Portion 1 of 54 · Genesis
בְּרֵאשִׁית
Bereshit
The world is made and called good, and within a few pages people are already hiding, blaming and killing.
Start by reading it
Genesis 1:1–6:8
6 chapters. About 24 minutes at an unhurried pace.
Paired reading from the prophets: Isaiah 42:5–43:10
What happens
- 01
God speaks and the world comes into being, one day at a time, each day judged good.
- 02
The first man and woman are placed in a garden with one limit, and they cross it.
- 03
Cain kills his brother Abel in a field, and is sent to wander.
- 04
Ten generations pass. The world fills with violence, and God grieves that he made it.
The thing most people walk past
The first question God asks
God's first question to a human being is not an accusation. It is 'Where are you?' — asked of someone already hiding. The Bible opens its account of human failure with a search, not a sentence.
One verse to carry
God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
Every argument this book will later make about murder, justice, poverty and dignity rests on this line. If a person carries the image of God, what you do to them you do in front of God.
A question to sit with
The tree is called the knowledge of good and evil. What did the man and woman actually gain, and what did it cost them?
There is no answer key. This is the part you take with you.