Genesis 4; Genesis 5; Genesis 6; Matthew 2

1 The man Adam knew his wife Eve intimately. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have given life to a man with the LORD's help."

2 She gave birth a second time to Cain's brother Abel. Abel cared for the flocks, and Cain farmed the fertile land.

3 Some time later, Cain presented an offering to the LORD from the land's crops

4 while Abel presented his flock's oldest offspring with their fat. The LORD looked favorably on Abel and his sacrifice

5 but didn't look favorably on Cain and his sacrifice. Cain became very angry and looked resentful.

6 The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why do you look so resentful?

7 If you do the right thing, won't you be accepted? But if you don't do the right thing, sin will be waiting at the door ready to strike! It will entice you, but you must rule over it."

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

9 The LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's guardian?"

10 The LORD said, "What did you do? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

11 You are now cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand.

12 When you farm the fertile land, it will no longer grow anything for you, and you will become a roving nomad on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.

14 Now that you've driven me away from the fertile land and I am hidden from your presence, I'm about to become a roving nomad on the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me."

15 The LORD said to him, "It won't happen; anyone who kills Cain will be paid back seven times. The LORD put a sign on Cain so that no one who found him would assault him.

16 Cain left the LORD's presence, and he settled down in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain knew his wife intimately. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain built a city and named the city after his son Enoch.

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

19 Lamech took two wives, the first named Adah and the second Zillah.

20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and own livestock.

21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of those who play stringed and wind instruments.

22 Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the ancestor of blacksmiths and all artisans of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain's sister was Naamah.

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

24 so Cain will be paid back seven times and Lamech seventy-seven times."

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

26 Seth also fathered a son and named him Enosh. At that time, people began to worship in the LORD's name.

1 This is the record of Adam's descendants. On the day God created humanity, he made them to resemble God

2 and created them male and female. He blessed them and called them humanity on the day they were created.

3 When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son in his image, resembling him, and named him Seth.

4 After Seth's birth, Adam lived 800 years; he had other sons and daughters.

5 In all, Adam lived 930 years, and he died.

6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh.

7 After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

8 In all, Seth lived 912 years, and he died.

9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan.

10 After Kenan's birth, Enosh lived 815 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

11 In all, Enosh lived 905 years, and he died.

12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.

13 After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

14 In all, Kenan lived 910 years, and he died.

15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared.

16 After Jared's birth, Mahalalel lived 830 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

17 In all, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and he died.

18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch.

19 After Enoch's birth, Jared lived 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

20 In all, Jared lived 962 years, and he died.

21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.

22 Enoch walked with God. After Methuselah's birth, Enoch lived 300 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

23 In all, Enoch lived 365 years.

24 Enoch walked with God and disappeared because God took him.

25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech.

26 After Lamech's birth, Methuselah lived 782 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

27 In all, Methuselah lived 969 years, and he died.

28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son

29 and named him Noah, saying, "This one will give us relief from our hard work, from the pain in our hands, because of the fertile land that the LORD cursed."

30 After Noah's birth, Lamech lived 595 years; and he had other sons and daughters.

31 In all, Lamech lived 777 years, and he died.

32 When Noah was 500 years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1 When the number of people started to increase throughout the fertile land, daughters were born to them.

2 The divine beings saw how beautiful these human women were, so they married the ones they chose.

3 The LORD said, "My breath will not remain in humans forever, because they are flesh. They will live one hundred twenty years."

4 In those days, giants lived on the earth and also afterward, when divine beings and human daughters had sexual relations and gave birth to children. These were the ancient heroes, famous men.

5 The LORD saw that humanity had become thoroughly evil on the earth and that every idea their minds thought up was always completely evil.

6 The LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and he was heartbroken.

7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe off of the land the human race that I've created: from human beings to livestock to the crawling things to the birds in the skies, because I regret I ever made them."

8 But as for Noah, the LORD approved of him.

9 These are Noah's descendants. In his generation, Noah was a moral and exemplary man; he walked with God.

10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 In God's sight, the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. Eliphaz's sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 God saw that the earth was corrupt, because all creatures behaved corruptly on the earth. Timna was the secondary wife of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she gave birth to Amalek for Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau's wife Adah.

13 God said to Noah, “The end has come for all creatures, since they have filled the earth with violence. I am now about to destroy them along with the earth,

14 so make a wooden ark. Make the ark with nesting places and cover it inside and out with tar.

15 This is how you should make it: four hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high.

16 Make a roof for the ark and complete it one foot from the top. Put a door in its side. In the hold below, make the second and third decks.

17 "I am now bringing the floodwaters over the earth to destroy everything under the sky that breathes. Everything on earth is about to take its last breath.

18 But I will set up my covenant with you. You will go into the ark together with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

19 From all living things—from all creatures—you are to bring a pair, male and female, into the ark with you to keep them alive.

20 From each kind of bird, from each kind of livestock, and from each kind of everything that crawls on the ground—a pair from each will go in with you to stay alive.

21 Take some from every kind of food and stow it as food for you and for the animals."

22 Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem.

2 They asked, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We've seen his star in the east, and we've come to honor him."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him.

4 He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

5 They said, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel."

7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you've found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him."

9 When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.

11 They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.

13 When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him."

14 Joseph got up and, during the night, took the child and his mother to Egypt.

15 He stayed there until Herod died. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I have called my son out of Egypt.

16 When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.

17 This fulfilled the word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet:

18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much grieving. Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were no more.

19 After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

20 "Get up," the angel said, "and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead."

21 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee.

23 He settled in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.