Ephron's father Zohar chooses him to lead their family. He not only has vital skills to ensure the security and growth of their tribe but he is still unmarried. Zohar plans to unite the Hittite tribes using Ephron and his sister as peace children in arranged marriages. Marauding enemies and rising waters threaten the homelands of fellow Hittites but no one wants to sacrifice autonomy just for safety, food, clothing, and shelter. Family patriarch Heth's arrival might settle the unrest, but when he does not appear, his representatives find rising tensions and a need for desperate action to show strength, unity, and prosperity. Ephron can't force Shelometh, his intended bride, to marry him. Will she make his tireless work pay off, or destroy his future and her own?

Heth worries that the Hittite Empire will be attacked from without. His chariots are more than just new and showy war machines. They might make the difference between life and death as Sargon turns his eye toward Hattus. Zohar is more worried about corruption within. Tawananna and Elon's new life together puts them in the crosshairs of everyone who wants to destroy the fledgling empire. How many laws do they need? How many houses and walls? Winter puts off the danger of invasion for a time, but what will happen when the greatest warrior begins to feel the effects of Lamech's Curse?

women in ancient times,Abraham and Sarah,family relationships, childbirth,abuse

"Though 'biblical theology' has long been considered a strictly Christian enterprise, Marvin A. Sweeney here proposes a Jewish theology of the Hebrew Bible, based on the importance of Tanak as the foundation of Judaism and organized around the major components: Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Kethuvim (Writings). Sweeney finds the structuring themes of Jewish life: the constitution of the nation Israel in relation to God; the disruption of that ideal, documented by the Prophets; and the reconstitution of the nation around the Second Temple in the Writings. Throughout he is attentive to tensions within and among the texts and the dialogical character of Israel's sacred heritage" -- Publisher description.

The genre of Genesis is a Narrative History, and Genealogies. It was written by Moses about 1450-1410 B.C. Key personalities include Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Joseph. This book was written to record God's creation of the world and to demonstrate His love for all that He created. Genesis is the first book of the Law and also the first book of the entire Bible. The name Genesis literally means "In the Beginning." It explains the actual events of one of the most debated subjects of our current day...the origin of life. Genesis describes the Lord God, who is infinite and all-powerful, creating everything that exists, by the power of His spoken Word, out of nothing. He essentially creates material matter out of nonmaterial nothing.

The Essential Evangelical Parallel Bible enables readers to easily compare the texts of a quarter of modern translations that span the full range of scholarly approaches to the ancient text.