Genesis: the illustrated comic

GENESIS
C H A P T E R O N E · T H E C R E AT I O N
“In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

GENESIS
CHAPTER ONE
“In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE 1

2 GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE 3

4 GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE 5

6 GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE 7

8 GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE 9

10 GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS 1:29–31
And God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that is on the entire
earth and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. Let them serve as food for you.
And to every wild animal of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens
and to everything moving on the earth in which there is life, I have given all green
vegetation for food.” And it was so.
After that God saw everything he had made, and look! it was very good. And there was
evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

Here ends Chapter One.
The Creation · Genesis 1:1–31
GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE
The Creation
A sequential-art adaptation of Genesis 1.
Artwork and lettering by Joseph Anady.
© 2026 Joseph Anady. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without
the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
First edition, 2026.
Trim 6.8 × 10.2 in · 16 pages · saddle-stitched.
GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE

GENESIS · CHAPTER ONE
W R I T T E N , I L L U S T R AT E D A N D L E T T E R E D B Y
J O S E P H A N A DY

GENESIS
CHAPTER TWO · THE GARDEN
“Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden.”
Genesis 2:8

GENESIS
CHAPTER TWO
“This is the history of the heavens
and the earth in the time they
were created.”
Genesis 2:4
GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO 1

2 GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO 3

4 GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO 5

6 GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO 7

Here ends Chapter Two.
The Garden · Genesis 2:1–25
GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO
The Garden
A sequential-art adaptation of Genesis 2.
Artwork and lettering by Joseph Anady.
© 2026 Joseph Anady. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without
the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
First edition, 2026.
Trim 6.8 × 10.2 in · 12 pages · saddle-stitched.
GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO

GENESIS · CHAPTER TWO
W R I T T E N , I L L U S T R AT E D A N D L E T T E R E D B Y
J O S E P H A N A DY

GENESIS
CHAPTER THREE · THE FALL
“He will crush your head,
and you will strike him in the heel.”
Genesis 3:15

GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE
The Fall
A sequential-art adaptation of Genesis 3.
Artwork and lettering by Joseph Anady.
© 2026 Joseph Anady. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without
the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
First edition, 2026.
Trim 8 × 10 in · 12 pages · saddle-stitched.
GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

GENESIS
CHAPTER THREE
“Now the serpent was the most cautious
of all the wild animals of the field.”
Genesis 3:1
GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

“I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will crush your head,
and you will strike him in the heel.”
GENESIS 3:15
GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE 1

2 GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE 3

4 GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE 5

6 GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

Here ends Chapter Three.
The Fall · Genesis 3:1–24
GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE

GENESIS · CHAPTER THREE
W R I T T E N , I L L U S T R AT E D A N D L E T T E R E D B Y
J O S E P H A N A DY

GENESIS
CHAPTER FOUR · CAIN AND ABEL
“Am I my brother’s guardian?”
Genesis 4:9

GENESIS · CHAPTER FOUR
Cain and Abel
A sequential-art adaptation of Genesis 4.
Artwork and lettering by Joseph Anady.
© 2026 Joseph Anady. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without
the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
First edition, 2026.
Trim 7.5 × 10 in · 12 pages · saddle-stitched.

GENESIS
CHAPTER FOUR
“Now Adam knew Eve his wife,
and she became pregnant.”
Genesis 4:1

“Sin is crouching at the door,
and its craving is to dominate you;
but will you get the mastery over it?”
GENESIS 4:7

Here ends Chapter Four.
Cain and Abel · Genesis 4:1–26

GENESIS · CHAPTER FOUR
W R I T T E N , I L L U S T R AT E D A N D L E T T E R E D B Y
J O S E P H A N A DY

GENESIS
CHAPTER FIVE · THE BOOK OF ADAM’S
H I S T O RY
“From creation to a lasting legacy.”
Genesis 5:1–32

GENESIS · CHAPTER FIVE
The Book of Adam’s History
A sequential-art adaptation of Genesis 5.
Artwork and lettering by Joseph Anady.
© 2026 Joseph Anady. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
First edition, 2026.
Trim 6.8 × 7.6 in · 16 pages · saddle-stitched.
Pages restored by super-resolution from the chapter design sheet;
reproduced at 192–205 ppi.

Here ends Chapter Five.
The Book of Adam’s History · Genesis 5:1–32

GENESIS · CHAPTER FIVE
W R I T T E N , I L L U S T R AT E D A N D L E T T E R E D B Y
J O S E P H A N A DY

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
GENESIS 12
Abram is called. A journey of faith begins.
12:1
“Go out from your land and
away from your relatives and
from the house of your father
to the land that I will show
you.”
12:2
“I will make you a great
nation, and I will bless you,
and I will make your name
great, and you will become a
blessing.”
12:3
“I will bless those who bless
you, and I will curse him
who calls down evil on you,
and all the families of the
ground will certainly be
blessed by means of you.”
GENESIS 12:1-3 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 01

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
The Journey Begins
Genesis 12:4-5 | 02 of 10
12:4
So Abram went just as
Jehovah had told him,
and Lot went with him.
Abram was 75 years old
when he left Haran.
12:5
Abram took his wife Sarai and Lot
the son of his brother and all the
goods that they had accumulated
and the people whom they had
acquired in Haran, and they set
out for the land of Canaan.
GENESIS 12:4-5 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
In the Land of Canaan
Genesis 12:5-6 | 03 of 10
12:5
When they reached the
land of Canaan,
12:6
Abram traveled through
the land as far as the site of
Shechem, near the big trees
of Moreh.
12:6
At that time the Canaanites
were in the land.
GENESIS 12:5-6 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
The Promise Given
Genesis 12:7 | 04 of 10
12:7
Jehovah then appeared to
Abram and said: “To your
offspring I am going to give
this land.”
12:7
So he built an altar there to
Jehovah, who had appeared
to him.
GENESIS 12:7 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
Bethel and Ai
Genesis 12:8 | 05 of 10
12:8
Later he moved from there to
the mountainous region east
of Bethel and pitched his tent
with Bethel on the west and Ai
on the east.
12:8
There he built an altar to
Jehovah
12:8
and began to call on the
name of Jehovah.
GENESIS 12:8 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
Toward the Negeb
Genesis 12:9 | 06 of 10
12:9
Afterward, Abram broke camp
and journeyed toward the
Negeb, moving his camp from
one place to another.
GENESIS 12:9 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
Famine in the Land
Genesis 12:10 | 07 of 10
12:10
Now a famine arose in
the land,
12:10
and Abram went down toward
Egypt to reside there for a
while, because the famine in
the land was severe.
GENESIS 12:10 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
At the Border of Egypt
Genesis 12:11-13 | 08 of 10
12:11
As he was about to enter
Egypt, he said to his wife
Sarai: “Please listen! I know
what a beautiful woman
you are.
12:12
So when the Egyptians see
you, they will surely say,
‘This is his wife.’ Then they
will kill me but keep you
alive.
12:13
Please say you are my sister,
so that it may go well with me
because of you, and my life
will be spared.”
GENESIS 12:11-13 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
Sarai in Pharaoh’s House
Genesis 12:14-16 | 09 of 10
12:14
As soon as Abram entered
Egypt, the Egyptians
noticed that the woman
was very beautiful.
12:15
And the princes of Pharaoh
also saw her, and they began
praising her to Pharaoh, so
that the woman was taken to
the house of Pharaoh.
12:16
He treated Abram well
because of her, and he
acquired sheep, cattle, male
and female donkeys, male
and female servants, and
camels.
GENESIS 12:14-16 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

GENESIS / CHAPTER 12 / HIS PLANS GO ON
Plagues and Departure
Genesis 12:17-20 | 10 of 10
12:17
Then Jehovah struck Pharaoh
and his household with severe
plagues because of Sarai,
Abram’s wife.
12:18
So Pharaoh called Abram and
said: “What is this you have
done to me? Why did you not
tell me that she was your wife?
12:19
Why did you say, ‘She is my
sister,’ so that I was about to
take her as my wife? Here is
your wife. Take her and go!”
12:20
So Pharaoh gave his men
orders concerning him, and
they sent him away with his
wife and all that he had.
GENESIS 12:17-20 / ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
GENESIS 13
T H E L AND BEFO R E TH EM
GENESIS 13:1
Egypt lay behind them. Abram, Sarai, and Lot journeyed north with their households and
possessions. Ahead stretched the dry country of the Negeb—and the road back into Canaan.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
More Than They Could Carry
G E NE SIS 13: 2 / 02 O F 20
GENESIS 13:2
Abram had great wealth: livestock, silver, and gold. His possessions filled the camp, but he
still lived as a traveler. Everything had to move when the tents came down.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Camp After Camp
G E NE SIS 13: 3 / 03 O F 20
GENESIS 13:3
The journey unfolded in stages. Tents were lowered, burdens secured, and another stretch of
road crossed. From the Negeb they traveled toward the hills around Bethel.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
The Place Remembered
G E NE SIS 13: 3–4 / 04 O F 2 0
GENESIS 13:3–4
At last Abram returned to the place between Bethel and Ai where he had camped before.
The old altar was still there. Once again, he called on Jehovah’s name.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Two Households
G E NE SIS 13: 5 / 05 O F 20
GENESIS 13:5
Lot had prospered too. He traveled with his own sheep, cattle, and tents. Two households
now depended on the same surrounding land.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
The Land Under Strain
G E NE SIS 13: 6 / 06 O F 20
GENESIS 13:6
The flocks kept growing. The pasture did not. With so many animals to feed, the two
households could no longer remain together in one place.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Voices Rise
G E NE SIS 13: 7 / 07 O F 20
GENESIS 13:7
The pressure became a quarrel. Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen argued over the
needs of their animals. Their shared journey was becoming a source of division.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Others Lived Here
G E NE SIS 13: 7 / 08 O F 20
GENESIS 13:7
They were not alone in the land. Canaanites and Perizzites also lived there. Their farms,
settlements, and grazing places were part of the same crowded landscape.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Choose Peace
G E NE SIS 13: 8 / 09 O F 20
GENESIS 13:8
Abram spoke directly to Lot. They were family; he did not want a quarrel to divide them or
their herdsmen. Peace mattered more than winning the dispute.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
You May Choose
G E NE SIS 13: 9 / 10 O F 20
GENESIS 13:9
Abram offered Lot the first choice of land. Whichever direction Lot chose, Abram would
take the other. He made room for separation without hostility.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
The Green District
G E NE SIS 13: 10 / 11 O F 20
GENESIS 13:10
Lot looked toward the Jordan. Below him lay a well-watered district, inviting and fertile. This
was before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the land still looked abundant.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Eastward
G E NE SIS 13: 11 / 12 O F 20
GENESIS 13:11
Lot chose the Jordan district for himself. His camp would move east. A choice made on the
hillside now became a road taken by an entire household.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
The Parting
G E NE SIS 13: 11–12 / 13 OF 2 0
GENESIS 13:11–12
The households separated. Lot’s people moved toward the cities of the district. Abram
remained in Canaan. Their camps no longer shared the same ground.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Near Sodom
G E NE SIS 13: 12–13 / 14 OF 2 0
GENESIS 13:12–13
Lot eventually pitched his tent near Sodom. Its fertile surroundings were inviting, but
its people were deeply wicked before Jehovah. The appealing landscape concealed
a troubling choice.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
After Lot Had Gone
G E NE SIS 13: 14 / 15 O F 20
GENESIS 13:14
After Lot had left, Jehovah spoke to Abram. The departure was not the end of the promise.
Abram was invited to lift his eyes and look around him.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Every Direction
G E NE SIS 13: 14–15 / 16 OF 2 0
NORTH SOUTH
EAST WEST
GENESIS 13:14–15
North and south. East and west. The land spread beyond the limits of a single camp.
Jehovah promised it to Abram and his descendants as an enduring possession.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Beyond Counting
G E NE SIS 13: 16 / 17 O F 20
GENESIS 13:16
The promise reached beyond Abram’s own lifetime. His descendants would become as
uncountable as the dust of the earth. What he could hold in one hand pointed toward a
future he could not measure.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
Walk Through It
G E NE SIS 13: 17 / 18 O F 20
GENESIS 13:17
Jehovah told Abram to travel through the land, along its length and across its breadth. The
promise called him forward. He would come to know the country by walking through it.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
The Trees of Mamre
G E NE SIS 13: 18 / 19 O F 20
GENESIS 13:18
Abram moved his tent to Mamre, near Hebron. Beneath the great trees, his household
settled again. They still lived as travelers, holding to the promise.

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 13
An Altar at Mamre
G E NE SIS 13: 18 / 20 O F 20
GENESIS 13:18
There Abram built an altar to Jehovah. The chapter closes with a place of worship beneath
the trees: a separated household, a peace preserved, and a promise still before him.
JOSEPH ANADY / INDEPENDENT ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Four Eastern Kings
GENESIS 14:1
GENESIS 14:1
Four eastern kings had joined their forces. Their military campaign would reach the valley cities
where Lot lived.
GENESIS 14:1 GENESIS 14:1
Amraphel ruled Shinar. Arioch ruled Chedorlaomer ruled Elam, and Tidal
Ellasar. Both belonged to the coalition that ruled Goiim. These two kings completed
entered the conflict. the eastern alliance.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Five Cities Join Forces
GENESIS 14:2–3
GENESIS 14:2 GENESIS 14:2
On the other side stood Bera, who ruled Shinab ruled Admah; Shemeber ruled Zeboiim.
Sodom, and Birsha, who ruled Gomorrah. The fifth ruler governed Bela, the city also
known as Zoar.
GENESIS 14:3
The five city forces assembled in the Siddim valley, identified in Genesis with the Salt Sea.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Twelve Years, Then Rebellion
GENESIS 14:4–5
GENESIS 14:4
For twelve years, the valley cities had remained subject to Chedorlaomer and served
under his authority.
GENESIS 14:4
In year thirteen, those rulers rebelled. They would no longer continue the service that had bound
them to Chedorlaomer.
GENESIS 14:5
In year fourteen, Chedorlaomer and his allied kings began their campaign.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Campaign Advances
GENESIS 14:5
GENESIS 14:5
The coalition defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim. Chedorlaomer and his allies continued
their campaign through the surrounding lands.
GENESIS 14:5
At Ham, the Zuzim also faced the eastern kings. The coalition defeated them and
continued its advance.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Across the Highlands
GENESIS 14:5–6
GENESIS 14:5 GENESIS 14:6
The Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim also fell before The allied kings next overcame the Horites in
the eastern coalition. The campaign had struck the mountain country of Seir. Their advance
several peoples beyond the five city kingdoms. continued through that rugged terrain
toward the wilderness.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
To the Wilderness and Back
GENESIS 14:6–7
GENESIS 14:6–7
The coalition defeated the Horites in Seir as far as El-paran, beside the wilderness. Then the
coalition turned back.
GENESIS 14:7
The returning force came to En-mishpat, also called Kadesh. The campaign continued as the kings
swept through this region.
GENESIS 14:7
They overran the entire region described as Amalekite territory.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Cities March Out
GENESIS 14:7–8
GENESIS 14:7
The coalition also defeated the Amorites who lived at Hazazon-tamar. Its campaign now brought it
toward the forces of the five cities.
GENESIS 14:8
The rulers of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela—also called Zoar—marched out.
They prepared to meet the coalition in the Siddim valley.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Four Kings Against Five
GENESIS 14:8–9
GENESIS 14:8–9
The two alliances formed for battle in Siddim. Four eastern kings faced the five rulers of
the valley cities.
GENESIS 14:9 GENESIS 14:8–9
Chedorlaomer of Elam and Tidal of The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah,
Goiim stood with Amraphel of Shinar and Zeboiim and Bela had drawn up their
Arioch of Ellasar. forces opposite them.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Pits of Siddim
GENESIS 14:10
GENESIS 14:10
Siddim was dotted with pits of bitumen. These dark, sticky hollows made the ground dangerous
when the defeated forces tried to escape.
GENESIS 14:10 GENESIS 14:10
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and Those who remained fled toward the
fell into the pits. Their attempt to escape had mountains. The battle had broken the
carried them onto treacherous ground. resistance of the city forces.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Goods and Food Taken
GENESIS 14:11
GENESIS 14:11
The victors seized the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, including their food supplies. The two
cities lost both their goods and their provisions.
GENESIS 14:11
After taking those stores, the coalition moved on. The goods and food went with
the departing force.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Lot Is Taken Captive
GENESIS 14:12
GENESIS 14:12
Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, was living in Sodom. The invaders took him captive and seized his
possessions along with the city’s goods.
GENESIS 14:12
The force continued on its way with Lot and his property. Abram’s family had now been drawn
directly into the consequences of the war.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
An Escapee Reaches Abram
GENESIS 14:13
GENESIS 14:13 GENESIS 14:13
An escaped man brought the news to Abram Abram was living among the large trees of
the Hebrew. Abram learned that the invaders Mamre the Amorite. There the escaped man
had carried away his relative. told him what had happened.
GENESIS 14:13
Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner were allies of Abram. They would accompany him in the
expedition to come.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
318 Trained Men
GENESIS 14:14
GENESIS 14:14
When Abram learned that his relative had been captured, he called together the trained servants of
his own household to pursue the captors.
GENESIS 14:14
Abram’s trained household servants numbered 318. These men had been born within his
household, and he led them in pursuit of Lot’s captors.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Pursuit Reaches Dan
GENESIS 14:14–15
GENESIS 14:14
Abram followed the captors with his trained household servants. The pursuit carried the group
away from his camp and after the force that held Lot.
GENESIS 14:14–15
Abram pursued the captors as far as Dan. During the night, he would divide his men for an attack.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Force Divides at Night
GENESIS 14:15
GENESIS 14:15
At night, Abram divided his force into separate groups. He arranged the men with him for the
attack on the captors.
GENESIS 14:15
Abram himself took part with his servants. The divided force moved against the enemy
during the night.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The Captors Are Defeated
GENESIS 14:15
GENESIS 14:15
Abram and his household servants attacked the coalition. Their divided assault overcame the men
who had carried away Lot and the other captives.
GENESIS 14:15
The enemy was defeated and fled. Abram continued the pursuit beyond the place of
the night attack.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Beyond Damascus
GENESIS 14:15
GENESIS 14:15
Abram pressed after the defeated force, continuing the pursuit beyond the first attack and
on toward Hobah.
GENESIS 14:15
The pursuit reached Hobah, north of Damascus. Abram had followed the fleeing enemy far from
the camp he had left behind.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
People and Property Recovered
GENESIS 14:16
GENESIS 14:16 GENESIS 14:16
Abram recovered Lot, his relative, together with The rescue also brought back the women
Lot’s possessions. The man taken from Sodom and the other people. The recovery extended
was now freed from the captors. beyond Abram’s own family.
GENESIS 14:16
Abram recovered all the goods. People, household possessions and the captured stores could now be
brought back together.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
The King’s Valley
GENESIS 14:17
GENESIS 14:17
After defeating Chedorlaomer and his allied kings, Abram returned. The king of Sodom came out
to meet him.
GENESIS 14:17
Their meeting took place in the Shaveh valley, which was also called the King’s Valley.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Melchizedek of Salem
GENESIS 14:18
GENESIS 14:18 GENESIS 14:18
Melchizedek, king of Salem, came to Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, the
meet Abram. He was also a priest of the provisions named at this meeting with Abram.
Most High God.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Blessing and Praise
GENESIS 14:19–20
GENESIS 14:19
Melchizedek called for the Most High God to bless Abram. His blessing honored God as the maker
of heaven and earth.
GENESIS 14:19 GENESIS 14:20
The heavens above and the earth beneath Melchizedek praised God for granting
belonged to the God whom Melchizedek Abram victory over his enemies. The blessing
praised—the creator of them all. directed honor for the successful rescue to
the Most High.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
A Tenth and an Offer
GENESIS 14:20–21
GENESIS 14:20 GENESIS 14:21
Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom asked Abram to return
The gift followed the blessing and praise spoken the recovered people to him. His proposal now
over his return. turned to the human captives.
GENESIS 14:21
The king offered Abram the recovered goods for himself. He asked for the people while allowing
Abram to keep the property.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Abram’s Oath to Jehovah
GENESIS 14:22–23
GENESIS 14:22
Abram raised his hand in a solemn oath to Jehovah, the Most High God, whom he acknowledged
as the creator of heaven and earth.
GENESIS 14:23 GENESIS 14:23
He would accept none of the king’s Abram would not allow the king of Sodom to
property—not even a thread or the fastening claim that he had made Abram wealthy.
from a sandal.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 14
Food and the Allies’ Shares
GENESIS 14:24
GENESIS 14:24
Only the food already eaten by the young men was excepted from Abram’s refusal. He sought no
other portion for himself.
GENESIS 14:24
Aner, Eshcol and Mamre had gone with Abram. He allowed these allies their own shares, keeping
their entitlement separate from his personal refusal.
GENESIS 14 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
A Vision of Reassurance
GENESIS 15:1
GENESIS 15:1
After the earlier events, Jehovah spoke to Abram through a vision and told him not to be afraid.
GENESIS 15:1
Jehovah promised to protect Abram like a shield and to give him an extraordinary reward.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
A Childless Household
GENESIS 15:2–3
GENESIS 15:2–3
Abram addressed the Sovereign Lord Jehovah: he still had no child, and no offspring had been
given to him.
GENESIS 15:2–3
He expected Eliezer of Damascus, a member of his household, to inherit his estate in the absence
of a child.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
A Son of His Own
GENESIS 15:4
GENESIS 15:4
Jehovah replied that Eliezer would not become the heir to Abram’s estate.
PROMISE · GENESIS 15:4
The heir would be Abram’s own son, a child descended from his own body.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Look at the Stars
GENESIS 15:5
GENESIS 15:5
Jehovah brought Abram outside and directed his attention to the sky above him.
PROMISE · GENESIS 15:5
Abram was invited to count the stars if he could. His descendants would become as numerous as
the stars beyond his counting.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Faith Credited as Righteousness
GENESIS 15:6–7
GENESIS 15:6
Abram trusted Jehovah, and Jehovah regarded that faith as righteousness.
EARLIER JOURNEY · GENESIS 15:7
Jehovah reminded Abram that he had brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give him this
land as a possession.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Assurance About the Land
GENESIS 15:7–8
PROMISE · GENESIS 15:7
The same Jehovah who had led Abram from Ur intended this land to become his possession.
GENESIS 15:8
Abram asked the Sovereign Lord Jehovah how he could know that he would take possession
of the land.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
The Animals Requested
GENESIS 15:9
GENESIS 15:9
Jehovah instructed Abram to bring a heifer that was three years old.
GENESIS 15:9 GENESIS 15:9
He also required a three-year-old female goat A turtledove and a young pigeon completed the
and a three-year-old ram. animals Jehovah asked Abram to bring.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
The Pieces Laid Opposite
GENESIS 15:10
GENESIS 15:10
Abram brought the animals, divided the heifer, goat and ram, and arranged each half opposite
its matching half.
GENESIS 15:10
The turtledove and the young pigeon were not divided. Abram left both birds whole.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Driving the Birds Away
GENESIS 15:11
GENESIS 15:11
Birds of prey began descending toward the animal remains laid out on the ground.
GENESIS 15:11
Abram repeatedly drove the birds away from the carcasses.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Sleep and Terrifying Darkness
GENESIS 15:12
GENESIS 15:12
As the sun neared its setting, the light faded around Abram and the prepared animals.
GENESIS 15:12
Abram fell into a deep sleep as evening approached.
GENESIS 15:12
A profound, terrifying darkness came over him.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Foreigners in Another Land
GENESIS 15:13
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:13
Jehovah told Abram that his descendants would live as outsiders in a country that did not
belong to them.
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:13
The people of that country would enslave and mistreat Abram’s descendants.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Four Hundred Years
GENESIS 15:13–14
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:13
The foretold affliction would extend across 400 years.
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:14
Jehovah also promised to judge the nation that held his descendants in servitude.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Departure and Peace
GENESIS 15:14–15
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:14 PROMISE · GENESIS 15:15
Afterward, his descendants would leave the Abram himself would die peacefully, join his
foreign land with many possessions. forefathers and be buried at an advanced age.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
The Fourth Generation
GENESIS 15:16
PROPHECY · GENESIS 15:16
Abram’s descendants would return to this land in the fourth generation.
REASON FOR DELAY · GENESIS 15:16
The return would wait because the Amorites’ wrongdoing had not yet reached its full measure.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Smoke and a Flaming Torch
GENESIS 15:17
GENESIS 15:17
After sunset, in the deep darkness, a smoking furnace appeared.
GENESIS 15:17
A blazing torch passed between the paired animal pieces.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Jehovah Makes a Covenant
GENESIS 15:18
COVENANT · GENESIS 15:18
On that day, Jehovah entered into a covenant with Abram.
PROMISE · GENESIS 15:18
Jehovah pledged to give this land to Abram’s descendants.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
From One River to the Other
GENESIS 15:18
PROMISED BOUNDARY · GENESIS 15:18 PROMISED BOUNDARY · GENESIS 15:18
The promised land would extend from the Its other named boundary was the great
river of Egypt. river, the Euphrates.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites
GENESIS 15:19
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:19
Jehovah included the lands of the Kenites and the Kenizzites in his promise
to Abram’s descendants.
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:19
The lands of the Kadmonites were also part of the promised inheritance.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim
GENESIS 15:20
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:20
He also promised the territories of the Hittites and the Perizzites.
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:20
The lands of the Rephaim were included in the same grant to Abram’s descendants.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 15
The Remaining Peoples Named
GENESIS 15:21
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:21
The promised land also included the territories of the Amorites and Canaanites.
PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:21 PROMISED LAND · GENESIS 15:21
The Girgashites were included in the land The Jebusites completed the ten peoples named
promised to Abram’s descendants. in the covenant promise.
GENESIS 15 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Sarai and Her Egyptian Servant
GENESIS 16:1
GENESIS 16:1
Sarai was Abram’s wife, but she had not borne him a child.
GENESIS 16:1
Sarai had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Sarai’s Proposal
GENESIS 16:2
GENESIS 16:2
Sarai told Abram that Jehovah had kept her from bearing children.
GENESIS 16:2 GENESIS 16:2
She proposed that Abram have a child Abram listened to Sarai’s proposal.
through Hagar, hoping to gain children
through her servant.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Ten Years in Canaan
GENESIS 16:3
GENESIS 16:3
Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years when Sarai made this arrangement.
GENESIS 16:3
Sarai gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram to be his wife.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Hagar Becomes Pregnant
GENESIS 16:4
GENESIS 16:4 GENESIS 16:4
Abram had sexual relations with Hagar. Hagar conceived and was
carrying Abram’s child.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Contempt Enters the Household
GENESIS 16:4
GENESIS 16:4
Once Hagar knew she was pregnant, her attitude toward Sarai changed.
GENESIS 16:4
She began to look down on her mistress.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Sarai Appeals to Abram
GENESIS 16:5
GENESIS 16:5
Sarai blamed Abram for the wrong she was suffering.
GENESIS 16:5
She reminded him that she had given Hagar to him, only to be treated with contempt.
GENESIS 16:5
Sarai appealed to Jehovah to judge between them.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Under Sarai’s Authority
GENESIS 16:6
GENESIS 16:6
Abram replied that Hagar remained under Sarai’s authority.
GENESIS 16:6
He left Sarai to decide how to deal with her servant.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Hagar Runs Away
GENESIS 16:6
GENESIS 16:6
Sarai treated Hagar harshly.
GENESIS 16:6
Hagar fled from Sarai.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
A Spring on the Way to Shur
GENESIS 16:7
GENESIS 16:7
Hagar was beside a wilderness spring on the way to Shur.
GENESIS 16:7
Jehovah’s angel found her there.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Where Have You Come From?
GENESIS 16:8
GENESIS 16:8 GENESIS 16:8
The angel addressed Hagar by name and He asked where she had come from and where
identified her as Sarai’s servant. she was going.
GENESIS 16:8
Hagar answered that she was fleeing from her mistress Sarai.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
The Instruction to Return
GENESIS 16:9
GENESIS 16:9 GENESIS 16:9
The angel instructed Hagar to return to Sarai. He also directed her to submit herself
to her mistress.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Descendants Beyond Counting
GENESIS 16:10
PROMISE · GENESIS 16:10
Speaking for Jehovah, the angel promised Hagar a great multitude of descendants.
PROMISE · GENESIS 16:10
Her descendants would become too numerous to count.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
A Son Is Foretold
GENESIS 16:11
GENESIS 16:11
The angel acknowledged that Hagar was pregnant.
PROMISE · GENESIS 16:11
He told her that she would give birth to a son.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Ishmael — God Hears
GENESIS 16:11
PROMISE · GENESIS 16:11
The angel instructed her to name the boy Ishmael.
GENESIS 16:11
The name recalls that God hears. Jehovah had heard Hagar’s distress.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
The Son’s Future Disposition
GENESIS 16:12
PROPHECY · GENESIS 16:12
The angel compared the son’s future life to that of a wild donkey.
PROPHECY · GENESIS 16:12 PROPHECY · GENESIS 16:12
He would oppose everyone and face opposition His dwelling would stand opposite those of
from everyone in return. all his brothers.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
The God Who Sees Her
GENESIS 16:13
GENESIS 16:13 GENESIS 16:13
Through the angel, Jehovah had She acknowledged Jehovah as the God
spoken to Hagar. who saw her.
GENESIS 16:13
She marveled at encountering the One who had seen her.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Beer-lahai-roi
GENESIS 16:14
GENESIS 16:14
The well came to be known as Beer-lahai-roi.
GENESIS 16:14
Its name recalls the living One who sees her.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Between Kadesh and Bered
GENESIS 16:7 · GENESIS 16:14
GENESIS 16:14 GENESIS 16:7
The well lay between Kadesh and Bered. It was the wilderness spring on the way to Shur.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Hagar Bears a Son
GENESIS 16:15
GENESIS 16:15
Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram.
GENESIS 16:15
Abram named Hagar’s son Ishmael.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 16
Abram Was Eighty-Six
GENESIS 16:16
GENESIS 16:16
Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
GENESIS 16:16
The son born to Hagar and Abram was Ishmael.
GENESIS 16 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Abram at Ninety-Nine
GENESIS 17:1
GENESIS 17:1
Jehovah appeared to Abram, who was now 99.
GENESIS 17:1 GENESIS 17:1
Jehovah identified himself as Almighty God. He called Abram to live before him
with blameless conduct.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
A Promise and a Bowed Response
GENESIS 17:2 · GENESIS 17:3
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:2
God promised a covenant with Abram and a vast increase in his descendants.
GENESIS 17:3
Abram bowed with his face to the ground while God continued speaking.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Father of Many Nations
GENESIS 17:4
GENESIS 17:4
God confirmed that his covenant was with Abram.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:4
Abram would become the ancestor of many nations.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Abram Becomes Abraham
GENESIS 17:5
NAME CHANGE · GENESIS 17:5 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:5
God replaced the name Abram with Abraham. His new name reflected the promise that many
nations would trace their ancestry to him.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Descendants, Nations, and Kings
GENESIS 17:6
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:6
God promised Abraham an abundant line of descendants.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:6 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:6
Whole nations would grow from his family. Kings would also come from
among his descendants.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
A Covenant through Generations
GENESIS 17:7
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:7
The covenant would continue from Abraham to his descendants throughout their generations.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:7
Under this everlasting covenant, Jehovah would be God to Abraham and his descendants.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
All the Land of Canaan
GENESIS 17:8
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:8 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:8
God promised Abraham and his descendants The land would be their lasting possession, and
all Canaan, where Abraham had lived Jehovah would be their God.
as a foreigner.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Keeping the Covenant
GENESIS 17:9 · GENESIS 17:10
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:9
Abraham and every succeeding generation of his descendants were required to
keep God’s covenant.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:10
The covenant required circumcision for every male among them.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
The Sign of the Covenant
GENESIS 17:11
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:11
They were to remove the foreskin in circumcision.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:11
This would serve as the sign of the covenant between God and them.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
At Eight Days Old
GENESIS 17:12
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:12
Each male child was to be circumcised at eight days old.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:12
This requirement would apply throughout the generations to come.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Within the Whole Household
GENESIS 17:12
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:12 INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:12
The rule included males born It also included males bought from
within the household. foreigners, even when they were outside
Abraham’s family line.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
A Lasting Covenant in the Flesh
GENESIS 17:13
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:13
Both home-born males and those bought with Abraham’s money had to receive circumcision.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:13
The covenant was to remain marked in their bodies as a lasting bond.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Breaking the Covenant
GENESIS 17:14
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:14
A male who remained uncircumcised was to be cut off from his people.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 17:14
Such refusal would amount to breaking the covenant.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Sarai Becomes Sarah
GENESIS 17:15
NAME CHANGE · GENESIS 17:15
God told Abraham to stop using the name Sarai for his wife.
NAME CHANGE · GENESIS 17:15
He gave her the name Sarah.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
A Son and Nations through Sarah
GENESIS 17:16
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:16 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:16
God would bless Sarah and give Abraham a She would become the ancestor of nations.
son through her.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:16
Kings of peoples would arise from her descendants.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Laughter and an Unspoken Question
GENESIS 17:17
GENESIS 17:17
Abraham bowed facedown and laughed.
PRIVATE THOUGHT · GENESIS 17:17
He wondered inwardly whether he could father a child at 100.
PRIVATE THOUGHT · GENESIS 17:17
Could Sarah give birth at 90?
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
An Appeal for Ishmael
GENESIS 17:18
GENESIS 17:18
Abraham appealed to God for Ishmael.
APPEAL · GENESIS 17:18
He wished that Ishmael might live in God’s favor.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
The Son Will Be Isaac
GENESIS 17:19
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:19
God assured Abraham that Sarah herself would bear him a son.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:19 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:19
Abraham was to give this promised son God’s everlasting covenant would continue
the name Isaac. with Isaac and his descendants.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Ishmael Will Also Be Blessed
GENESIS 17:20
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:20 PROMISE · GENESIS 17:20
God had heard Abraham’s plea and Ishmael’s descendants would
would bless Ishmael. become very numerous.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:20
He would father 12 chieftains, and God would make him a great nation.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
At This Time Next Year
GENESIS 17:21
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:21
God would establish his covenant with Isaac.
PROMISE · GENESIS 17:21
Sarah would bear him at the appointed time in the following year.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
The Encounter Ends
GENESIS 17:22
GENESIS 17:22
Jehovah finished speaking with Abraham.
GENESIS 17:22
Then God ascended from Abraham.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Obedience on That Very Day
GENESIS 17:23
GENESIS 17:23
Abraham took Ishmael and every male in his household.
GENESIS 17:23
This included those born there and those he had purchased.
GENESIS 17:23
That same day, he circumcised them in obedience to God.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
Ninety-Nine and Thirteen
GENESIS 17:24 · GENESIS 17:25
GENESIS 17:24 GENESIS 17:25
Abraham’s circumcision took place when His son Ishmael was 13 at his circumcision.
he was 99.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 17
His Whole Household
GENESIS 17:26 · GENESIS 17:27
GENESIS 17:26
Abraham and Ishmael were both circumcised on the same day.
GENESIS 17:27 GENESIS 17:27
All the household men born there shared Those bought from foreigners were circumcised
in the circumcision. with them as well.
GENESIS 17 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
The Heat of the Day
GENESIS 18:1
GENESIS 18:1
Jehovah appeared to Abraham near Mamre’s great trees.
GENESIS 18:1
Abraham was seated at his tent entrance during the day’s greatest heat.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Three Visitors
GENESIS 18:2
GENESIS 18:2
Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.
GENESIS 18:2 GENESIS 18:2
He ran from the tent to meet them. Then he bowed low to the ground.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Water, Rest, and Bread
GENESIS 18:3 · GENESIS 18:4 · GENESIS 18:5
GENESIS 18:3
Abraham appealed to Jehovah for favor and urged his visitors to stay.
GENESIS 18:4
He offered water for their feet and rest beneath a tree.
GENESIS 18:5
He offered bread to restore them before their journey continued. The visitors accepted.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Bread for the Guests
GENESIS 18:6
GENESIS 18:6
Abraham hurried into the tent and asked Sarah to prepare bread quickly.
GENESIS 18:6 GENESIS 18:6
She was to use three measures of fine flour. She was to knead the dough and make loaves.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Choice Young Bull
GENESIS 18:7
GENESIS 18:7
Abraham ran to the herd and selected a tender, fine young bull.
GENESIS 18:7
He entrusted it to an attendant, who hurried to prepare it.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Meal beneath the Tree
GENESIS 18:8
GENESIS 18:8 GENESIS 18:8
Abraham brought butter and milk He also set the prepared young
for the guests. bull before them.
GENESIS 18:8
The three ate under the tree while Abraham stood nearby.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Where Is Sarah?
GENESIS 18:9
GENESIS 18:9 GENESIS 18:9
The visitors asked Abraham where his Abraham answered that she was inside the tent.
wife Sarah was.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Son Next Year
GENESIS 18:10
PROMISE · GENESIS 18:10
One visitor promised to return at this same season the following year.
PROMISE · GENESIS 18:10 GENESIS 18:10
By then, Abraham’s wife Sarah would Sarah listened at the tent entrance, behind the
have a son. man who was speaking.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Private Laugh
GENESIS 18:11 · GENESIS 18:12
GENESIS 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were both elderly. Sarah’s childbearing years had ended.
PRIVATE THOUGHT · GENESIS 18:12
Sarah laughed inwardly, wondering whether such joy could come when both she and her husband
were so old.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Nothing beyond God’s Power
GENESIS 18:13 · GENESIS 18:14
GENESIS 18:13
Jehovah asked Abraham why Sarah had laughed at bearing a child in her old age.
GENESIS 18:14
He asked whether any act lay beyond Jehovah’s power.
PROMISE · GENESIS 18:14
He would return at the appointed season next year, and Sarah would have a son.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Fear and Denial
GENESIS 18:15
GENESIS 18:15
Frightened, Sarah denied having laughed.
GENESIS 18:15
The reply made clear that she had indeed laughed.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Toward Sodom
GENESIS 18:16
GENESIS 18:16
The men rose from the meal to leave.
GENESIS 18:16 GENESIS 18:16
They looked out toward Sodom. Abraham walked with the visitors to see them
on their way.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Purpose Made Known
GENESIS 18:17 · GENESIS 18:18
GENESIS 18:17
Jehovah asked whether he should conceal from Abraham what he was about to do.
PROMISE · GENESIS 18:18
Abraham would become a great, powerful nation, and through him every nation on earth
would receive blessing.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
A Household Taught Justice
GENESIS 18:19
GENESIS 18:19
Jehovah knew Abraham and intended him to instruct his sons and the household after him.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 18:19 PROMISE · GENESIS 18:19
They were to follow Jehovah’s way through Then Jehovah would fulfill the promises he had
right conduct and justice. made concerning Abraham.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
The Outcry from Two Cities
GENESIS 18:20 · GENESIS 18:21
GENESIS 18:20 GENESIS 18:21
Jehovah spoke of a great outcry against Sodom He would go down and examine whether their
and Gomorrah, whose wrongdoing was grave. actions matched the report that reached him.
GENESIS 18:21
If the report proved otherwise, he would know that too.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
The Messengers Depart
GENESIS 18:22
GENESIS 18:22
The messengers departed toward Sodom.
GENESIS 18:22
Abraham remained before Jehovah as the conversation continued.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
The Righteous and the Wicked
GENESIS 18:23 · GENESIS 18:24
APPEAL · GENESIS 18:23
Abraham drew nearer and asked whether the righteous would perish together with the wicked.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:24 CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:24
He proposed that fifty righteous men might be Would the whole place be spared for their sake?
living in the city.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
The Judge of All the Earth
GENESIS 18:25
APPEAL · GENESIS 18:25 APPEAL · GENESIS 18:25
Abraham objected to the thought of righteous He appealed to the Judge of the whole earth
people dying together with the wicked. to act justly.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
For the Sake of Fifty
GENESIS 18:26
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:26
If fifty righteous men were found in Sodom, Jehovah would spare it.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:26
That protection would extend to the whole place for their sake.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Dust and Ashes
GENESIS 18:27
APPEAL · GENESIS 18:27
Abraham acknowledged the boldness of speaking to Jehovah.
APPEAL · GENESIS 18:27
He described his own frailty as dust and ashes.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
If Five Are Missing
GENESIS 18:28
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:28
He asked whether the whole city would perish if the fifty lacked five.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:28
Jehovah would not destroy it if forty-five righteous men were found.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
For Forty
GENESIS 18:29
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:29 CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:29
Abraham asked what would happen if forty Jehovah would spare the place for the
righteous men were found there. sake of forty.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
For Thirty
GENESIS 18:30
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:30
Asking Jehovah not to be angry, Abraham continued: suppose thirty were found.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:30
Jehovah would not destroy the city if thirty were found there.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
For Twenty
GENESIS 18:31
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:31
Again acknowledging his boldness, Abraham asked about finding twenty.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:31
Jehovah would spare the city for the sake of twenty.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
For Ten
GENESIS 18:32
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:32
Abraham asked Jehovah not to be angry and requested one final appeal: suppose only
ten were found.
CONDITIONAL · GENESIS 18:32
For the sake of ten, Jehovah would not destroy the place.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 18
Abraham Returns
GENESIS 18:33
GENESIS 18:33
When Jehovah finished the conversation, he departed.
GENESIS 18:33
Abraham returned to his home.
GENESIS 18 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
At Sodom’s Gate
GENESIS 19:1
GENESIS 19:1
The two angels reached Sodom in the evening.
GENESIS 19:1 GENESIS 19:1
Lot was sitting at the city gate when He rose to meet them and bowed with his face
he saw them. toward the ground.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
An Invitation to Stay
GENESIS 19:2
GENESIS 19:2
Lot invited them home for the night, offering water for their feet and an early departure.
GENESIS 19:2
They initially proposed spending the night in the public square.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Unleavened Bread and Hospitality
GENESIS 19:3
GENESIS 19:3 GENESIS 19:3
Lot’s persistent invitation brought them He prepared a feast and
into his house. baked unleavened bread.
GENESIS 19:3
The two guests ate the meal he provided.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The House Is Surrounded
GENESIS 19:4 · GENESIS 19:5
GENESIS 19:4
Before anyone lay down to sleep, the city’s men surrounded the house.
GENESIS 19:4 GENESIS 19:5
Young and old from throughout Sodom They demanded that Lot surrender his guests
joined the crowd. for sexual assault.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Lot at the Closed Door
GENESIS 19:6 · GENESIS 19:7 · GENESIS 19:8
GENESIS 19:6
Lot went out to the doorway and closed the door behind himself.
GENESIS 19:7
He pleaded with the men to stop their wicked conduct.
GENESIS 19:8
He offered his two virgin daughters in place of the guests, pleading that his
visitors remain unharmed.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The Crowd Presses Forward
GENESIS 19:9
GENESIS 19:9
The crowd resented being judged by a foreign resident.
GENESIS 19:9
They threatened to treat him worse than his guests, pressed against him, and moved to
break the door.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Rescue and Blindness
GENESIS 19:10 · GENESIS 19:11
GENESIS 19:10
The visitors reached out and pulled Lot inside.
GENESIS 19:10 GENESIS 19:11
They shut the door behind him. They blinded those at the entrance,
who exhausted themselves searching
for the doorway.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Bring Your Family Out
GENESIS 19:12 · GENESIS 19:13
GENESIS 19:12 WARNING · GENESIS 19:13
They asked whether Lot had sons-in-law, sons, Jehovah had sent them to destroy Sodom
daughters, or others there, and urged him to because the outcry against the city was so great.
bring them out.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
A Warning Dismissed
GENESIS 19:14
GENESIS 19:14
Lot warned the men pledged to marry his daughters that Jehovah would destroy the city.
GENESIS 19:14
They took his warning as a joke.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Dawn and Urgency
GENESIS 19:15
GENESIS 19:15
At dawn, the angels pressed Lot to leave.
WARNING · GENESIS 19:15
His wife and two daughters must come with him, or they could perish with the city.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Led by the Hand
GENESIS 19:16
GENESIS 19:16 GENESIS 19:16
Lot lingered, but Jehovah showed The men grasped the hands of Lot
compassion for him. and his family.
GENESIS 19:16
They brought all four safely outside the city.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Escape without Looking Back
GENESIS 19:17
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 19:17
They were told to flee for their lives.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 19:17
They must not look behind them or stop anywhere in the district.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 19:17
The instruction was to reach the mountains and escape destruction.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Lot’s Fear of the Mountains
GENESIS 19:18 · GENESIS 19:19
APPEAL · GENESIS 19:18
Lot appealed to Jehovah for a different place of refuge.
APPEAL · GENESIS 19:19
He acknowledged the kindness that saved him, but feared disaster would overtake him
in the mountains.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
A Small Town Spared
GENESIS 19:20 · GENESIS 19:21 · GENESIS 19:22
APPEAL · GENESIS 19:20
He asked to flee to a nearby small town instead.
PROMISE · GENESIS 19:21 PROMISE · GENESIS 19:22
The town would be spared in answer Lot was urged to hurry; destruction would wait
to his request. for his arrival. The town was called Zoar.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Sunrise at Zoar
GENESIS 19:23
GENESIS 19:23
The sun had risen over the land.
GENESIS 19:23
Lot reached Zoar.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Sulfur and Fire
GENESIS 19:24
GENESIS 19:24
Jehovah sent sulfur and fire from the heavens.
GENESIS 19:24 GENESIS 19:24
Sodom was struck. Gomorrah was struck as well.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The District Overthrown
GENESIS 19:25
GENESIS 19:25
The cities and their inhabitants were swept away.
GENESIS 19:25
The whole district, including its vegetation, was devastated.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
A Backward Look
GENESIS 19:26
GENESIS 19:26
Lot’s wife was behind him.
GENESIS 19:26 GENESIS 19:26
She turned to look back. She became a pillar of salt.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Abraham Sees the Smoke
GENESIS 19:27 · GENESIS 19:28
GENESIS 19:27
Abraham rose early and returned to the place where he had stood before Jehovah.
GENESIS 19:28
Looking toward Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham saw dense smoke rising over the district like
a kiln’s smoke.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
God Remembered Abraham
GENESIS 19:29
GENESIS 19:29
Amid the overthrow, God kept Abraham in mind.
EARLIER RESCUE · GENESIS 19:29
He had brought Lot out from the cities where Lot had been living.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
From Zoar to a Cave
GENESIS 19:30
LATER · GENESIS 19:30 LATER · GENESIS 19:30
Afraid to remain in Zoar, Lot left with They made their home in a mountain cave.
his two daughters.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The Daughters’ Reasoning
GENESIS 19:31 · GENESIS 19:32
HER REASONING · GENESIS 19:31
The older daughter said their father was old and no man was available to have children with them.
HER PROPOSAL · GENESIS 19:32
She proposed making their father drunk and having children by him to preserve his line.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The First Night
GENESIS 19:33
FIRST NIGHT · GENESIS 19:33
That night, they gave Lot wine until he was drunk.
FIRST NIGHT · GENESIS 19:33
The older daughter had relations with her father; he was unaware when she came and left.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The Following Day
GENESIS 19:34
NEXT DAY · GENESIS 19:34
The next day, the older daughter told her sister what had happened.
HER PROPOSAL · GENESIS 19:34
She proposed wine again so the younger daughter could bear his child and preserve
their father’s line.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
The Second Night
GENESIS 19:35
SECOND NIGHT · GENESIS 19:35
The following night, they again kept giving their father wine.
SECOND NIGHT · GENESIS 19:35
The younger daughter had relations with him. Again, Lot was unaware when she came and left.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Two Pregnancies
GENESIS 19:36
LATER · GENESIS 19:36 LATER · GENESIS 19:36
The older daughter became pregnant Her younger sister also became
by her father. pregnant by him.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Moab
GENESIS 19:37
LATER · GENESIS 19:37
The older daughter bore a son and named him Moab.
LATER DESCENDANTS · GENESIS 19:37
He became the ancestor of the Moabites.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 19
Ben-ammi
GENESIS 19:38
LATER · GENESIS 19:38
The younger daughter also bore a son, whom she named Ben-ammi.
LATER DESCENDANTS · GENESIS 19:38
He became the ancestor of the Ammonites.
GENESIS 19 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Toward Gerar
GENESIS 20:1
GENESIS 20:1
Abraham moved his camp toward the Negeb.
GENESIS 20:1 GENESIS 20:1
He settled between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreign resident at Gerar.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Sarah Is Taken
GENESIS 20:2
GENESIS 20:2 GENESIS 20:2
Abraham identified Sarah, his wife, as his sister. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for her.
GENESIS 20:2
Sarah was taken into the king’s household.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
A Warning in the Night
GENESIS 20:3
DREAM · GENESIS 20:3
God addressed Abimelech in a dream that night.
DREAM · WARNING · GENESIS 20:3
The woman he had taken was married; his life was in danger.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
He Had Not Approached Her
GENESIS 20:4
GENESIS 20:4
Abimelech had not approached Sarah.
DREAM · APPEAL · GENESIS 20:4
In the dream, he appealed against judgment on an innocent nation.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
The Claims He Had Heard
GENESIS 20:5
DREAM · HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:5 DREAM · HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:5
He said both Abraham and Sarah had He insisted that his motives and actions
identified one another as siblings. had been innocent.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Held Back from Sin
GENESIS 20:6
DREAM · GENESIS 20:6
God acknowledged that Abimelech had acted with an honest heart.
DREAM · EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:6
God had kept him from touching Sarah and sinning against God.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Return the Prophet’s Wife
GENESIS 20:7
DREAM · INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 20:7
Abimelech was told to return the man’s wife.
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 20:7 DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 20:7
Abraham was a prophet who would Through that prayer, Abimelech
pray for him. would continue living.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
The Consequence of Refusal
GENESIS 20:7
DREAM · WARNING · GENESIS 20:7
If Abimelech refused to return Sarah, he would certainly die.
DREAM · WARNING · GENESIS 20:7
Refusal would also bring death on everyone belonging to him.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
At First Light
GENESIS 20:8
GENESIS 20:8
Abimelech rose early the next morning.
GENESIS 20:8
He gathered his servants and told them about the dream.
GENESIS 20:8
His account filled them with fear.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Abraham Is Summoned
GENESIS 20:9
GENESIS 20:9
Abimelech summoned Abraham and accused him of bringing grave wrongdoing upon the king
and his kingdom.
GENESIS 20:9
He asked what wrong he had done to deserve conduct that should never have occurred.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
A Question of Motive
GENESIS 20:10 · GENESIS 20:11
GENESIS 20:10 HIS REASONING · GENESIS 20:11
The king asked what Abraham had intended. Abraham had assumed they did not fear God
and would kill him because of his wife.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
The Family Relationship
GENESIS 20:12
HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:12
Sarah shared his father, though they had different mothers.
HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:12
She had also become his wife.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
An Earlier Agreement
GENESIS 20:13
HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 20:13 EARLIER AGREEMENT · GENESIS 20:13
Abraham recalled leaving his father’s house He had asked Sarah to show him kindness
under God’s direction. wherever they travelled.
EARLIER AGREEMENT · GENESIS 20:13
She was to identify him as her brother.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Sarah Is Returned
GENESIS 20:14
GENESIS 20:14
Abimelech gave Abraham sheep and cattle.
GENESIS 20:14 GENESIS 20:14
Male and female servants were included He returned Sarah to her husband.
in the gift.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Land Made Available
GENESIS 20:15
GENESIS 20:15
The king made his land available to Abraham.
OFFER · GENESIS 20:15
Abraham could settle wherever he chose.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
A Thousand Pieces of Silver
GENESIS 20:16
GENESIS 20:16
Abimelech told Sarah that he had given her brother a thousand pieces of silver.
GENESIS 20:16
The silver served as public assurance of her innocence.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Cleared of Reproach
GENESIS 20:16
GENESIS 20:16 GENESIS 20:16
The assurance extended to those with Sarah She was cleared of reproach.
and to everyone else.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Abraham Prays
GENESIS 20:17
GENESIS 20:17
Abraham prayed to God on Abimelech’s behalf.
GENESIS 20:17 GENESIS 20:17
God healed Abimelech. The healing also reached his wife and
his female servants.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Children in the Household
GENESIS 20:17
LATER · GENESIS 20:17
The women of Abimelech’s household could have children again.
LATER · GENESIS 20:17
In time, they bore children.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 20
Why the Household Had Suffered
GENESIS 20:18
EARLIER CAUSE · GENESIS 20:18
Jehovah had prevented every woman in Abimelech’s household from bearing children.
EARLIER CAUSE · GENESIS 20:18
This had happened because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
GENESIS 20 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Promise Fulfilled
GENESIS 21:1
GENESIS 21:1
Jehovah attended to Sarah as he had promised.
GENESIS 21:1
What God had said concerning her came true.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Son at the Appointed Time
GENESIS 21:2
GENESIS 21:2
Sarah became pregnant.
GENESIS 21:2 GENESIS 21:2
She bore Abraham a son in his old age. The birth came at the time
God had appointed.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
His Name Is Isaac
GENESIS 21:3
GENESIS 21:3 GENESIS 21:3
Abraham named his newborn son Isaac. Isaac was the son Sarah had borne to him.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
On the Eighth Day
GENESIS 21:4
GENESIS 21:4
Abraham circumcised Isaac when the baby was eight days old.
GENESIS 21:4
He followed the command God had given him.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Father at One Hundred
GENESIS 21:5
GENESIS 21:5
Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born.
GENESIS 21:5
The promised son had arrived in his old age.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Sarah’s Joy
GENESIS 21:6 · GENESIS 21:7
GENESIS 21:6 HER WORDS · GENESIS 21:6
Sarah said that God had given She expected everyone who heard to
her joyful laughter. share her joy.
GENESIS 21:7
She marvelled that she could nurse a son for Abraham in his old age.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Weaning Feast
GENESIS 21:8
LATER · GENESIS 21:8 GENESIS 21:8
Isaac grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared a large feast
for the occasion.
GENESIS 21:8
The celebration marked the day Isaac was weaned.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Sarah’s Demand
GENESIS 21:9 · GENESIS 21:10
GENESIS 21:9
Sarah saw Ishmael, the son Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac.
GENESIS 21:10
She demanded that Abraham expel Hagar, the slave woman, and her son.
HER REASONING · GENESIS 21:10
She insisted that Hagar’s son must not share Isaac’s inheritance.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Father’s Distress
GENESIS 21:11 · GENESIS 21:12
GENESIS 21:11 INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 21:12
Abraham was deeply troubled because the God told him not to grieve over Hagar and the
demand concerned his son. boy, but to listen to Sarah.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Promises for Both Sons
GENESIS 21:12 · GENESIS 21:13
PROMISE · GENESIS 21:12
The promised line of Abraham’s offspring would continue through Isaac.
PROMISE · GENESIS 21:13
God would also make a nation from Ishmael, because he was Abraham’s son.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Bread and a Skin of Water
GENESIS 21:14
GENESIS 21:14 GENESIS 21:14
Abraham rose early and provided bread and a He placed the provisions on her shoulder.
waterskin for Hagar.
GENESIS 21:14
He sent her away with the boy.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Into the Wilderness
GENESIS 21:14 · GENESIS 21:15
GENESIS 21:14
Hagar wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
GENESIS 21:15 GENESIS 21:15
Eventually the water in the skin was gone. She placed the boy beneath a shrub.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Bowshot Away
GENESIS 21:16
GENESIS 21:16
Hagar sat about a bowshot away, afraid she would see her son die.
GENESIS 21:16
She lifted her voice and wept.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Boy Was Heard
GENESIS 21:17
GENESIS 21:17
God heard the boy’s voice.
GENESIS 21:17
God’s angel called from the heavens, asking Hagar what troubled her.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Do Not Be Afraid
GENESIS 21:17 · GENESIS 21:18
GENESIS 21:17
She need not fear: God had heard the boy where he was.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 21:18 PROMISE · GENESIS 21:18
She was told to rise, lift him up and support God would make him a great nation.
him by the hand.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Well in the Wilderness
GENESIS 21:19
GENESIS 21:19
God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well of water.
GENESIS 21:19
She filled the waterskin.
GENESIS 21:19
Then she gave the boy a drink.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
He Grew into an Archer
GENESIS 21:20
LATER · GENESIS 21:20
God remained with the boy as he grew.
LATER · GENESIS 21:20
He lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
In the Wilderness of Paran
GENESIS 21:21
LATER · GENESIS 21:21
Ishmael made his home in the wilderness of Paran.
LATER · GENESIS 21:21
His mother obtained a wife for him from Egypt.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Abimelech and Phicol
GENESIS 21:22
GENESIS 21:22
At that time, Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army.
GENESIS 21:22
They acknowledged that God was with Abraham in all he did.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Request for an Oath
GENESIS 21:23
GENESIS 21:23
Abimelech asked Abraham to swear by God that he would not deal falsely with him.
REQUEST · GENESIS 21:23
The assurance was also to protect the king’s offspring and descendants.
REQUEST · GENESIS 21:23
He sought the same kindness he had shown Abraham, for himself and the land
where Abraham lived.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
An Oath and a Complaint
GENESIS 21:24 · GENESIS 21:25
GENESIS 21:24
Abraham agreed to swear the oath.
HIS COMPLAINT · GENESIS 21:25
He complained that Abimelech’s servants had forcibly taken a well of water.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The King’s Reply
GENESIS 21:26
HIS REPLY · GENESIS 21:26 HIS REPLY · GENESIS 21:26
Abimelech said he did not know who Abraham had not told him, and he had heard
had done it. nothing of it before that day.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Covenant Is Made
GENESIS 21:27
GENESIS 21:27
Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cattle.
GENESIS 21:27
The two men made a covenant.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
Seven Ewe Lambs
GENESIS 21:28 · GENESIS 21:29
GENESIS 21:28
Abraham set seven female lambs apart from the flock.
GENESIS 21:29
Abimelech asked why those seven had been set apart.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
A Witness for the Well
GENESIS 21:30
GENESIS 21:30
Abraham asked him to accept the seven lambs as a witness.
GENESIS 21:30
Their acceptance would attest that Abraham had dug the well.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Name Beersheba
GENESIS 21:31 · GENESIS 21:32
GENESIS 21:31
He called the place Beersheba because both men had sworn there.
GENESIS 21:32
They established their covenant at Beersheba.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Visitors Return
GENESIS 21:32
GENESIS 21:32 GENESIS 21:32
Abimelech and his commander Phicol departed. They returned to the land of the Philistines.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 21
The Everlasting God
GENESIS 21:33 · GENESIS 21:34
GENESIS 21:33 GENESIS 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beersheba. There he called on Jehovah,
the everlasting God.
LATER · GENESIS 21:34
He remained a foreign resident in the Philistine land for a long time.
GENESIS 21 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
A Test of Faith
GENESIS 22:1
GENESIS 22:1
God tested Abraham.
GENESIS 22:1
When God called his name, Abraham answered that he was ready.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
The Beloved Son
GENESIS 22:2
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 22:2
God told Abraham to take Isaac, the son he loved, his only son.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 22:2
He was to travel to the land of Moriah.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 22:2
There, God would show him a mountain for offering Isaac as a burnt offering.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Early Preparations
GENESIS 22:3
GENESIS 22:3 GENESIS 22:3
Abraham rose early and saddled his donkey. He took two servants and his son Isaac.
GENESIS 22:3
After splitting wood for the offering, he set out toward the place God indicated.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
On the Third Day
GENESIS 22:3-4 · GENESIS 22:4
GENESIS 22:3-4
Abraham and his companions continued their journey.
THIRD DAY · GENESIS 22:4
On the third day, Abraham saw the place in the distance.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Wait Here
GENESIS 22:5
GENESIS 22:5 HIS WORDS · GENESIS 22:5
Abraham told the servants to remain He and Isaac would go on to worship.
with the donkey.
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 22:5
He said they would return to the servants afterward.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
They Walked Together
GENESIS 22:6
GENESIS 22:6
Abraham placed the wood for the offering on Isaac.
GENESIS 22:6
He himself carried the fire and the knife.
GENESIS 22:6
Father and son continued together.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Where Is the Sheep?
GENESIS 22:7
GENESIS 22:7
Isaac addressed his father, and Abraham answered him.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 22:7
Isaac asked where the sheep was, since they had the fire and wood.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
God Will Provide
GENESIS 22:8
HIS ANSWER · GENESIS 22:8 GENESIS 22:8
Abraham answered that God would provide the The two continued walking together.
sheep for the burnt offering.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
At the Place
GENESIS 22:9
GENESIS 22:9
They reached the place God had indicated.
GENESIS 22:9
Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Isaac on the Altar
GENESIS 22:9
GENESIS 22:9
He bound Isaac’s hands and feet.
GENESIS 22:9
He placed his son on the wood above the altar.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
A Voice from the Heavens
GENESIS 22:10 · GENESIS 22:11
GENESIS 22:10
Abraham reached for the knife to kill his son.
GENESIS 22:11 GENESIS 22:11
Jehovah’s angel called Abraham’s name twice Abraham answered the call.
from the heavens.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Do Not Harm Him
GENESIS 22:12
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 22:12
He was told not to harm Isaac or do anything to him.
GENESIS 22:12
The angel said this showed Abraham feared God and had not withheld his only son.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
A Ram in the Thicket
GENESIS 22:13
GENESIS 22:13
Abraham looked up and saw a ram nearby.
GENESIS 22:13
Its horns were caught in the thicket.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
In Place of His Son
GENESIS 22:13
GENESIS 22:13
Abraham took the ram.
GENESIS 22:13
He offered it as a burnt offering instead of Isaac.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Jehovah Will Provide
GENESIS 22:14
GENESIS 22:14
Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh, meaning Jehovah Will Provide.
SAYING · GENESIS 22:14
The saying endured: on Jehovah’s mountain, provision would be made.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
The Second Call
GENESIS 22:15 · GENESIS 22:16
SECOND CALL · GENESIS 22:15
The angel called to Abraham from the heavens a second time.
GENESIS 22:16
Jehovah swore by himself.
GENESIS 22:16
Abraham had acted faithfully and had not withheld his only son.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Stars and Sand
GENESIS 22:17
PROMISE · GENESIS 22:17
God promised to bless Abraham and multiply his offspring like the stars.
PROMISE · GENESIS 22:17
They would be as abundant as the sand on the seashore.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
A Blessing for All Nations
GENESIS 22:17 · GENESIS 22:18
PROMISE · GENESIS 22:17
His offspring would possess the gate of their enemies.
PROMISE · GENESIS 22:18
Through his offspring, all nations of the earth would receive a blessing.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
The Return
GENESIS 22:18 · GENESIS 22:19
GENESIS 22:18
This blessing was promised because Abraham had obeyed God’s voice.
GENESIS 22:19
Abraham returned to his servants.
GENESIS 22:19
They travelled together to Beer-sheba.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
News of Nahor’s Family
GENESIS 22:19 · GENESIS 22:20
GENESIS 22:19
Abraham continued living in Beer-sheba.
LATER · GENESIS 22:20
Later, news came that Milcah had borne sons to his brother Nahor.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Uz, Buz, and Kemuel
GENESIS 22:21
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:21
Uz was Nahor and Milcah’s firstborn.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:21
Buz was his brother.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:21
Kemuel was the father of Aram.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Three More Sons
GENESIS 22:22
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:22
Chesed was also among their sons.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:22
Another son was Hazo.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:22
Pildash was another son of Nahor and Milcah.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
Bethuel and Rebekah
GENESIS 22:22 · GENESIS 22:23
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:22 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:22
Jidlaph was another of Nahor Bethuel was also their son.
and Milcah’s sons.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:23
Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 22
The Family Record
GENESIS 22:23 · GENESIS 22:24
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:23 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:24
Milcah bore these eight sons to Nahor also had a concubine named Reumah.
Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 22:24
Her sons were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
GENESIS 22 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Sarah’s Years
GENESIS 23:1 · GENESIS 23:2
REMEMBRANCE · GENESIS 23:1
Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years.
GENESIS 23:2
She died at Kiriath-arba, also called Hebron, in Canaan.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Abraham Mourns
GENESIS 23:2
GENESIS 23:2
Abraham mourned for Sarah.
GENESIS 23:2
He wept over the wife he had lost.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
He Rose to Speak
GENESIS 23:3
GENESIS 23:3
Abraham rose from beside his dead wife.
GENESIS 23:3
He went to speak with the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 23:3
He addressed the people of the land.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
A Foreigner Among Them
GENESIS 23:4
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:4 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:4
He explained that he lived among them as a He asked for burial property so that he could
foreigner and settler. bury his dead.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Their Respectful Reply
GENESIS 23:5 · GENESIS 23:6
GENESIS 23:5 THEIR WORDS · GENESIS 23:6
The sons of Heth answered Abraham. They regarded him as a chieftain of
God among them.
THEIR OFFER · GENESIS 23:6
They offered him the finest of their burial places.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
No One Would Refuse
GENESIS 23:6 · GENESIS 23:7
THEIR OFFER · GENESIS 23:6
None would withhold a burial place from him.
GENESIS 23:7
Abraham stood and bowed to the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
A Request for Ephron
GENESIS 23:8 · GENESIS 23:8-9
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:8
He asked them to hear his request if they agreed to the burial.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:8 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:8-9
He asked them to appeal to Ephron, the He requested Ephron’s cave as
son of Zohar. a burial property.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
The Cave of Machpelah
GENESIS 23:9
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:9
He wanted Ephron’s cave of Machpelah.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:9
The cave stood at the edge of Ephron’s field.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:9
He offered the full silver price, with the people as witnesses.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Ephron Among the People
GENESIS 23:10
GENESIS 23:10
Ephron the Hittite was seated among the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 23:10
He answered where the townspeople and those entering the city gate could hear.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Both Field and Cave
GENESIS 23:11
HIS OFFER · GENESIS 23:11
Ephron offered Abraham both the field and the cave within it.
GENESIS 23:11 HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:11
He made the offer before his own people. He told Abraham to bury his dead there.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Abraham Bowed Again
GENESIS 23:12 · GENESIS 23:13
GENESIS 23:12
Abraham bowed once more before the people of the land.
GENESIS 23:13
He then spoke directly to Ephron before the witnesses.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
He Insisted on Paying
GENESIS 23:13
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:13 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 23:13
Abraham offered to pay the full price He asked Ephron to accept the silver so he
of the field. could bury his dead.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Four Hundred Shekels
GENESIS 23:14 · GENESIS 23:15
GENESIS 23:14
Ephron replied to Abraham.
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:15
He valued the land at four hundred shekels of silver.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
What Was That Between Them?
GENESIS 23:15
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:15
Ephron asked what that amount meant between them.
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 23:15
He again urged Abraham to bury his dead.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Silver Weighed in Public
GENESIS 23:16
GENESIS 23:16 GENESIS 23:16
Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms. He weighed out four hundred shekels of silver
before the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 23:16
The silver met the weight standard used by merchants.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
The Field and Its Trees
GENESIS 23:17
GENESIS 23:17
Ephron’s field at Machpelah lay opposite Mamre.
GENESIS 23:17
The property included the cave within it.
GENESIS 23:17
It also included every tree within the field’s boundaries.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
A Publicly Confirmed Purchase
GENESIS 23:18
GENESIS 23:18 GENESIS 23:18
The purchase established the The sons of Heth witnessed it.
property as Abraham’s.
GENESIS 23:18
Those entering the city gate were also present.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Sarah’s Burial
GENESIS 23:19
AFTERWARD · GENESIS 23:19
After the purchase, Abraham buried his wife Sarah.
GENESIS 23:19
Her resting place was the cave in the field of Machpelah.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Before Mamre, in Canaan
GENESIS 23:19
GENESIS 23:19
The cave lay in front of Mamre.
GENESIS 23:19
This was Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 23
Property for a Burial Place
GENESIS 23:20
GENESIS 23:20
The sons of Heth transferred the field and cave to Abraham.
GENESIS 23:20
It became his property for a burial place.
GENESIS 23 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
The Elder of the Household
GENESIS 24:1 · GENESIS 24:2
GENESIS 24:1
Abraham had grown very old, and Jehovah had blessed him in every way.
GENESIS 24:2
He spoke to the oldest servant, who managed everything in his household.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Wife for Isaac
GENESIS 24:3 · GENESIS 24:4
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 24:3
The oath would be before Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth.
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 24:3 INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 24:4
The servant must not choose Isaac’s He must go to Abraham’s country and relatives to find
wife from the Canaanites among them. Isaac a wife.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
What If She Would Not Come?
GENESIS 24:5 · GENESIS 24:6
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 24:5 HIS REPLY · GENESIS 24:6
The servant asked whether Isaac should go Abraham warned him never to take
there if the woman refused to come. Isaac back there.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Confidence in Jehovah
GENESIS 24:7
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 24:7 RECALLED PROMISE · GENESIS 24:7
Jehovah had brought Abraham from his father’s He had promised this land
household and native land. to Abraham’s offspring.
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 24:7
Abraham trusted that Jehovah’s angel would go ahead of the servant.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
The Servant Swore
GENESIS 24:8 · GENESIS 24:9
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 24:8
If the woman refused, he would be released; Isaac must still remain here.
GENESIS 24:9
The servant put his hand beneath Abraham’s thigh and swore the oath.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Ten Camels for the Journey
GENESIS 24:10
GENESIS 24:10
The servant took ten of his master’s camels.
GENESIS 24:10 GENESIS 24:10
He carried a variety of good things He traveled to Mesopotamia, to the
from Abraham’s possessions. city of Nahor.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
At the Well, Toward Evening
GENESIS 24:11
GENESIS 24:11
Outside the city, he made the camels kneel beside the well.
GENESIS 24:11
It was the hour when women came out to draw water.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Prayer for Guidance
GENESIS 24:12 · GENESIS 24:13 · GENESIS 24:14
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 24:12
He asked Jehovah for success and kindness toward his master Abraham.
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 24:13 HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 24:14
He stood at the spring as the city’s daughters May the woman offering water to him and his
came to draw water. camels be chosen for Isaac.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Before the Prayer Ended
GENESIS 24:15
GENESIS 24:15 FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 24:15
Before he finished, Rebekah arrived carrying a Her father Bethuel was Milcah and Nahor’s
water jar on her shoulder. son; Nahor was Abraham’s brother.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Down to the Spring
GENESIS 24:16
GENESIS 24:16 GENESIS 24:16
Rebekah was beautiful, and she had never She went down to the spring and filled her jar.
had sexual relations.
GENESIS 24:16
Then she came back up.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Drink for the Traveler
GENESIS 24:17 · GENESIS 24:18
GENESIS 24:17
The servant ran to meet her and asked for a little water.
GENESIS 24:18
She quickly lowered the jar onto her hand and gave him a drink.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Water for All the Camels
GENESIS 24:19 · GENESIS 24:20
HER OFFER · GENESIS 24:19 GENESIS 24:20
She offered to draw water until his camels She emptied her jar into the drinking trough.
had finished drinking.
GENESIS 24:20
Again and again she drew water for all his camels.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Watching in Silence
GENESIS 24:21 · GENESIS 24:22
HIS THOUGHT · GENESIS 24:21
He watched silently, wondering whether Jehovah had made his journey successful.
GENESIS 24:22 GENESIS 24:22
After the camels drank, he took a gold ring He also took two gold bracelets, together
weighing half a shekel. weighing ten shekels.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Whose Daughter Are You?
GENESIS 24:23 · GENESIS 24:24 · GENESIS 24:25
HIS QUESTIONS · GENESIS 24:23 HER REPLY · GENESIS 24:24
He asked about her father and whether her She named Bethuel, the son Milcah had borne to
household could lodge them. Nahor, as her father.
HER REPLY · GENESIS 24:25
Her household had straw, plenty of fodder, and room for them.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
He Bowed in Thanks
GENESIS 24:26 · GENESIS 24:27
GENESIS 24:26
The man bowed down before Jehovah.
HIS PRAISE · GENESIS 24:27
He praised Jehovah’s faithful kindness and guidance to his master’s relatives.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
News Reached the Household
GENESIS 24:28 · GENESIS 24:29-30
GENESIS 24:28
Rebekah ran to tell her mother’s household what had happened.
EARLIER THAT EVENING · GENESIS 24:29-30 GENESIS 24:29-30
Her brother Laban saw the jewelry and He ran to meet the man still standing by the
heard her account. camels at the spring.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Place for the Guests
GENESIS 24:31 · GENESIS 24:32
HIS WELCOME · GENESIS 24:31
Laban welcomed the traveler blessed by Jehovah; the house and camel space were ready.
GENESIS 24:32
The traveler entered, and the camels were unloaded and given straw and fodder.
GENESIS 24:32
Water was provided to wash his feet and those of his companions.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
The Message Before the Meal
GENESIS 24:33 · GENESIS 24:34
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 24:33
He would not eat until he had delivered his message; Laban invited him to speak.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:34
He began by identifying himself as Abraham’s servant.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
His Master’s Household
GENESIS 24:35 · GENESIS 24:36
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:35
Jehovah had given Abraham flocks, herds, silver, gold, male and female servants,
camels, and donkeys.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:36 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:36
Sarah had borne Abraham a son in Isaac was to receive all his father’s possessions.
her old age.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
The Oath Retold
GENESIS 24:37 · GENESIS 24:38 · GENESIS 24:39
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:37 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:38
His master had forbidden a Canaanite wife for Isaac. He was to seek a wife among
Abraham’s own family.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:39
He had asked what would happen if the woman refused to come.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Assurance and Release
GENESIS 24:40 · GENESIS 24:41
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:40
Abraham had walked before Jehovah, trusting him to send his angel and grant success.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:41
If the family refused to give her, the oath would release him.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
His Prayer at the Spring
GENESIS 24:42 · GENESIS 24:43 · GENESIS 24:44
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:42
He recounted asking Jehovah for success when he reached the spring that day.
RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:43 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:44
He had planned to ask a young woman for Her offer to water the camels would identify the
water from her jar. woman chosen for Isaac.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Before He Finished Praying
GENESIS 24:45 · GENESIS 24:45-46 · GENESIS 24:46
RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:45
Before his silent prayer ended, Rebekah had arrived and gone to draw water.
RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:45-46
He asked for a drink; she quickly lowered her jar and gave him water.
RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:46
She also drew water for the camels.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Her Family and the Gifts
GENESIS 24:47
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:47 RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:47
He asked whose daughter she was; she named Then he placed the gold ring on her nose.
Bethuel, Nahor and Milcah’s son.
RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 24:47
He placed the two bracelets on her wrists.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Guidance to the Right House
GENESIS 24:48 · GENESIS 24:49
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:48
He had bowed in thanks for guidance to his master’s relatives.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 24:49
He asked whether they would show faithful kindness, so he could decide his course.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Laban and Bethuel Answered
GENESIS 24:50 · GENESIS 24:51
THEIR REPLY · GENESIS 24:50 THEIR REPLY · GENESIS 24:51
Laban and Bethuel said the matter came from They agreed that Rebekah could go and
Jehovah; they could not oppose it. become the wife of his master’s son.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Thanks and Generous Gifts
GENESIS 24:52 · GENESIS 24:53
GENESIS 24:52
Hearing their answer, the servant bowed to the ground before Jehovah.
GENESIS 24:53 GENESIS 24:53
He gave Rebekah articles of silver and gold, He also gave valuable things to her brother
together with garments. and her mother.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Night in Their House
GENESIS 24:54
GENESIS 24:54
The servant and his companions then ate and drank.
THAT NIGHT · GENESIS 24:54
They spent the night there.
NEXT MORNING · GENESIS 24:54
In the morning, he asked to be sent back to his master.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Do Not Delay Me
GENESIS 24:55 · GENESIS 24:56
THEIR REQUEST · GENESIS 24:55
Her brother and mother asked that she stay at least ten days.
HIS REPLY · GENESIS 24:56
He asked them not to delay a journey Jehovah had made successful.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 29

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Rebekah’s Own Answer
GENESIS 24:57 · GENESIS 24:58
GENESIS 24:57 THEIR QUESTION · GENESIS 24:58
They decided to call Rebekah and ask her. They asked whether she would go
with the man.
HER ANSWER · GENESIS 24:58
She answered that she was willing to go.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 30

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
A Blessing Before Departure
GENESIS 24:59 · GENESIS 24:60
GENESIS 24:59
They sent Rebekah with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men.
THEIR BLESSING · GENESIS 24:60
They blessed her to become the mother of thousands of tens of thousands.
THEIR BLESSING · GENESIS 24:60
May her offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 31

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
They Rode Away
GENESIS 24:61
GENESIS 24:61
Rebekah and her female attendants mounted the camels.
GENESIS 24:61
They followed the servant, who led Rebekah on the journey.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 32

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Isaac in the Negeb
GENESIS 24:62 · GENESIS 24:63
GENESIS 24:62
Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi and was living in the Negeb.
GENESIS 24:63 GENESIS 24:63
Toward nightfall, he went into the He looked up and saw camels approaching.
field to meditate.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 33

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
She Saw Isaac
GENESIS 24:64
GENESIS 24:64
Rebekah looked up and caught sight of Isaac.
GENESIS 24:64
She quickly got down from the camel.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 34

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
She Covered Herself
GENESIS 24:65
HER QUESTION · GENESIS 24:65
She asked who the man was, walking across the field to meet them.
HIS REPLY · GENESIS 24:65 GENESIS 24:65
The servant told her it was his master. Rebekah took her veil and covered herself.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 35

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
The Servant Told Isaac
GENESIS 24:66
GENESIS 24:66 CONTINUED ACCOUNT · GENESIS 24:66
The servant told Isaac everything he had done. Isaac listened to the account of
the completed journey.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 36

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 24
Love and Comfort
GENESIS 24:67
GENESIS 24:67 GENESIS 24:67
Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had Rebekah became his wife, and he loved her.
belonged to his mother Sarah.
GENESIS 24:67
After his mother’s death, Isaac found comfort.
GENESIS 24 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 37

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Keturah and Her Sons
GENESIS 25:1 · GENESIS 25:2
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:1
Abraham also took a wife named Keturah.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:2
Her sons included Zimran, Jokshan, and Medan.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:2
She also bore Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Jokshan’s Descendants
GENESIS 25:3
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:3
Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:3
Dedan’s descendants included Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Line of Midian
GENESIS 25:4
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:4
Midian’s sons included Ephah and Epher.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:4 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:4
His other sons were Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These family branches
descended from Keturah.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Isaac’s Inheritance
GENESIS 25:5 · GENESIS 25:6
GENESIS 25:5
Isaac received all of Abraham’s possessions.
GENESIS 25:6
Abraham also gave gifts to his sons by his concubines.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Toward the East
GENESIS 25:6
DURING HIS LIFE · GENESIS 25:6
While still alive, Abraham sent them eastward, away from Isaac.
DURING HIS LIFE · GENESIS 25:6
They went to the land of the East.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
A Long and Satisfied Life
GENESIS 25:7 · GENESIS 25:8
REMEMBRANCE · GENESIS 25:7 GENESIS 25:8
Abraham lived one hundred seventy-five years. He died at a good old age, satisfied with his life.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Two Sons at Machpelah
GENESIS 25:9 · GENESIS 25:10
GENESIS 25:9
Isaac and Ishmael buried their father in the cave of Machpelah.
GENESIS 25:9 GENESIS 25:10
The cave stood in Ephron’s field, before Abraham had bought the field from Heth’s
Mamre; Ephron was Zohar the Hittite’s son. sons; Sarah was buried there too.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Blessing Continued
GENESIS 25:11
AFTERWARD · GENESIS 25:11
After Abraham’s death, God continued blessing Isaac.
GENESIS 25:11
Isaac lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Record of Ishmael
GENESIS 25:12
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:12 REMEMBRANCE · GENESIS 25:12
Ishmael was Abraham’s son. Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, had borne
him to Abraham.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The First Four Names
GENESIS 25:13
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:13
Ishmael’s firstborn son was Nebaioth.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:13 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:13
Next came Kedar and Adbeel. Mibsam was another son.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Three More Sons
GENESIS 25:14
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:14
Ishmael’s sons also included Mishma.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:14
Dumah belonged to the same family.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:14
Massa was another son of Ishmael.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Remaining Names
GENESIS 25:15
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:15 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:15
Hadad and Tema were also his sons. Jetur and Naphish followed in the record.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:15
Kedemah completed the list of twelve.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Twelve Chieftains
GENESIS 25:16
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:16
Their names were associated with their settlements and encampments.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 25:16
Ishmael’s twelve sons became chieftains of twelve clans.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Ishmael’s Years
GENESIS 25:17
REMEMBRANCE · GENESIS 25:17 GENESIS 25:17
Ishmael lived one hundred thirty-seven years. Then he died, and his life came to its end.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Across the Country
GENESIS 25:18
REGIONAL RECORD · GENESIS 25:18
His descendants settled from Havilah near Shur, close to Egypt, as far as Assyria.
REGIONAL RECORD · GENESIS 25:18
Ishmael settled near all his brothers.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Isaac’s Family Record
GENESIS 25:19-20 · GENESIS 25:20
EARLIER · GENESIS 25:19-20
Isaac, Abraham’s son, was forty when he married Rebekah.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 25:20 FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 25:20
She was Bethuel the Aramaean’s Laban the Aramaean was her brother.
daughter, from Paddan-aram.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Isaac’s Plea
GENESIS 25:21
GENESIS 25:21
Isaac kept pleading with Jehovah because Rebekah could not have children.
GENESIS 25:21
Jehovah answered, and Rebekah conceived.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
A Struggle Within
GENESIS 25:22
GENESIS 25:22
The children struggled within her, causing distress.
GENESIS 25:22
Distressed, she wondered why she should live, and inquired of Jehovah.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Two Nations Foretold
GENESIS 25:23
JEHOVAH’S ANSWER · GENESIS 25:23 JEHOVAH’S ANSWER · GENESIS 25:23
Jehovah told her that two nations Two peoples would emerge separately, and one
were within her. would become stronger than the other.
JEHOVAH’S ANSWER · GENESIS 25:23
The older would serve the younger.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Esau and Jacob
GENESIS 25:24-25 · GENESIS 25:26
GENESIS 25:24-25 BIRTH DETAIL · GENESIS 25:26
The birth brought twins; first came Esau, red Jacob followed, holding Esau’s heel.
and covered with hair.
GENESIS 25:26
Isaac was sixty when the twins were born.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Different Ways of Life
GENESIS 25:27
LATER · GENESIS 25:27 LATER · GENESIS 25:27
As they grew, Esau became a skillful hunter, a Jacob was a blameless man who lived in tents.
man of the fields.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Parents’ Affection
GENESIS 25:28
GENESIS 25:28
Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed the game his son brought.
GENESIS 25:28
Rebekah loved Jacob.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Stew at the Camp
GENESIS 25:29
GENESIS 25:29
Jacob was cooking stew.
GENESIS 25:29
Esau returned from the field exhausted.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
The Red Stew
GENESIS 25:30
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 25:30
Esau begged for some red stew because he was exhausted.
NAME EXPLANATION · GENESIS 25:30
This is why he was also called Edom.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
What Was the Birthright Worth?
GENESIS 25:31 · GENESIS 25:32
HIS TERMS · GENESIS 25:31 HIS REPLY · GENESIS 25:32
Jacob asked him to sell his firstborn rights first. Esau said he was near death and questioned the
value of his birthright.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
An Oath Before the Meal
GENESIS 25:33
HIS TERMS · GENESIS 25:33
Jacob insisted on an oath first.
GENESIS 25:33
Esau swore, selling his firstborn rights to Jacob.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 25
Bread and Lentil Stew
GENESIS 25:34
GENESIS 25:34 GENESIS 25:34
Jacob gave him bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank.
GENESIS 25:34
Then he rose and left, showing contempt for his firstborn rights.
GENESIS 25 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Famine and Gerar
GENESIS 26:1
GENESIS 26:1
Another famine struck, distinct from the famine during Abraham’s lifetime.
GENESIS 26:1
Isaac went to Gerar, where Abimelech ruled the Philistines.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Remain in This Land
GENESIS 26:2 · GENESIS 26:3
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 26:2
Jehovah appeared, directing Isaac to stay in the designated land and avoid Egypt.
PROMISE · GENESIS 26:3 PROMISE · GENESIS 26:3
He must live there as a foreigner; Jehovah All these lands were promised to Isaac
promised his presence and blessing. and his descendants, fulfilling Jehovah’s
oath to Abraham.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Stars and Blessing
GENESIS 26:4 · GENESIS 26:5
PROMISE · GENESIS 26:4 PROMISE · GENESIS 26:4
His descendants would become as All nations would find blessing
numerous as stars. through his descendants.
REASON GIVEN · GENESIS 26:5
Abraham obeyed Jehovah, keeping his requirements, commands, statutes, and laws.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
A Fearful Claim
GENESIS 26:6 · GENESIS 26:7
GENESIS 26:6
Isaac continued living in Gerar.
HIS CLAIM · GENESIS 26:7 HIS FEAR · GENESIS 26:7
When local men asked about Rebekah, Isaac called Because Rebekah was beautiful, he
her his sister. feared the local men might kill him.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Seen from a Window
GENESIS 26:8
AFTER SOME TIME · GENESIS 26:8
After some time, Abimelech looked through his window.
GENESIS 26:8
He saw Isaac showing affection to Rebekah, his wife.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
The Truth Acknowledged
GENESIS 26:9
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 26:9 HIS ANSWER · GENESIS 26:9
Abimelech asked why Isaac had called his own Isaac admitted that fear for his life had
wife his sister. prompted his claim.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
A Warning and a Decree
GENESIS 26:10 · GENESIS 26:11
CONDITIONAL WARNING · GENESIS 26:10
Abimelech warned that someone might have slept with Rebekah, bringing guilt.
ROYAL DECREE · GENESIS 26:11
Anyone who touched Isaac or his wife would face death.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
A Hundredfold Harvest
GENESIS 26:12
GENESIS 26:12
Isaac sowed seed in that land.
GENESIS 26:12
Jehovah blessed him; that year’s harvest yielded a hundred times his sowing.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Prosperity and Envy
GENESIS 26:13 · GENESIS 26:14
GENESIS 26:13
Isaac’s wealth increased until he became very prosperous.
GENESIS 26:14 GENESIS 26:14
He owned sheep, cattle, and a large The Philistines envied his prosperity.
household of servants.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Wells Filled with Earth
GENESIS 26:15
BACKGROUND · GENESIS 26:15
The Philistines had filled all Abraham’s wells with earth.
BACKGROUND · GENESIS 26:15
Abraham’s servants had originally dug those wells.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Away to the Valley
GENESIS 26:16 · GENESIS 26:17
HIS DEMAND · GENESIS 26:16
Abimelech demanded Isaac leave, saying he had become mightier than they were.
GENESIS 26:17
Isaac moved his camp into the valley of Gerar.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
His Father’s Wells
GENESIS 26:18
GENESIS 26:18
Isaac reopened Abraham’s wells, blocked by the Philistines after his father’s death.
GENESIS 26:18
He restored the names his father had given them.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Fresh Water
GENESIS 26:19
GENESIS 26:19
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley.
GENESIS 26:19
Their new well reached fresh, flowing water.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Esek
GENESIS 26:20
THEIR CLAIM · GENESIS 26:20 GENESIS 26:20
Gerar’s herdsmen claimed the water and argued Isaac named that well Esek because they
with Isaac’s herdsmen. disputed with him.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Sitnah
GENESIS 26:21
GENESIS 26:21
They dug another well, but another dispute followed.
GENESIS 26:21
Isaac named this well Sitnah.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Room at Rehoboth
GENESIS 26:22
GENESIS 26:22
Isaac moved again and dug a well no one disputed.
GENESIS 26:22 HIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT · GENESIS 26:22
He named it Rehoboth. Isaac credited Jehovah for their room and
fruitfulness in the land.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Reassurance at Beer-sheba
GENESIS 26:23 · GENESIS 26:24
GENESIS 26:23 DIVINE ASSURANCE · GENESIS 26:24
Isaac traveled from there to Beer-sheba. That night, Abraham’s God appeared and told
Isaac not to fear.
PROMISE · GENESIS 26:24
For Abraham’s sake, Jehovah promised his presence, blessing, and numerous descendants.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Altar, Tent, and Well
GENESIS 26:25
GENESIS 26:25
Isaac built an altar and called on Jehovah’s name.
GENESIS 26:25
He pitched his tent there.
GENESIS 26:25
His servants began digging a well.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Three Visitors from Gerar
GENESIS 26:26
GENESIS 26:26
Abimelech came from Gerar with Ahuzzath and Phicol.
ROLES · GENESIS 26:26
Ahuzzath was his personal adviser; Phicol commanded his army.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Why Have You Come?
GENESIS 26:27 · GENESIS 26:28
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 26:27 THEIR REPLY · GENESIS 26:28
Isaac asked why they came after hating him and They acknowledged that Jehovah was
sending him away. plainly with him.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
A Proposed Covenant
GENESIS 26:28 · GENESIS 26:29
THEIR PROPOSAL · GENESIS 26:28
They asked to make a covenant, binding both sides by an oath.
THEIR REQUEST · GENESIS 26:29 THEIR CLAIM · GENESIS 26:29
They asked Isaac to do them no harm. They claimed to have done only good and sent
him away peacefully.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
A Feast for the Visitors
GENESIS 26:29 · GENESIS 26:30
THEIR WORDS · GENESIS 26:29
They called Isaac blessed by Jehovah.
GENESIS 26:30
Isaac provided a feast, and they ate and drank.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Oaths and a Peaceful Departure
GENESIS 26:31
NEXT MORNING · GENESIS 26:31
Early next morning, Isaac and his visitors exchanged solemn oaths.
GENESIS 26:31
Isaac sent them off, and they departed peacefully.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Water, Shibah, and Beer-sheba
GENESIS 26:32 · GENESIS 26:33
THAT SAME DAY · GENESIS 26:32 GENESIS 26:33
That same day, Isaac’s servants reported finding Isaac named the well Shibah.
water in their well.
NAME EXPLANATION · GENESIS 26:33
The account links Shibah with Beer-sheba’s enduring name.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Esau’s Two Wives
GENESIS 26:34
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 26:34 FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 26:34
At 40, Esau married Judith, whose father was He also married Basemath, whose father was
Beeri the Hittite. Elon the Hittite.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 26
Grief in the Household
GENESIS 26:35
GENESIS 26:35 GENESIS 26:35
Esau’s wives brought deep grief to Isaac. Rebekah shared that grief.
GENESIS 26 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
An Aging Father
GENESIS 27:1 · GENESIS 27:2
GENESIS 27:1
Isaac had grown old, and his eyes could no longer see.
GENESIS 27:1 HIS WORDS · GENESIS 27:2
He called Esau, his older son, who answered him. Isaac spoke of his old age, uncertain when
death would come.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A Meal Before the Blessing
GENESIS 27:3 · GENESIS 27:4
HIS INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 27:3 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 27:4
He told Esau to take bow and quiver and Esau was to prepare the savory food
hunt wild game. his father enjoyed.
HIS INTENTION · GENESIS 27:4
Isaac intended to eat and then bless Esau before he died.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Rebekah Heard
GENESIS 27:5
GENESIS 27:5
Rebekah listened while Isaac spoke with Esau.
GENESIS 27:5
Esau went into the countryside to hunt game.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
What She Had Heard
GENESIS 27:6 · GENESIS 27:7 · GENESIS 27:8
HER REPORT · GENESIS 27:6
Rebekah told Jacob what she had heard his father say.
HER REPORT · GENESIS 27:7
Isaac wanted game before giving Esau his blessing before Jehovah.
HER INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 27:8
She urged Jacob to follow her instructions carefully.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Two Young Goats
GENESIS 27:9 · GENESIS 27:10
HER INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 27:9
She asked Jacob to bring two good young goats from the flock.
HER PLAN · GENESIS 27:9 HER PLAN · GENESIS 27:10
She would prepare the savory dish Isaac liked. Jacob would carry it to Isaac and
receive his blessing.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A Smooth Skin
GENESIS 27:11 · GENESIS 27:12
HIS OBJECTION · GENESIS 27:11
Jacob objected: Esau was hairy, while his
own skin was smooth.
HIS FEAR · GENESIS 27:12
If Isaac felt him, Jacob feared exposure and
a curse instead.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Her Answer
GENESIS 27:13 · GENESIS 27:14
HER REPLY · GENESIS 27:13 HER INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 27:13
Rebekah said that any curse on Jacob should She again told him to obey and fetch the goats.
fall on her.
GENESIS 27:14
Jacob went and brought the two young goats.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
The Dish Prepared
GENESIS 27:14
GENESIS 27:14
He brought them to his mother.
GENESIS 27:14
Rebekah prepared the savory food her husband preferred.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Esau’s Fine Clothes
GENESIS 27:15
GENESIS 27:15
Rebekah took Esau’s finest clothes, which she kept in the house.
GENESIS 27:15
She dressed Jacob in the garments of her older son.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Skins on Hands and Neck
GENESIS 27:16
GENESIS 27:16
She covered Jacob’s hands with the young goats’ skins.
GENESIS 27:16
She also covered the smooth part of his neck.
GENESIS 27:16
The added hair disguised his smooth hands and neck.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
He Went to His Father
GENESIS 27:17 · GENESIS 27:18
GENESIS 27:17
Rebekah gave Jacob the prepared dish and the bread she had made.
GENESIS 27:18
Jacob entered; Isaac answered him and asked which son he was.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A False Identity
GENESIS 27:19
JACOB’S CLAIM · GENESIS 27:19 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 27:19
Jacob falsely claimed to be Esau, He invited Isaac to sit up, eat the game, and bless him.
his father’s firstborn.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
So Quickly?
GENESIS 27:20
ISAAC’S QUESTION · GENESIS 27:20
Isaac wondered how his son had found the game so quickly.
JACOB’S CLAIM · GENESIS 27:20
Jacob attributed his quick success to Jehovah, Isaac’s God.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Come Near
GENESIS 27:21 · GENESIS 27:22
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 27:21
Isaac asked him to approach so he could identify him by touch.
GENESIS 27:22
Jacob came close to his father.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
The Voice and the Hands
GENESIS 27:22 · GENESIS 27:23
GENESIS 27:22
Isaac felt the hands that Jacob had covered.
HIS OBSERVATION · GENESIS 27:22 NARRATIVE NOTE · GENESIS 27:23
The voice sounded like Jacob’s, but the hands He failed to recognize Jacob, and the blessing
felt like Esau’s. went to him.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
The Question Repeated
GENESIS 27:24 · GENESIS 27:25
ISAAC’S QUESTION · GENESIS 27:24 JACOB’S ANSWER · GENESIS 27:24
Isaac again asked whether he really was Esau. Jacob again affirmed the false identity.
GENESIS 27:25
Isaac requested the food; Jacob brought it near, and he ate.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Wine and a Kiss
GENESIS 27:25 · GENESIS 27:26 · GENESIS 27:27
GENESIS 27:25
Jacob brought wine, and his father drank.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 27:26
Isaac then asked his son to come close and kiss him.
GENESIS 27:27
Jacob drew near and kissed his father.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
The Scent of a Field
GENESIS 27:27 · GENESIS 27:28
HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:27
Smelling the clothes, Isaac compared his son to a field Jehovah had blessed.
HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:28 HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:28
He asked God to grant dew and fertile land. He also asked for plentiful grain and new wine.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Words of Blessing
GENESIS 27:29
HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:29 HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:29
Isaac spoke of peoples serving him and nations His brothers would serve him; his mother’s
bowing before him. sons would bow before him.
HIS BLESSING · GENESIS 27:29
He pronounced curses on those cursing him, and blessings on those blessing him.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Barely Gone
GENESIS 27:30
GENESIS 27:30
Jacob left just after Isaac finished blessing him.
GENESIS 27:30
He had scarcely gone when Esau returned from hunting.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Esau Brought His Dish
GENESIS 27:31
GENESIS 27:31
Esau also prepared a savory dish and brought it to Isaac.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 27:31
He asked his father to eat the game and bless him.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Who Was Here Before?
GENESIS 27:32 · GENESIS 27:33
GENESIS 27:32
Isaac asked who he was; Esau identified himself as the firstborn.
GENESIS 27:33 HIS WORDS · GENESIS 27:33
Isaac trembled greatly as he realized someone He had already eaten and blessed that son; the
else had already brought food. blessing would stand.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A Bitter Cry
GENESIS 27:34 · GENESIS 27:35
GENESIS 27:34
Esau cried bitterly and begged his father for a blessing too.
ISAAC’S ANSWER · GENESIS 27:35
Isaac said that his brother had obtained the blessing through deceit.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
His Brother’s Name
GENESIS 27:36
ESAU’S COMPLAINT · GENESIS 27:36
Esau complained that Jacob had supplanted him twice.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 27:36
He said Jacob had taken both his birthright and his blessing.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 27:36
He asked whether Isaac had kept any blessing for him.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
What Remained?
GENESIS 27:37
ISAAC’S ANSWER · GENESIS 27:37 HIS ANSWER · GENESIS 27:37
Isaac had made Jacob master and assigned his He had promised grain and new wine
brothers to serve him. for Jacob’s support.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 27:37
What, Isaac asked, was left for him to do for Esau?
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Tears Before His Father
GENESIS 27:38
ESAU’S PLEA · GENESIS 27:38 GENESIS 27:38
Esau asked whether his father had He begged for a blessing and wept aloud.
only one blessing.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Away From Dew and Rich Soil
GENESIS 27:39
ISAAC’S REPLY · GENESIS 27:39
Isaac said Esau’s dwelling would be far from fertile soil.
HIS REPLY · GENESIS 27:39
It would also be away from heaven’s dew.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A Future Spoken
GENESIS 27:40
ISAAC’S REPLY · GENESIS 27:40
Esau would live by the sword.
HIS REPLY · GENESIS 27:40 HIS REPLY · GENESIS 27:40
He would serve his brother. When restless, he would eventually throw off
his brother’s yoke.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Anger in His Heart
GENESIS 27:41
GENESIS 27:41 HIS PRIVATE INTENTION · GENESIS 27:41
Esau resented Jacob because of the blessing. He intended to kill Jacob after the
mourning for Isaac.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 29

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Rebekah Warned Jacob
GENESIS 27:42 · GENESIS 27:43
GENESIS 27:42 HER WARNING · GENESIS 27:42
Rebekah learned of Esau’s intention and She warned him that Esau was planning
sent for Jacob. to kill him.
HER INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 27:43
She urged Jacob to flee to her brother Laban in Haran.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 30

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
Until the Anger Passed
GENESIS 27:44 · GENESIS 27:45
HER PLAN · GENESIS 27:44
Jacob should stay there until his brother’s fury subsided.
HER PLAN · GENESIS 27:45
When Esau forgot the offense, she intended to send for Jacob.
HER FEAR · GENESIS 27:45
She feared losing both sons in a single day.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 31

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 27
A Mother’s Distress
GENESIS 27:46
HER WORDS · GENESIS 27:46
Rebekah told Isaac that the daughters of Heth made life bitter.
HER CONCERN · GENESIS 27:46
She dreaded Jacob marrying a daughter of that land.
GENESIS 27 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 32

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Called and Blessed
GENESIS 28:1
GENESIS 28:1
Isaac called Jacob and blessed him.
MARRIAGE INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 28:1
He instructed Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Toward His Mother’s Family
GENESIS 28:2
INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 28:2
Isaac directed him toward Paddan-aram, to Bethuel’s household.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 28:2 MARRIAGE INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 28:2
Bethuel was Jacob’s maternal grandfather. Jacob should marry a daughter of Laban,
his mother’s brother.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
God Almighty’s Blessing
GENESIS 28:3
ISAAC’S BLESSING · GENESIS 28:3 ISAAC’S BLESSING · GENESIS 28:3
Isaac invoked God Almighty’s Jacob would be fruitful, multiply, and become
blessing upon Jacob. an assembly of peoples.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Abraham’s Blessing
GENESIS 28:4
ISAAC’S BLESSING · GENESIS 28:4 ISAAC’S BLESSING · GENESIS 28:4
Isaac spoke Abraham’s blessing over Jacob They would inherit the land where Jacob lived
and his descendants. as a foreigner.
BLESSING CONTEXT · GENESIS 28:4
God had given that land to Abraham.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Sent on His Way
GENESIS 28:5
GENESIS 28:5
Isaac sent Jacob away toward Paddan-aram.
DESTINATION · GENESIS 28:5 FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 28:5
His destination was Laban, son of Laban was Rebekah’s brother; she was Jacob
Bethuel the Aramaean. and Esau’s mother.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
What Esau Understood
GENESIS 28:6 · GENESIS 28:7 · GENESIS 28:8
ESAU’S OBSERVATION · GENESIS 28:6
Esau noted Jacob’s blessing, departure, and Isaac’s instruction
against Canaanite marriage.
ESAU’S OBSERVATION · GENESIS 28:7
Jacob obeyed both parents and departed for Paddan-aram.
HIS REALIZATION · GENESIS 28:8
Esau realized that Canaanite wives displeased Isaac.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Mahalath and Her Family
GENESIS 28:9
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 28:9 FAMILY RELATIONSHIP · GENESIS 28:9
Esau went to Ishmael’s family and took Mahalath was Ishmael’s daughter; Ishmael
Mahalath as another wife. was Abraham’s son.
FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 28:9
She was Nebaioth’s sister, joining the wives Esau already had.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
From Beer-sheba Toward Haran
GENESIS 28:10
GENESIS 28:10
Jacob left Beer-sheba.
GENESIS 28:10
He continued toward Haran.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
A Halt After Sunset
GENESIS 28:11
GENESIS 28:11
Jacob reached a place along the way.
GENESIS 28:11
Because the sun had set, he stopped there for the night.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
One Stone for His Head
GENESIS 28:11
GENESIS 28:11
He chose one stone from that place as a headrest.
GENESIS 28:11
Then he lay down there to sleep.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
The Dream Stairway
GENESIS 28:12
DREAM · GENESIS 28:12 DREAM · GENESIS 28:12
Jacob dreamed of a stairway planted on earth. Its upper end reached the heavens.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Ascending and Descending
GENESIS 28:12
DREAM · GENESIS 28:12
God’s angels were ascending the stairway.
DREAM · GENESIS 28:12
Others were descending along it.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
A Voice Above
GENESIS 28:13
DREAM · JEHOVAH’S WORDS · GENESIS 28:13
From above the stairway, Jehovah spoke in the dream.
DREAM · JEHOVAH’S WORDS · GENESIS 28:13
He identified himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Land and Descendants
GENESIS 28:13 · GENESIS 28:14
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:13
Jehovah promised Jacob the ground where he lay.
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:13 DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:14
That land would also belong His descendants would become countless as
to Jacob’s descendants. the earth’s dust.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
In Every Direction
GENESIS 28:14
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:14 DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:14
His descendants would spread They would also spread
westward and eastward. northward and southward.
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:14
Through Jacob and his descendants, all earth’s families would receive blessing.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Presence and Protection
GENESIS 28:15
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:15
Jehovah promised to remain with Jacob.
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:15
He would protect Jacob wherever the journey led.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Return and Completion
GENESIS 28:15
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:15
He promised to bring Jacob back to this land.
DREAM · PROMISE · GENESIS 28:15
He would not leave Jacob until every promise was accomplished.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Jacob Awakes
GENESIS 28:16
AWAKENING · GENESIS 28:16
Jacob awoke from his sleep.
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 28:16
He recognized Jehovah’s presence there, previously unknown to him.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Awe at the Place
GENESIS 28:17
HIS REACTION · GENESIS 28:17 HIS WORDS · GENESIS 28:17
He felt fear and awe at the place. He called it God’s house and heaven’s gateway.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
The Same Stone Upright
GENESIS 28:18
EARLY MORNING · GENESIS 28:18
Early in the morning, Jacob rose.
EARLY MORNING · GENESIS 28:18
He took the same stone that had supported his head.
EARLY MORNING · GENESIS 28:18
He stood it upright as a pillar.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Oil on the Pillar
GENESIS 28:18
EARLY MORNING · GENESIS 28:18
He poured oil over the pillar’s top.
GENESIS 28:18
The oil covered the top of that same stone.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
Bethel and the Former Name
GENESIS 28:19
NAME GIVEN · GENESIS 28:19
Jacob named the place Bethel.
FORMER NAME · GENESIS 28:19
The city had previously been called Luz.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
A Conditional Vow
GENESIS 28:20
CONDITIONAL VOW · GENESIS 28:20
Jacob made a vow, conditioned on God remaining with him.
CONDITIONAL VOW · GENESIS 28:20 CONDITIONAL VOW · GENESIS 28:20
His vow included protection It included food to eat and clothing to wear.
throughout the journey.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
A Peaceful Return
GENESIS 28:21
CONDITIONAL VOW · GENESIS 28:21 CONDITIONAL VOW · GENESIS 28:21
His vow included returning peacefully to Then Jehovah would have shown himself to
his father’s household. be Jacob’s God.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 28
The Pillar and the Tenth
GENESIS 28:22
VOW · FUTURE · GENESIS 28:22
The stone pillar would become God’s house.
VOW · FUTURE · GENESIS 28:22
Jacob promised a tenth of everything God would give him.
GENESIS 28 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
A Well in the Field
GENESIS 29:1 · GENESIS 29:2
GENESIS 29:1
Jacob continued eastward on his journey.
GENESIS 29:2 GENESIS 29:2
He found three flocks resting beside a well. A large stone covered the well’s opening.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
The Shepherds’ Custom
GENESIS 29:3
BACKGROUND CUSTOM · GENESIS 29:3
The gathered shepherds would roll the stone away.
BACKGROUND CUSTOM · GENESIS 29:3
Then they watered the gathered flocks.
BACKGROUND CUSTOM · GENESIS 29:3
After watering, they covered the well again.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Men from Haran
GENESIS 29:4 · GENESIS 29:5
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 29:4
Jacob asked the shepherds where they came from.
THEIR REPLY · GENESIS 29:4 FAMILY QUESTION · GENESIS 29:5
They told him they were from Haran. He asked about Laban, Nahor’s grandson;
they knew him.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
His Daughter Approached
GENESIS 29:6
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 29:6 THEIR REPLY · GENESIS 29:6
Jacob asked whether Laban was well. The shepherds assured him that
Laban was well.
GENESIS 29:6
They pointed out Rachel approaching with the sheep.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Still the Middle of the Day
GENESIS 29:7 · GENESIS 29:8
HIS OBSERVATION · GENESIS 29:7
Jacob noted that it was still midday.
HIS SUGGESTION · GENESIS 29:7
He urged them to water the sheep and return to grazing.
THEIR EXPLANATION · GENESIS 29:8
They must wait for all the flocks before opening and watering.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Rachel the Shepherdess
GENESIS 29:9 · GENESIS 29:10
GENESIS 29:9
Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep; she was their shepherdess.
GENESIS 29:10
Jacob saw his uncle Laban’s daughter and flock.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
He Rolled the Stone Away
GENESIS 29:10
GENESIS 29:10
Jacob rolled the stone away from the well.
GENESIS 29:10
He watered the sheep belonging to his mother’s brother.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
A Greeting and Tears
GENESIS 29:11
GENESIS 29:11
Jacob kissed Rachel in greeting.
GENESIS 29:11
Then he lifted his voice and wept.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Rebekah’s Son
GENESIS 29:12
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 29:12
He explained that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son.
GENESIS 29:12
Rachel ran to tell her father.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Laban Ran to Meet Him
GENESIS 29:13
GENESIS 29:13
Laban heard that his sister’s son had come.
GENESIS 29:13 GENESIS 29:13
He hurried out to meet Jacob. Laban embraced him and kissed him.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Into His House
GENESIS 29:13 · GENESIS 29:14
GENESIS 29:13 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 29:13
Laban brought Jacob into his home. Jacob told Laban what had happened.
KINSHIP · GENESIS 29:14
Laban acknowledged Jacob as his own flesh and bone.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
A Full Month
GENESIS 29:14 · GENESIS 29:15
A MONTH’S STAY · GENESIS 29:14
Jacob stayed with Laban for a full month.
HIS OFFER · GENESIS 29:15
Laban asked what wages Jacob wanted for his service.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Two Daughters
GENESIS 29:16 · GENESIS 29:17
GENESIS 29:16
Leah was Laban’s older daughter; Rachel was the younger.
GENESIS 29:17 GENESIS 29:17
Leah’s eyes were subdued, without Rachel was beautiful in appearance and form.
a bright luster.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Seven Years for Rachel
GENESIS 29:18
GENESIS 29:18 HIS OFFER · GENESIS 29:18
Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel. He offered seven years of service for
Laban’s younger daughter.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Laban’s Answer
GENESIS 29:19
HIS ANSWER · GENESIS 29:19
Laban preferred giving Rachel to Jacob over another man.
HIS INVITATION · GENESIS 29:19
He invited Jacob to remain with him.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Years That Seemed Like Days
GENESIS 29:20
SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE · GENESIS 29:20
Jacob served Laban seven years for Rachel.
HIS LOVE · GENESIS 29:20
His love made those years seem like only days.
PASSING YEARS · GENESIS 29:20
The years of work passed with Rachel in his heart.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
The Agreed Time Was Complete
GENESIS 29:21
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 29:21 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 29:21
Jacob told Laban that his agreed He asked to receive his wife and
years were complete. begin married life.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
A Feast for the Men
GENESIS 29:22
GENESIS 29:22
Laban gathered the men of the place.
GENESIS 29:22
He prepared a feast for them.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Leah in the Evening
GENESIS 29:23
GENESIS 29:23
That evening Laban brought Leah to Jacob instead.
GENESIS 29:23
Jacob entered married life with her.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Zilpah Given to Leah
GENESIS 29:24
HOUSEHOLD RECORD · GENESIS 29:24 HOUSEHOLD RECORD · GENESIS 29:24
Laban assigned his servant Zilpah to Leah. Zilpah became Leah’s servant.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
In the Morning
GENESIS 29:25
GENESIS 29:25
In the morning Jacob discovered that she was Leah.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 29:25 HIS COMPLAINT · GENESIS 29:25
He asked Laban why he had deceived him. He had served for Rachel, not Leah.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
The Older Daughter First
GENESIS 29:26
LABAN’S EXPLANATION · GENESIS 29:26 HIS CLAIM · GENESIS 29:26
Laban appealed to the custom of their locality. He said the older daughter must marry
before the younger.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
A Week and Another Agreement
GENESIS 29:27
HIS TERMS · GENESIS 29:27
Laban told Jacob to complete Leah’s wedding week.
HIS PROMISE · GENESIS 29:27
Then Rachel would also be given to him.
FURTHER SERVICE · GENESIS 29:27
The agreement required another seven years of service.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
After Leah’s Wedding Week
GENESIS 29:28
ONE WEDDING WEEK · GENESIS 29:28
Jacob completed the week of celebration for Leah.
GENESIS 29:28
Then Laban gave Rachel to Jacob as his wife.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Bilhah Given to Rachel
GENESIS 29:29
HOUSEHOLD RECORD · GENESIS 29:29
Laban assigned his servant Bilhah to Rachel.
HOUSEHOLD RECORD · GENESIS 29:29
Bilhah became Rachel’s servant.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Love and Further Service
GENESIS 29:30
GENESIS 29:30 GENESIS 29:30
Jacob also began married life with Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah.
FURTHER YEARS OF SERVICE · GENESIS 29:30
Jacob served Laban another seven years.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Leah Was Seen
GENESIS 29:31
GENESIS 29:31
Jehovah saw that Leah was unloved.
GENESIS 29:31 GENESIS 29:31
He enabled her to become pregnant. Rachel remained without children.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Reuben: A Son
GENESIS 29:32
GENESIS 29:32 HER WORDS · GENESIS 29:32
Leah bore a son and named him Reuben. She said Jehovah had looked
upon her suffering.
HER HOPE · GENESIS 29:32
She hoped that her husband would now love her.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Simeon: He Heard
GENESIS 29:33
ANOTHER PREGNANCY · GENESIS 29:33
Leah became pregnant again.
GENESIS 29:33 HER WORDS · GENESIS 29:33
Her second son was born, and she She said Jehovah had heard that
named him Simeon. she was unloved.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 29

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Levi: Her Hope of Closeness
GENESIS 29:34
A THIRD PREGNANCY · GENESIS 29:34
Leah conceived a third time.
GENESIS 29:34
She bore a son, and he was named Levi.
HER HOPE · GENESIS 29:34
Leah hoped that three sons would draw her husband closer.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 30

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Judah: Praise to Jehovah
GENESIS 29:35
A FOURTH PREGNANCY · GENESIS 29:35
Leah became pregnant once more.
GENESIS 29:35 HER PRAISE · GENESIS 29:35
She bore a fourth son and named him Judah. This time, she offered praise to Jehovah.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 31

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 29
Leah and Her Four Sons
GENESIS 29:35 · GENESIS 29:32–35
A PAUSE IN CHILDBEARING · GENESIS 29:35
After Judah’s birth, Leah stopped bearing children for a time.
THE FAMILY RECORD · GENESIS 29:32–35
Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah were Leah’s four sons.
GENESIS 29 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 32

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Rachel’s Distress
GENESIS 30:1 · GENESIS 30:2
GENESIS 30:1
Rachel, still childless, became jealous of her sister.
HER PLEA · GENESIS 30:1 HIS REPLY · GENESIS 30:2
She pleaded for children, saying that otherwise Jacob angrily replied that he could not
she would die. take God’s place.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Rachel’s Proposal
GENESIS 30:3
HER PROPOSAL · GENESIS 30:3 HER HOPE · GENESIS 30:3
Rachel proposed that Jacob have children Through Bilhah, she too hoped
through her servant Bilhah. to have children.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Bilhah Became His Wife
GENESIS 30:4
GENESIS 30:4
Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife.
GENESIS 30:4
Jacob began married life with Bilhah.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Dan: God Had Heard
GENESIS 30:5 · GENESIS 30:6
PREGNANCY · GENESIS 30:5
Bilhah became pregnant.
GENESIS 30:5 HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:6
She bore Jacob a son. Rachel named him Dan, crediting God with
hearing and judging.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Bilhah’s Second Son
GENESIS 30:7
ANOTHER PREGNANCY · GENESIS 30:7
Bilhah became pregnant again.
GENESIS 30:7
She bore Jacob a second son.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Naphtali: Her Wrestlings
GENESIS 30:8
HER CLAIM · GENESIS 30:8 GENESIS 30:8
Rachel said she had struggled with her She named Bilhah’s second son Naphtali.
sister and prevailed.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Leah and Zilpah
GENESIS 30:9 · GENESIS 30:10
GENESIS 30:9 GENESIS 30:9
Leah saw that she had She gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob
stopped bearing children. as a wife.
GENESIS 30:10
Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Gad: Good Fortune
GENESIS 30:11
HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:11
Leah welcomed the birth as good fortune.
GENESIS 30:11
She named Zilpah’s son Gad.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Asher: Happiness
GENESIS 30:12 · GENESIS 30:13
GENESIS 30:12
Zilpah later bore Jacob a second son.
HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:13 GENESIS 30:13
Leah rejoiced, expecting other women to She named the second son Asher.
call her happy.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Mandrakes at Wheat Harvest
GENESIS 30:14
GENESIS 30:14
During wheat harvest, Reuben found mandrakes in the field.
GENESIS 30:14 HER REQUEST · GENESIS 30:14
He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked for some of Reuben’s mandrakes.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
An Exchange Between Sisters
GENESIS 30:15
HER COMPLAINT · GENESIS 30:15 HER COMPLAINT · GENESIS 30:15
Leah complained that Rachel had already She protested that Rachel now wanted her
taken her husband. son’s mandrakes too.
HER OFFER · GENESIS 30:15
Rachel offered Jacob’s company that night in exchange for the mandrakes.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
That Evening
GENESIS 30:16
GENESIS 30:16
Jacob returned from the field in the evening.
HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:16
Leah explained that she had hired him with her son’s mandrakes.
GENESIS 30:16
He spent that night with Leah.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Issachar: Her Wages
GENESIS 30:17 · GENESIS 30:18
ANOTHER PREGNANCY · GENESIS 30:17
God heard Leah, and she became pregnant.
GENESIS 30:17 HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:18
She bore Jacob her fifth son. She named him Issachar, seeing God’s wages
for giving her servant.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
A Sixth Son
GENESIS 30:19 · GENESIS 30:20
ANOTHER PREGNANCY · GENESIS 30:19 GENESIS 30:19
Leah became pregnant once more. She bore Jacob a sixth son.
GENESIS 30:20
She named him Zebulun.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Leah’s Hope
GENESIS 30:20
HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:20 HER HOPE · GENESIS 30:20
Leah spoke of the good gift God had given her. She hoped that six sons would make her
husband tolerate her.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
A Daughter Named Dinah
GENESIS 30:21
GENESIS 30:21
Afterward Leah bore a daughter.
GENESIS 30:21
She named her Dinah.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
God Remembered Rachel
GENESIS 30:22 · GENESIS 30:23
GENESIS 30:22
God remembered Rachel and heard her.
PREGNANCY · GENESIS 30:22 GENESIS 30:23
He enabled her to become pregnant. Rachel gave birth to a son.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Joseph: May He Add
GENESIS 30:23 · GENESIS 30:24
HER WORDS · GENESIS 30:23 GENESIS 30:24
Rachel said that God had She named her son Joseph.
removed her reproach.
HER HOPE · GENESIS 30:24
She looked to Jehovah for another son.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
A Request to Go Home
GENESIS 30:25 · GENESIS 30:26
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 30:25
After Joseph’s birth, Jacob asked Laban to release him.
HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 30:25 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 30:26
He wanted to return to his own homeland. He requested his wives and children, recalling
his years of service.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Laban Wanted Him to Stay
GENESIS 30:27 · GENESIS 30:28 · GENESIS 30:29
LABAN’S CLAIM · GENESIS 30:27
Laban said signs showed Jehovah had blessed him because of Jacob.
HIS OFFER · GENESIS 30:28
He invited Jacob to name his wages.
JACOB’S REPLY · GENESIS 30:29
Jacob recalled his service and care for Laban’s livestock.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
What About His Own Household?
GENESIS 30:30
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 30:30
Jacob said Jehovah had blessed Laban’s once-small herd with great increase.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 30:30
He asked when he could provide for his own household.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
One Condition
GENESIS 30:31
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 30:31 HIS ANSWER · GENESIS 30:31
Laban asked what he should give Jacob. Jacob wanted no gift; he would continue
shepherding under one condition.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
The Proposed Wages
GENESIS 30:32
PROPOSED TERMS · GENESIS 30:32
Jacob proposed separating marked sheep and dark-brown young rams.
PROPOSED TERMS · GENESIS 30:32 PROPOSED TERMS · GENESIS 30:32
The spotted and speckled These coat patterns would identify the animals
she-goats were included. counted as his wages.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Honesty That Could Be Tested
GENESIS 30:33
HIS TERMS · GENESIS 30:33
Jacob said his honesty could be checked when Laban inspected his wages.
FUTURE INSPECTION · GENESIS 30:33
Any she-goat or young ram outside the agreed patterns would count as stolen.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Laban Set Animals Apart
GENESIS 30:34 · GENESIS 30:35
HIS AGREEMENT · GENESIS 30:34
Laban agreed to Jacob’s terms.
GENESIS 30:35
That day, Laban removed marked goats and every dark-brown young ram.
GENESIS 30:35
He placed those animals in the care of his sons.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Three Days Apart
GENESIS 30:36
GENESIS 30:36
Laban put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob.
GENESIS 30:36
Jacob shepherded the rest of Laban’s flock.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Freshly Peeled Staffs
GENESIS 30:37
GENESIS 30:37
Jacob took fresh staffs from storax, almond and plane trees.
GENESIS 30:37 GENESIS 30:37
He peeled strips of bark to expose White markings now showed along the staffs.
the pale wood.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Staffs in the Watering Troughs
GENESIS 30:38
GENESIS 30:38
Jacob set the peeled staffs in the drinking troughs before the flock.
GENESIS 30:38
The flocks came to drink during their breeding season.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Marked Offspring
GENESIS 30:39
GENESIS 30:39 LATER OFFSPRING · GENESIS 30:39
The flocks bred near the staffs. Later, striped and speckled young were born.
LATER OFFSPRING · GENESIS 30:39
There were color-patched offspring as well.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 29

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Keeping Flocks Apart
GENESIS 30:40
GENESIS 30:40
Jacob separated the young rams.
GENESIS 30:40
He faced the flock toward Laban’s striped and dark-brown animals.
GENESIS 30:40
His own flocks stayed separate from Laban’s.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 30

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
The Stronger Animals
GENESIS 30:41
GENESIS 30:41
When the stronger animals were breeding, Jacob brought out the staffs.
GENESIS 30:41
He placed them in the gutters before the animals’ eyes.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 31

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
The Weaker and the Stronger
GENESIS 30:42
GENESIS 30:42
When the animals were weaker, he left the staffs out.
GENESIS 30:42
The weaker animals became Laban’s; the stronger ones became Jacob’s.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 32

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 30
Jacob Grew Prosperous
GENESIS 30:43
GENESIS 30:43
Jacob became very prosperous, with great flocks.
GENESIS 30:43 GENESIS 30:43
His household included male He also acquired camels and donkeys.
and female servants.
GENESIS 30 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 33

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
A Changed Attitude
GENESIS 31:1 · GENESIS 31:2
THEIR ACCUSATION · GENESIS 31:1
Laban’s sons accused Jacob of gaining wealth from their father.
GENESIS 31:1 GENESIS 31:2
Jacob heard what they were saying. He saw that Laban’s attitude toward him had changed.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Return to Your Family
GENESIS 31:3
THE COMMAND · GENESIS 31:3
Jehovah told Jacob to return to his fathers’ land and relatives.
THE PROMISE · GENESIS 31:3
God promised to remain with him.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
A Meeting in the Field
GENESIS 31:4 · GENESIS 31:5 · GENESIS 31:6
GENESIS 31:4
Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock grazed.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:5 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:6
He described their father’s changed attitude, They knew how hard he had worked
but God had stayed with him. for their father.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Wages Changed Ten Times
GENESIS 31:7
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:7 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:7
Jacob said their father had deceived him. His wages had been changed ten times.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:7
Yet God had not allowed Laban to harm him.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Different Wages, the Same Result
GENESIS 31:8 · GENESIS 31:9
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:8
When speckled animals were his wages, the flock bore speckled young.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:8 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:9
When striped animals were his wages, striped Jacob credited God with transferring their
young were born. father’s livestock to him.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Dream He Remembered
GENESIS 31:10
RECALLED DREAM · GENESIS 31:10 RECALLED DREAM · GENESIS 31:10
Jacob recalled a dream from the The he-goats he saw were striped,
flocks’ breeding season. speckled and color-patched.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Angel’s Voice
GENESIS 31:11 · GENESIS 31:12
RECALLED DREAM · GENESIS 31:11
In the dream, God’s angel called Jacob, and Jacob answered.
RECALLED DREAM · GENESIS 31:12
He was told to notice the marked goats; God had seen Laban’s conduct.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The God of Bethel
GENESIS 31:13
RECALLED DREAM · GENESIS 31:13
The message identified the God who had spoken at Bethel.
EARLIER VOW RECALLED · GENESIS HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:13
31:13
He was told to leave and return to his native land.
It recalled the pillar Jacob had
anointed and the vow he made.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Sisters’ Answer
GENESIS 31:14 · GENESIS 31:15
THEIR QUESTION · GENESIS 31:14
Rachel and Leah asked what inheritance remained for them in their father’s house.
THEIR WORDS · GENESIS 31:15 THEIR WORDS · GENESIS 31:15
They said he treated them like foreigners. They said he had sold them and
consumed their payment.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Do What God Has Told You
GENESIS 31:16
THEIR CONCLUSION · GENESIS 31:16
They considered the wealth God removed to belong to them and their children.
THEIR ANSWER · GENESIS 31:16
They supported Jacob in doing what God had told him.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Household Prepared to Leave
GENESIS 31:17
GENESIS 31:17
Jacob put his wives on camels.
GENESIS 31:17
He put his children on camels too.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Toward His Father’s Land
GENESIS 31:18
GENESIS 31:18
He took the livestock and possessions acquired in Paddan-aram.
THE DESTINATION · GENESIS 31:18
His destination was his father Isaac in Canaan.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Rachel Took the Household Gods
GENESIS 31:19
BACKGROUND TO DEPARTURE · GENESIS 31:19
While Laban was away shearing his sheep, Rachel acted secretly.
RACHEL’S SECRET · GENESIS 31:19 RACHEL’S SECRET · GENESIS 31:19
She stole her father’s household gods. The stolen figures went with her.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Away Without Telling Laban
GENESIS 31:20 · GENESIS 31:21
GENESIS 31:20
Jacob left without telling Laban the Aramaean that he was fleeing.
THE RIVER CROSSED · GENESIS 31:21 GENESIS 31:21
He crossed the Euphrates with all that he had. He headed toward the mountainous
region of Gilead.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Laban Set Out in Pursuit
GENESIS 31:22 · GENESIS 31:23
THE THIRD DAY · GENESIS 31:22
On the third day, Laban learned that Jacob had fled.
SEVEN DAYS’ JOURNEY · GENESIS 31:23
He took his relatives and pursued Jacob for seven days’ journey.
GENESIS 31:23
He caught up with him in the hills of Gilead.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
A Warning During the Night
GENESIS 31:24
LABAN’S DREAM · GENESIS 31:24 DIVINE WARNING · GENESIS 31:24
God came to Laban the Aramaean in a He was warned to be careful what he
dream that night. said to Jacob.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Two Camps in the Hills
GENESIS 31:25
GENESIS 31:25
Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountainous region.
GENESIS 31:25
Laban and his relatives also camped in the hills of Gilead.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Why Had He Gone Secretly?
GENESIS 31:26
LABAN’S QUESTION · GENESIS 31:26
Laban demanded to know why Jacob had deceived him.
HIS COMPARISON · GENESIS 31:26
He compared his daughters’ departure to captivity by the sword.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 18

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Farewell He Claimed
GENESIS 31:27 · GENESIS 31:28
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 31:27
Laban asked why Jacob had fled without telling him.
WHAT HE CLAIMED · GENESIS 31:27 HIS COMPLAINT · GENESIS 31:28
He claimed he could have sent them away with He complained that he had not kissed his
music and rejoicing. grandchildren and daughters goodbye.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 19

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Power Restrained by a Warning
GENESIS 31:29 · GENESIS 31:30
HIS CLAIM · GENESIS 31:29
Laban said he had the power to harm Jacob.
THE WARNING RECALLED · GENESIS 31:29 LABAN’S ACCUSATION · GENESIS 31:30
But he repeated the warning God had given He asked why Jacob had stolen his gods.
him the night before.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 20

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Jacob Invited a Search
GENESIS 31:31 · GENESIS 31:32
HIS EXPLANATION · GENESIS 31:31 HIS DECLARATION · GENESIS 31:32
Jacob explained his fear that Laban would take He invited a search, declaring that whoever
his daughters away by force. had the gods should not live.
WHAT JACOB DID NOT KNOW · GENESIS 31:32
Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 21

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Laban Searched the Tents
GENESIS 31:33
THE SEARCH · GENESIS 31:33
Laban searched Jacob’s tent.
THE SEARCH · GENESIS 31:33
He searched Leah’s tent as well.
THE SEARCH · GENESIS 31:33
He also searched the tent of the two servants, finding nothing.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 22

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Hidden Beneath the Saddle Pad
GENESIS 31:34
WHAT RACHEL HAD DONE · GENESIS 31:34
Rachel had hidden the household gods inside the camel’s saddle basket.
BEFORE THE SEARCH · GENESIS 31:34
She sat on the basket, concealing them beneath her.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 23

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Inside Rachel’s Tent
GENESIS 31:33 · GENESIS 31:34 · GENESIS 31:35
GENESIS 31:33
Laban entered Rachel’s tent.
GENESIS 31:34 HER EXPLANATION · GENESIS 31:35
He felt through the tent but found Rachel said she could not rise because she was
no household gods. having her period.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 24

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Nothing Was Found
GENESIS 31:35 · GENESIS 31:36
GENESIS 31:35
Laban’s search still failed to uncover the household gods.
JACOB’S CHALLENGE · GENESIS 31:36
Jacob became angry and challenged the reason for Laban’s pursuit.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 25

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Let the Relatives Judge
GENESIS 31:37
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 31:37 HIS CHALLENGE · GENESIS 31:37
Jacob asked what of Laban’s property had been He called for anything found to be placed
found among his possessions. before their relatives for judgment.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 26

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Twenty Years of Care
GENESIS 31:38
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:38
Jacob recalled twenty years in which Laban’s ewes and goats did not miscarry.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:38
He said he had not eaten the rams of Laban’s flock.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 27

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
He Bore the Losses
GENESIS 31:39
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:39
Losses from wild animals had been borne by Jacob himself.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:39 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:39
Laban had required compensation for animals Jacob had also answered for thefts
stolen by day. during the night.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 28

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Heat, Cold and Sleeplessness
GENESIS 31:40
HIS RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 31:40
Jacob recalled enduring the heat of the day.
HIS RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 31:40
At night, he faced the cold.
HIS RECOLLECTION · GENESIS 31:40
Sleep often escaped him.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 29

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Fourteen Years and Six
GENESIS 31:41
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:41
He had served fourteen years for Laban’s two daughters.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:41 HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:41
Another six years had been spent working Across those twenty years, Laban had changed
for Laban’s flock. his wages ten times.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 30

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
God Had Seen His Toil
GENESIS 31:42
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:42 HIS CONCLUSION · GENESIS 31:42
Jacob credited the God of Abraham, whom Without that help, he said, Laban would have
Isaac feared, with helping him. sent him away empty-handed.
HIS ACCOUNT · GENESIS 31:42
God had seen his toil and rebuked Laban the previous night.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 31

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Laban’s Reply
GENESIS 31:43
HIS CLAIM · GENESIS 31:43
Laban claimed the daughters, children and flocks as his own.
HIS QUESTION · GENESIS 31:43
Yet he asked what he could do against his daughters and their children.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 32

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Let Us Make a Covenant
GENESIS 31:44
HIS PROPOSAL · GENESIS 31:44 THE INTENDED WITNESS · GENESIS 31:44
Laban proposed making a covenant with Jacob. It would serve as a witness between them.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 33

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Jacob Erected a Pillar
GENESIS 31:45
GENESIS 31:45
Jacob took a stone.
GENESIS 31:45
He set it upright as a pillar.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 34

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Stones Gathered into a Heap
GENESIS 31:46
GENESIS 31:46
Jacob told his relatives to gather stones.
GENESIS 31:46 THE FIRST MEAL · GENESIS 31:46
They built a heap of stones. They shared a meal there.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 35

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Two Names for One Heap
GENESIS 31:47
LABAN’S NAME · GENESIS 31:47
Laban called the heap Jegar-sahadutha.
JACOB’S NAME · GENESIS 31:47
Jacob called it Galeed.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 36

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
A Witness and a Watch
GENESIS 31:48 · GENESIS 31:49
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 31:48
Laban said the heap was a witness between them that day.
THE NAME EXPLAINED · GENESIS 31:48 HIS REQUEST · GENESIS 31:49
That was why it was called Galeed. Laban asked Jehovah to watch them when
apart; the place was also called Watchtower.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 37

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Conditions for His Daughters
GENESIS 31:50
THE CONDITION · GENESIS 31:50 THE CONDITION · GENESIS 31:50
Laban warned Jacob against He also warned against taking wives in
mistreating his daughters. addition to them.
THE WITNESS · GENESIS 31:50
God would be a witness even without another person present.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 38

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Heap and the Pillar
GENESIS 31:51 · GENESIS 31:52
HIS WORDS · GENESIS 31:51 THE WITNESSES · GENESIS 31:52
Laban pointed out the heap and the Both would bear witness to their agreement.
pillar between them.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 39

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
No Crossing to Cause Harm
GENESIS 31:52
THE AGREEMENT · GENESIS 31:52
Laban would not pass the heap to harm Jacob.
THE AGREEMENT · GENESIS 31:52
Jacob would not pass the heap and pillar to harm Laban.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 40

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
The Oath
GENESIS 31:53
LABAN’S WORDS · GENESIS 31:53 JACOB’S OATH · GENESIS 31:53
Laban invoked the God of Abraham, Nahor Jacob swore by the One whom his
and their father to judge between them. father Isaac feared.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 41

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Sacrifice, Bread and a Night Together
GENESIS 31:54
GENESIS 31:54
Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain.
THE LATER MEAL · GENESIS 31:54 GENESIS 31:54
He invited his relatives to share bread. They spent the night on the mountain.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 42

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 31
Laban Returned Home
GENESIS 31:55
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING · GENESIS 31:55 GENESIS 31:55
Early the next morning, Laban rose and He kissed his daughters and blessed them.
kissed his grandchildren.
GENESIS 31:55
Then Laban left and returned home.
GENESIS 31 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 43

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Angels Along the Way
GENESIS 32:1 · GENESIS 32:2
GENESIS 32:1
As Jacob continued his journey, angels of God met him.
THE PLACE NAME · GENESIS 32:2
He recognized God’s camp and named the place Mahanaim.
INDEPENDENT NARRATION · NWT VERSE REFERENCES 01

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Messengers Sent Ahead
GENESIS 32:3 · GENESIS 32:4
GENESIS 32:3
Jacob sent messengers ahead to Esau in Seir, the territory of Edom.
THE PLANNED MESSAGE · GENESIS 32:4
They were to say his servant Jacob had stayed with Laban until now.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 02

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
A Message Seeking Favor
GENESIS 32:5
THE PLANNED MESSAGE · GENESIS 32:5
His message mentioned cattle, donkeys and flocks.
THE PLANNED MESSAGE · GENESIS 32:5 HIS HOPE · GENESIS 32:5
He also had male and female servants. He sent word in hope of finding
favor with Esau.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 03

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Four Hundred Men
GENESIS 32:6
GENESIS 32:6
The messengers returned after meeting Esau.
THEIR REPORT · GENESIS 32:6
They reported that Esau was coming with four hundred men.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 04

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
The Household Divided
GENESIS 32:7
GENESIS 32:7
Jacob became very afraid and distressed.
GENESIS 32:7 GENESIS 32:7
He divided the people with him The flocks, cattle and camels were divided too.
into two camps.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 05

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
A Hope of Escape
GENESIS 32:8
HIS REASONING · GENESIS 32:8 HIS HOPE · GENESIS 32:8
Jacob reasoned that Esau might attack one camp. Then the remaining
camp could escape.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 06

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Jacob Turned to Prayer
GENESIS 32:9
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:9
Jacob prayed to the God of Abraham and of Isaac.
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:9 HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:9
He recalled Jehovah’s command to return to He remembered the promise that he would
his land and relatives. be treated well.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 07

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
From One Staff to Two Camps
GENESIS 32:10
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:10 EARLIER CROSSING · GENESIS 32:10
He felt unworthy of the kindness and faithfulness Earlier, he had crossed the Jordan with
shown to him. only his staff.
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:10
Now he had become two camps.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 08

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Save Me From My Brother
GENESIS 32:11
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:11
Jacob asked to be rescued from his brother Esau.
HIS FEAR · GENESIS 32:11
He feared an attack on himself, the mothers and the children.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 09

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Remembering the Promise
GENESIS 32:12
HIS PRAYER · GENESIS 32:12 THE PROMISE RECALLED · GENESIS 32:12
He recalled God’s promise to deal His offspring were to become as countless as the
well with him. sand of the sea.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 10

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
A Gift for His Brother
GENESIS 32:13
GENESIS 32:13
Jacob spent the night there.
GENESIS 32:13 THE INTENDED RECIPIENT · GENESIS 32:13
From his possessions, he selected a gift. The gift was intended for Esau.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 11

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Goats and Sheep Set Apart
GENESIS 32:14
THE GIFT · GENESIS 32:14
He selected two hundred female goats and twenty male goats.
THE GIFT · GENESIS 32:14
He also selected two hundred ewes and twenty rams.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 12

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Camels, Cattle and Donkeys
GENESIS 32:15
THE GIFT · GENESIS 32:15
Thirty nursing camels went with their young.
THE GIFT · GENESIS 32:15 THE GIFT · GENESIS 32:15
There were forty cows and ten bulls. There were twenty female donkeys and
ten full-grown males.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 13

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Space Between the Droves
GENESIS 32:16
GENESIS 32:16
Jacob entrusted the animals to his servants in separate droves.
HIS INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 32:16
They were to go ahead, leaving space between one drove and the next.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 14

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
Instructions for the First Servant
GENESIS 32:17
GENESIS 32:17
Jacob instructed the servant leading the first drove.
THE ANTICIPATED QUESTIONS · GENESIS 32:17
Esau might ask whose servant he was, his destination, and whose animals were ahead.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 15

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
What the Servant Should Say
GENESIS 32:18
THE PLANNED REPLY · GENESIS 32:18
He should identify the animals as belonging to Esau’s servant Jacob.
THE PLANNED REPLY · GENESIS 32:18 THE PLANNED REPLY · GENESIS 32:18
They were a gift sent to his lord Esau. Jacob himself was coming behind them.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 16

HIS PLANS GO ON / GENESIS 32
The Same Message for Each Drove
GENESIS 32:19
GENESIS 32:19
Jacob instructed the second and third servants, and everyone following the droves.
HIS INSTRUCTION · GENESIS 32:19
They were all to give Esau the same message.
GENESIS 32 · ILLUSTRATED ADAPTATION 17