Bible-stories: Genesis 1,1 - 11,9: The Beginnings
Hi Guys!
I am actually surprised that I'm able to update on time! Although I decides to cut it into two parts... This is now the very first update for my Bible-stories! Please excuse my strange English... But still, enjoy and please leave me a comment!
The Bible: Genesis 1,1 - 11,9: The Beginnings
The Creation of the Earth
At the beginning God created the earth and the sky. The earth was chaotic, and darkness lay upon the primeval floods, and God's spiritwas floating over the water. The God made the light and separated it from the dark. The light he called day, and the darkness he called night. Night came and went again: That was the first day.
The second day god made the sky, a dome that separated the primeval floods from the water at the earth.
The third day he put the water into one place and the dry came up. The dry he called land, the waters the sea. On the land he made plants grow, with fruits and their seeds in them.
The fourth day sun, moon and stars were created in order to differ day and night.
The fifth day the sea and the sky got filled with sea animals and birds.
The sixth day land animals and humans were created. The humans got to decide over the earth.
The seventh day God rested and watched his creations in peace.
The Paradise
God took the humans to the Garden of Eden at the East of the world. There were many trees, and among them in the middle was the tree of life and realization. The humans were allowed to eat from every tree, but not from the one in the middle. Then God sent animals to the human, and he gave them names.
The downfall of the humans
The snake was the smartest of the animals in Eden. And one day it asked the woman if it was true that they weren't allowed to eat from any tree.
The woman answered, that they could eat from each tree, but not from the one in the middle, cause if they did, they'd die.
But the snake said: You won't die. Moreover, you will become like god and realize the good and the bad.
Now the woman saw how nice it would be to become clever, and ate from the tree. She also gave to her husband, who was there too. The the two of them realized that they were naked, and they made themselves aprons from fig leaves. But once they heard God coming, they were afraid and hid.
Now God called Adam and asked where he was, and Adam answered that he hid because he was afraid because of his nakedness.
God realized that he had eaten from the tree, and asked why.
Adam told him how his wife had given him a fruit from the tree.
So God asked the woman: What have you done?
Her answer was that the snake had seduced her, and she had fallen for it.
And god gave them punishment.
The snake had to crawl on its stomach, and never be friends with the woman again.
The woman had to endure tribulation with every pregnancy, and give birth in pain. She should desire her husband, but he should reign over her.
The man got to do work. He had to grow plants and eat them. He had to work hard for his daily bread until he will return to the earth.
Adam called his wife Eva (life), cause she is the mother of everything living.
The God gave them clothes from skin, and told them: humans are now as good as god. They can differ good from bad. And in order to prevent the humans form eating from the tree of life and becoming immortal, he sent them away from eden and positioned cherubim with the flame sword at the east side of the garden to guard the way to the tree of life.
Kain and Abel
Kain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eva. Kain, the first, was a farmer, Abel was shepherd. Both of them made a sacrifice of their first achievements: Kain from the plants of his field, Abel from the fat of his sheep. God looked to Abel and his sacrifice, but he didn't look to Kain.
After that, Kain told Abel to come to his field. There, he slayd his brother.
When God asked for Abel, Kain pretended to not know anything, but God asked: What have you done? I can see the blood of your brother on the earth. It won't bring any income anymore! You will be restless on this earth.
And Kain answered, that his fault was to heavy to be carried, cause god chased him away from his land, and now, when he had to be restless on earth, everyone who would find him would slay him.
Then God gave Kain a sign, and said: Everyone who slays Kain will expire sevenfold vengeance.
(Now there is a row of successions describes in the bible, as a reconciliation to the next story. But I'll just skip that.)
Noach and the deluge
The wickedness of humans
As the humans spread over the world, they got worse and worse, and their hearts became wicked. God regretted creating them and decided to wipe out all creatures made from flesh. Only Noach found grace under his eyes.
God's concern about Noach
Noach was a good man without failure. But the earth was spoiled. So God told Noach to built an ark (it's amazing how precisely it is written in the bible!) and to bring not only his family (he, his wife, his sons and their wifes), but also seven pairs of pure animals and birds and one pair of all impure animals, because he wanted to clean the earth with 40 days and 40 nights of rain. When Noach had fulfilled his task, the sky opened up its floodgates.
The big flood
It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The water gained high until it covered the highest mountains and all creatures made from flesh drowned. But the ark was floating atop of the waves. After 150 days a wind blew over the water, and the water sunk. Soon the ship landed on the mountains of Ararat. Finally Noach set free a raven that flew in and out until the waters on the earth were gone. Then a dove flew out. The first time it came back without anything. The second time it brought an olive branch in its spout. The third time it didn't come back.
Now the earth was dry again, and the creatures left the ark. Noach built an altar and made sacrifices from every pure animal.
God's alliance with Noach
God blessed Noach and his sons and gave them everything on the earth to eat. Only flesh with blood in it shouldn't be eaten. He also wanted revenge for shed human blood. He promised to never let all creatures drown in a big flood. As a sign for the alliance he chose the rainbow.
Noach's curse and blessing.
Noach's sons were Sem, Ham and Jafet. They are the fathers of the peoples of the earth. Noach was the first farmer. He grew wine.
One evening he drank to much and lay in his tent, exposed. Ham saw it and told it to his brothers. They covered their father without looking. When Noach heard of that, he cursed Ham's son, Kanaan, who should be the servant of Sem and Jafet.
(Now there is an enumeration of the world's people, who all descend from Noach. I'll skip that again.)
The tower-building of Babel
All people spoke the same language. When they began to spread all over the world, they decided to built a tower up to the sky. Then God saw, that this was just the beginning of their haughtiness, and mixed up their languages and spread them all around the world.
This was the first part! I hope you liked it.
Personally I think it's amazing how precisely dates and numbers and names are written down in the bible, but when reading it, it's really confusing.
Please leave me a comment!
~Yaya