The Law Codes of Ancient Ur
INTRODUCTION
The ancient kings of the Tigris and Euphrates river valley are notable for their consistent rigor to enact and enforce their style of government. Much information is absent from the pages of history, yet the profoundly positive contribution of certain rulers is quite admirable and noble.
The Mesopotamian river valley is situated at the crossroads of three continents, and was hence prone to wave after wave of social changes, usually in the form of invasions by bordering peoples.
Several generations of rulers left a remarkable impression of noble and wise leadership, with the great law code of Hammurabi as the watershed of the tradition of ancient Babylonian lawmakers.
The preceding generations of ancient kings were certainly an inspiration to the good kings of Mesopotamia, good men who were so often outmatched by the coordination of kingdoms of a lesser moral fiber that sprawled across the plains and mountains of the ancient Babylonian region.
In memory of the good kings nobility, and to inspire the present modern day age, the known records of the ancient laws codes, and a book of praises of the benevolent kings of ancient Babylon are now presented within the context of the hypothetical Restored Canon.
The Law Code of King Uruk-agina
The Law Code of King Ur-Nammu
The Law Code of King Bil-alama, of Esh-nunna
The Law Code of King Lipit-Eshtar
The Law Codes of Ancient Ur
The Law Code of King Uruk-agina Lost
INTRODUCTION
King Uruk-agina was a ruler of the city-state Lagash in Mesopotamia. Claiming to have been divinely appointed, he assumed the title of king upon the downfall of his corrupt predecessor, Lug-alanda.
He is best known for his reforms to combat corruption, which are sometimes cited as the first example of a legal code in recorded history. Although the actual text has not been discovered, much of its content may be surmised from other references to it that have been found.
In it, he exempted widows and orphans from taxes, compelled the city to pay funeral expenses (including the ritual food and drink libations for the journey of the dead into the lower world), and decreed that the rich must use silver when purchasing from the poor, and if the poor does not wish to sell, the powerful man (the rich man or the priest) cannot force him to do so.
Urukagina's code has been widely hailed as the first recorded example of government reform, seeking to achieve a higher level of freedom and equality. It limited the power of the priesthood and large property owners, and took measures against usury, burdensome controls, hunger, theft, murder, and the seizure of people's property and persons, as he later states, "The widow and the orphan were no longer at the mercy of the powerful man".
Despite these apparent attempts to curb the excesses of the elite class, it seems elite or royal women enjoyed even greater influence and prestige in his reign than previously. Uruk-agina greatly expanded the royal "Household of Women" from about 50 persons to about 1500 persons.
He renamed it the "Household of the goddess Bau", and gave it ownership of vast amounts of land confiscated from the former priesthood, placing it under the supervision of his wife, Shasha (Shagshag). In his second year of reign, Shasha presided over the lavish funeral of Uruk-againa's predecessor's queen, Baranamtarra, who had been an important personage in her own right.
Adapted from Wikipedia.com
The Reforms of Uruk-agina
'He established freedom.'
While Greek political experience was so rich and varied that it has been said with little exaggeration that the Greeks "invented politics," the political realms of ancient Mesopotamia is commonly said to have been limited to an unvarying despotism that was total and non-benevolent, whose subjects knew only "the language of the whip."
There is good evidence, however, that a fair number of these rulers were benevolent, and, also that ancient Mesopotamia experienced forms of government other than despotism.
The greatest political achievement of the Greeks was democracy, which never developed in Mesopotamia or elsewhere in the ancient Near East. Yet before the Greeks attained democracy they had experienced three other types of government, which they called monarchy, oligarchy, and tyranny. These three constitutional forms developed in ancient Mesopotamia too.
Gilgamesh was the last of the Sumerian primitive monarchs whose exploits were celebrated in epics. Thereafter, for more than a century, priest-dominated aristocratic councils ruled the Sumerian city-states through weak and compliant magistrates called Ensi-gar, “governors installed” (by a superior).
Yet from about 2550 BC, when true historical sources first become relatively abundant, to about 2350 BC, when Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer, dissatisfaction with oligarchic rule led intermittently to the rise of tyrants in the Greek sense of the term.
Best known among these lugal's (literally "great man," a term used also in the sense of "lord" and usually translated "king") was Uruk-agina, who usurped power as "lugal of Lagash" just after 2400 BC. He promoted so many reforms in the interest of the oppressed common people that Uruk-agina has been called one of the first social reformer in history.
Urukagina's inscriptions, begin with a description of the abuses which 'since time immemorial,' had been undermining the original 'divinely decreed way of life.' It is Uruk-agina's view that all the leading elements in society, all the priests, administrators, powerful men, and even the governor and his family, were guilty of acting 'for his own benefit.'
Also of interest is King Uruk-agina's use of a contractual theory of government to justify both his usurpation of power and his reforms. He made a 'covenant' with Ningirsu, the patron god of the kingdom of Lagash, and he carried out Ningirsu's instructions.
Adapted from World History Project
The story of the reformer echoes through a number of benevolent kings of ancient Mesopotamia.
See also 'The Praise of King Uruk-agina' for a view of his social and political reforms.
The Law Codes of Ancient Ur
The Law Code of King Uruk-agina
The only known tracts from the lost law code are from the section about funerals. The large amount of data provided gives an indication of the extent of teachings of the law code.
...From the border territory of [the kingdom of] Ningirsu to the sea, (of the Persian Gulf)
no person shall serve as officers.
...For a corpse being brought to the grave,
his beer shall be 3 jugs and his bread 80 loaves.
One bed and one adult goat shall the undertaker take away,
and 3 ban of barley shall the [mourning] persons take away.
When to the reeds of Enki a [prominent] person has been brought,
his beer will be 4 jugs, and his bread 420 loaves.
One barig of barley shall the undertaker take away,
and 3 ban of barley shall the persons of [mourning] take away.
One woman’s headband, and one sila of princely fragrance
shall the eresh-dingir priestess take away.
420 loves of bread that have sat are the bread duty,
40 loaves of hot bread are for eating, and 10 loaves of hot bread are the bread of the table.
5 loaves of bread are for the persons of the levy,
2 mud vessels and 1 sadug vessel of beer are for the lamentation singers of Girsu.
490 loaves of bread, 2 mud vessels and 1 sadug vessel of beer
are for the lamentation singers of Lagash.
406 loaves of bread, 2 mud vessels, and 1 sadug vessel of beer
are for the other lamentation singers.
250 loaves of bread and one mud vessel of beer are for the old wailing women.
180 loaves of bread and 1 mud vessel of beer are for the men of Nigin.
The blind one who stands in [mourning for the dead]
his bread for eating is one loaf, 5 loaves of bread are his at midnight,
one loaf is his bread at midday, and 6 loaves are his bread in the evening.
60 loaves of bread, 1 mud vessel of beer, and 3 ban of barley
are for the person who is to perform as the sagbur priest...
The Law Codes of Ancient Ur
The Law Code of King Ur-Nammu CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-20
The Ur-Nammu law code is the oldest known legal code, written in about 2100 BC, about 300 years before Hammurabi's law code in 1775 BC. The son of Ur-Nammu, King Shulgi, a prolific writer and musician, is thought to be credited with recording the law code attributed to his father.
The law code of Hammurabi was heralded as the earliest known code of laws when it was first found in 1901. Now older collections are known. They are laws of the town Eshnunna, from about 1800 BC, and the laws of King Lipit-Ishtar of Isin, from about 1930 BC, and other Babylonian copies of the Ur-Nammu law code from about 1900 BC, with 26 laws of the 57 laws.
The ceramic cylinder was the first copy found that originally had the whole text of the code, and is the world's oldest law code. Further, it actually mentions the name of Ur-Nammu for the first time.
40 of 57 laws have been recovered. Not all 40 are presented here. (Source of the introduction not credited)
Prologue
1.
After An and Enlil had turned over the Kingship of Ur to Nanna,
at that time did Ur-Nammu, son born of Ninsun,
for his beloved mother who bore him, in accordance with his principles of equity and truth,
2.
Then did Ur-Nammu the mighty warrior,
king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad,
by the might of Nanna, lord of the city,
and in accordance with the true word of Utu,
establish equity in the land;
3.
He banished malediction, violence and strife,
and set the monthly temple expenses at 90 gur of barley, 30 sheep, and 30 sila of butter.
4.
He fashioned the bronze sila-measure, standardized the one-mina weight,
and standardized the stone weight of a shekel of silver in relation to one mina.
5.
The orphan was not delivered up to the rich man;
the widow was not delivered up to the mighty man;
the man of one shekel was not delivered up to the man of one mina.
1 Mina equals 60 Shekels
6.
If a man commits a murder,
that man must be killed.
5.
If a man commits a robbery,
he will be killed.
6.
If a man commits a kidnapping,
he is to be imprisoned and pay 15 shekels of silver.
7.
If a slave marries a slave, and that slave is set free,
he does not leave the household.
8.
If a slave marries a native free person,
he or she is to hand the firstborn son over to his owner.
9.
If a man violates the right of another and deflowers the virgin wife of a young man,
they shall kill that male.
10.
If the wife of a man followed after another man, and he slept with her,
they shall slay that woman, but that male shall be set free.
11.
If a man proceeded by force, and deflowered the virgin slavewoman of another man,
that man must pay five shekels of silver.
12.
If a man divorces his first-time wife,
he shall pay her one mina of silver.
If it is a former widow whom he divorces,
he shall pay her half a mina of silver.
14.
[ missing ]
15.
If the man had slept with the widow without there having been any marriage contract,
he need not pay any silver.
16.
If a man is accused of sorcery he must undergo ordeal by water;
if he is proven innocent, his accuser must pay 3 shekels.
17.
If a man accused the wife of a man of adultery, and the river ordeal proved her innocent,
then the man who had accused her must pay one-third of a mina of silver.
18.
If a prospective son-in-law enters the house of his prospective father-in-law,
but his father-in-law later gives his daughter to another man,
the father-in-law shall return to the rejected son-in-law
twofold the amount of bridal presents he had brought.
19.
If [the son-in-law returns the father-in-law's daughter after the wedding],
he shall weigh and deliver to him 2 [shekels] [mina?] of silver.
20.
If a slave escapes from the city limits, and someone returns him,
the owner shall pay two shekels to the one who returned him.
The Law Code of King Ur-Namma CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 21-40
21.
If a man knocks out the eye of another man,
he shall weigh out 1/2 a mina of silver.
22.
If a man has [cut off] [injured] another man’s foot,
he is to pay ten shekels.
23.
If a man, in the course of a scuffle, smashed the limb of another man with a club,
he shall pay one mina of silver.
24.
If someone severed the nose of another man with a copper knife,
he must pay two-thirds of a mina of silver.
25.
If a man knocks out a tooth of another man,
he shall pay two shekels of silver.
26.
[If a man accidentaly kills another man's slave,
he must repay him with a slave of the same value.]
27.
If he does not have a slave, he is to pay 10 shekels of silver.
If he does not have silver, he is to give another thing [of the same value] that belongs to him.
28.
If a man’s slave-woman, comparing herself to her mistress, speaks insolently to her,
her mouth shall be scoured with [1 quart] of salt.
[2 lines of laws missing?]
29.
If a slave woman strikes someone acting with the authority of her mistress,
[she shall be struck my her mistress.]
30.
If a man appeared as a witness, and was shown to be a perjurer,
he must pay fifteen shekels of silver.
31.
If a man appears as a witness, but withdraws his oath,
he must make payment, to the extent of the value in litigation of the case.
32.
If a man stealthily cultivates the field of another man and he [then] raises a complaint [of loss],
this is however to be rejected, and this man will lose his expenses.
33.
If a man flooded the field of a man with water,
he shall measure out three kur of barley per iku of field.
34.
If a man had let an arable field to another man for cultivation,
but he did not cultivate it, turning it into [fallow] wasteland,
he shall measure out three kur of barley for each iku of field.
35.
[ the remaining laws are unknown ]
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
The Law Code of King Ur-Namma CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 41-60
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
The Law Codes of Ancient Ur
The Law Code of King Bil-alama, of Esh-nunna CHAPTER ONE
The law code of King Bil-alama was recorded in approximately 1930 BC, a generation before Abraham was born in Ur. The town of Eshnunna is located on a branch of the Tigris River valley, situated some distance to the south of Nineveh.
The law code covers the main areas of law concerning crimes of bodily injury, sexual crimes, marriage issues, murder, property crimes, false accusations, and gossip.
The name of the false prophet Balaam appears to invoke the name of the king of the town of Eshnunna. (Numbers 22-24, circa 1400 BC)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
etc.
The Ancient Law Codes
The Law Code of King Lipit-Eshtar CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
From about 100 years before the Code of Hammurabi, King Lipit-Eshtar (or Ishtar) was the fifth ruler of the first dynasty of Isin, and ruled from about 1870 BC to 1860 BC.
Some documents and royal inscriptions from his day have survived, yet he is known mostly due to Sumerian language hymns written in his honor, as well as a legal code written in his name. Both were used for academic instruction for hundreds of years after his reign. The records of his rule state that he also defended his kingdom from invasion by the Amorites.
1.
When Anu and Enlil had called Lipit-Ishtar,
Lipit-Ishtar the wise shephard
whose name had been pronounced by Nunamnir to the princeship of the land,
2.
in order to establish justice in the land,
to banish complaints,
to turn back enmity and rebellion by force of arms,
and to bring well-being to the Sumerians and Akkadians,
3.
then I, Lipit-Ishtar, the humble shephard of Nippur,
the stalwart farmer of Ur, who abandons not Eridu,
the suitable lord of Erech,
4.
king of Isin, king of Sumer and Akkad,
who am fit for the heart of Manna,
established justice in Sumer and Akkad in accordance with the word of Enlil.
5.
I made the father support his children,
and i made the children support their father.
I made the father stand by his children,
and I made the children stand by their father.
6.
[missing]
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
If a man gave bare ground to another man to set out as an orchard
and the latter did not complete setting out that bare ground as an orchard,
he shall give to the man who set out the orchard
the bare ground which he neglected as part of his share.
13.
If a man entered the orchard of another man and was seized there for stealing,
he shall pay ten shekels of silver.
14.
If a man cut down a tree in the garden of another man,
he shall pay one-half mina of silver.
15.
If adjacent to the house of a man the bare ground of another man has been neglected
and the owner of the house has said to the owner of the bare ground,
"Because your ground has been neglected, someone may break into my house:
strengthen your house,"
and this agreement has been confirmed by him,
the owner of the bare ground shall restore to the owner of the house
any of his property that is lost.
16.
If a slave-girl or the slave of a man has fled into the heart of the city
and it has been confirmed that he or she dwelt in the house of another man for one month,
he shall give slave for slave.
17.
If he has no slave, he shall pay fifteen shekels of silver.
If a servant is the grant of a king, he shall not be taken away
18.
If a servant went to a man of his own free will, that man shall not hold him;
the servant may go where he desires.
19.
If a man without authorization bound another man to a matter
of which the latter had no knowledge, that man is not legally obligated;
the first man shall bear the penalty in regard to the matter unto which he had bound the latter.
20.
If the master or the mistress of an estate has defaulted on the tax of an estate
and a stranger has borne it,
for three years the owner may not be evicted.
21.
Afterwards, the man who bore the tax of the estate shall possess that estate
and the former owner of the estate shall not raise any claim.
22.
[The daughter of a priest is considered to be a priestess,
and should be married only to a man that is a priest.]
23.
[If she marry a man that is not a priest,
her children may not be regarded as priests or priestesses.]
24.
If the father is living, his daughter,
whether she be a high priestess, a priestess, or a hierodule, shall dwell in his house like an heir.
25.
[If a man's wife bore him no children,
and he marry a second wife, ]
If the second wife whom he had married bore him children,
the dowry which she brought from her father's house belongs to her children,
but the children of his first wife and the children of his second wife
shall divide equally the property of their father.
The Law Code of King Lipit-Eshtar CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-50
26.
If a man married his wife and she bore him children, and those children are living,
and a slave also bore children for her master,
yet the father granted freedom to the slave and her children,
the children of the slave shall not divide the estate with the children of their former master.
27.
28.
If a man's wife has not borne him children
yet a harlot from the public square has borne him children,
he shall provide grain, oil, and clothing for that harlot.
29.
The children which the harlot has borne him shall be his heirs,
and as long as his wife lives, the harlot shall not live in the house with the wife.
30.
If a son-in-law has entered the house of his prospective father-in-law,
and afterwards they made him go out of the house,
and gave his wife to his companion,
they shall present to him the betrothal gifts which he brought,
and that wife may not marry his companion.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
If a man rented an ox and injured the flesh at the nose ring,
he shall pay one-third of its price.
36.
If a man rented an ox and damaged its eye,
he shall pay one-half its price.
37.
If a man rented an ox and broke its horn,
he shall pay one-fourth its price.
38.
If a man rented an ox and damaged its tail,
he shall pay one-fourth its price.
39.
40.
Epilogue
41.
In accordance with the true word of [the sun god] Utu,
I caused Sumer and Akkad to hold to true justice.
42.
In accordance with the pronouncement of Enlil,
I, Lipit-ishtar, the son of enlil,
abolished enmity and rebellion,
made weeping, lamentations and [suffering] taboo,
43.
caused righteousness and truth to shine forth
and brought well-being to the Sumerians and Akkadians.
44.
When I had established the wealth of Sumer and Akkad,
I erected this tablet.
45.
May he who will commit an evil deed with regards to this tablet,
who will not damage my work,
who will not erase its inscription,
who will not write his own name upon it,
46.
be presented with life and breath of long days,
may he rise high in the [air];
may Enlil's right forehead look down upon him.
47.
He who will commit some evil deed with regards to this tablet,
who will damage my work,
who will enter the storeroom and change its pedestal,
48.
who will erase its inscription,
who will write his own name upon it
or because of this curse, substitutes someone else for himself,
49.
that man, [may he be cursed with shortness of days,
may he sink into the lower regions of the Earth,
(and despised by the gods) ]
50.
[The end of the words of the laws of King Lipit Ishtar,
the king of the city of Isin. (near Ur) ]
Introduction adapted from Wikipedia
Translation by F. Steele
The Book of GenesisCHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-25
Otherwise named
The Book of Generations
and
The First Book of Moses
GENESIS 1-2
The Generations of Adam
1.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
2.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
3.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
4.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
5.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
6.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
7.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 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.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
8.
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
9.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
10.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
11.
26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
12.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
13.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
GENESIS 2
14.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
15.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
16.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
17.
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
18.
13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
19.
15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
20.
Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
21.
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
22.
19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
23.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
24.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
The Book of Genesis CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 26-60
GENESIS 3-5
26.
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
27.
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
28.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
29.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
30.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
31.
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
32.
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
33.
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
34.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:
35.
cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
36.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
37.
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
GENESIS 4
38.
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
39.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.
And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
40.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
41.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
42.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
43.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
44.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
45.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
46.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
47.
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
48.
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
49.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
GENESIS 5
50.
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
51.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
52.
6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
53.
9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
54.
12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
55.
15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
56.
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
57.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
58.
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
59.
28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
60.
30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The Book of Genesis CHAPTER THREE
Divisions 61-90
The Generations of Noah
GENESIS 6-8
61.
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
62.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
63.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
6 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
64.
6 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
65.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
66.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
67.
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
68.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
69.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
GENESIS 7
70.
1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
71.
3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
72.
5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
73.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
74.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
75.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
76.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
77.
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
78.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
79.
21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
80.
23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
GENESIS 8
81.
1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
82.
4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
83.
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
84.
8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
85.
10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
86.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
87.
15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
88.
18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
89.
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
90.
21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
The Book of Genesis CHAPTER FOUR
Divisions 91-115
GENESIS 9 - 10:30
91.
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
92.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
93.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
94.
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after