A BIBLICALLY ACCURATE GRAPHIC NOVEL
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This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth...
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Apple of the Eye Publishing Š 2010 Apple of the Eye All rights reserved.
Available on iTunes for your iPhone and iPad or visit us online at:
www.thealmightybible.com
Edited by Kevin O’Donnell Illustration & Color by Malumworks A Golden Dog Production Book Design by Poets Road Printed in the United States of America. You may not reproduce any part of this book for commercial gain without first getting permission by emailing us at info@thealmightybible.com
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Foreword “In the beginning.” So begins the book of Genesis, a story of beginnings. The opening chapters (1–11) tell the story of the origins of the universe and of human beings, indeed of everything that exists. Genesis 1 and 2 picture a world of bliss. In Eden, human beings are in a harmonious relationship with God and, thus, with each other and all of creation. In chapter 3, the plot of Genesis takes a downward turn as it recounts the first rebellion; the first murder; the first city; and the origin of music, metal working, and languages. Genesis 3–11 tells stories of human sin and divine judgment. Even so, God stays involved with the creatures that he made, continually extending tokens of His grace to them. A dramatic shift in the plot takes place in chapter 12. No longer is the focus of attention on the whole world but, rather, one person: Abraham. God’s numerous judgments and acts of grace toward human beings have not brought them back into a harmonious relationship with Him. They have continued to rebel. But now God seeks to restore the relationship with all human beings through a relationship with Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. If they obey Him, then He will bless them. But more than that, He will bless “all the families of the earth” (12:3). The story of Abraham and Sarah that makes up such a large part of the book of Genesis (12–25) is, thus, also a story of origins—in this case, of the people of God, later known as Israel, through whom God intends to reach the world. Genesis chronicles Abraham’s life as a journey of faith and fear
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as he reacts to various obstacles that threaten the promise that Abraham’s descendants will become “a great nation” (12:2). For Abraham’s descendants to become “like the sand on the seashore” (22:17, 32:12), he and Sarah must have the first child, but she remains barren until late in life. Fearing that God will not come through, Abraham often tries to manufacture his own descendant, leading to the birth of Isaac through a secondary wife: Hagar. But God’s plan was for the true heir, Isaac, to be born well after the time when normal childbearing takes place. That way, no one can miss the fact that this child was a gift from God. Many people today find their own struggles with faith mirrored in Abraham’s life story (Heb. 11:8–12, 17–19). The next chapters of Genesis continue the story of the so-called patriarchs, or fathers, of God’s people Israel: namely, Isaac and Jacob. It is also a story of matriarchs, or mothers, as well, because Rebekah and Sarah (and Leah) play obvious pivotal roles in the passing down of the divine promises from generation to generation. The connection to the story of Israel and the following books of the Old Testament is obvious when God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and his 12 sons bear the names of later tribes of the nation of Israel. The story of Joseph ends the book of Genesis. The story is told with such fluidity and coherence that these chapters are often considered one of the earliest short stories ever written. Joseph himself states the theme of the account of his life in chapters 37–50. In 50:20, he says to his brothers, “Even though you intended to harm me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” The brothers wanted to hurt him; Potiphar’s wife wanted him to go to jail. The chief cupbearer forgot all about Joseph when he left prison. Joseph experienced one hardship after another.
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But God used all of these things in order to bring Joseph to the side of Pharaoh, so he could create the conditions that would allow his family, the people of promise, to survive a horrible famine. Genesis is indeed a book of beginnings. It is the foundation of the story of the exodus and the origins of Israel narrated in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy. But really it is the foundation of the entire Bible, the introduction to both Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and New Testament. The New Testament understands that the promises given to Abraham are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ and those who enter into a relationship with him (Gal. 3:15–16). Even apart from the foundational role it plays in the Scriptures shared by Judaism and Christianity, it is a wonderful story for all people: believers and unbelievers alike. From creation to Joseph, the book contains stories that amaze and entertain. The book is not only full of information that feeds the brain, but its stories stir our emotions and stimulate our imagination. For this reason, the book of Genesis lends itself to the graphic novel format. When the book was first written, very few people actually read it. They heard it read to them, and they pondered what they heard in their minds and hearts. With the invention of the printing press, more people read it, but still, many people learned about Genesis through the artistic depiction of its stories in the beautiful stained glass windows of cathedrals. The Almighty Bible: Genesis weds visual depiction with the words of the book in a way that will capture the imagination of all readers: religious and nonreligious alike. The whole team has done a magnificent job of capturing the spirit of the book in a way that supports the powerful words of Genesis. So, settle back and open up your mind and imagination to an ancient book that still has tremendous contemporary impact.
Tremper Longman III, PhD
Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies Westmont College Author of How to Read Genesis and over 20 other books
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Acknowledgements Our goal with the Almighty Bible is to tell these incredible stories with the deepest respect and reverence for them. Many people involved in this quest. I’d like to thank a number of people for their great assistance in creating Genesis… First of all, great thanks to Daniel Youngmok Park and the entire Apple of the Eye team, including his partner Maria Jung. They are tremendous partners who founded their company on true Christian principles, which they reinforce every day with their actions. Dr. H. Joon Lee has contributed his insight into this project and helps makes it palatable to the business world. Dong H. Chung is the one who brought everyone together with his tireless trips back and forth to Korea. Booyoung Kim is the amazing director who has worked, with David Lee, around the clock creating the wonderful images you see. His whole team deserves great thanks, including Anderson Choi, who has been a good friend through the years. Professor Tremper Longman has graciously lent us his endless storehouse of knowledge and insight on this project. We owe great thanks to the people who created the World English Bible, which itself was derived from the 1904 American Standard Bible. We have edited and rephrased some of their text into the most exciting and accurate linear story we could imagine. We have left the chapter and verse designations at the end of each page, so you can always refer to your favorite bible for the full text—or get the Almighty Bible on the iPAD or iPhone where the full text is only a tap away! God Bless,
Kevin O’Donnell July, 2010
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GENESIS I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII
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The Garden of Eden Cain & Abel Noah’s Ark Tower of Babel Abraham Sodom and Gomorrah Isaac Rebekah Jacob takes Esau’s Blessing Jacob’s ladder Dinah Joseph and the Multi-Colored Coat Joseph Thrown in Prison Joseph Interprets Pharoah’s Dream Joseph’s Brothers Come to Egypt Joseph Meets Benjamin Joseph Meets Israel his Father Genesis Map
1 10 14 18 20 36 40 48 57 68 92 99 108 115 121 131 140 147
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GENESIS
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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that it was good. (1:1–1:18) 1
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God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth.” God created the large sea creatures. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply.” (1:20–1:22) 2
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God said, “Let us make man in our image and have dominion over all the earth.” Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (1:25–1:27) 3
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Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, and there he put the man. God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” (2:8–2:15) 4
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Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he took one of his ribs. He made the rib into a woman. Therefore, a man will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (2:21–2:25) 5
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Now the serpent was more subtle than any other animal, and he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of the tree in the center?’ You won’t die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (3:1–3:5) 6
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She took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband, and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothes. (3:6–3:7)
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Yahweh called to the man, “Where are you?” The man said, “I heard your voice, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (3:9–3:11) 8
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God said to the serpent, “You shall eat dust. I will put enmity between you and the woman. Her offspring will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” To Adam he said, “Because you have eaten of the tree, you are dust and to dust you shall return.” So he drove out the man, and he placed the flame of a sword, which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (3:14–3:24) 9
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The man knew Eve. She conceived and gave birth to Cain and again to Cain’s brother Abel. As time passed, God respected Abel, but he didn’t respect Cain, and Cain was very angry. Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field,” and Cain killed him. (4:1–4:8) 10
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God said to Cain, “Where is Abel?” He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God said, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. Now you are cursed.” Cain went out from God’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (4:9–4:15) 11
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of Adam. This is the book of the generations
Adam became the father of Seth. Seth became the father of Enosh. Enosh became the father of Kenan. Kenan became the father of Mahalalel. Mahalalel became the father of Jared. Jared became the father of Enoch after he became the father of Methuselah. Enoch walked with Go d. God took him. Methuselah became the father of Lamech. Lamech became the fat her of Noah.
Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of She m. (5:1–5:32)
12
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The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters. They bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. God saw the wickedness of man, and God said, “I will destroy man.” (6:4–6:7) 13
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But Noah found favor in God’s eyes. Noah walked with God. God said to Noah, “Make a ship of gopher wood. I bring the flood. Everything will die. But I will establish my covenant with you. Of every living thing you shall bring two into the ship.” Thus Noah did. (6:8–6:22) 14
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Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased and lifted up the ship. All the high mountains were covered. Only Noah was left and those who were with him in the ship. (7:6–7:23) 15
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After one hundred fifty days, the waters decreased. The ship rested on Ararat’s mountains. Noah sent out a dove, but the dove found no place to rest, and she returned to him. Again he sent the dove out. The dove came back, and behold, in her mouth, was an olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters were abated. (8:3–8:11) 16
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God blessed Noah and his sons and said, “I have given everything to you. Be fruitful and multiply.” God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you. I set my rainbow in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature.” (9:1–9:15) 17
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Shela Eber
Peleg Reu
Seru
Na
The whole earth was of one language. They said one to another, “Let’s build a tower whose top reaches to the sky.” God said, “Come, let’s go down and confuse their language, that they may not understand one another.” So they stopped building the city called Babel. From there, God scattered them across the surface of all the earth. (11:1–11:8) 18
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ns of Shem. This is the histor y of the generatio Shem became the father of Arpachshad two yea rs after the flood. Arpachshad became the father of Shelah.
er of Eber. ame the fath Shelah bec of Peleg. e the father Eber becam er of Reu. me the fath Peleg beca of Serug. e the father Reu becam r. er of Naho me the fath Serug beca of Terah. e the father m a ec b r ho Na
Terah became the father of Abram. (11:10–11:25)
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Now, God said to Abram, “Get out of your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you.” (12:1–12:3)
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Abram took Sarai, his wife; Lot, his brother’s son; all their substance and souls; and they went to the land of the Canaanite: Canaan. God appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your seed.” Abram built an altar there to God. He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent. There, he built an altar and called on Yahweh. Abram traveled on toward the South. (12:5–12:9) 21
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Abram traveled. There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live. He said to Sarai his wife, “You are a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will kill me. Please say that you are my sister, that my soul may live because of you.” (12:9–12:13) 22
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When Abram reached Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. She was taken into Pharaoh’s house. He dealt well with Abram for her sake: sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels. God plagued Pharaoh and his house because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. (12:14–12:17) 23
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Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now take her, and go away.” (12:17–12:19) 24
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Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went to the place where his tent had been, to the place of the altar. There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. Abram said to Lot, “Please, if you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or, if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.” (13:1–13:9) 25
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