Genesis 4; Genesis 5; Genesis 6; Matthew 2

1 Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the Lord's help."

2 Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land.

3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the Lord.

4 And Abel also presented [an offering]-some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,

5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you furious? And why are you downcast?

7 If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it."

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's guardian?"

10 Then He said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground!

11 So now you are cursed [with alienation] from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood you have shed.

12 If you work the land, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

13 But Cain answered the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear!

14 Since You are banishing me today from the soil, and I must hide myself from Your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me."

15 Then the Lord replied to him, "In that case, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." And He placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him.

16 Then Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain knew his wife intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain became the builder of a city, and he named the city Enoch after his son.

18 Irad was born to Enoch, Irad fathered Mehujael, Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.

19 Lamech took two wives for himself, one named Adah and the other named Zillah.

20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of the nomadic herdsmen.

21 His brother was named Jubal; he was the father of all who play the lyre and the flute.

22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. Tubal-cain's sister was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words. For I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me.

24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times over, then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times!

25 Adam knew his wife intimately again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for [she said,] "God has given me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."

26 A son was born to Seth also, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

1 These are the family records of the descendants of Adam. On the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God;

2 He created them male and female. When they were created, He blessed them and called them man.

3 Adam was 130 years old when he fathered [a child] in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

4 Adam lived 800 years after the birth of Seth, and he fathered sons and daughters.

5 So Adam's life lasted 930 years; then he died.

6 Seth was 105 years old when he fathered Enosh.

7 Seth lived 807 years after the birth of Enosh, and he fathered sons and daughters.

8 So Seth's life lasted 912 years; then he died.

9 Enosh was 90 years old when he fathered Kenan.

10 Enosh lived 815 years after the birth of Kenan, and he fathered sons and daughters.

11 So Enosh's life lasted 905 years; then he died.

12 Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel.

13 Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he fathered sons and daughters.

14 So Kenan's life lasted 910 years; then he died.

15 Mahalalel was 65 years old when he fathered Jared.

16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after the birth of Jared, and he fathered sons and daughters.

17 So Mahalalel's life lasted 895 years; then he died.

18 Jared was 162 years old when he fathered Enoch.

19 Jared lived 800 years after the birth of Enoch, and he fathered sons and daughters.

20 So Jared's life lasted 962 years; then he died.

21 Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah.

22 And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered sons and daughters.

23 So Enoch's life lasted 365 years.

24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not there, because God took him.

25 Methuselah was 187 years old when he fathered Lamech.

26 Methuselah lived 782 years after the birth of Lamech, and he fathered sons and daughters.

27 So Methuselah's life lasted 969 years; then he died.

28 Lamech was 182 years old when he fathered a son.

29 And he named him Noah, saying, "This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed."

30 Lamech lived 595 years after Noah's birth, and he fathered sons and daughters.

31 So Lamech's life lasted 777 years; then he died.

32 Noah was 500 years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1 When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,

2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.

3 And the Lord said, "My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterwards, when the sons of God came to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

5 When the Lord saw that man's wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time,

6 the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7 Then the Lord said, "I will wipe off the face of the earth: man, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky-for I regret that I made them."

8 Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.

10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.

13 Then God said to Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

14 "Make yourself an ark of gofer wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside.

15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

16 You are to make a roof, finishing [the sides of the ark] to within 18 inches [of the roof.] You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper [decks].

17 "Understand that I am bringing a deluge-floodwaters on the earth to destroy all flesh under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die.

18 But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

19 You are also to bring into the ark two of every living thing of all flesh, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

20 Two of everything-from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from every animal that crawls on the ground according to its kind-will come to you so that you can keep them alive.

21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them."

22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was-the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.

11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him."

14 So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

15 He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.

17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child's life are dead."

21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus 6 was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.