JET Parashat Bereshit

The Seven Days of Creation (1:1-2:3)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, with darkness over the surface of the deep, and God's wind was hovering over the surface of the waters. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. There was evening and there was morning, a first day.

God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide water from water." God made the expanse, and divided the water which was under the expanse from the water which was above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse Heaven. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered to one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters He called Seas, and God saw that it was good. God said, "Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth"; and it was so. The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of Heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be signs for the seasons, and for days and years. And let them be for lights in the expanse of Heaven to give light upon the earth"; and it was so. God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. God set them in the expanse of Heaven to give light to the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness, and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the expanse of Heaven." God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth." There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind, and God saw that it was good. God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."


 * God created the man in His image,
 * in God's image He created him,
 * male and female He created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed on the surface of all the earth, and every tree bearing fruit yielding seed. It will be yours for food. To every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is the breath of life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their legions. On the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He ceased on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because in it He ceased from all His work that He had created to do.

The Garden of Eden (2:4-3:24)
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day the God made Earth and Heaven. No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for the God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. But a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. The God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. The God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A river goes out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it parts and becomes four heads. The name of the first is Pishon, that is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah where there is gold. The gold of that land is good, bdellium is there and lapis lazuli. The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel, the one which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates. The God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. The God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may surely eat. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

The God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a fitting helper." The God formed out of the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field, but for the man there was not found a fitting helper. The God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. He made the rib, which the God had taken from the man, into a woman, and He brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman ['ishah] for from man ['ish] was she taken." Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will become one flesh. They were both naked, the man and his wife, yet they were not ashamed.

Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts which the God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"

The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may surely eat. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

The serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die, for God knows that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise. She took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband beside her and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves loinclothes. They heard the sound of the God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the  God among the trees of the garden.

The God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" The man said, "I heard Your sound in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and hid myself."

God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate."

The God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me and I ate."

The God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are more cursed that all livestock, and above every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."

PS undefinedTo the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain will you bear children. Your longing will be for your husband and he will rule you."

PS undefinedTo the man he said, "Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you will eat from it all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you, and you will eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face will you eat bread, until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all that lives. The God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife and clothed them.

The God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, now what if he should reach out his hand, and take as well of the tree of life, and eat and live forever?" Therefore the God sent him out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man, and He placed the Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel (4)
PS undefinedNow the man had known Eve his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the 's help." Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. After some years, it happened that Cain brought an offering to the from the fruit of the ground. Abel too brought from the choice firstlings of his flock and of its fat. The accepted Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering He did not accept. Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The said to Cain:


 * "Why are you angry,
 * and why has your face fallen?
 * Surely if you do well,
 * there will be lifting up.
 * But if you do not do well,
 * sin crouches at the door.
 * Its longing is for you,
 * yet you can master it."

Cain said to Abel his brother: And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

The said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

The said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are cursed through the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will not yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

Cain said to the, "My punishment is too great to bear. For You have driven me out this day from upon the surface of the ground, and I must hide from Your face. I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

The said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." The put a mark on Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.

Cain left the 's presence, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He became the builder of a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad. And Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

Lamech took himself two wives, the name of the one was Adah and the name of the other was Zillah. Adah bore Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents with livestock. His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who play the lyre and pipe. As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-Cain, who forged every instrument of brass and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives:


 * "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice!
 * You wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech!
 * For I have slain a man for wounding me,
 * a young man for bruising me.
 * If Cain will be avenged seven times,
 * then Lamech seventy and seven times."

Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called him Seth: "For God has given me other seed instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. It was then that men began to call on the name of the.

From Adam to Noah (5:1-6:8)
PS undefinedThis is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in God's likeness. He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Adam on the day they were created. Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness after his image, and called him Seth. The days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, then he died.

PS undefinedSeth lived one hundred and five years and begot Enosh. Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he begot Enosh, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, then he died.

PS undefinedEnosh lived ninety years and begot Kenan. Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he begot Kenan, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, then he died.

PS undefinedKenan lived seventy years and begot Mahalalel. Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he begot Mahalalel, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, then he died.

PS undefinedMahalalel lived sixty-five years and begot Jared. Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he begot Jared, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, then he died.

PS undefinedJared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and begot Enoch. Jared lived eight hundred years after he begot Enoch, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, then he died.

PS undefinedEnoch lived sixty-five years and begot Methuselah. Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he begot Methuselah, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God, and then he was not, for God took him.

PS undefinedMethuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he begot Lamech, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, then he died.

PS undefinedLamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years and begot a son. He called him Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us from our labor and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the has cursed." Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he begot Noah, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, then he died.

PS undefinedNoah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were goodly, and they took themselves women as they chose. The said, "My breath will not abide in man forever, because he too is flesh. His days will be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God took the daughters of men, they bore them children. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

The saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. The said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground, from man to cattle to creeping things to the birds of the heavens, for I regret that I made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the.