The Books of the Bible

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Pentateuch Psalms.. ........................................................................ 735

Genesis........................................................................... 17 Proverbs.. .................................................................... 832
Exodus. . .......................................................................... 91 Ecclesiastes............................................................... 863
Leviticus..................................................................... 142 Song of Solomon
(Canticle of Canticles)................................... 872
Numbers.................................................................... 181
The Wisdom of Solomon (Wisdom).......... 878
Deuteronomy.......................................................... 227
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus).. ....................................... 900
The Historical Books
The Prophetic Books
Joshua (Josue).. ........................................................ 274
Isaiah (Isaias). . ......................................................... 960
Judges.......................................................................... 301
Jeremiah (Jeremias).......................................... 1031
Ruth.............................................................................. 328
Lamentations....................................................... 1100
1 Samuel (1 Kings)................................................ 332
Baruch...................................................................... 1108
2 Samuel (2 Kings)................................................ 375
Ezekiel (Ezechiel).. .............................................. 1116
1 Kings (3 Kings).................................................... 408
Daniel.. ...................................................................... 1171
2 Kings (4 Kings).................................................... 450
Hosea (Osee).. ........................................................ 1195
1 Chronicles (1 Paralipomenon)................... 491
Joel.............................................................................. 1206
2 Chronicles (2 Paralipomenon)................... 522
Amos. . ........................................................................ 1211
Ezra (1 Esdras).. ....................................................... 567
Obadiah (Abdias)............................................... 1220
Nehemiah (2 Esdras)........................................... 579
Jonah (Jonas).. ....................................................... 1222
Tobit (Tobias). . ......................................................... 594
Micah (Michaeas)............................................... 1225
Judith........................................................................... 606
Nahum..................................................................... 1232
Esther........................................................................... 622
Habakkuk (Habacuc). . ...................................... 1235
1 Maccabees (1 Machabees).. ........................... 640 Zephaniah (Sophonias).................................. 1238
2 Maccabees (2 Machabees)............................ 674 Haggai (Aggeus).................................................. 1242

The Wisdom Books Zechariah (Zacharias).. .................................... 1244

Job.................................................................................. 699 Malachi (Malachias).. ........................................ 1254

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xvi | The Books of the Bible

THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Gospels 2 Thessalonians................................................... 1522

Matthew.. .................................................................. 1269 1 Timothy.. ............................................................... 1524
Mark. . .......................................................................... 1309 2 Timothy................................................................ 1529
Luke.. ........................................................................... 1333 Titus............................................................................ 1532
John. . ........................................................................... 1382 Philemon................................................................. 1534

Hebrews.................................................................... 1535
The Acts of the Apostles.................................. 1419
The Catholic Letters
The New Testament Letters James.......................................................................... 1547
Romans..................................................................... 1457 1 Peter........................................................................ 1551
1 Corinthians......................................................... 1474 2 Peter........................................................................ 1555
2 Corinthians......................................................... 1490 1 John......................................................................... 1558
Galatians.................................................................. 1500 2 John......................................................................... 1562
Ephesians.. ............................................................... 1505 3 John......................................................................... 1563
Philippians.. ............................................................ 1510 Jude............................................................................. 1564
Colossians.. .............................................................. 1514

1 Thessalonians................................................... 1518 Revelation (The Apocalypse). . ...................... 1566

 The Books of the Bible
in Alphabetical Order with Abbreviations

Acts of the Apostles | Acts . . . . . . . 1419 2 Kings | 2 Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

Amos | Amos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1211 Lamentations | Lam . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100
Baruch | Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1108 Leviticus | Lev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
1 Chronicles | 1 Chron . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Luke | Lk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1333
2 Chronicles | 2 Chron . . . . . . . . . . . 522 1 Maccabees | 1 Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640
Colossians | Col . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1514 2 Maccabees | 2 Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
1 Corinthians | 1 Cor . . . . . . . . . . . . 1474 Malachi | Mal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1254
2 Corinthians | 2 Cor . . . . . . . . . . . . 1490 Mark | Mk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1309
Daniel | Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1171 Matthew | Mt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269
Deuteronomy | Deut . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Micah | Mic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225
Ecclesiastes | Eccles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 Nahum | Nahum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1232
Ephesians | Eph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1505 Nehemiah | Neh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Esther | Esther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622 Numbers | Num . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Exodus | Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Obadiah | Obad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1220
Ezekiel | Ezek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1116 1 Peter | 1 Pet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1551
Ezra | Ezra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567 2 Peter | 2 Pet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1555
Galatians | Gal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1500 Philemon | Philem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1534
Genesis | Gen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Philippians | Phil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1510
Habakkuk | Hab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1235 Proverbs | Prov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 832
Haggai | Hag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1242 Psalms | Ps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Hebrews | Heb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1535 Revelation | Rev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1566
Hosea | Hos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1195 Romans | Rom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1457
Isaiah | Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 960 Ruth | Ruth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
James | Jas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1547 1 Samuel | 1 Sam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Jeremiah | Jer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1031 2 Samuel | 2 Sam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Job | Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699 Sirach | Sir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900
Joel | Joel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1206 Song of Solomon | Song . . . . . . . . . 872
John | Jn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1382 1 Thessalonians | 1 Thess . . . . . . . 1518
1 John | 1 Jn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1558 2 Thessalonians | 2 Thess . . . . . . . 1522
2 John | 2 Jn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1562 1 Timothy | 1 Tim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1524
3 John | 3 Jn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1563 2 Timothy | 2 Tim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1529
Jonah | Jon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1222 Titus | Tit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1532
Joshua | Josh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Tobit | Tob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Jude | Jude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1564 Wisdom | Wis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 878
Judges | Judg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Zechariah | Zech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244
Judith | Jud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606 Zephaniah | Zeph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1238
1 Kings | 1 Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

xvii
 The books of the Apocrypha and the Deuterocanonical Books
of the Catholic Old Testament are related as follows:

APOCRYPHA DEUTEROCANONICAL
BOOKS

1 (3) Esdras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not included

2 (4) Esdras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not included
Tobit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tobit
Judith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judith
Additions to Esther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esther (part of )
The Wisdom of Solomon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Wisdom of Solomon
Sirach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sirach
Baruch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baruch 1–5
The Letter of Jeremiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baruch 6
The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of
the Three Young men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel 3 (part of )
Susanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel 13
Bel and the Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel 14
The Prayer of Manasseh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not included
1 Maccabees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Maccabees

Abbreviations in the Notes

In the notes to the books of the Old Testament, the following abbreviations are used: Ms for
manuscript; Mss for manuscripts. Heb denotes the Hebrew of the consonantal Masoretic Text
of the Old Testament; and MT denotes the Hebrew of the pointed Masoretic Text of the Old
Testament. The ancient versions of the Old Testament are indicated by:

Gk Septuagint Greek Version of the Old Testament

Lat Latin Version of Tobit, Judith, and 2 Maccabees
Sam Samaritan Hebrew text of the Old Testament
Syr Syriac Version of the Old Testament
Tg Targum
Vg Vulgate, Latin Version of the Old Testament

Cn indicates a correction made where the text has suffered in transmission and the versions
provide no satisfactory restoration but the Committee agrees with the judgment of competent
scholars as to the most probable reconstruction of the original text.

References to quoted and parallel passages are given following the textual notes on pages
where these are relevant.

xviii
 Index of Articles, Charts, Maps, and Key Events

Foreword to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxiv

Introduction to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxv

How to Interpret the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxx

Lectio Divina: Encountering God Through a Prayerful Reading of Scripture . . . xxxvi

The Bible Timeline® Period Articles

Early World (Genesis 1–11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Patriarchs (Genesis 12–50) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Egypt and Exodus (Exodus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Desert Wanderings (Numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Conquest and Judges (Joshua; Judges; 1 Samuel 1–8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Royal Kingdom (1 Samuel 9–31; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1–11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12–22; 2 Kings 1–16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Exile (2 Kings 17–25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
Return (Ezra and Nehemiah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Maccabean Revolt (1 Maccabees) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635
Messianic Fulfillment (Luke) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1261
The Church (Acts of the Apostles) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1413

The Major Covenants

The Covenants of Salvation History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Covenant at Creation (Genesis 1–3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Covenant with Noah (Genesis 9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15, 17, 22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Covenant with Israel Through Moses (Exodus 24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
The Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
The New Covenant (Luke 22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1369

Charts
Narrative and Supplemental Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxviii

xix
xx | Index of Articles, Charts, Maps, and Key Events

The Bible Timeline Reading Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix

Early World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Covenant Structure of Salvation History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Patriarchs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Threefold Promise to Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Egypt and Exodus ............................................................................ 84
Desert Wanderings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Conquest and Judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Royal Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Kings of the United Kingdom and Judah (Southern Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Divided Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Kings of Israel (Northern Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Maccabean Revolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634
Prophets of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 959
Messianic Fulfillment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1260
The Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1412

Maps
The Journeys of Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1593
The Exodus and Desert Wanderings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1594
The Tribal Allotment of Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1595
The United Kingdom Under Solomon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1596
The Divided Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1597
The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1598
The Persian Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1599
The Greek Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1600
The Roman Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1601
Palestine in the Time of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1602
 Index of Articles, Charts, Maps, and Key Events | xxi

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1603

Paul’s First Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1604
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1605
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1606
Paul’s Journey to Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1607
Important Cities of the New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1608

Key Events
1. Creation (Genesis 1–2:24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2. Fall (Genesis 3:1-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3. Curse and Promise (Genesis 3:8-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4. Flood (Genesis 6:1–9:17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5. People Scattered at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
6. God Calls Abram out of Ur (Genesis 12:1-4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7. Melchizedek Blesses Abram (Genesis 14:18-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
8. Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:1-21, 17:1-11, 22:1-9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9. Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16–19:39) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10. Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11. Jacob Steals Blessing and Flees (Genesis 27:1-46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
12. Jacob Wrestles with God (Genesis 32:22-31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
13. Joseph Sold into Slavery (Genesis 37:12-36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
14. Jacob’s Family Moves to Egypt (Genesis 46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
15. Israel Enslaved in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
16. The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–6:30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
17. Ten Plagues (Exodus 7:14–11:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
18. Exodus and the First Passover (Exodus 12:1–14:31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
19. Crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17–15:21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
20. God Provides Manna (Exodus 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
21. Covenant with Moses (Exodus 24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
22. Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
xxii | Index of Articles, Charts, Maps, and Key Events

23. Appointment of Levites (Exodus 32:25-29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

24. Tabernacle (Exodus 36–38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
25. Twelve Spies Sent Out (Numbers 13:1-33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
26. Aaron’s Rod (Numbers 17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
27. Moses Strikes the Rock (Numbers 20:1-13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
28. Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:4-9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
29. Covenant in Moab (Deuteronomy 29:1-29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
30. Israel Crosses the Jordan (Joshua 3–4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
31. Fall of Jericho (Joshua 5:13–6:27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
32. Covenant Renewal (Joshua 8:30-35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
33. Southern Campaign (Joshua 9–10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
34. Northern Campaign (Joshua 11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
35. Tribal Allotment (Joshua 13–21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
36. Israel Asks for a King (1 Samuel 8:1-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
37. David Kills Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
38. Ark Moved to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
39. Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:1-29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
40. First Temple Built (1 Kings 5:1–8:66) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
41. The Kingdom Divides (1 Kings 12:16-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
42. Jezebel Leads Israel Astray (1 Kings 18–21; 2 Kings 9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
43. Elijah Defeats the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
44. Israel Falls to Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
45. Foreign Possession of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24-41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
46. Image of the Five Kingdoms (Daniel 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1172
47. Judah Falls to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
48. First Temple Destroyed (2 Kings 25:8-17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
49. Zerubbabel Rebuilds the Temple (Ezra 3–6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
50. Ezra Returns and Teaches (Ezra 7:1–8:36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
51. Esther Saves Her People (Esther) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
 Index of Articles, Charts, Maps, and Key Events | xxiii

52. Nehemiah Returns and Rebuilds Jerusalem Walls (Nehemiah 3:1–4:23) . . . . . 580
53. Antiochus Desecrates the Temple (1 Maccabees 1:20-62, 4:43) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640
54. Purification of the Temple (1 Maccabees 4:36-61) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
55. Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
56. Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1338
57. Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7; Luke 6:20-46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1272
58. Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1384
59. Keys to Peter (Matthew 16:13-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1288
60. Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1348
61. Last Supper (Luke 22:7-38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1375
62. Passion (Luke 22:39–23:56) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1376
63. Jesus Gives His Mother to the Church (John 19:25-27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1408
64. Resurrection (Luke 24:1-12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1378
65. Ascension (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:6-11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1419
66. Witness in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1–8:4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1419
66a. Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1420
66b. Choosing of the Seven (Diaconate) (Acts 6:1-7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1426
66c. Stephen Martyred (Acts 6:8–7:60) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1426
67. Witness in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:4–13:1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1428
67a. Saul’s Conversion (Acts 9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1430
67b. Peter’s Vision (Acts 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432
67c. Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance (Acts 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1434
68. Witness to the Ends of the Earth (Acts 13:1–28:31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1436
68a. Paul’s Three Missionary Journeys
(Acts 13:1–14:28, 15:36–18:22, 18:23–21:16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1436
68b. Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1438
68c. John’s Apocalypse (Revelation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1566
69. Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1456
70. The Second Coming of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1585
 Foreword to
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written
in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31).

While the Evangelist was speaking primarily about the Gospel he had written, his
words describe the purpose of the whole of the Scripture. In other words, all that is
written in the Bible aims to present to us Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who by
his teaching, his miracles, his Passion, death, and Resurrection, has opened to you
and me the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. The Bible tells one story.

Our main difficulty with the Bible, however, is that it is a collection of books written
in a multitude of literary forms: stories of origins, tales of the ancestors, histories,
collections of laws and statutes, prophecies, songs, etc. It is sometimes difficult to
discern how a particular book fits in with the others. Nonetheless, the Bible tells
just one story held together by a variety of themes and threads that revolve around
a central plot. It is the story of our salvation.

The Great Adventure Catholic Bible elucidates for us the strongest of the threads, that
is to say, the series of covenants by which God has established a relationship with
the human race in his mission to draw back to himself all of us who are wounded by
original sin. Drawing from the wildly popular and effective Great Adventure Catholic
Bible Study by Jeff Cavins, The Great Adventure Catholic Bible includes helpful tools
such as a Bible Timeline Chart and several articles identifying the key persons, events,
and transitions that drive the plot of salvation history from beginning to end.

In the “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” from the Second Vatican

Council, the Council Fathers acknowledged:
God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New
Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New. For, though
Christ established the new covenant in His blood (see Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25), still the
books of the Old Testament with all their parts, caught up into the proclamation of the
Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the New Testament (see Matt. 5:17;
Luke 24:27; Rom. 16:25-26; 2 Cor. 3:14-16) and in turn shed light on it and explain it.1

As in any adventure, in order to reach your destination, you need a map. The Great
Adventure Catholic Bible provides that for you. Enjoy the journey!

Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes

1
Dei Verbum (DV) 16.

xxiv
 Introduction to
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
by Jeff Cavins

By picking up this Bible, you have taken the first step in discovering the greatest
literary treasure known to humanity. Those who open the pages of the Bible do so
for a variety of reasons. Some are merely curious, others are looking for wisdom in
their daily lives, and still others are consciously responding to a restless call deep
within their hearts, a call to a meaningful relationship with God.

The Bible is truly an amazing book, but many people admit that they have a difficult
time reading it. While it contains all the elements of a great novel—a riveting plot,
dynamic characters, fantastic settings, and a climactic conflict and resolution—the
overarching “story” is not immediately apparent.

Beginning with Genesis, then moving on to Exodus, the reader has a sense of
movement, an apparent narrative continuity, but the story is often interrupted by
tangential anecdotes, lengthy genealogies, and mysterious characters and events
that are difficult to understand. For many, the adventure of reading the Bible comes
to an abrupt halt when they begin its third book, Leviticus. Suddenly, the narrative
has disappeared. In its place, the reader encounters a complex system of laws
pertaining to the human body, relationships, and ritual sacrifice that seem to have
very little to do with anything he or she can relate to.

Herein lies the problem—the Bible was not written as a novel. We cannot read
through it from cover to cover and expect to come away with a sense of satisfaction
of having read and understood an amazing story. It is more complex than that. If we
want to understand Scripture (and enjoy reading it!), then we need to understand
how to read it.

First, we need to know that the Bible is not really a single “book” but a library of
seventy-three different books, forty-six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in
the New Testament. Take a look at “The Books of the Bible” on page xv. It is important
to note that these books are not listed chronologically; they are primarily arranged
by their literary type—law, history, wisdom, and prophecy, among others.

While the Bible contains books of several different literary genres, there is one
overarching story that ties it all together—the story of how God has revealed himself
to his people and carried out his plan of salvation. This is known as “salvation
history.” If we can get a grasp of the story of salvation history, then we will be able to
see the “big picture” of the Bible.

xxv
xxvi | Introduction to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

But reading the Bible straight through from beginning to end is not the best way
to make sense of this overall “story.” If we want to make sense of the Bible, we need
to understand how it all fits together. This is why we created The Great Adventure
Catholic Bible.

What makes The Great Adventure Catholic Bible different from any other Bible is that it
incorporates a road map that helps readers navigate its pages so that they can easily
grasp the “big picture,” the story of salvation. This road map is The Bible Timeline.

The Bible Timeline divides salvation history into twelve color-coded time periods.
Each period is like a chapter in salvation history, and each color helps you to
remember the periods and keep them in order. These twelve color-coded periods are:
1. Early World (Turquoise – the color of the earth viewed from space) . . . . . . . . . . . page 2
2. Patriarchs (Burgundy – God’s blood covenant with Abraham) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 30
3. Egypt and Exodus (Red – the Red Sea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 84
4. Desert Wanderings (Tan – the color of the desert) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 174
5. Conquest and Judges (Green – the green hills of Canaan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 268
6. Royal Kingdom (Purple – the color of royalty) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 340
7. Divided Kingdom (Black – Israel’s darkest period). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 426
8. Exile (Baby Blue – Judah “singing the blues” in Babylon). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 471
9. Return (Yellow – Judah returning home to brighter days) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 561
10. Maccabean Revolt (Orange – fire in the oil lamps in the purified Temple) . . page 634
11. Messianic Fulfillment (Gold – the gifts of the Magi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1260
12. The Church (White – the spotless Bride of Christ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1412

For each of these periods (at the page numbers listed above), we have provided a
Timeline chart, that provides a visual overview of the period, including: important
characters, key events, geography, major covenants, world rulers, and contemporary
events in secular history. Following the chart for each period you will find a written
summary of it, which highlights its significance in salvation history. Throughout
the biblical text, we have also indicated and explained seventy key events that tie
the story together. In addition, every book of this Bible is color-coded to indicate
where that book belongs in The Bible Timeline system, which helps you to understand
where it fits within the overall story.

The Bible Timeline also helps to make the complex simple. While all seventy-three
books of the Bible fit within the history of salvation, not every book recounts that
history in a narrative way; other books contain laws, teaching, prophecy, prayers, or
the stories of particular people. To get the big picture of the Bible, it helps to focus on
 Introduction to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible | xxvii

fourteen narrative books that tell the story from beginning to end. These fourteen
narrative books are:

Genesis Joshua 2 Samuel Ezra Luke

Exodus Judges 1 Kings Nehemiah Acts
Numbers 1 Samuel 2 Kings 1 Maccabees

These books tell the overarching story that ties all of Scripture together. We
recommend reading these fourteen books in order. To help you do this, a Bible
Timeline reading plan can be found on page xxix. Using this plan, if you read four or
five chapters a day, you can read all fourteen narrative books in just ninety days. (To
help you make sense of what you are reading, we have also included an explanation
of how to interpret the Bible on page xxx.)

Once you have a good understanding of the overarching story of salvation—the

“big picture”—you can then see how the remaining fifty-nine books of the Bible fit
into this story. As you become more comfortable navigating the Bible, you will be
able to build a biblical foundation for yourself that will yield tremendous fruit. The
knowledge and insight you gain will serve you well in every area of your life.

Knowing salvation history will give you a better understanding of the entire Catholic
Faith. The four parts (or “pillars”) of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) are
based on this story. Its first pillar is the Creed, which is a summary of salvation
history. Its second pillar, on the sacraments, explains how we enter into this amazing
story. The third pillar tells us how to live the Christian life, and the fourth pillar
discusses prayer. The Bible is an indispensable part of a healthy prayer life. We
explain how you can pray with Scripture using lectio divina on page xxxvi.

The Church teaches us that, “in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets
his children with great love and speaks with them” (Dei Verbum 1). Your heavenly
Father loves you and wants to speak to you today. This makes the Bible you are
holding the most treasured book on earth.

If you cherish Sacred Scripture and allow it to take root in your heart, the Holy Spirit
will work through it to guide, instruct, correct, and encourage you every day in your
walk with the Lord.

It is our sincere hope that in the Bible you will discover the story that makes sense
out of life, the story that reveals God’s heart and loving plan for us. In addition, we
pray that you will discover your place in this wonderful plan and that this will give
you a profound sense of purpose and peace—and a strategy for daily life.
Blessings!
Jeff Cavins
THE OLD TESTAMENT
Revised Standard Version | Second Catholic Edition

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL TONGUES

BEING THE VERSION SET FORTH A.D. 1611
REVISED A.D. 1881 AND A.D. 1901

COMPARED WITH THE MOST ANCIENT AUTHORITIES

AND REVISED A.D. 1946, 1952, AND 1965
(APOCRYPHA REVISED A.D. 1957 AND 1966)

THE ORIGINAL CATHOLIC EDITION OF THE RSV TRANSLATION

WAS PREPARED BY THE
CATHOLIC BIBLICAL ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN

THIS SECOND EDITION WAS REVISED ACCORDING TO

LITURGIAM AUTHENTICAM, 2001
 12 PERIODS EARLY WORLD
(Creation to 2200 bc)
Turquoise: the color of the earth viewed from space
Narrative
Books

Genesis 1–11

* For the period of the Early World, there are no supplemental books.
Supplemental

For more information on the supplemental books, see page xxviii.

Books
Family
God’s

One Holy Couple One Holy Family

Plan

(Adam, Genesis 1–3) (Noah, Genesis 9)

Cain, Abel Japheth, Ham

COUNTRIES
NORTHERN

ADAM SETH NOAH SHEM

5. People
EVE Scattered
2. Fall at Babel
1. Creation 3. Curse and Promise 4. Flood

Jesus’ Genealogy
Matthew 1:1-17
Luke 3:23-38
THE LAND OF CANAAN
SOUTH & EGYPT
History Power
Secular World

EGYPT
Great Pyramids begun, c. 2685 bc Stonehenge begun, c. 3000 bc – c. 2000 bc
 EARLY WORLD

The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo

Summary Narrative
The Bible opens with a grand In Genesis 1, God speaks and brings
overture that prepares for all that all things into being. He creates an
is to follow (Gen 1–11). God creates ordered and good world and makes
the world, including human beings human beings in his own “image”
as the crown of creation. But their and “likeness” (Gen 1:27). In Genesis 2,
disobedience leads to a series of we get a glimpse of creation from
tragic consequences, including a different vantage point: While
the first murder, a primeval flood, Genesis 1 accentuates God’s majesty
and the scattering of peoples at as Creator of all, Genesis 2 focuses
Babel. Genesis does not aim to give on God’s relation to humanity. In
a scientific explanation of the origins the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve
of the universe. However, it often dwell in harmony with one another
uses figurative language to describe and in communion with God. But the
real events (see CCC 390) that have serpent, later identified as Satan (see
profoundly influenced the history of Rev 12:9), enters the scene to sow
the human race. discord and destruction (Gen 3:1). The

3
4 | Early World

serpent seeks to cast doubt on God’s text also rhythmically states of each,
goodness, suggesting that God wants “and he died.” The point is that the
to deprive Adam and Eve of what Fall has taken its effect: Despite
they need for life and happiness: “Did the venerable ages of these figures,
God say, ‘You shall not eat of any death now comes to all. But one
tree of the garden’?” Moreover, the person stands out—Enoch, of whom
serpent directly contradicts God’s it does not say he died: “Enoch
warning that the consequence of walked with God; and he was not, for
eating the fruit will be death: “You God took him” (Gen 5:24).
will not die. For God knows that when
you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, Genesis 6–9 describes the flood that
and you will be like God” (Gen 3:4-5). God brings about in response to the
Ironically, the serpent accuses God of violence and wickedness of mankind
denying to human beings what God (Gen 6:5). The waters of the flood
has already given them: They were bring destruction, but also a new
made in his likeness (Gen 1:27). As beginning through Noah and his
the Catechism explains, in the Fall, family (see Gen 9:1).
humanity sought “to be like God but
The flood narrative is in the form of a
without God” (CCC 398).1
chiasm—a literary pattern in which
Beginning with Genesis 4, the story elements appear in a sequence,
expands beyond Adam and Eve followed by the same sequence
to their children—including Cain, in reverse:
Abel, and Seth—and subsequent
reference to Noah’s age (7:11)
descendants. Cain commits the first
murder, illustrating the tendency forty days (7:17)
of sin to lead to further sin. Cain’s mountains being covered (7:19)
descendant Lamech is the first waters prevail for 150 days (7:24)
polygamist in the Bible (Gen 4:19); he “God remembered Noah” (8:1)
also shows a vindictive and violent waters prevail for 150 days (8:3)
streak (Gen 4:23-24). While Cain’s mountains being seen (8:5)
line falls into moral decline, the forty days (8:6)
descendants of Seth, in contrast, are reference to Noah’s age (8:13)
those who “call upon the name of the The effect of the chiasm is to focus
Lord” (Gen 4:26). attention on what falls in the middle.
Genesis 5 provides a genealogy that In this case, it is the statement, “God
shows ten generations from Adam remembered Noah” (Gen 8:1), which
to Noah, with the text repeatedly means God turned his attention to
telling us that each descendant Noah’s situation, and he will act to
had “other sons and daughters.” The save him (see also Ex 2:24).
1
St. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua: PG 91, 1156C; cf. Gen 3:5.
 Early World | 5

The flood is depicted as a kind of (which later becomes Babylon; see

de-creation and new creation, and Gen 10:10) seek to make a “name”
Noah is presented as a new Adam: for themselves (Gen 11:4). That is,
“God blessed Noah,” and he said to they pursue worldly power and
him, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill security, organizing human society
the earth” (Gen 9:1)—just as was said without any reference to God. In
earlier of Adam and Eve (Gen 1:28). response to this human arrogance,
Like Adam, Noah also undergoes a God scatters humanity by confusing
fall of sorts, becoming drunk with their languages (Gen 11:8-9)—a
wine in a vineyard (Gen 9:20-21)— tragedy that will only be reversed
reminiscent of Adam’s eating of the by the coming of the Holy Spirit at
forbidden fruit in the garden. As the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11).
story unfolds, it becomes apparent
that human beings are prone to Significance
continually fall into sin; indeed, one Human Dignity and Purpose
of the overarching lessons of the Old Humanity is uniquely created in
Testament is our need for grace. God’s “image” and “likeness” (Gen
1:26). This is the basis for the
Genesis 10 provides a “table of inviolable sacredness of human
nations,” listing the various nations life (see CCC 2258). The very next
that stem from Noah’s three sons— occurrence of this phrase describes
Shem, Ham, and Japheth. One a father-son relationship (Gen 5:3),
implication of these early chapters is suggesting that humanity stands
that the unity of the human family in a filial relation to God. Mankind
has been torn apart by sin. Even the is made on the sixth day with the
nations that later become Israel’s beasts, but for the seventh day—for
historic enemies (e.g., Egypt, Babylon, communion with God (see CCC 367).
Assyria, Philistia, Canaan) are their
cousins—descendants of Noah’s son After creation is described repeatedly
as “good” in Genesis 1, the next
Ham (see Gen 10:6, 10-11, 13, 14-15).
chapter tells us that something is
Underlying this great story is the fact
“not good” (Gen 2:18)—it is not good
that the real enemies are sin, death,
that man should be alone. This leads
and the devil—but it will take some
to the creation of Eve and their
time before that lesson is clear.
original union as husband and wife
The culmination of these early (Gen 2:24-25). Genesis gives us a
chapters is the story of the tower of glimpse of what is only fully revealed
Babel (Gen 11:1-9), again showing in the coming of Christ: Humanity is
the seemingly uncontrollable spread made for communion because we
of sin. In contrast to Seth’s family are made in the image of the Triune
who “call upon the name of the Lord” God, who is an eternal communion of
(Gen 4:26), the people of Shinar Persons—the Father, Son, and Holy
6 | Early World

Spirit (see CCC 221; Gen 1:26-28). The Drama of Sin

As St. John Paul II taught, we find The drama of the first sin, and indeed
our true purpose and fulfillment in every subsequent sin, is that human
communion with God and others by beings are always seeking happiness,
making a gift of ourselves in love. even when we do wrong. In part, we
fall into sin because we lose trust that
Creation as Cosmic Temple God’s ways are really ordered to our
The creation narrative exhibits happiness. That is, we buy into the lie
parallels with the construction of the serpent that God’s commands
of Israel’s later sanctuaries—the are arbitrary and oppressive
tabernacle and the Temple (see, restrictions, stifling our fulfillment. As
the Catechism explains:
for example, Genesis 1:31–2:3 and
Exodus 39:32, 42-43). The implication Man, tempted by the devil, let his
is that creation is a kind of cosmic trust in his Creator die in his heart
and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed
temple, and the Temple is a
God’s command. This is what man’s
microcosm of creation. The Garden of
first sin consisted of.2 All subsequent
Eden, then, is like the Holy of Holies, sin would be disobedience toward
and humanity is presented as a royal God and lack of trust in his goodness
priesthood whose role it is to lead all (CCC 397).
creation in worship of God. The reality is that God is our Father,
Genesis hints at a pattern that and therefore his commands are
will emerge later—namely, the always given in love and perfect
wisdom, for our true happiness.
connection between being a son of
God and a priest-king. As mentioned, With the outbreak of sin, though,
“image” and “likeness” connotes our the half-truths of the devil are on
filial status. Human beings are also full display: Adam and Eve’s eyes
called to “subdue” creation and have are opened, but to their own shame
“dominion” over it (Gen 1:26, 28)— (Gen 3:7). They die spiritually, and
their union with God is shattered, as
terms that later describe the role of
is their communion with one another.
the king (see 1 Kings 4:24; 2 Sam 8:11).
In addition, physical death now
And in Genesis 2:15, man is called
becomes the lot of the human family:
to “till” and “keep” the garden—two
“You are dust, and to dust you shall
words that together refer to priestly return” (Gen 3:19), words we hear
duties (see Num 3:7-8). Thus, the every Ash Wednesday. Here, original
primordial identity of human beings sin makes its way into human history,
is that of a son or daughter of God a deprivation of the holiness and
and for man to serve as a royal priest. justice with which we were originally
2
Cf. Gen 3:1-11; Rom 5:19.
 Early World | 7

created (see CCC 404–405). From will sweat drops of blood and wear
now on, man’s nature is wounded— a crown of thorns—as Adam now
our intellect is darkened, our will is tills the land only by the sweat of his
weakened, and we are marked by brow and yields from the ground only
concupiscence, an inclination to sin thorns and thistles (Gen 3:18-19). The
(see CCC 405, 407). new Adam will go to the new tree
of life (see Acts 5:30; Gal 3:13)—the
When the reality of sin is not
Cross—and fall into the deep sleep of
acknowledged, we may find
death (as Adam was put into a “deep
ourselves giving a superficial
sleep,” Gen 2:21); and from the side
account of its source and thereby an
of the new Adam will come forth the
insufficient account of its resolution,
new Eve—the Church, whom Mary
as the Catechism points out:
personifies (see Jn 19:26-27, 34). And
Without the knowledge Revelation the fruit of the new tree of life will be
gives … we cannot recognize sin none other than the Holy Eucharist,
clearly and are tempted to explain which one may eat and “live for ever”
it as merely a developmental flaw, a (see Jn 6:51, 58; Gen 3:22).
psychological weakness, a mistake,
or the necessary consequence of an The flood points to the sacrament of
inadequate social structure (CCC 387). Baptism, whereby the old Adam in
us dies so that we may rise with the
Only when we reckon with the “dark
new Adam (see 1 Pet 3:20-21; Rom
side” of the good news can we fully
6:3-4). Through Baptism, we become
appreciate the grandeur of what our
part of the new creation (2 Cor 5:17).
Savior, Jesus Christ, has given us.
When the Holy Spirit comes down in
the form of a dove at Jesus’ Baptism,
Redemption and the
it is reminiscent of the dove in the
New Creation
flood story, as a harbinger of the new
Immediately after the Fall,
creation (Gen 8:10-12).
God makes his first promise of
redemption. Speaking to the serpent, At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes
God declares: “I will put enmity down upon the early Church, and
between you and the woman, and many nations understand the gospel
between your seed and her seed; he in their own languages (see Acts 2).
shall bruise your head, and you shall Here, the scattering of Babel is
bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). Christian overcome by the unifying power of
tradition sees in this passage a veiled the Holy Spirit, as the Church enters
prophecy of Jesus, born of Mary, who into the new creation.
will crush the head of the devil on the
Cross but will suffer in the process.

Indeed, a new Adam (Jesus) will go to

another garden (Gethsemane) and
 THE COVENANTS
of Salvation History

The theme of “covenant” unites the entire Bible since it refers to

the relationship God establishes with human beings, an intimate
union that Scripture describes in filial and spousal language (see
Ex 4:22; Hos 1–3, 11:1; Is 54:5; Eph 5:31-32; Rev 19:7). The familiar
division between the Old Testament and the New Testament
refers to two covenants: the first, which God made with Israel at
Mount Sinai through Moses, and the second, which God offers to
the whole human race through his Son Jesus Christ.
A covenant is a solemn agreement that establishes a relationship.
While a contract specifies an exchange of goods or services, a
covenant establishes a family bond. It corresponds to God’s
nature to establish a covenant relationship with his people, since
he is himself an eternal communion of Persons—Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit (see CCC 221). God establishes his covenant with
human beings in order that we might share in his communion of
life and love forever (see CCC 1).
In the ancient Near East, where biblical history began, covenants
shaped relationships both between individuals (e.g., Gen 21:32;
1 Sam 18:3) and between nations (“treaties”). Sometimes
covenants were established between equals, while at other times,
they were established between a more powerful person, typically
a king, and a less powerful individual or nation.
In the ancient world, only the God of Israel is described as entering
into covenants with human beings (“divine covenants”). In each
case, he does so at his own gracious initiative. God used the
customs of a particular time and place to form a relationship
with human beings in a manner they could understand. It was
part of God’s pedagogy, the way in which he chose to reveal his
ways to his people gradually, preparing them for the coming of
Christ, using what was familiar to lead them into a relationship
with him that they could scarcely have imagined.

8
 The Covenants of Salvation History | 9

Covenants usually included stipulations or conditions that were

binding on one or both parties: the Ten Commandments are the
foundational stipulations of the Sinai covenant (see Ex 20). In
other cases, an ancient king might decide to bestow a benefit
on his subject unilaterally without stipulations; scholars refer to
these as royal grant covenants. God’s covenant with Abraham
is an example of a royal grant covenant (see Gen 15).
In the Bible, as in the ancient Near East, four rites, or practices,
often accompanied the making of covenants: (1) a sacrifice;
(2) oaths; (3) a shared meal; (4) a reminder or sign. For example,
in the story of Jacob and his father-in-law Laban, after Laban
defrauds Jacob of his wages and Jacob secretly departs with his
wives and children, the two men eventually reconcile by making a
covenant (Gen 31:44-55). In the course of their covenant-making,
they swear oaths (Gen 31:49-53), offer sacrifice (Gen 31:54), share
a meal (Gen 31:46, 54), and set up a pillar and a heap of stones as
a witness to their covenant (Gen 31:45-52). Similarly, the covenant
God made with Israel through Moses was ratified by sacrifice, an
oath, a communion meal, and the tables of the testimony in the
Ark (see Ex 24:3-12, 25:26, 31:18, 38:21).
From ancient times to the present, sacrifice has played a vital role
in humanity’s relationship with God. At its root, the concept of a
sacrifice is that of a gift offered to God (see Rom 12:1). Sacrifices
can express thanksgiving for blessings God has bestowed, humble
submission to God’s authority, atonement for sins and an appeal
for mercy, or all of the above. In the Old Testament, sacrifice
often entailed the death of an animal, but not always: Israel
was instructed to sacrifice gifts of grain, wine, and oil as well. The
New Testament exhorts Christians to offer a variety of kinds of
sacrifices: praise, prayers, almsgiving and other charitable works
(1 Pet 2:5; Heb 13:15-16),1 and the supreme sacrifice, the Eucharist
(1 Cor 10:16-17).2
1
For more on Christian sacrifices, see Mary Healy, Hebrews, Catholic Commentary on
Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 295-297.
2
For more on the Eucharist as the Christian sacrifice par excellence, see George T.
Montague, First Corinthians, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2011), 171-179.
10 | The Covenants of Salvation History

The purpose of the oath in ancient covenants was to call upon

God (or “the gods”) to witness and guarantee the covenant by
pronouncing blessings for faithfulness to its terms and penalties
for unfaithfulness. The blessings and curses that conclude various
summaries of the Sinai covenant state the consequences for
Israel of keeping or failing to keep their covenant promises (e.g.,
Ex 23:20-33; Lev 26; Deut 28). The history of Israel, as recounted
in the books of Judges through 2 Kings and in the books of the
prophets, demonstrates that God takes his people’s covenant
oaths very seriously. It also shows that God’s intention in the
judgments that come upon his people is for their own good: God’s
fatherly discipline aims to lead his people back to himself and to
the kind of conduct that will enable them to thrive. It would not
have been love if God had allowed his people to do more and
more evil without experiencing the negative consequences that
could bring them to their senses.
Our own experience often confirms the Bible’s insistence on
the negative consequences of covenant unfaithfulness. The
Ten Commandments are intrinsic to the order of the world God
created: When we violate God’s law, we hurt ourselves in the
process. As our Creator, God gives us his law to enable us to
flourish. Rejecting his law does not lead to freedom but rather to
slavery. A comparison might be the situation of alcoholics or other
addicts who misuse God’s gifts and end up enslaved, bringing
great suffering on themselves and those they love.
The third element that characterized many ancient covenants
was a shared meal (Gen 26:28-31, 31:46). When the Sinai covenant
was ratified, there was a shared meal in God’s presence for Moses,
Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel (Ex 24:5-11).
Finally, most covenants were reinforced by the establishment of
some kind of reminder, whether a physical object established as
a witness (e.g., a large stone in Joshua 24:25-27) or a practice of
regular reading or recitation (Deut 6:6-7, 31:10-13).
In biblical history, six divine covenants with human beings stand
out as turning points: (1) God’s covenant with our first parents
 The Covenants of Salvation History | 11

at creation; (2) his covenant with Noah after the flood; (3) his
covenant with Abraham; (4) his covenant with Israel through
Moses; (5) his covenant with David; and (6) the New Covenant in
Jesus’ blood that fulfills and completes the previous covenants. At
each step, the covenant family grows: With Adam and Eve, it is a
couple; with Noah, it encompasses a household—Noah, his three
sons, and their wives. With Abraham, it is a tribe consisting of the
patriarchs and their descendants. By the time of Moses, Israel
has become a nation, and with David, the nation has become a
kingdom ruling over the surrounding nations. Finally, with Jesus,
the New Covenant family becomes universal; this is the meaning
of the word catholic—the Church is the “universal,” worldwide
family of God.
Understanding the central role of covenant in God’s plan helps us
to realize that our relationship with God is not individualistic; it is
never a matter of just “me and Jesus.” Rather, the covenant makes
us the family of God, sharing communion with him and with one
another. If this was true of the Old Covenant, it is even truer in
the New Covenant, since this relationship transcends death. The
Church is the Body of Christ: Whoever is united to Jesus is united
to everyone else who is united to Jesus (see Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 10:17,
12:12-13). Therefore, the saints who have gone before us are our
older brothers and sisters in the Faith (see Heb 11; 12:1, 22-24),
and Mary is our mother in Christ (see Jn 19:27; Rev 12:17).
The grandeur of the New Covenant is not merely that our sins
have been forgiven, but that we have entered the covenant family
of God and received the Spirit of his Son (Mt 12:50). God truly
adopts each of us as his children, whom he loves as he loves his
only Son, having united us to his Son through faith and Baptism
and having given us the Spirit of his Son (Gal 4:4-7).3 This is a far
cry from relating to God as a coach from whose team we hope
not to be cut or as an employer from whose staff we hope not to

3
For a deeper explanation of how the gift of the Spirit makes us God’s sons and
daughters, see the comments on Galatians 4:4-7 in Albert Vanhoye and Peter S.
Williamson, Galatians, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, forthcoming 2019).
12 | The Covenants of Salvation History

be fired. This is a Father who has gone to unimaginable lengths

to restore and elevate us, so that we might share in his eternal
joy. God the Father loves us just the way we are, but he loves us
too much to leave us that way. Instead, he has destined us for
greatness, “to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that
[Jesus] might be the first-born among many brethren” (Rom 8:29).
 Covenant Structure of Salvation History

Jesus
(Luke 22)
David
(2 Samuel 7)
Moses
(Exodus 24)
Abraham

13
(Genesis 15, 17, 22)
Noah
(Genesis 9)
Adam
COVENANT SIGN
(Genesis 1–3)
AND MEDIATOR:

One Holy One Holy One Holy One Holy One Holy One, Holy, Catholic,
FAMILY FORM:
Couple Family Tribe Nation Kingdom and Apostolic Church
 Genesis 1–3

The
COVENANT
at Creation

God speaks and brings all of creation into existence; he does

not do so out of need or lack on his part, but to invite us into
his own blessed life. The created world provides a space for the
relationship between God and human beings. Although the word
“covenant” does not appear at the beginning of Genesis, God’s very
act of creating human beings is an implicit covenant in which God
commits himself to care for them and bring them to the fullness
of life; later texts confirm that this is the case (see Ex 31:16-17; Jer
33:19-26; Wis 11:24-26). It is a family relationship: God creates man,
male and female, in his image and likeness, as his children, in a
state of original holiness (see Gen 1:27, 5:3; Lk 3:38; CCC 375, 384).
The first man and woman enjoy fellowship with God, who comes
to walk with them in the garden (see Gen 3:8, 10). Although Adam
and Eve have obviously done nothing to merit God’s blessings,
they receive the Garden of Eden, everything they need for life
and happiness, and authority as God’s royal representatives over
the earth and over all other living creatures (see Gen 1:27-29). But
God gives them one commandment as a condition for continuing
to enjoy his blessing rather than the curse of death: not to eat
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3 reports that our first parents failed to uphold their
side of the covenant, but rather ate of the tree of which God
had commanded them not to eat. Consequently, the man and
woman became subject to a series of devastating consequences:
shame (Gen 3:7), estrangement from God (Gen 3:8), discord in
their relationship with one another (Gen 3:12, 16), disharmony
with the created world (Gen 3:17-19), a loss of original holiness
(see CCC 399), and death (Gen 3:19).
Nevertheless, a ray of hope for human beings shines forth when
God places a curse on the serpent who tempted them: “I will put

14
 The Covenant at Creation | 15

enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed
and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his
heel” (Gen 3:15). The Church Fathers referred to this verse as the
protoevangelium, the first announcement of the gospel, since it
foretells in veiled language the One who will himself suffer yet
crush the serpent’s head and restore humanity to the blessedness
that God willed from the beginning.
God has created human beings to be his children and to live in
fellowship with him. Through the proclamation of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, he invites all of humanity into this relationship of
faithful love—this covenant—offering us a share in his own life.
We who have received this new life are called to renounce the
distrust and disobedience of our first parents and to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus, the new Adam (see Phil 2:5-9; Rom 5:12-21),
and Mary, the new Eve (see Lk 1:26-38), by faith and obedience.
 THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES COMMONLY CALLED

GENESIS

GENESIS
Creation
KEY EVENT Genesis 1–2:24
By speaking (see Ps 33:6; Jn 1:1-4), God creates “the heavens and the earth,”
1 a phrase referring to all that exists, both the spiritual and the material (see
CCC 290). Brought forth from nothing, all creatures depend upon God for their
very existence at every moment.

Six Days of Creation 11

And God said, “Let the earth put forth
1 and the Sabbath vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit

1 *In the beginning God createda

the heavens and the earth. 2The
earth was without form and void, and
trees bearing fruit in which is their seed,
each according to its kind, upon the earth.”
And it was so. 12The earth brought forth
darkness was upon the face of the deep; vegetation, plants yielding seed according
and the Spiritb of God was moving over the to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit
face of the waters. in which is their seed, each according to its
3 And God said, “Let there be light”; and kind. And God saw that it was good. 13And
there was light. 4And God saw that the light there was evening and there was morning,
was good; and God separated the light from a third day.
the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in
the darkness he called Night. And there was the firmament of the heavens to separate
evening and there was morning, one day. the day from the night; and let them be
6 And God said, “Let there be a for signs and for seasons and for days
firmament in the midst of the waters, and and years, 15and let them be lights in the
let it separate the waters from the waters.” firmament of the heavens to give light
7
And God made the firmament and upon the earth.” And it was so. 16And God
separated the waters which were under made the two great lights, the greater light
the firmament from the waters which were to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule
above the firmament. And it was so. 8And the night; he made the stars also. 17And God
God called the firmament Heaven. And set them in the firmament of the heavens
there was evening and there was morning, to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over
a second day. the day and over the night, and to separate
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the light from the darkness. And God saw
the heavens be gathered together into one that it was good. 19And there was evening
place, and let the dry land appear.” And it and there was morning, a fourth day.
was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and 20 And God said, “Let the waters bring
the waters that were gathered together he forth swarms of living creatures, and
called Seas. And God saw that it was good. let birds fly above the earth across the

1:1: Jn 1:1.

* 1:1—2:4a: The aim of this narrative is not to present by man, who is the climax of creation. Hence its strong
a scientific picture but to teach religious truth, liturgical character and the concluding emphasis on
especially the dependence of all creation on God and the sabbath. It serves as a prologue to the whole of the
its consecration to him through the homage rendered Old Testament.

a Or When God began to create. b Or wind.

17
 18 | GENESIS 2 Early World

Fall
KEY EVENT Genesis 3:1-24
GENESIS

The serpent tempts our first parents by casting doubt upon God’s goodness
2 (Gen 3:4-5), and they disobey God, thereby inaugurating the tragic history of
sin and its devastating consequences. Mankind loses trust that God’s ways are
ordered to our happiness (see CCC 397).

Curse and Promise

KEY EVENT Genesis 3:8-24
After the Fall, pain and laborious work enter the human experience.

3 Nevertheless, in Genesis 3:15, God gives the first promise of redemption, known
in Christian tradition as the protoevangelium (Latin for “first Gospel”). It points
to Mary (the woman) and Jesus (her seed), who will ultimately crush the head of
the serpent on the Cross.

firmament of the heavens.” 21So God created the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
the great sea monsters and every living air and over every living thing that moves
creature that moves, with which the waters upon the earth.” 29And God said, “Behold,
swarm, according to their kinds, and every I have given you every plant yielding seed
winged bird according to its kind. And God which is upon the face of all the earth, and
saw that it was good. 22And God blessed every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall
them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply have them for food. 30And to every beast
and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds of the earth, and to every bird of the air,
multiply on the earth.” 23And there was and to everything that creeps on the earth,
evening and there was morning, a fifth day. everything that has the breath of life, I have
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring given every green plant for food.” And it
forth living creatures according to their was so. 31And God saw everything that he
kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts had made, and behold, it was very good.
of the earth according to their kinds.” And And there was evening and there was
it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the morning, a sixth day.
earth according to their kinds and the cattle
according to their kinds, and everything
that creeps upon the ground according to
its kind. And God saw that it was good.
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them. 2And
on the seventh day God finished his work
26 Then God said, “Let us make man which he had done, and he rested on the
in our image, after our likeness; and let seventh day from all his work which he had
them have dominion over the fish of the done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and
sea, and over the birds of the air, and over hallowed it, because on it God rested from
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all his work which he had done in creation.
every creeping thing that creeps upon the
earth.” 27So God created man in his own Another Account of Creation
image, in the image of God he created him; 4 These are the generations of the heavens
male and female he created them. 28And and the earth when they were created.
God blessed them, and God said to them, * In the day that the Lord God made the
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth earth and the heavens, 5when no plant of
and subdue it; and have dominion over the field was yet in the earth and no herb

1:26, 27: Gen 5:1; Mt 19:4; Mk 10:6; Col 3:10; Jas 3:9.   2:1–3: Ex 20:11.   2:2: Heb 4:4, 10.

* 2:4b ff: This account of the state of the world at the these early chapters that commits us to any particular
beginning, which introduces the story of the first scientific view of the origins of the world or man, or that
sin, comes from a different and earlier source and is would exclude the evolution hypothesis.
composed in a very different style. There is nothing in
 GENESIS 3 | 19

of the field had yet sprung up—for the beast of the field; but for the man there was
Lord God had not caused it to rain upon not found a helper fit for him. 21So the Lord

GENESIS
the earth, and there was no man to till the God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the
ground; 6but a mistc went up from the earth man, and while he slept took one of his ribs
and watered the whole face of the ground— and closed up its place with flesh; 22and the
7
then the Lord God formed man of dust rib which the Lord God had taken from the
from the ground, and breathed into his man he made into a woman and brought
nostrils the breath of life; and man became her to the man. 23Then the man said,
a living soul. 8And the Lord God planted “This at last is bone of my bones
a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he and flesh of my flesh;
put the man whom he had formed. 9And she shall be called Woman,d
out of the ground the Lord God made to because she was taken out of Man.”e
grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight 24
Therefore a man leaves his father and
and good for food, the tree of life also in his mother and clings to his wife, and
the midst of the garden, and the tree of the they become one flesh. 25And the man
knowledge of good and evil. and his wife were both naked, and were
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water not ashamed.
the garden, and there it divided and
became four rivers. 11The name of the first The Fall of Man
2
is Pishon; it is the one which flows around
the whole land of Havilah, where there is
gold; 12and the gold of that land is good;
3Now the serpent was more subtle
than any other wild creature
that the Lord God had made. He said to the
bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13The woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of
name of the second river is Gihon; it is the any tree of the garden’?” 2And the woman
one which flows around the whole land of said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit
Cush. 14And the name of the third river is of the trees of the garden; 3but God said,
Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree
fourth river is the Euphrates. which is in the midst of the garden, neither
15 The Lord God took the man and put shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4But the
him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep serpent said to the woman, “You will not
it. 16And the Lord God commanded the die. 5For God knows that when you eat of
man, saying, “You may freely eat of every it your eyes will be opened, and you will be
tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when
knowledge of good and evil you shall not the woman saw that the tree was good for
eat, for in the day that you eat of it you food, and that it was a delight to the eyes,
shall die.” and that the tree was to be desired to make
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and
good that the man should be alone; I will she also gave some to her husband, and he
make him a helper fit for him.” 19So out ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened,
of the ground the Lord God formed every and they knew that they were naked; and
beast of the field and every bird of the air, they sewed fig leaves together and made
and brought them to the man to see what themselves aprons.
he would call them; and whatever the man
called every living creature, that was its 8 And they heard the sound of the
name. 20The man gave names to all cattle,
3 Lord God walking in the garden in
and to the birds of the air, and to every the cool of the day, and the man and

2:7: 1 Cor 15:45, 47.   2:9: Rev 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19.   2:24: Mt 19:5; Mk 10:7; 1 Cor 6:16; Eph 5:31.  
3:1: Rev 12:9; 20:2.   3:4: 2 Cor 11:3.

c Or flood. d Heb ishshah. e Heb ish.

 20 | GENESIS 4 Early World

his wife hid themselves from the presence ‘You shall not eat of it,’
of the Lord God among the trees of the cursed is the ground because of you;
GENESIS

garden. 9But the Lord God called to the in toil you shall eat of it all the days of
man, and said to him, “Where are you?” your life;
10
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in 18
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to
the garden, and I was afraid, because I was you;
naked; and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who and you shall eat the plants of the field.
told you that you were naked? Have you 19
In the sweat of your face
eaten of the tree of which I commanded you shall eat bread
you not to eat?” 12The man said, “The till you return to the ground,
woman whom you gave to be with me, she for out of it you were taken;
gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13Then you are dust,
the Lord God said to the woman, “What is and to dust you shall return.”
this that you have done?” The woman said, 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve,f
“The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” 14The because she was the mother of all living.
Lord God said to the serpent, 21
And the Lord God made for Adam
“Because you have done this, and for his wife garments of skins, and
cursed are you above all cattle, clothed them.
and above all wild animals; 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the
upon your belly you shall go, man has become like one of us, knowing
and dust you shall eat good and evil; and now, lest he put forth
all the days of your life. his hand and take also of the tree of life,
15
I will put enmity between you and the and eat, and live for ever”—23therefore the
woman, Lord God sent him forth from the garden
and between your seed and her seed; of Eden, to till the ground from which he
he shall bruise your head,* was taken. 24He drove out the man; and at
and you shall bruise his heel.” the east of the garden of Eden he placed
16
To the woman he said, the cherubim, and a flaming sword which
“I will greatly multiply your pain in turned every way, to guard the way to the
childbearing; tree of life.
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your Cain and Abel

17
husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said,
4 *Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she
conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have
gotteng a man with the help of the Lord.”
“Because you have listened to the voice 2
And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now
of your wife, Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller
and have eaten of the tree of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain
of which I commanded you, brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit

3:13: 2 Cor 11:3.   3:14, 15: Rev 12:9; 20:2.   3:17, 18: Heb 6:8.   3:22, 24: Rev 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19.

* 3:15, he shall bruise your head: i.e., the seed of the woman, translation. It could be due originally to a copyist’s
that is, mankind descended from Eve, will eventually gain mistake, which was then seen to contain a genuine
the victory over the powers of evil. This victory will, of meaning—namely, that Mary, too, would have her share
course, be gained through the work of the Messiah who is in the victory, inasmuch as she was mother of the Savior.
par excellence the seed of the woman.
* 4:1: The story of Cain and Abel has the purpose of
The Latin Vulgate has the reading ipsa conteret, “she
showing the effects of sin within society, the fratricide
shall bruise.” Some Old Latin manuscripts have this
of Cain leading to the vengeance of Lamech and so to
reading, and it occurs also in St. Augustine, De Genesi
the Flood. We are, however, no longer in the first age of
contra Manichaeos, II, which is earlier than St. Jerome’s
humanity, as can be seen from verses 14, 17, etc.

f The name in Hebrew resembles the word for living. g Heb qanah, get.