The KJV Audio Bible

Genesis 31 is the account of Jacob’s departure from Laban’s household after 20 years of service. Jacob noticed that Laban and his sons had become hostile toward him because they believed Jacob had become wealthy at their expense. God instructed Jacob to return to his homeland. Jacob called Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field, where he explained how Laban had cheated him by changing his wages...

Genesis 30 focuses on the competition between Jacob's wives (Rachel and Leah) to bear children and Jacob's growing prosperity while working for his father-in-law Laban. The chapter begins with Rachel's desperation over her barrenness while her sister Leah had already borne four sons. In her envy, Rachel gave Jacob her maidservant Bilhah as a concubine to bear children "upon my knees" (a cultural p...

Genesis 29 focuses on Jacob's arrival in Haran and his marriages to Leah and Rachel, daughters of his uncle Laban. Jacob arrived in Haran and met Rachel at a well where shepherds were gathering. He removed a stone covering the well and watered her flock. Jacob identified himself as Rachel's relative (Rebekah's son), kissed her, and wept. Rachel ran to tell her father Laban. Laban welcomed Jacob in...

Genesis 28 focuses on Jacob's journey from Beer-sheba to Haran and his encounter with God at Bethel. Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and instructed him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Instead, he was to go to Padan-aram (Mesopotamia) to find a wife from among his uncle Laban's daughters. Jacob left Beersheba and headed toward Haran. While sleeping at a certain place along the journey, Jacob had a...

Genesis 27 is the account of how Jacob deceived his father Isaac to steal the blessing intended for his older brother Esau. Isaac, now old and blind, felt death approaching and asked his favorite son Esau to hunt game and prepare a meal for him, after which he planned to give Esau his special blessing. Rebekah overheard this conversation and devised a plan to ensure her favorite son Jacob received...

Genesis 26 focuses on Isaac's experiences during a famine and his interactions with the Philistines. During a famine, God instructed Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in Gerar, reaffirming the covenant promises made to Abraham. Like his father Abraham had done, Isaac told the people of Gerar that Rebekah was his sister rather than his wife, fearing they might kill him because of her beauty. Kin...

Genesis 25 can be divided into three main sections: Abraham's final years and death, Ishmael's descendants, and Jacob and Esau's birth and rivalry. Abraham's final years and death (Verses 1-11): Abraham married Keturah after Sarah's death and had six more sons. Abraham gave gifts to these sons and sent them away, eastward. Abraham left everything else to Isaac (his son with Sarah). Abraham died at...

Genesis 24 is the account of how Abraham's servant found a wife for Isaac. Abraham, now old, wanted to ensure his son Isaac would marry someone from his homeland, not a Canaanite woman. He made his most trusted servant swear to find Isaac a wife from Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia. The servant traveled to the city of Nahor with ten camels and valuable gifts. Outside the city, he prayed for a s...

Genesis 23 focuses on the death of Sarah and Abraham's purchase of a burial site for her. Sarah died at the age of 127 in Hebron (Kirjatharba) in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned his loss and then looked for a burial place. Abraham approached the Hittites, acknowledging himself as "a stranger and a sojourner" with them and asked to purchase land for a burial site. The Hittites respectfully offe...

Genesis 22 is the account of God testing Abraham by commanding him to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice on a mountain in the land of Moriah. This is the same Isaac who was miraculously born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age — and through whom God had promised to establish His covenant. Abraham obeyed without question, taking Isaac on a three-day journey to the designated place. He had his...

Genesis 21 focuses on three events in Abraham's life: the birth of Isaac, the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael, and the covenant with Abimelech. The Birth of Isaac: As God promised, Sarah gave birth to Abraham's son Isaac when Abraham was 100 years old. Isaac's name means "laughter," reflecting Sarah's joy and initial disbelief that she would bear a child in her old age. Abraham circumcised Isaac o...

Genesis 20 provides an account of Abraham's sojourn in Gerar. Abraham moved to the region of Gerar, where he told people that his wife Sarah was his sister (similar to his earlier deception in Egypt). King Abimelech of Gerar took Sarah into his harem, not knowing she was already married. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that Sarah was a married woman and that he was as good as dea...

Genesis 19 recounts the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, focusing on the rescue of Lot and his family. The chapter begins with two angels arriving in Sodom, where Lot insisted they stay at his house. Before they retired for the night, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, demanding to "know" the visitors. Lot refused and offered his daughters instead, but the angels struck the men with blindn...

Genesis 18 is the account of Abraham's encounter with three visitors at the oaks of Mamre and God's revelation about the coming judgment on Sodom. The chapter begins with the LORD appearing to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. Abraham saw three men approaching, rushed to meet them, and offered generous hospitality. He had Sara...

Genesis 17 depicts God's covenant with Abram when he was 99 years old. God appeared to Abram, identified Himself as "the Almighty God" (El Shaddai), and established a covenant with several elements. God changed Abram's name to Abraham ("father of many nations") and promised that kings would come from his line. The covenant was established as an "everlasting covenant" between God and Abraham's desc...

Genesis 16 provides an account of Sarai (Abram's wife), her Egyptian servant Hagar, and the birth of Ishmael. After ten years in Canaan with no children, Sarai suggested that Abram have a child with her servant Hagar, following a common custom of that time. Abram agreed, and Hagar became pregnant. Once pregnant, Hagar began to look down on Sarai, who then treated Hagar harshly in response. Hagar r...

Genesis 15 centers on God's covenant with Abram (later renamed Abraham). God appeared to Abram in a vision, telling him not to fear and promising to be his shield and very great reward. Abram expressed concern about remaining childless, noting that his servant Eliezer stood to inherit his household. God reassured Abram that his heir would come from his own body. God took Abram outside and told him...

Genesis 14 is an account of a regional war and Abram's rescue of his nephew Lot. Four kings waged war against five kings from the region of Sodom and Gomorrah. The five kings had been subject to Chedorlaomer for 12 years but rebelled in the thirteenth year. In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated several peoples in the region before confronting the five kings in t...

Genesis 13 is the account of Abram (later renamed Abraham) and his nephew Lot separating due to conflicts between their herdsmen. After returning from Egypt to Canaan with his wife Sarai and Lot, Abram was very wealthy with livestock, silver, and gold. They traveled to Bethel where Abram had previously built an altar. Both Abram and Lot had accumulated so many possessions and livestock that the la...

Genesis 12 marks a pivotal turning point in the Bible with the call of Abram (later renamed Abraham) and God's covenant with him. God's Call to Abram (Verses 1-3): God commanded Abram to leave his country, his relatives, and his father's house to go to a land that God would show him. God promised to make Abram into a great nation, bless him, make his name great, and make him a blessing to others....

Genesis 11 consists of two main sections: the tower of Babel and the genealogy of Shem to Abram. At this time, all people on earth spoke the same language. They settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia). They decided to build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens to make a name for themselves and avoid being scattered. God came down to see the city and tower. He was concerned about what hum...

Genesis 10 , often called the "Table of Nations," provides a genealogical record of Noah's descendants through his three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — and how they populated the earth after the flood. The chapter begins with Japheth's descendants, who generally settled in the regions of Asia Minor, the Mediterranean islands, and parts of Europe. Notable descendants include Gomer, Magog, Madai, J...

Genesis 9 describes God's covenant with Noah after the flood waters receded. God blessed Noah and his sons, telling them to "be fruitful, and multiply" to repopulate the earth. God established a new relationship between humans and animals (saying animals would now fear humans), and humans were now permitted to eat animals for food. God prohibited eating meat with blood still in it and established...

Genesis 8 is the account of the conclusion of the global flood and Noah's emergence from the ark. God remembered Noah and all the creatures in the ark and sent a wind to help the floodwaters recede. After 150 days, the waters began to decrease. On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede. By the first day of the tenth...

Genesis 7 is the account of the global flood. God commanded Noah to enter the ark with his family (wife, three sons, and their wives) because He found Noah righteous. God instructed Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals and one pair of unclean animals, plus seven pairs of birds, to preserve their kinds. Noah was told that, in seven days, God would send rain for forty days and nights to destroy...