creature, that would be its name.

(20) And the Human gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but no fitting counterpart for a human being was found. (21) So the ETERNAL God cast a deep sleep upon the Human; and, while he slept, [God] took one of his sides and closed up the flesh at that site. (22) And the ETERNAL God fashioned the side that had been taken from the Human into a woman, bringing her to the Human. (23) Then the Human said,
“This one at lastIs bone of my bonesAnd flesh of my flesh.This one shall be called the Woman, For from the Man was she taken.”(24) Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh. (25) The two of them were naked, the Human and his wife, yet they felt no shame.

(1) Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the ETERNAL God had made. It said to the woman, “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” (2) The woman replied to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. (3) It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: ‘You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.’” (4) And the serpent said to the woman, “You are not going to die, (5) but God knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.” (6) When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths. (8) They heard the sound of the ETERNAL God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the Human and his wife hid from the ETERNAL God among the trees of the garden. (9) The ETERNAL God called out to the Human and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” (11) “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?” (12) The Human said, “The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (13) And the ETERNAL God said to the woman, “What is this you have done!” The woman replied, “The serpent duped me, and I ate.” (14) Then the ETERNAL God said to the serpent,
“Because you did this,More cursed shall you beThan all cattleAnd all the wild beasts:On your belly shall you crawlAnd dirt shall you eatAll the days of your life.(15)I will put enmityBetween you and the woman,And between your offspring and hers;They shall strike at your head,And you shall strike at their heel.”(16) And to the woman [God] said,
“I will greatly expandYour toil—and your pregnancies;In hardship shall you bear children.Yet your urge shall be for your husband,And his will shall prevail over yours.”(17) To Adam [God] said, “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
Cursed be the ground because of you;By toil shall you eat of itAll the days of your life:(18)Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you.But your food shall be the grasses of the field;(19)By the sweat of your browShall you get bread to eat,Until you return to the ground—For from it you were taken.For dust you are,And to dust you shall return.”(20) The Human named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. (21) And the ETERNAL God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

(22) And the ETERNAL God said, “Now that humankind has become like any of us, knowing good and bad, what if one should stretch out a hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!” (23) So the ETERNAL God banished them from the garden of Eden, to till the humus from which they were taken: (24) humankind was driven out; and east of the garden of Eden were stationed the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

(1) Now the Human knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained someone new with GOD’s help.” (2) She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. (3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to GOD from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. GOD paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but paid no heed to Cain and his offering. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And GOD said to Cain,
“Why are you distressed,And why is your face fallen?(7) Surely, if you do right,There is uplift.But if you do not do rightSin couches at the door;Its urge is toward you,Yet you can be its master.”(8) Cain said to his brother Abel … and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him. (9) GOD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! (11) Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (12) If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth.” (13) Cain said to GOD, “My punishment is too great to bear! (14) Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth—anyone who meets me may kill me!” (15) GOD said to him, “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be exacted.” And GOD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him. (16) Cain left GOD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (17) Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch. (18) To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech.

(19) Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. (20) Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds. (21) And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe. (22) As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (23) And Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech.I have slain a rival for wounding me,And a lad for bruising me.(24)If Cain is avenged sevenfold,Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”(25) Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning, “God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel,” for Cain had killed him. (26) And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that GOD began to be invoked by name.

(23) And Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech.I have slain a rival for wounding me,And a lad for bruising me.(24)If Cain is avenged sevenfold,Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”(25) Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning, “God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel,” for Cain had killed him. (26) And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that GOD began to be invoked by name.

(18) Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow will be the new moon; and you will be missed when your seat remains vacant. (19) So the day after tomorrow, go down all the way to the place where you hid the other time, and stay close to the Ezel stone. (20) Now I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark, (21) and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger—as GOD lives! (22) But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for GOD has sent you away. (23) As for the promise we made to each other, may GOD be [witness] between you and me forever.” (24) David hid in the field. The new moon came, and the king sat down to partake of the meal. (25) When the king took his usual place on the seat by the wall, Jonathan rose and Abner sat down at Saul’s side; but David’s place remained vacant. (26) That day, however, Saul said nothing. “It’s accidental,” he thought. “He must be impure and not yet purified.” (27) But on the day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was vacant again. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal yesterday or today?” (28) Jonathan answered Saul, “David begged leave of me to go to Bethlehem. (29) He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are going to have a family feast in our town and my brother has summoned me to it. Do me a favor, let me slip away to see my kin.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” (30) Saul flew into a rage against Jonathan. “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!” he shouted. “I know that you side with the son of Jesse—to your shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness! (31) For as long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your kingship will be secure. Now then, have him brought to me, for he is marked for death.” (32) But Jonathan spoke up and said to his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” (33) At that, Saul threw his spear at him to strike him down; and Jonathan realized that his father was determined to do away with David. (34) Jonathan rose from the table in a rage. He ate no food on the second day of the new moon, because he was grieved about David, and because his father had humiliated him. (35) In the morning, Jonathan went out into the open for the meeting with David, accompanied by a young boy. (36) He said to the boy, “Run ahead and find the arrows that I shoot.” And as the boy ran, he shot the arrows past him. (37) When the boy came to the place where the arrows shot by Jonathan had fallen, Jonathan called out to the boy, “Hey, the arrows are beyond you!” (38) And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quick, hurry up. Don’t stop!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered the arrows and came back to his master.— (39) The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.— (40) Jonathan handed the gear to his boy and told him, “Take these back to the town.” (41) When the boy got there, David emerged from his concealment at the Negeb. He flung himself face down on the ground and bowed low three times. They kissed each other and wept together; David wept the longer. (42) Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace! For we two have sworn to each other in the name of GOD: ‘May GOD be [witness] between you and me, and between your offspring and mine, forever!’”

(5)Thus said the ETERNAL God,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,Who spread out the earth and what it brings forth,Who gave breath to the people upon itAnd life to those who walk thereon:(6)I GOD, in My grace, have summoned you,
And I have grasped you by the hand.I created you, and appointed youA covenant people, a light of nations— (7)Opening eyes deprived of light,Rescuing prisoners from confinement,From the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(8)I am GOD, that is My name;
I will not yield My glory to another,Nor My renown to idols.(9)See, the things once predicted have come,And now I foretell new things,Announce to you ere they sprout up.(10)Sing to GOD a new song,
Praise from the ends of the earth—You who sail the sea and you creatures in it,You coastlands and their inhabitants! (11)Let the desert and its towns cry aloud,The villages where Kedar dwells;Let Sela’s inhabitants shout,Call out from the peaks of the mountains.(12)Let them do honor to GOD,
And tell God’s glory in the coastlands.(13) GOD goes forth like a warrior,
Whipping up rage like a fighter—Yelling, roaring aloud,Then charging upon the enemy.(14)“I have kept silent far too long,Kept still and restrained Myself;Now I will scream like a woman in labor,I will pant and I will gasp.(15)Hills and heights will I scorch,Cause all their green to wither;I will turn rivers into isles,And dry the marshes up.(16)I will lead the blindBy a road they did not know,And I will make them walkBy paths they never knew.I will turn darkness before them to light,Rough places into level ground.These are the promises—I will keep them without fail.(17)Driven back and utterly shamedShall be those who trust in an image,Those who say to idols,‘You are our gods!’”(18)Listen, you who are deaf;You blind ones, look up and see!(19)Who is so blind as My servant,So deaf as the messenger I send?Who is so blind as the chosen one,
So blind as GOD’s servant? (20)Seeing many things, he gives no heed;
With ears open, he hears nothing.(21) GOD desires his vindication,
That he may magnify and glorify the Teaching.(22)Yet it is a people plundered and despoiled:All of them are trapped in holes,Imprisoned in dungeons.They are given over to plunder, with none to rescue them;To despoilment, with none to say “Give back!”(23)If only you would listen to this,Attend and give heed from now on!(24)Who was it gave Jacob over to despoilmentAnd Israel to plunderers?Surely, GOD—against whom they sinned,
In whose ways they would not walk,And whose Teaching they would not obey—(25)Who poured out wrath,Anger, and the fury of war upon them.It blazed upon them all about, but they heeded not;It burned among them, but they gave it no thought.(1)But now thus said GOD—
Who created you, O Jacob,Who formed you, O Israel:Fear not, for I will redeem you;I have singled you out by name,You are Mine.(2)When you pass through water,I will be with you;Through streams,They shall not overwhelm you.When you walk through fire,You shall not be scorched;Through flame,It shall not burn you.(3)For I the ETERNAL am your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.I give Egypt as a ransom for you,Cush and Saba in exchange for you.(4)Because you are precious to Me,And honored, and I love you,I give people in exchange for youAnd nations in your stead.(5)Fear not, for I am with you:I will bring your folk from the East,Will gather you out of the West;(6)I will say to the North, “Give back!”And to the South, “Do not withhold!Bring My sons from afar,And My daughters from the end of the earth—(7)All who are linked to My name,Whom I have created,Formed, and made for My glory—(8)Setting free that people,Blind though it has eyesAnd deaf though it has ears.”(9)All the nations assemble as one,The peoples gather.Who among them declared this,Foretold to us the things that have happened?Let them produce their witnesses and be vindicated,That people, hearing them, may say, “It is true!”(10)My witnesses are you—declares GOD—
My servant, whom I have chosen.To the end that you may take thought,
And believe in Me,And understand that I am the One:Before Me no god was formed,And after Me none shall exist—

(5)Thus said the ETERNAL God,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,Who spread out the earth and what it brings forth,Who gave breath to the people upon itAnd life to those who walk thereon:(6)I GOD, in My grace, have summoned you,
And I have grasped you by the hand.I created you, and appointed youA covenant people, a light of nations— (7)Opening eyes deprived of light,Rescuing prisoners from confinement,From the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(8)I am GOD, that is My name;
I will not yield My glory to another,Nor My renown to idols.(9)See, the things once predicted have come,And now I foretell new things,Announce to you ere they sprout up.(10)Sing to GOD a new song,
Praise from the ends of the earth—You who sail the sea and you creatures in it,You coastlands and their inhabitants! (11)Let the desert and its towns cry aloud,The villages where Kedar dwells;Let Sela’s inhabitants shout,Call out from the peaks of the mountains.(12)Let them do honor to GOD,
And tell God’s glory in the coastlands.(13) GOD goes forth like a warrior,
Whipping up rage like a fighter—Yelling, roaring aloud,Then charging upon the enemy.(14)“I have kept silent far too long,Kept still and restrained Myself;Now I will scream like a woman in labor,I will pant and I will gasp.(15)Hills and heights will I scorch,Cause all their green to wither;I will turn rivers into isles,And dry the marshes up.(16)I will lead the blindBy a road they did not know,And I will make them walkBy paths they never knew.I will turn darkness before them to light,Rough places into level ground.These are the promises—I will keep them without fail.(17)Driven back and utterly shamedShall be those who trust in an image,Those who say to idols,‘You are our gods!’”(18)Listen, you who are deaf;You blind ones, look up and see!(19)Who is so blind as My servant,So deaf as the messenger I send?Who is so blind as the chosen one,
So blind as GOD’s servant? (20)Seeing many things, he gives no heed;
With ears open, he hears nothing.(21) GOD desires his vindication,
That he may magnify and glorify the Teaching.

(25)To whom, then, can you liken Me,To whom can I be compared?—says the Holy One.(26)Lift high your eyes and see:Who created these?The One who sends out their host by count,Who calls them each by name:Given such great might and vast power,Not one fails to appear.(27)Why do you say, O Jacob,Why declare, O Israel,“My way is hid from GOD,
My cause is ignored by my God”?(28)Do you not know?Have you not heard? The ETERNAL is God from of old,
Creator of the earth from end to end,Who never grows faint or weary,Whose wisdom cannot be fathomed—(29)Who gives strength to the weary,Fresh vigor to the spent.(30)Youths may grow faint and weary,And young men stumble and fall;(31)But they who trust in GOD shall renew their strength
As eagles grow new plumes:They shall run and not grow weary,They shall march and not grow faint.