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The creation of the world and the creation of man. Adam receives the commandment, and from his rib a wife is created, who, being seduced by the serpent, seduces her husband and, being cursed with him, is expelled from Paradise; and the serpent is cursed to crawl on his toes. Cain kills his brother for his superiority and suffers the punishment; then gives birth to children. Eve gives birth to Seth. The numbering of those who came from Adam and from Seth to Noah, and the condemnation of husbands for illicit marriages and for other iniquities. The sons of God here are those who descend from Seth, as it is said: “I said: you are gods and all are sons of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6; Gen. 6:2). And those who descended from Cain are called daughters of men. Further, God predicts to Noah the future destruction of people through a flood and commands him to make an ark three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. When he entered the ark, there was a flood that lasted forty days and forty nights. The water began to decrease after one hundred and fifty days; and the tops of the mountains were revealed on the first day of the tenth month. After forty days Noah sent out the raven, but it did not return; seven days later he sent out a dove, and it returned with an olive branch. Noah receives a command from God to leave the ark and, having left, made a sacrifice to God and received a blessing with his sons; I also received a promise from God that there would no longer be such destruction of people through a flood. After that, he blesses Shem and Japheth, and curses Canaan because his father Ham discovered his father’s nakedness. This curse was fulfilled on the Gibeonites, or better - it looked like a curse, but in fact it was a prophecy. The descendants of Noah follow to Peleg, who received this name from the fact that the earth was divided under him. Then they built a tower, from which the place itself was called Babylon, which means “confusion,” since their languages ​​were mixed here. But Peleg's father Eber, they say, did not participate with the others in the construction of the tower, and for this his dialect was not changed, but his language remained intact, and from it he received his very name. He was called Eber; that is why its language is called Hebrew; This serves as the greatest proof that the Hebrew language is more ancient than all dialects. Before the confusion of languages, everyone used this language. Eber is the ancestor of Abraham. Genealogies are presented from Seth to Abraham. Abraham's father Terah takes his sons, Abraham and Nahor, and his grandson Lot, and goes to Haran, intending to go to the land of Canaan; and when he died in Haran, God commanded Abraham to remove from Haran, and he came to Shechem in the land of Canaan. And God said to him: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Gen. 12:7). And Abraham built an altar to God and pitched a tent by the sea. When there was a famine, Abraham, having come to Egypt, commands his wife to say that she is his sister; Pharaoh, who took it, being punished by God, returns it to Abraham. When the shepherds of Abraham and Lot quarreled among themselves, they divided their habitats. Lot took the land of Sodom; Abraham settled near the oak tree of Mamre and again received a promise from God that his seed would multiply and inherit this land. When the five kings of the land of Sodom, who were previously subject to him, broke away from Khodollogomor, he, taking with him the other three kings, entered into battle with them and, putting them to flight, took them captive; Lot was among the captives. Abraham, hearing about this and chasing after them with three hundred and seventeen household members, freed his nephew, with horses and wives, and gave tithes to Melchizedek, who blessed him and brought out the bread and wine. That is why Paul says in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “So to speak, Levi himself, who receives tithes, in the person of Abraham gave tithes” (Heb. 7:9). When the king of Sodom offered Abraham to take the horses, he did not agree: “I will not even take a thread or a shoe strap from all yours, lest you say: I have made Abram rich” (Gen. 14:23). Then, when God tells him: “Your reward [will be] very great” (Gen. 15:1), he laments his childlessness and again hears that the one who comes from him will inherit him, and his seed will be like the stars of heaven. Here we find the saying: “Abram believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). He dissects (animals) and learns that his descendants will be strangers, but will then be liberated after four hundred years of oppression. Sarah, being barren, gives Abraham Hagar so that he can have children by her. When she gave birth, she became proud before her mistress; and Abraham gives her to Sarah so that she can avenge her insult. Offended by her mistress, she runs away from home, but receives a command from the Angel to return to her mistress, and together she receives the promise that her descendants will multiply; The very name of the baby, before his birth, is assigned by the Angel, calling him Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Abraham, being ninety-nine years old, receives a new name; he was no longer called Abram, but Abraham. God commands him to be circumcised along with his entire house. Sarah's name also changed, and she began to be called Sarah. Then Abraham receives the promise about Isaac. The Son of God appears to Abraham with two Angels and says to him: “I will be with you again at this time [next year], and Sarah your wife will have a son” (Gen. 18:10). Abraham intercedes with God for Sodom. Two Angels come to Lot. The Sodomites persistently demand them and are punished with blindness. The angels took Lot and left the house; and he himself and his daughters are saved in Zoar, and his wife turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back. When the country of Sodom was burned, Lot withdrew into the mountain, and his daughters became pregnant by him; the eldest gave birth to Moab, and the younger to Ammon; They achieved incest with their father through intoxication; they thought that the human race had ceased. Abraham moved to Gerar, and the king of Gerar, Abimelech, took Sarah; but when God threatened him, he, justifying himself, says that he considered this woman to be Abraham's sister, because she herself said so. He gave it to Abraham with gifts. Then the returned Sarah gives birth to Isaac. Abraham expels the servant girl and her son Ishmael from the house. Abimelech concludes an agreement with Abraham so as not to offend each other, and receives seven lambs from Abraham, as evidence that the oath well belongs to Abraham. Abraham is commanded to offer his son as a burnt offering and offers him up, but a ram is slaughtered instead. Yet this was a type of the economy that Christ had to accomplish for us. Sarah dies, and Abraham, having bought a place from Ephron the Hittite, buries his wife there and sends his servant to get a wife for Isaac in Mesopotamia, commanding him not to take his son there if the wife does not want to go with him. The slave came to the city of Nahor and asked for a sign by which he could recognize the maiden - and the sign was that she would offer drink to both him and his camels; Then Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, comes out - Nahor was Abraham's brother - and after giving him and his camels a drink, and saying whose daughter she is, she brings the man into the house and treats him. When he said why he had come and asked to let the girl go, the parents left it up to the girl herself to decide. Since she agreed, he took her and left; and she became Isaac's wife. Abraham, before the death of Sarah, takes Keturah as his wife; He removed the children born from her from Isaac, giving them gifts, and made Isaac the heir of his property and died. Here are listed the names of the sons of Ishmael, whose villages extended from Evilat to Sur. Since Rebekah was barren, Isaac asked God to make her conceive; and when she conceived, God said to her: “Two tribes are in your womb, and two different nations will come out of your womb” (Gen. 25:23), predicting about the Jews and about us Christians. When the babies were born and grew up, Esau yielded and sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal of lentils. Isaac wanted to go to Egypt, as the famine intensified, but God restrained him, commanding him to stay where he lived, and promising to be with him and bless his seed and multiply it. Abimelech, king of Gerar, having learned that Rebekah was the wife of Isaac - and he thought that she was his sister - determined the punishment of death for anyone who offended her. Isaac sowed and received a hundredfold fruit. When, by the blessing of God, he became very rich, the Philistines began to envy him, and Abimelech drove him out of there. He did not take revenge, but withdrew and dug the wells over which the dispute arose. He did not resist, but dug other wells until they stopped bothering him. And God blessed him. And Isaac received Abimelech who came to him warmly and treated him, not remembering the insults. Meanwhile, Esau took as wives the Canaanite women who were harassing Rebekah. Isaac grew old, and his vision became dull. He orders his son Esau to catch game and prepare food for him to bless Esau. Jacob, with the assistance of his mother, warned Esau. Having boiled two kids and wrapped Jacob in their skins to cover his smooth skin, she gave him food in his hands and sent him (to his father). He entered and received the blessing. Esau, having come and learned about what had happened, began to cry and sob and asked to bless him, and with his persistence he forced a blessing - although not the kind he had hoped for, he nevertheless forced it. Thus, being blessed with a small thing instead of a great one, he became angry with his brother, held a grudge and waited for his father’s death, so that he could then more boldly harm him. The mother warns Jacob about this and advises him to seek salvation in flight. Having told Isaac that her life would not be worth living if Jacob took a wife from the Canaanite women, she convinces Isaac to send Jacob to Mesopotamia to her brother Laban to take a wife from his daughters. When Jacob left, Esau took Ishmael's daughter as his wife. Ishmael was the son of Abraham, born to him from Hagar. Jacob sees the ladder, sets up a pillar and promises to give God a tenth of his property if he returns safely. He came to Mesopotamia, saw Rachel and kissed her; The girl went and told her father Laban about this, who, coming out, recognized Jacob and brought him to him. Jacob served him in payment for his daughter; but he gave him the older one. When Jacob was annoyed by this deception, Laban invited him to serve for another seven years if he wanted to get a younger one. He agrees to this and gets the younger one too. The eldest, Leah, was weak-eyed; and the youngest, Rachel, was beautiful. They were images: the older one was of the Jewish synagogue, and the younger one was of the Church of Christ. Leah conceived and gave birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Rachel did not give birth, and therefore she gave Jacob another wife, her maid Bilhah, who gave birth to Dan and Nephealim. And Leah gave Jacob her maid Zilpah as a wife, who gave birth to Gad and Asher. After this Leah gave birth to Issachar and Zebulun. Then Rachel gave birth to Joseph. When Jacob wanted to return to his land, Laban gave him the reward that Jacob himself had appointed, namely, all the mottled cattle from sheep and all the white cattle from goats. And all this multiplied because Jacob laid down sticks in the watering holes, and sheep were conceived, and white and speckled, striped and speckled, were born. All this was the work of God, as Jacob himself says. Then Laban's sons began to envy him; and he, taking his wives with their property, secretly withdrew. Laban pursued him, but before he caught up with Jacob, God threatened him if he treated Jacob harshly. Having caught up with Jacob, he, first of all, reproached him and asked about the reason for his secret departure. When Jacob said that he did this because he was hated and because he feared that Laban would take his daughters from him, then Laban demanded his gods, whom Rachel had kidnapped. When he did not find them, Jacob cruelly reproaches him. Finally, when they had eaten and drunk, they parted from each other, erecting a hill of stones there, which they called the hill of testimony. Then the Angels of God met Jacob. Jacob sends to Esau to inform him of his arrival. When the messengers returned and said that Esau was coming with three hundred men, then Jacob, overcome with fear, asked God to deliver him from the threatening danger and sent gifts to Esau. Jacob crossed the stream, was blessed, and his name was changed. Then he saw Esau coming and divided his people; He put the maids and their children first, Leah and the children second, and ordered Rachel and Joseph to go last; he himself went ahead. Esau greeted him friendly, accepted gifts from him and asked him to accompany him; but Jacob refused. Going further, he stopped in the city of Shechem, Salim. Here Shechem, the son of King Hamor, having fallen in love with Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and having corrupted this girl, asked to give her to him as his wife, for legal marriage. Simeon and Levi said that they would willingly give it up if he would be circumcised among his people. When they were circumcised and were still sick, Simeon and Levi killed them. After this, Jacob was afraid that the neighboring Canaanites would attack him, and, at the command of God, he retired to Bethel, where Rebekah’s nurse died. When God blessed him, he left Bethel and settled behind the tower of Gader. Then Rachel gave birth miserably and died, and was buried on the road to Euphratha; this is Bethlehem. And the one born by her was Benjamin. Then Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. Then Isaac died, and Esau and Jacob buried him. The genealogy of the descendants of Esau is outlined, among whom is Job, called here Jobab. Joseph was hated by his brothers for his dreams and because his father loved him more than them. Having seized him in private, they wanted to kill him; but Reuben advised him to be thrown into the ditch, because he wanted to at least spare him from death. They abandoned him, but then sold him to the Midianites, on the advice of Judah; His clothes, stained with blood, were shown to his father. He thought that his son had been eaten by beasts and wept bitterly. Judah begat Er, Abnan, and Silo. After the death of Er, his brother Abnan took his wife Tamar and did not want to restore the seed to his brother. When he died, Judah did not want to give Tamar as a wife to his third son Silon; Tamar, having adorned herself, sat down like a harlot by the way. Judas, thinking that she really was a harlot - since she had covered her face - went in to her and gave her a pledge: a chain, a ring and a rod. When after this it became known that Tamar had conceived, her father-in-law Judah ordered her to be burned; but she sent to tell him that she conceived from the man to whom the ring belonged. Then Judah said: “She is more right than I” (Gen. 38:26). When she gave birth, at first Zara showed his hand, but then removed it; Fares came out, and then Zara came out. This is allegorically explained as follows: first, they say, the first people, i.e. who were righteous before the law, showed his hand, i.e. a virtuous and angelic life; then the law was given; and after that the former life was resumed, raised to the highest perfection in the Kingdom of Christ. Joseph was bought by the archmagir of the pharaohs, Pentephry, and entrusted his house to him. He did not listen to his mistress, who urged him to commit a crime; slandered by her, he is thrown into prison; and there he was the chief and explained the dreams to the chief butler and the chief baker. It happened as he said: one was killed, and the other was elevated to his former dignity. Pharaoh saw cows and ears of corn in a dream, which signified fertility and then famine. Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret these dreams because the chief butler pointed him out. He interpreted and gave advice for alleviating future famines; became the first under Pharaoh and, having collected a lot of grain in the seven years of fertility, when famine came, he sold it to those who wanted it. His brothers also came to buy bread. Not seeing Benjamin between them and fearing that they had destroyed him too, he accuses them of being spies and says that they will get rid of the accusation only if they bring Benjamin’s younger brother to Egypt and show him. Taking Simeon from them and tying him up, he released the rest, giving bread and silver. When they opened the bags and saw the silver, they were amazed at the strange event and, telling their father what had happened, they asked to let Benjamin go with them. But he did not want to let the boy go. When the hunger intensified and Judah insisted on the need to take Benjamin, promising to return him healthy and unharmed, then Jacob gave double the silver, ordering other gifts to be taken as well. When they came to Joseph, he received them favorably, asked about their father and treated them magnificently. When they had to leave, he ordered a silver cup to be placed in Benjamin’s bag, without their knowledge. It was laid down, and they took (the bags) and left; Then Joseph ordered the ruler of his house to catch up with these people. Having caught up with them, he reproached them for repaying their benefactor with evil. They, indignant, determined death for anyone caught stealing, and slavery for themselves; The cup was found in Benjamin's possession. Then Judas entered and spoke for a long time about his father, about Joseph and Benjamin, and offered himself into slavery instead of the boy; by this he aroused such compassion in Joseph that he abandoned all pretense. Having sent everyone away so that he could cry freely, he reveals himself to his brothers and sends them after their father with gifts and chariots; this was also pleasing to Pharaoh. Hearing about what happened to Joseph, Jacob rejoiced and, at the command of God, went to Egypt. The father saw Joseph; this was reported to Pharaoh; and Jacob dwelt in the land of Rameshia. When the silver was spent in Egypt, people gave up livestock and received grain; when this too became scarce, and the hunger did not stop, they gave themselves up along with the land and, becoming slaves of Pharaoh, sowed and gave him a fifth of the fruits, and took four parts for their own benefit. Near death, Jacob takes an oath from Joseph not to bury him in Egypt, but in the tomb of his fathers. The sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, are not included among his grandchildren, but as his sons. Jacob's eyesight became weak, and as he kissed and intended to bless them, Joseph placed Ephraim on Jacob's left hand and Manasseh on his right. Jacob put his right hand on the younger one standing on the left, and his left hand on the one standing on the right, and blessed them. When Joseph thought that his father had done this out of ignorance and wanted to correct it, Jacob did not allow it, saying that he was doing it consciously, and not out of ignorance. Then Jacob gives exclusively to Joseph Shechem, which Simeon and Levi took possession of, and blesses his sons. Here he prophesies about Christ: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet, until the Reconciler comes, and to Him is the submission of the nations” (Gen. 49:10). When Jacob died, Joseph mourned him and took him away and buried him in Abraham's cave. His brothers said: “What if Joseph hates us and wants to take revenge on us for all the evil we did to him?” (Gen.50:15) - and they asked him, saying: “Behold, we are your servants” (Gen.50:18). Joseph wept and said to them: “Do not be afraid, for I fear God; Behold, you have plotted evil against me; but God turned it into good to do what it is now: to save the lives of a great number of people; So do not be afraid: I will feed you and your children. And he calmed them and spoke according to their hearts” (Gen. 50:19–21). Joseph lived a hundred years and saw the children of Ephraim until the third generation. He said to his brothers: “I am dying, but God will visit you and bring you out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Joseph cursed the children of Israel, saying, God will visit you, and take up my bones from here” (Gen. 50:24–25). Having died at the age of one hundred, he was buried in a tomb in Egypt. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: