Charles Dermer

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Genesis

  1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, let there be light, and there was light; let there be water & firmament; seas & lands & plants; Sun & moon; great whales & every living creature; and man and woman in the image of God. And it was good. #Gn1
  2. God rests on the 7th day, blessing & sanctifying it. He breathes life into Adam, & puts him in the Garden of Eden flowing with rivers. Adam names animals & is commanded not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good & evil. A woman is made from his rib. They were not ashamed. #Gn2
  3. The serpent tempts Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge, telling her that in the day ye eat, ye shall be as gods, knowing good & evil. Adam agrees to eat also. Eve is cursed by God to bear children in sorrow and Adam to labor, for thou art dust. They are cast out of paradise. #Gn3
  4. Adam knew Eve & begot Cain, a tiller of the soil, & Abel, a shepherd, whose offerings the Lord favored. Cain slew Abel. When asked Where is Abel thy brother? Cain replied, Am I my brother’s keeper? Cain is marked & expelled. Cain & his brother Seth beget peoples and cities. #Gn4
  5. The generations of Adam, Seth, Enos, to Lamech, father of Noah, himself father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, are recounted, along with their ages. Enoch, six generations removed from Adam, walked with God 365 years before God took him. Enoch begat Methusaleh, who begat Lamech. #Gn5
  6. The sons of God saw daughters of men and were fruitful but wicked. God regrets having created man, except for Noah and his family, who walked with God. God commands Noah to build an ark, & to bring every living thing of flesh on it, so that God can destroy his creation. #Gn6
  7. Noah, with his sons & their wives, board the ark & bring on 7 pairs, the male and female, of clean animals & birds, & 1 pair of unclean animals & every thing that creeps upon the Earth. The rain was on the earth 40 days & nights, and every living creature on the earth died. #Gn7
  8. After 40 days of rain & floods & 150 days for the waters to abate, the ark rests on Mt. Ararat. After months more, Noah sends out 1st a raven & then a dove to find land. When the dove does not return, Noah’s family & the animals disembark. Noah builds an altar unto the Lord. #Gn8
  9. God blesses Noah’s family and tells them to be fruitful & multiply. Moving things shall be meat for you. Whoso sheds blood is repaid by blood. God makes a covenant with Noah; its token the rainbow. Noah’s nakedness is seen by Ham, father of Canaan, servant of Shem & Japheth. #Gn9
  10. The families of the sons of Noah, and their lands and nations, are recounted. The sons of Japheth begat those in the isles of the Gentiles. The sons of Ham begat Babel, Ninevah, peoples from Canaan to Gaza, and Sodom & Gomorrah. The sons of Shem dwelt from Misha to Sephar. #Gn10
  11. People from the east try to build a tower to heaven called Babel. They had brick for stone & slime for mortar.  As nothing will be restrained from them, God confounds their language. The lineage from Shem to Terah, who begat Abram, Nahor & Haran (Lot’s father) is recounted. #Gn11
  12. Abram & Sarai flee to Egypt from famine in Canaan after building an altar at Bethel. They pose as brother & sister, thinking it safer for them, as Sarai is very fair. They gain Pharaoh’s favor, prosper, & are expelled when Pharaoh uncovers their ruse & his house is plagued. #Gn12
  13. Leaving Egypt, Abram, Lot and their families return with flocks and riches. Disputes among herdsmen lead Abram to grant Lot his choice of the plain of Jordan, and to himself the land of Canaan. The Lord promises this land to Abram’s seed, numbered as the dust of the Earth. #Gn13
  14. The kings of Sodom & Gomorrah flee in a battle of 4 kings against 5. Lot, who resides in Sodom, is captured. Abram commands an army, smites the enemy, & brings Lot & riches back, crediting the most high God for victory. High priest Melchizedek, king of Salem, blesses Abram. #Gn14
  15. The Lord God comes to Abram in visions and tells him that his seed will be as many as the stars in the sky, though Abram protests that he is childless. The Lord God foretells of a captivity of 400 years to Abram’s seed, and makes a covenant with Abram for more land. #Gn15
  16. Sarai, to her later regret, offers her maid Hagar to Abram. He accepts, & they beget Ishmael, a name suggested by an angel of the Lord who promises to multiply Ishmael’s seed exceedingly. Sarai hated Hagar & Hagar fled from her face. & he will be a wild man, called Ishmael. #Gn16
  17. The Lord appears to Abram, commanding him to change his name to Abraham, Sarai’s to Sarah, & practice male circumcision. He promises Abraham, with whom he will make his covenant, a child. Abraham fell upon his face & laughed but circumcises his household that selfsame day. #Gn17 
  18. The Lord appears in the form of 3 guests to Abraham & they promise Sarah that she will have a son. Sarah laughs & is rebuked by the Lord. The men prepare to leave for Sodom & Gomorrah, which the Lord will not sweep away for the sake of 10 righteous, talked down from 50. #Gn18

    Lot and His Daughters, by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri Guercino (Italian artist), 1650
  19. Two angels reach the wicked cities of Sodom & Gomorrah and command Lot & his family to leave. The Lord rains fire and brimstone upon Sodom & Gomorrah, Lot’s wife is turned to a pillar of salt by looking back, and Lot’s daughters lie with Lot to beget Moab & Ammon. #Gn19
  20. Abraham travels south and tells Abimelech, king of Gerar, that Sarah is his sister. This angers Abimelech when he finds out they are married, but they reveal that they are step-siblings. Abraham finds favor with Abimelech and his wealth increases. #Gn20
  21. Sarah conceives and bares a child, Isaac, who is circumcised and feted on his weaning, during which Sarah observes Ishmael mocking. Hagar and her son are expelled, Hagar despairs, but God aids them. Abraham and Abimelech make a covenant in Beersheba. #Gn21
  22. God tempts Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, but is stopped by an angel, taking a ram instead for a burnt offering. Because Abraham has not withheld his son, God blesses Abraham’s seed and promises to multiply it as the stars in heaven. #Gn22
  23. Sarah dies at 127 years of age, and Abraham bargains with Ephron the Hittite on behalf of the children of Heth to buy a field near Hebron in Canaan to bury her, paying 400 shekels of silver. Sarah is buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre. #Gn23
  24. Abraham directs his eldest servant to find a wife for Isaac from his kin (not the Canaanites), the sign being that she offers him & his camels drink. Rebekah, granddaughter of Nahor, fulfills the sign. The servant gives gifts to Rebekah & her family & takes her to Isaac. #Gn24
  25. Abraham dies, but not before taking a wife and concubines and having many children. The generations of Ishmael are named. Rebekah, wife of Isaac, bares twins: Esau, a hunter; and Jacob, a plain man who sod pottage and gains Esau’s birthright when Esau is famished. #Gn25
  26. The Lord appears to Isaac, promising to make his seed to multiply as the stars of heaven. Isaac dwells in Gerar & says Rebekah is his sister & gains the favor of (a different) Abimelech, king of Philistines. Isaac is given land to dig wells. Esau marries Judith, a Hittite. #Gn26
  27. With Isaac near death, though hungry, he sends Esau for venison, after which he will bless him. Overhearing, Rebekah tells Jacob to take a dinner to Isaac, wearing skins to feel like hairy Esau & gain his blessing. Esau vows revenge & Jacob is sent to live with Laban. #Gn27
  28. Isaac calls Jacob to bless him & sends him to Rebekah’s brother Laban to find a wife—not to Canaan, where Esau goes. On the way, Jacob sleeps on a stone pillow & dreams of a ladder to heaven. God renews his covenant with Jacob & his seed. Jacob builds temple Bethel there. #Gn28
  29. Jacob meets Rachel, is enamored, and agrees with Laban to work 7 years for her. At the end of 7 years, Laban gives him Leah, Rachel’s older sister. Jacob must work 7 more years for Rachel. Leah gives birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi, & Judah, but Rachel is barren. #Gn29
  30. Rachel gives Jacob her maid Bilhah who bare Dan & Naphtali. Leah gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob who bare Gad & Asher. Leah bares Issachar, Zebulon, & a daughter, Dinah. Rachel bares Joseph. Jacob receives Laban’s wages in speckled & spotted animals, & increases his wealth. #Gn30
  31. Jacob, who worked 20 years for Laban, detects a shift in Laban & sons’ attitude. Jacob, Leah, Rachel, maids & children steal away. Laban catches them & expresses his disappointment. They make a covenant. Laban cannot find his teraphim, taken & hidden by Rachel. #Gn31 
  32. While returning, Jacob meets Esau with 400 of his men. In fear of Esau’s wrath, Jacob divides his people and livestock into 2 bands & delivers presents of livestock—she-goats, he-goats, ewes, & rams. Jacob wrestles a man of God, strains his thigh, and takes the name Israel. #Gn32
  33. Jacob and Esau have a joyful reunion, and Jacob introduces Esau to his handmaids, wives, and children. Jacob offers Esau a present of livestock, and prevails on him to accept. Jacob buys some land in Shechem, a city in Canaan, & erects an altar. #Gn33
  34. Dinah, daughter of Leah, is raped by Shechem the Hivite. He & his father Hamor beg forgiveness from Jacob, & for Dinah to be Shechem’s wife. Jacob grants it on condition that they are circumcised. While sore, Simeon and Levi slay them & rescue Dinah. #Gn34
  35. Jacob and his household flee to Bethel in Canaan and construct an altar. God appears to Jacob, reaffirms their covenant and Jacob’s name-change to Israel. Rachel dies in childbirth of Benjamin, and is buried in Bethlehem beneath a pillar. Isaac dies at 180 yrs of age. #Gn35
  36. The generations of Esau, father of Edom and the Edomites, are recounted. Esau moved from Canaan lest his and Jacob’s riches were more than they might dwell together. #Gn36
  37. Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob, by Diego Velazquez (1630).

    Joseph’s father’s favor arouses his brothers’ envy, as do his dreams of sheaves & a star system. They plan to kill Joseph by  putting him in a pit but instead sell him for 20 silver pieces. Goat’s blood on his many-colored coat convinces a distraught Jacob of Joseph’s death. #Gn37

  38. Judah, Leah’s son, takes a Canaanite wife, Shuah, & has 3 sons. The eldest, Er, is wicked in the sight of the Lord & slain. Er’s brother Onan weds Tamar, Er’s widow, but spills his seed & is slain. Tamar, in disguise, seduces Judah, reveals him, & has twins, Perez & Zerah. #Gn38
  39. Joseph is bought by Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, and is so prosperous that he is made overseer of his house. Potiphar’s wife repeatedly tries to seduce Joseph, then falsely accuses him of attempted rape, for which Joseph is jailed. #Gn39
  40. A butler & a baker of the Pharaoh are cast into prison with Joseph. He offers to interpret their dreams: the butler’s dream of vines means he will be restored to his position. The baker’s dream of baskets means he will be hanged. This happens, but the butler forgets Joseph. #Gn40
  41. After 2 years, Pharaoh dreams of 7 fat kine & 7 fat ears devoured by 7 lean kine & 7 thin ears. The butler remembers Joseph, who interprets the dream to mean 7 fat years followed by 7 lean years. Pharaoh has Joseph manage Egypt (20% tax) & prepare for famine. Joseph weds… #Gn41
  42. …Asenath & begets Manasseh & Ephraim. Jacob sends all brothers but Benjamin to Egypt to buy corn during the famine. Joseph, unrecognized, accuses them of spying. All except Simeon are released & return to Canaan with grain and money, promising to return with Benjamin. #Gn42
  43. Jacob relents to let his sons return to Egypt with Benjamin, but advises to take money and gifts with them. Joseph entertains them with lunch while remaining incognito, though he is overcome with emotion upon seeing Benjamin. #Gn43
  44. Joseph sends his brothers off with food and money. He frames Benjamin by planting a silver cup in his sack, has them return to Egypt, and demands Benjamin’s life. Judah defends their righteousness, and offers to stay in his brother’s place. #Gn44
  45. Joseph makes himself known to his brethren, and weeps loudly. Joseph, second to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh himself invite the family of Jacob to Goshen to wait out the famine. Ye shall eat the fat of the land. #Gn45
  46. God tells Jacob to fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will make of thee a great nation. Joseph moves Jacob’s household of 70 from Canaan to Egypt. Joseph greets his father in Goshen. #Gn46
  47. Pharaoh greets Jacob and his family & is blessed by Jacob. Joseph settles Jacob’s brothers, who oversee Egypt, the land of Rameses. The famine brings money, livestock, & land from the starving people to Pharaoh. The people but not the priests are taxed at 20%. #Gn47
  48. Jacob blesses Joseph’s children, Manasseh & Ephraim. I had not thought to see thy face: and lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. Jacob blesses Ephraim, not first-born Manasseh, with his right hand, & says that both of their seed will become a multitude of nations. #Gn48
  49. Jacob prophesies his sons’ strengths & weaknesses: Reuben, Simeon & Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar is a strong donkey, Dan shall judge his people, Gad, Asher, Naphtali is a doe let loose, Joseph, & Benjamin. Jacob dies & is buried in the same field as Abraham & his kin. #Gn49
  50. Jacob is mourned for 70 days in Egypt & embalmed, which takes 40 days. They bury his body in the cave of Machpelah in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite. Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him. Joseph dies at 110 after seeing his 5th generation. #Gn50
    The line leading from Adam & Eve to Jacob/Israel, the father of Israel and its namesake. Nations and people in braces are later speculations.

    Names of the sons of Jacob/Israel, father of the 12 tribes of Israel, & his daughter Dinah. If Joseph & the Levites (for the Lord is their inheritance) are omitted & Manasseh & Ephraim (who received blessings over Reuben because of Reuben’s sin) added, then still 12 tribes.