Cain asked his brother Abel to go with him out to the field. 

        While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then God asked Cain why he was angry and why his face was downcast.

        God told him if he did what is right, he would be accepted. But if he didn't do what is right, sin is crouching at the door desiring to have him, but he must rule over it.

Later Eve gave birth to Cain's brother Abel.

        Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.

                And Abel also brought an offering, fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor.

                        So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast.

Adam made love to his wife Eve and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.

        She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man."

So God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which Adam had been taken.

       After He drove them out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve to clothe them.

         God said that now man has become like one of them, knowing good and evil. He must not allow them to reach out and take from the tree of life and eat and live forever.

Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living.

God said to Adam that because he had listened to his wife and ate fruit from the tree about which God had commanded him not to eat; that the ground is cursed; and because of  painful toil, he would eat food from it all the days of his life.

        God said the ground would produce thorns and thistles  and Adam would eat the plants of the field and by the sweat of his brow he would eat his food until he return to the ground. Since Adam was taken from the dust he will return to dust.

To the woman God said that He would make her pains in childbearing very severe with painful labor she would give birth to children. Her desire would be for her husband and  he would rule over her.

So God told the serpent that because he had done this, he was cursed above all livestock and all wild animals! He would  crawl on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life.

       And God told the serpent that He will put enmity between him and the woman. And between his offspring and the woman's.  And that the woman's offspring would crush the serpent's head and the serpent will strike the woman's offspring's heel. 

And God asked Adam, "Who told you that you was naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

       Adam said, "The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it." He blames God for the woman.

Adam and Eve heard the sound of the Lord as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord among the trees of the garden. 

       The Lord call to the man and asked where was he. Adam answered and said he heard the Lord and that he was afraid because he was naked, so he hid.

Then the eyes of both Adam and Eve were opened and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The serpent told the woman that they would not surely die because God knows that when they eat from it their eyes would be opened and they will be like God, knowing good and evil.

        So when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and gave it to her husband, who was with her and ate it.

Adam and his wife were both naked and felt no shame.

        Now the serpent was the most crafty of the wild animals that God had made. He asked the woman if God really said that they must not eat from any tree in the garden.

                The woman told the serpent that they may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but that God did say they must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and that they must not touch it or they will die.

 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all wild animals.

         But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.

                 Then God made a woman from the rib he He had taken out of the man and He brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken our of man." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife and they become one flesh.

God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

       Now God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

The God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

      And the God commanded the man to freely eat from any tree in the garden; but he must no eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when he eat from it he would certainly die.

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four rivers.

     The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

     The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.

     The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur.

      The fourth river is the Euphrates. 

The God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.

        In the middle of the garden was the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Then the God formed a man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

        Now the God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when God made the earth and the heavens.

       No shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

The heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

      By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all His work.

              Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done, [not because He was tired, He never tires].

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."

       "And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground, every thing that has the breath of life in it, I give every green plant for food.:" And it was so.

               God saw all that He had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.

        God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

My blogs have had technical difficulties since Nov 20th. The company I am with put up a create a new blog page and it kept me from getting to my blog dashboard. So I had figured I am out of the blogging business.

There has been a lot of communication between myself and google, blogger.com and webcolleagues in order to get this back online.  I do thank every body for their patience and all those who helped to solve the problem. I am sure I wasn't the only one who was having this problem because there are 100's of thousand of people blogging on these cites.  Thanks again everyone!

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.

       God made the animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, "Let the water fill with living creatures and let the birds fly above the earth across the space of the sky."

        So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water fills and that moves about in it, according to their kind.  And God saw that it was good.

                  God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water of the seas and let the birds increase on the earth.  And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

God set them in the space of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 

        And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the space of the sky to separate the day from the night and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times and days and years and let them be lights in the space of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

        God made two great lights, the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.

              He also made the stars.

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

         The land produced vegetation:  plants bearing seed according to the kinds and  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

                 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear." And it was so.

        God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

And God said, "Let there be a space between the waters to separate water from water."

         So God made the space and separated the water under the space from the water above it. And it was so. God called the space "sky".

                And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

        God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness.

                 He called the light 'day' and the darkness 'night'.

                          There was evening and morning the first day.

When God created the heavens and the earth; it was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

God created all things. 

       He loves people, but He will punish sin. 

               God promises to save people who trust 
               Him.

God created the universe and human beings. He gave a special promise to Abraham.

After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that someone would come to save them from their sins. Genesis 3:15-18

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 

          But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), who was called Didymus. was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

      Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

         
           “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

                     Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

That Sunday evening [In the evening of that day, the first day of the week.] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. 

         Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 

                 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

“Mary!” Jesus said.

        She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

              “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 

        “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

                  She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 

         She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 

                “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 

         She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in.  

               Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 

                          Then they went home.

Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. 

          When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. 

                  Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. 

                            And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover, because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) 

        These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”and “They will look on the one they pierced.”

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. 

        But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. 

                One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). 

        So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”

       A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 

               When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 

         When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”  And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” 

                  And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice cast lots for it.” 

         This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.”  Ps 22:18. So that is what they did.

And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, Or Jesus the Nazarene. the King of the Jews.” 

          The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.

                 Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”

                          Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”

So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). 

          There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). 

          It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”

                    “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”

                        “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

                                 “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

                                                           Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”

Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

           “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”

                  The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”

                          When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” 

                                  But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”

Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” 

              Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”

Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. 

           The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!”

Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

         Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

                Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. 

                      Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.

          Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

                  “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”

“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die).”

Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

            “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.

                          “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.

Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”

         He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”

                     But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” 

                              Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

         Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.

                      Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

                              Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus.  Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”

         “No,” he said, “I am not.”

                       Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 

            First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 

            But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.

          “I am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 

           Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
  
                    And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

                             “I told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”

After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 

           The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

                 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I [Jesus] do; and these disciples know you sent me. 

          I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

“I [Jesus] have given them the glory you [the Father] gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. 

           May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began.”

 “I [Jesus] am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 

             I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one, as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

“Now I [Jesus] am coming to you [the Father]. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 

           I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 

                  Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”

“My [Jesus] prayer is not for the world, but for those you [the Father] have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 

           Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 

                    During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”