Every Woman's Bible Genesis sampler - Flipbook - Page 4
Every Woman’s Bible
USER’S GUIDE
The Every Woman’s Bible focuses on what hundreds of women say they desire from a
Bible: great study notes and information from maps and charts, clarity on their calling,
insights from others’ stories, and help for their needs. This begins with the clear and
trusted New Living Translation, which communicates the Bible’s message in language
that meets us where we are today.
A full list
Globally respected Bible scholars, who also happen to be women, provide
of each of these
the study notes and walk alongside you on your journey through God’s
writings will
story and your story. This Bible contains an array of illustrations and charts,
be available in
including original ones written by women. This Bible also offers writings by
the Bible.
women from many places, stages, and walks of life.
I N T RODU C T ION
BEAUTY To help you prepare
ESTIMATED READING TIMES
Before each of the Bible’s sixty-six
books you will find:
visually for what you’ll read, a
full-page image draws on the
themes and feel of each book.
To show you how much time
to budget, these estimates
are divided into thirty-minute
segments.
3
MISSION To help you consid-
Genesis
WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD’S MISSION AND OURS?
God made women and men in God's image, to be like God, and reign over creation.
WHO WROTE IT? Moses, according to
Jewish and Christian traditions.
WHEN DID IT HAPPEN? The events of
Genesis stretch from the beginning of time
through the 1800s BC.
HOW IS IT ORGANIZED?
1–5: God creates the world; humans sin
2156
25–35: Isaac and Rebekah's lives; Jacob meets
Leah and Rachel and builds their family
36: Esau’s many descendants
c. 2100
2091
2066
c. 2069
37–50: Jacob’s family suffers betrayal and
famine and moves to Egypt
c. 2050
2006
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
+ Being God’s Image (5)
+ Days of Creation (6)
+ Why Would God Punish Eve Like That? (8)
+ Eve: Ruined to Redeemed (9)
+ Needing Favor: Finding God's Gift (13)
+ Image (43)
c. 1940
1929
c. 1918
1915
1898
Words to Remember are highlighted throughout this book
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO READ?
GENESIS 8
15
around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build
three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood
that will destroy every living thing that breathes.
Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my
covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your
wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of
every kind of animal—a male and a female—into
the boat with you to keep them alive during the
flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind
of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept
alive. 21And be sure to take on board enough food
for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
The Flood Covers the Earth
7
When everything was ready, the LORD said to
Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for
among all the people of the earth, I can see that you
alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—
male and female—of each animal I have approved
for eating and for sacrifice,* and take one pair of each
of the others. 3Also take seven pairs of every kind of
bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair
to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after
the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains
pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days
and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all
the living things I have created.”
5 So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded
him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered
the earth. 7 He went on board the boat to escape the
flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.
8 With them were all the various kinds of animals—
those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those
that were not—along with all the birds and the small
animals that scurry along the ground. 9 They entered
the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had
commanded Noah. 10After seven days, the waters of
the flood came and covered the earth.
11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground
waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in
mighty torrents from the sky. 12 The rain continued
to fall for forty days and forty nights.
13 That very day Noah had gone into the boat with
his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—
and their wives. 14 With them in the boat were pairs
of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large
and small—along with birds of every kind. 15 Two by
two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. 16A male and female of each
kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah.
Then the LORD closed the door behind them.
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the
earth. 18As the waters rose higher and higher above
the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.
19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 rising more than twenty-two
feet* above the highest peaks. 21All the living things
on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground,
and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and
lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living
thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals
that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky.
All were destroyed. The only people who survived
were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24And the
floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
The Flood Recedes
8
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent
a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters
began to recede. 2The underground waters stopped
flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were
stopped. 3So the floodwaters gradually receded from
the earth. After 150 days, 4exactly five months from
the time the flood began,* the boat came to rest on the
mountains of Ararat. 5Two and a half months later,*
as the waters continued to go down, other mountain
peaks became visible.
6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat 7 and released a raven.
The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters
on the earth had dried up. 8 He also released a dove
to see if the water had receded and it could find dry
ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to land
because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and
drew the dove back inside. 10After waiting another
seven days, Noah released the dove again. 11 This time
7:2 Hebrew of each clean animal; similarly in 7:8. 7:20 Hebrew 15 cubits [6.9 meters]. 8:4 Hebrew on the seventeenth day of
the seventh month; see 7:11. 8:5 Hebrew On the first day of the tenth month; see 7:11 and note on 8:4.
6:11–7:24 Human wickedness had reached the point that God
decided to start over with Noah, the only godly person alive. The
Flood would return the world to its pre-created state—formless
and empty, with water covering everything. Therefore, Noah
and his family needed to preserve a pair of every animal to
repopulate the earth after the Flood (see 8:17).
8:1 This verse is the center of a massive chiasm (or literary
A2
1:00|
1:30|
2:00|
2:30|
3:00|
c. 1890
1885
3:00
1805
3:30
GENESIS 9
the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh
olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. 12 He waited another seven
days and then released the dove again. This time it
did not come back.
13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of
the new year, ten and a half months after the flood
began,* the floodwaters had almost dried up from the
earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and
saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14Two
more months went by,* and at last the earth was dry!
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of
you—you and your wife, and your sons and their
wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the
livestock, and the small animals that scurry along
the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply
throughout the earth.”
18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives
left the boat. 19And all of the large and small animals
and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there
he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and
birds that had been approved for that purpose.*
21And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the
sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again
curse the ground because of the human race, even
though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy
all living things. 22As long as the earth remains, there
will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer
and winter, day and night.”
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CREATION
— Adam and Eve made by God
— Eve bears Cain and Abel, then Seth
NOT
DATED
2166
6–11: Flood destroys the world; Noah's
family rebuilds
12–25: God provides for Abraham and Sarah
and for Hagar and Ishmael
:30|
Timeline
BC
FLOOD
— Noah’s wife, sons, and daughters-inlaw survive
ABRAM BORN
SARAI BORN
HAGAR BORN
ABRAM AND SARAI ENTER
CANAAN
SARAH GIVES BIRTH TO ISAAC
HAGAR AND ISHMAEL RESCUED
BY “THE GOD WHO SEES”
REBEKAH BORN
REBEKAH GIVES BIRTH TO
JACOB AND ESAU
LEAH BORN, RACHEL BORN
JACOB FLEES TO HARAN
LEAH GIVES BIRTH TO JUDAH
RACHEL GIVES BIRTH TO
JOSEPH
JOSEPH SOLD INTO SLAVERY
TAMAR BECOMES PREGNANT
BY JUDAH
JOSEPH RULES EGYPT
JOSEPH DIES
16
it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow
human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that
person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For
God made human beings* in his own image. 7 Now
be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.”
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants,
10 and with all the animals that were on the boat
with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild
animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am
confirming my covenant with you. Never again will
floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will
a flood destroy the earth.”
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all
generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in
the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you
and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over
the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds,
15 and I will remember my covenant with you and
with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in
the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant
between God and every living creature on earth.”
17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the
sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the
creatures on earth.”
Noah’s Sons
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with
their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham
is the father of Canaan.) 19 From these three sons of
Noah came all the people who now populate the
earth.
20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the
ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 One day he
drank some wine he had made, and he became
drunk and lay naked inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and
went outside and told his brothers. 23 Then Shem
and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father.
As they did this, they looked the other way so they
would not see him naked.
as reissued
of 9the newly cleansed world in need of
God introduced two
Now animals would live in
humans were allowed to eat meat along
a change in diet related to
God Confirms His Covenant
Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told
them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.
All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky,
all the small animals that scurry along the ground,
and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear
and terror. I have placed them in your power. 3 I have
given them to you for food, just as I have given you
grain and vegetables. 4 But you must never eat any
meat that still has the lifeblood in it.
5 “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes
another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person,
2
8:13 Hebrew On the first day of the first month; see 7:11. 8:14 Hebrew The twenty-seventh day of the second month arrived; see
note on 8:13. 8:20 Hebrew every clean animal and every clean bird. 9:6 Or man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
9:1-3 The blessing first given to Adam (1:28) was reissued
to Noah, the “Adam” of the newly cleansed world in need of
repopulation and cultural expansion. God introduced two
modifications to the created order: Now animals would live in
terror of humans, and humans were allowed to eat meat along
with seed-bearing plants (see 1:29)—a change in diet related to
the animals’ terror.
9:5-6 Violence, including murder, was a major factor in bringing about God’s judgment in the form of the Flood (4:8; 6:11, 13).
At this new beginning for humans, God affirmed the sanctity of
human life and established a system of retributive justice for the
taking of human life. Being created in God’s image gives humans
a unique status and authority within creation. Since murder
destroys a person made in God’s image, a murderer incurred the
ultimate penalty.
9:20-25 The significance of Ham’s shameful behavior is not
fully clear. He may have engaged sexually with his father or with
his mother (this type of act is elsewhere referred to literally in
the original language as “uncovering the nakedness of one’s
father,” Leviticus 20:11). It is possible that he merely gazed upon
his naked father and, rather than covering him and keeping the
matter secret, dishonored him by mocking him to his brothers.
The curse likely fell on Ham’s son Canaan to emphasize the
shameful father-son dynamic of Ham’s sin.
as a major factor in brings judgment in the form of the Flood (4:8; 6:11, 13).
God affirmed the sanctity of
human life and established a system of retributive justice for the
s image gives humans
sandwich). What precedes this verse is a description of the
building and boarding of the ark and the rising of the waters
for 150 days. What follows is a description of the receding of
the waters for 150 days and the disembarking of the animals.
God’s remembering Noah does not suggest that he forgot
about him but marks the moment in which God took action to
keep his promise.
er what each book has to say
about God’s purposes and your
own, look for a key takeaway
on God’s mission and ours.
HISTORY Who, When, and
How questions orient you to
each book. Timelines give
you further historical context,
showing what events were
happening at the time.
STUDY NOTES
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
A sampling of articles on purpose and calling, identity, needs,
and wonderings. They spotlight
topics you’ve told us you care
about, illuminating the Bible’s
story through the lens of women
scholars and writers who make
Scripture more relatable.
Each respected Bible scholar—
all of whom are women—applied her research and cultural
understanding of the ancient world to craft these notes. The
scholars particularly focused the notes and additional commentary
on portions of Scripture which address topics women might find
relevant, fascinating, and helpful and zeroed in on aspects
a unique status and authority within creation.
destroys a person made inthat
God’ women might silently struggle with but that are
ultimate penalty.
addressed. These notes clarify the cultural,
9:20-25 The significance of rarely
Ham’
fully clear. He may have engaged
sexually with and
his father
or with context we all need so we can
historical,
literary
his mother (this type of act is elsewhere referred to literally in
the original language as
read the Bible with greater understanding.
father,” Leviticus 20:11).
his naked father and, rather than covering him and k
matter secret, dishonored him by mocking him to his brothers
The curse likely fell on Ham’
shameful father-son dynamic of Ham’
