Old Testament · 50 chapters
Read Genesis.
Genesis follows creation, humanity’s turning from God, and the beginnings of God’s covenant with Abraham’s family. Through imperfect people and painful circumstances, it introduces promises of blessing that shape the rest of the Bible.
Choose a chapter Genesis · 50 chapters
Read a chapter. Find its meaning.
Choose a chapter for the complete Bible text and a short summary to guide your reading.
Chapter 1.
God brings order, light, and living creatures into being, then creates humanity in his image. Creation is presented as purposeful and good.
Read chapter 25 versesChapter 2.
God rests on the seventh day, places the man in Eden, and gives him work and a command. The woman is created as his corresponding companion.
Read chapter 24 versesChapter 3.
The man and woman disobey God after the serpent’s temptation. Shame, fractured relationships, and exile from Eden follow, alongside a promise of conflict with the serpent.
Read chapter 26 versesChapter 4.
Cain kills Abel after their offerings, and God confronts his violence. The chapter follows Cain’s descendants and closes with the birth of Seth and renewed worship.
Read chapter 32 versesChapter 5.
The genealogy from Adam to Noah traces generations marked by death. Enoch’s walk with God and Noah’s anticipated comfort stand out within the family record.
Read chapter 22 versesChapter 6.
Human violence and corruption spread across the earth. God announces judgment through a flood and instructs Noah to build an ark for his household and living creatures.
Read chapterChapter 7.
Noah’s family and the animals enter the ark, and the flood covers the earth. Those within the ark are preserved as judgment overtakes the world outside.
Read chapter 22 versesChapter 8.
The floodwaters recede, Noah sends out birds, and the ark’s occupants leave. Noah worships, and God promises the continuing rhythms of the earth.
Read chapter 29 versesChapter 9.
God establishes a covenant with Noah and living creatures, giving the rainbow as its sign. The chapter also records Noah’s vineyard and conflict within his family.
Read chapter 32 versesChapter 10.
The descendants of Noah’s sons spread into peoples, territories, and languages. This family record places Israel’s later story within the wider human family.
Read chapter 32 versesChapter 11.
Humanity’s attempt to build Babel ends with confused languages and scattering. The genealogy then narrows toward Abram’s family and their journey from Ur.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 12.
God calls Abram to leave his homeland with a promise of blessing for all families. Abram reaches Canaan, then faces famine and acts fearfully in Egypt.
Read chapter 18 versesChapter 13.
Abram and Lot separate because their households have grown too large to remain together. Lot chooses the Jordan plain, while God renews the land promise to Abram.
Read chapter 24 versesChapter 14.
Abram rescues Lot after a regional war and meets Melchizedek, who blesses him. Abram refuses the king of Sodom’s offer of wealth.
Read chapter 21 versesChapter 15.
God reassures Abram about an heir and numerous descendants. A covenant ceremony confirms the land promise while anticipating future oppression and deliverance.
Read chapter 16 versesChapter 16.
Sarai gives Hagar to Abram, leading to pregnancy and household conflict. God meets Hagar in the wilderness and speaks about her son Ishmael’s future.
Read chapter 27 versesChapter 17.
God establishes circumcision as the covenant sign and renames Abram and Sarai. He promises that Sarah will bear Isaac while also promising blessing to Ishmael.
Read chapter 33 versesChapter 18.
Visitors announce that Sarah will have a son. Afterward, Abraham pleads with God concerning Sodom, asking that the righteous not be swept away with the wicked.
Read chapter 38 versesChapter 19.
Angelic visitors rescue Lot from Sodom before its destruction. The account then follows the loss of Lot’s wife and the troubling origins of Moab and Ammon.
Read chapter 18 versesChapter 20.
Abraham again identifies Sarah as his sister, this time before Abimelech. God intervenes to protect her, and Abraham’s fear-driven deception is exposed.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 21.
Isaac is born, and conflict leads to Hagar and Ishmael’s departure. God provides for them in the wilderness, while Abraham makes an agreement with Abimelech.
Read chapter 24 versesChapter 22.
God tests Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac, then provides a ram in Isaac’s place. The covenant promises are reaffirmed after Abraham’s obedience.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 23.
Sarah dies, and Abraham purchases a burial place at Machpelah. The careful transaction gives his family a lasting burial site in the promised land.
Read chapter 67 versesChapter 24.
Abraham’s servant travels to find a wife for Isaac and meets Rebekah at a well. Her family agrees, and she journeys to marry Isaac.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 25.
Abraham dies, and the narrative turns to Isaac’s family and the birth of Esau and Jacob. Esau exchanges his birthright for a meal.
Read chapter 35 versesChapter 26.
Isaac faces famine, repeats his father’s deception about his wife, and encounters disputes over wells. God renews the promises, and Isaac makes peace with Abimelech.
Read chapter 46 versesChapter 27.
Rebekah and Jacob deceive Isaac so that Jacob receives the blessing intended for Esau. The resulting anger forces Jacob to prepare to leave home.
Read chapter 22 versesChapter 28.
Jacob departs for his mother’s relatives and dreams of a stairway reaching heaven. God promises presence and protection, and Jacob names the place Bethel.
Read chapter 35 versesChapter 29.
Jacob reaches Laban’s household and falls in love with Rachel. Laban’s deception leads to marriages with Leah and Rachel, and Leah begins bearing sons.
Read chapter 43 versesChapter 30.
Rivalry between Rachel and Leah shapes the growing family. After Joseph’s birth, Jacob negotiates wages with Laban and gains substantial flocks.
Read chapter 55 versesChapter 31.
Jacob secretly leaves Laban with his household, and Laban pursues him. Their confrontation ends with a boundary agreement and a separation in peace.
Read chapter 32 versesChapter 32.
Jacob prepares anxiously to meet Esau, sending gifts ahead. During the night he wrestles with a mysterious figure, receives the name Israel, and leaves limping.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 33.
Jacob and Esau meet with an embrace rather than the violence Jacob feared. They part ways, and Jacob settles near Shechem and builds an altar.
Read chapter 31 versesChapter 34.
After Shechem violates Dinah, her brothers use a marriage agreement to deceive and attack the city. Jacob fears the consequences of their violent retaliation.
Read chapter 29 versesChapter 35.
Jacob returns to Bethel and removes foreign gods from his household. God renews his name and promises, while the chapter records the deaths of Rachel and Isaac.
Read chapter 43 versesChapter 36.
Esau’s descendants and the rulers of Edom are listed. The genealogy traces the development of a neighboring people related to Israel through Isaac’s family.
Read chapter 36 versesChapter 37.
Joseph’s dreams and his father’s favoritism deepen his brothers’ resentment. They sell him into slavery and deceive Jacob into believing that Joseph has died.
Read chapter 30 versesChapter 38.
Judah’s family story centers on Tamar’s struggle for the descendants owed to her. Judah eventually acknowledges her righteousness after his own conduct is exposed.
Read chapter 23 versesChapter 39.
Joseph serves faithfully in Potiphar’s house and refuses his wife’s advances. A false accusation sends him to prison, where he again receives responsibility.
Read chapter 23 versesChapter 40.
In prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. The interpretations are fulfilled, but the restored cupbearer initially forgets Joseph.
Read chapter 57 versesChapter 41.
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams as seven years of plenty followed by famine. Pharaoh appoints him to oversee preparations and the distribution of stored grain.
Read chapter 38 versesChapter 42.
Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt for food without recognizing him. He tests them, keeps Simeon, and demands that they return with Benjamin.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 43.
Famine forces the brothers to return to Egypt with Benjamin. Joseph welcomes them to a meal, while they remain fearful and uncertain about his intentions.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 44.
Joseph’s silver cup is placed in Benjamin’s sack, creating a final test. Judah offers himself in Benjamin’s place to spare their father further grief.
Read chapter 28 versesChapter 45.
Joseph reveals his identity and reassures his brothers that God has preserved life through his suffering. He invites the family to settle in Egypt.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 46.
God reassures Jacob as he travels to Egypt, and the family members are listed. Jacob and Joseph reunite after years of separation.
Read chapter 31 versesChapter 47.
Jacob’s family settles in Goshen while Joseph administers Egypt’s resources during famine. Near death, Jacob asks to be buried in his ancestral burial place.
Read chapter 22 versesChapter 48.
Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, giving the younger the greater blessing. He adopts them into the family inheritance and recalls God’s promises.
Read chapter 33 versesChapter 49.
Jacob addresses his sons with words about their character and future tribes. He gives burial instructions and dies after blessing his family.
Read chapter 26 versesChapter 50.
Joseph buries Jacob in Canaan and reassures his fearful brothers of his forgiveness. Before his own death, he looks ahead to God bringing Israel out of Egypt.
Read chapterKing James Version (KJV). Bible text supplied by eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Summaries are written with AI assistance and are separate from Scripture. Read the chapter itself when considering its meaning.