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The key moments of the book, in order, one picture at a time.
Genesis 1:1-31
Creation of the world
In the beginning, there is nothing. Just a great dark void, and water everywhere. Then God speaks. He says, "Let there be light!" And light appears. God separates the light from the darkness. He calls one "day" and the other "night." This is the first day.
On the following days, God continues his work. He separates the sky from the water. He gathers the seas and brings out the dry land. He covers the earth with plants, trees, and fruit. Then he places the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky. Next come the fish that swim, the birds that fly, and all the animals of the earth.
On the sixth day, God creates man and woman in his image. He tells them, "Be many, fill the earth, and take care of everything that lives here." God looks at everything he has made. It is very good. On the seventh day, he rests.
Genesis 3:1-7
The Fall in Eden
In the garden, a cunning serpent approaches Eve. He asks, "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" Eve answers, "We may eat the fruit of any tree, except the one in the middle of the garden. God said, 'Do not touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent replies, "You will not die. God knows that your eyes will be opened. You will be like him, knowing good and evil."
Eve looks at the tree. The fruit looks beautiful and good to eat. She picks some and eats it. Then she gives some to Adam, her husband, who is with her. He eats too.
At once, their eyes are opened. They realize they are naked. Ashamed, they sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. For the first time, they feel afraid and hide. Something has broken between them and God.
Genesis 4:3-8
Cain kills Abel
Cain and Abel are the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain farms the land. Abel keeps sheep. One day, each brings an offering to God. Cain gives fruit from his field. Abel gives the best animals from his flock.
God looks with favor on Abel's offering. But he does not look favorably on Cain's. Cain becomes furious. His face darkens. God says to him, "Why are you angry? If you do what is right, you can hold your head high. But if you do wrong, sin is crouching at your door, like a beast ready to pounce. You must master it."
Cain does not listen. He says to his brother, "Come, let's go out to the fields." Abel follows him without suspicion. There, far from everyone, Cain attacks him and kills him. Abel's blood spills on the ground. It is the first murder in human history.
Genesis 7:17-24
The Flood
The rain has been falling for forty days. The water keeps rising, rising still. Noah's ark lifts gently and floats above the earth like a great wooden box on an endless sea.
Outside, everything disappears. Even the highest mountains are covered. Not a tree, not a house, not a hill remains above the water. The men, women, and animals that were not in the ark all die, drowned beneath the waters.
Inside the boat, it is different. Noah is there, with his wife, his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. Around them, animals of every kind wait, fed each day. Outside, the waters stay high for a hundred and fifty days. But inside the ark, one family keeps on living, protected, safe, while the whole world disappears beneath the water.
Genesis 8:15-20
Noah leaves the ark
The rain stopped long ago. The water has receded. One day, God speaks to Noah. He says, "Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and their wives. Bring out also every animal, every bird, everything that lives with you. Let them spread out over the earth, have young, and become many."
Noah opens the great door. He comes out with his family. Behind them come the animals, two by two, family by family, all those who survived in the ark. After months shut inside, they finally find fresh air, light, and dry ground again.
Then Noah builds an altar. He takes clean animals and clean birds, and offers them to God as a sacrifice. The smoke rises toward the sky. It is an act of thanksgiving. Noah has survived the flood. His family is alive. The world begins again, and before anything else, Noah wants to say thank you.
Genesis 11:1-9
Tower of Babel
After the flood, all people speak the same language. They travel together and arrive in a plain in the land of Shinar. There, they decide to settle.
"Come!" they say. "Let's make bricks and build a city. Let's build a tower that reaches the sky. Then we will be famous, and we will not be scattered over all the earth."
They get to work. The tower rises, higher and higher. God looks at this city and this tower that the people are building out of pride.
"They are one people," he says, "and they speak one language. If I let them continue, nothing will stop them. Let's confuse their language, so they can no longer understand one another."
At once, the people speak different languages. They can no longer understand each other, so they abandon their tower and scatter over all the earth. That is why this place is called Babel, which means confusion.
Genesis 12:1-5
Call of Abram
In the city of Haran, God speaks to a man named Abram. He tells him, "Leave your country, your family, and your father's house. Go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. And through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."
Abram does not argue. He is seventy-five years old. He takes his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all their servants, and all their belongings. He leaves Haran without really knowing where he is going. He trusts the voice he has heard.
The caravan travels a long way. It crosses unknown lands. At last, Abram arrives in the land of Canaan. This is where God has led him. A man has just said yes to a call. A family is now on the move. And without knowing it yet, Abram is beginning the story of a new people, chosen by God.
Genesis 14:17-20
Abram meets Melchizedek
Abram returns from battle. He has defeated enemy kings and saved his nephew Lot. The king of Sodom comes out to meet him, near the Valley of Shaveh.
But another king also comes: Melchizedek, king of Salem. This man is also priest of God Most High. He brings bread and wine for Abram and his weary men.
Melchizedek raises his hands and blesses Abram. He says, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth! Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"
Abram listens to these words with respect. Then he makes an important gesture: he gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he took in battle. It is a sign of honor toward this mysterious priest-king, and an acknowledgment of God himself.
Genesis 16:1-6
Hagar and Ishmael
Sarah has no child. God had promised Abram a son, but the years pass and nothing happens. Sarah has an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
One day, Sarah speaks to Abram. She says, "God has not given me children. Go to my servant Hagar. Perhaps she will give me a son." Abram listens to Sarah. He takes Hagar as a wife. Soon, Hagar is expecting a child.
But once Hagar knows she is pregnant, she changes. She looks down on Sarah. Sarah becomes furious. She says to Abram, "This is your fault! May the Lord judge between you and me!" Abram answers, "Do with her as you see fit, she is your servant." So Sarah treats Hagar harshly. Hagar is afraid. She flees into the desert, far from the house.
Genesis 19:15-26
Destruction of Sodom
The sun rises over Sodom. Two angels urge Lot on, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters. Or you will be swept away with this city." Lot still hesitates. So the angels take him by the hand, along with his wife and daughters, and lead them outside the walls. Outside, one of them cries out, "Flee! Do not look back! Do not stop anywhere on the plain. Run to the mountains, or you will die."
Lot pleads, "The mountains are too far! Let me take refuge in that small town instead, over there." The angel agrees, "I will not destroy that town. But hurry, for I can do nothing until you arrive there."
The sun is rising when Lot enters the small town, named Zoar. Then the Lord rains down fire and sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. Everything is destroyed: the cities, the people, the land itself. But Lot's wife looks back. At once, she turns into a pillar of salt.
Genesis 22:1-13
Sacrifice of Isaac
God calls Abraham. He says, "Take your son, your only son, the one you love, Isaac. Go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a sacrifice, on a mountain I will show you."
Abraham rises early in the morning. He takes wood, a knife, and fire. He sets out with Isaac and two servants. After three days of travel, he sees the mountain in the distance. He leaves the servants behind. Isaac carries the wood, Abraham carries the fire and the knife. Along the way, Isaac asks, "Father, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" Abraham answers, "God himself will provide the lamb, my son."
Once at the top, Abraham builds an altar, binds Isaac, and raises the knife. An angel calls out, "Abraham! Do not touch him! Now I know that you fear God." Abraham looks up. A ram is caught in a bush nearby. He offers it in place of his son.
Genesis 25:29-34
Esau sells his birthright
Esau comes in from the fields. He is exhausted, starving, his legs heavy. His brother Jacob is cooking a pot of red lentil stew, simmering gently over the fire.
Esau smells it. He rushes over to Jacob. "Quick, give me some of that red stew, I'm exhausted!" he says. Jacob looks at his brother, and an idea comes to him. "First, sell me your birthright," he answers. Esau shrugs. "I'm about to die of hunger, what good is a birthright to me?" Jacob insists, "Swear it to me first." Esau swears. He sells everything, for a bowl of lentils.
Jacob then gives him bread and the lentil stew. Esau eats, drinks, gets up, and leaves. He does not even think about what he has just lost. So Esau despises his birthright, and Jacob, the younger brother, becomes heir to the promise.
Genesis 28:10-17
Jacob's ladder
Jacob leaves Beersheba and sets out toward Haran. Evening falls. He stops, takes a stone for a pillow, and falls asleep under the open sky.
In his sleep, he sees a huge ladder. It touches the earth and rises up to heaven. Angels go up and down on it. At the top, the Lord stands and speaks to Jacob, "I am the God of Abraham and of Isaac, your father. This land where you are lying, I give it to you and to your children after you. They will be as many as the dust of the earth. I am with you. I will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land."
Jacob wakes up, seized with fear. He says to himself, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!" He looks around and murmurs, "How awesome this place is! This is the house of God, this is the gate of heaven."
Genesis 32:24-30
Jacob wrestles with God
Night falls on the bank of the Jabbok River. Jacob has sent his family and his flocks across. He stays alone on the far side. Suddenly, a man appears out of the darkness and attacks him. The two men wrestle, body against body, until dawn. Neither one lets go.
The stranger sees that he cannot overpower Jacob. He touches Jacob's hip, and it is wrenched out of joint at once. But Jacob holds on, despite the pain. "Let me go," the man says, "for day is breaking." Jacob answers, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
The man asks, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answers. The man declares, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have won." Jacob then understands who this man was. He names the place Peniel, for, he says, "I have seen God face to face, and my life was spared."
Genesis 37:23-28
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph finally reaches his brothers at Dothan. He is wearing his famous coat, the one their father Jacob gave him. As soon as they see him, the brothers attack him. They strip off his coat, the beautiful colored coat. Then they seize him and throw him into an empty cistern, out in the desert. There is no water in it, only dry ground and stone.
The brothers then sit down to eat, not caring about Joseph's cries. In the distance, they see a caravan of Ishmaelite traders. Their camels carry spices, resin, and myrrh, on their way to Egypt.
Then Judah suggests an idea, "What do we gain by killing our brother? Let's sell him to these traders instead. He is our brother, our own flesh." The others agree. They pull Joseph out of the cistern and sell him for twenty pieces of silver. The traders take him away with them, straight to Egypt.
Genesis 39:7-20
Joseph and Potiphar's wife
Joseph works for Potiphar, a powerful man in Egypt. He is handsome and serious. Everything he does succeeds. Potiphar's wife watches him every day. One morning, she says to him, "Come, sleep with me." Joseph refuses. He answers, "Your husband trusts me. He has given me everything, except you, since you are his wife. How could I do such a great wrong? It would be a sin against God."
The woman keeps insisting day after day. Joseph always refuses. He even avoids being alone with her.
One day, no one else is in the house. She grabs his garment and repeats her demand. Joseph runs off, leaving the garment in her hands.
Furious at being rejected, she screams and calls the servants. She shows the garment as proof. She invents a lie: that Joseph tried to force himself on her. When Potiphar comes home, she repeats the accusation. Furious, he has Joseph thrown into prison, without listening to him.
Genesis 45:1-15
Joseph reveals himself
Joseph can no longer hold back. Before him stand his brothers, who have come from Egypt to buy grain. They have not recognized him, this great Egyptian vizier. But he knows exactly who they are.
Joseph sends all his servants out of the room. He stays alone with his brothers. Then he bursts into tears, so loudly that the whole house of Pharaoh hears him. He says, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?"
The brothers are stunned into silence, full of fear. They remember: it was they who sold him, so many years ago. Joseph comes closer and reassures them, "Do not be afraid. It was God who sent me ahead of you, to save lives during the famine." He embraces Benjamin, then each of his brothers, weeping. At last, they dare to speak to him.
Genesis 46:1-7
Jacob moves to Egypt
Jacob sets out on the road south. He leaves Canaan with everything he owns, his sons, his grandchildren, his flocks. His son Joseph is alive, and is even a great leader in Egypt. Jacob wants to see him again before he dies.
Along the way, he stops at Beersheba to offer a sacrifice. That night, God speaks to him in a vision. "Jacob, Jacob!" God says. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. There, I will make you into a great nation. I will go with you, and one day, I will bring you back up again."
Reassured, Jacob sets out again. The whole family crowds onto the carts sent by Pharaoh. His sons, his daughters, his grandsons, all leave together. They bring their flocks and all the belongings they gathered in Canaan. It is the beginning of a long settlement in Egypt, a land of welcome that will later become a land of suffering.
Characters in This Chapter
First human, created from dust, placed in Eden as God's image-bearer and representative. His disobedience brought sin and death to all humanity.
First woman, formed from Adam's side as his helper and equal. Deceived by the serpent, she ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam.
Righteous man in a corrupt generation. Built the ark at God's command, preserved humanity and animals through the flood, received God's covenant promise.
Father of faith, called from Ur to Canaan. Received God's covenant promises of land, descendants, and universal blessing. His faith was counted as righteousness.
Wife of Abraham, mother of Isaac. Laughed at God's promise of a son in old age but saw it fulfilled. Died at 127 and was buried in the cave of Machpelah.
Son of promise born to Abraham and Sarah. Nearly sacrificed on Mount Moriah. Married Rebekah, fathered Esau and Jacob, passed the blessing to Jacob.
Younger twin who obtained Esau's birthright and blessing. Wrestled with God and was renamed Israel. Father of twelve sons who became the tribes of Israel.
Favored son of Jacob, sold into slavery by his brothers. Rose to power in Egypt through divine wisdom, saved his family during famine, demonstrated forgiveness and providence.
Places in This Chapter
Place of human creation and the fall. God planted this garden eastward and placed Adam there to tend it. After sin, Adam and Eve were expelled and the way was guarded.
Site of the Tower of Babel where humanity united in rebellion against God. He confused their language and scattered them, explaining the origin of nations and languages.
Joseph rose to power here and brought his family during famine. Israel grew into a nation in Egypt, setting the stage for the Exodus.
