Brief Summary of the Bible Book of Genesis
The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible and explains the origins of the world, humanity, and God’s covenant with Abraham.
Read Genesis in 60-Seconds or Less
Chapter 1: God creates the world in 6 days, including humans. "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." (1:31)
Chapter 2: God creates Adam and Eve and places them in the Garden of Eden. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (2:24)
Chapter 3: Adam and Eve sin and are banished from the Garden of Eden. "He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (3:15)
Chapter 4: Cain kills Abel and is banished. "Am I my brother’s keeper?" (4:9)
Chapter 5: Genealogy from Adam to Noah. "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." (5:24)
Chapter 6: God sees the wickedness of humanity and decides to flood the earth. "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (6:8)
Chapter 7: Noah and his family enter the ark with the animals. "And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him." (7:16)
Chapter 8: The flood recedes, and Noah sends out a dove. "And God said, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man.’" (8:21)
Chapter 9: God makes a covenant with Noah and his descendants. "I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood." (9:11)
Chapter 10: Genealogy from Noah to the nations. "These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations." (10:32)
Chapter 11: People try to build the Tower of Babel but are scattered and given different languages. "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech." (11:7)
Chapter 12: God calls Abraham and promises to make him a great nation. "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great." (12:2)
Chapter 13: Abraham and Lot separate. "And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are.’" (13:14)
Chapter 14: Abraham rescues Lot from kings. "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth." (14:19)
Chapter 15: God promises Abraham many descendants. "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your offspring be." (15:5)
Chapter 16: Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as a wife, and Hagar bears Ishmael. "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael." (16:11)
Chapter 17: God changes Abram’s name to Abraham and establishes circumcision as a covenant. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham." (17:5)
Chapter 18: God promises Abraham a son through Sarah. "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." (18:14)
Chapter 19: Lot is saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "But his wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (19:26)
Chapter 20: Abraham deceives Abimelech about Sarah being his wife. "And God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart.’" (20:6)
Chapter 21: Isaac is born to Sarah and Abraham. "And Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.’" (21:6)
Chapter 22: God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God." (22:12)
Chapter 23: Sarah dies, and Abraham buys a burial plot. "I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place." (23:4)
Chapter 24: Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. "And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife." (24:67)
Chapter 25: Abraham dies, and Isaac and Ishmael bury him. "And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah." (25:9)
Chapter 26: Isaac and Abimelech make a covenant. "And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father." (26:18)
Chapter 27: Jacob deceives Isaac to receive his blessing. "So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, ‘You shall not take a wife from the Canaanite women.’" (28:1)
Chapter 28: Jacob sees a vision of a ladder to heaven. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land." (28:15)
Chapter 29: Jacob works for Laban and marries Leah and Rachel. "So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah." (29:30)
Chapter 30: Jacob’s children are born, and he increases his wealth. "And he said, ‘What shall I give you?’ Jacob said, ‘You shall not give me anything.’" (30:31-32)
Chapter 31: Jacob leaves Laban and makes a covenant. "May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." (31:53)
Chapter 32: Jacob wrestles with God and is named Israel. "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." (32:28)
Chapter 33: Jacob meets Esau and makes peace. "And Jacob said, ‘No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand.’" (33:10)
Chapter 34: Dinah is raped, and her brothers seek revenge. "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" (34:31)
Chapter 35: God renews His covenant with Jacob and changes his name to Israel. "Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." (35:10)
Chapter 36: Genealogy of Esau. "These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau." (36:15)
Chapter 37: Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers. "He is torn by beasts; he has been torn to pieces." (37:33)
Chapter 38: Judah and Tamar’s story. "Then Judah identified them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.’" (38:26)
Chapter 39: Joseph is sold to Potiphar in Egypt. "But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house.’" (39:8)
Chapter 40: Joseph interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. "Yet within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office." (40:13)
Chapter 41: Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and becomes second in command in Egypt. "And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’" (41:41)
Chapter 42: Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt to buy grain. "Then they said to one another, ‘In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us and we did not listen.’" (42:21)
Chapter 43: Jacob sends his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin. "May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin." (43:14)
Chapter 44: Joseph tests his brothers and reveals himself to them. "Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him." (45:1)
Chapter 45: Joseph sends for his father and brothers to come to Egypt. "I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.’" (45:9)
Chapter 46: Jacob and his family move to Egypt. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation." (46:3)
Chapter 47: Joseph provides for his family and all of Egypt during the famine. "And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents." (47:12)
Chapter 48: Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons. "And he blessed Joseph and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.’" (48:15)
Chapter 49: Jacob blesses his sons before his death. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him." (49:10)
Chapter 50: Jacob dies, and Joseph forgives his brothers. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (50:20)
The book of Genesis is a fascinating and foundational book of the Bible that sets the stage for the rest of Scripture. Reading Genesis can help us better understand our place in the world and God’s plan for us. I encourage you to take the time to read the entire book of Genesis and discover creation’s wonders for yourself.