Author biography The author, Jim Manthey, resides and works in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is a polyglot, having fluency or a working knowledge of four modern and three Ancient languages. He has Masters Degrees in Classical Languages and literature from: The University of Wisconsin-Madison (1989); and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (1995). Prior to doing graduate work, he received training in religious studies from Northwestern College at his hometown in Watertown, Wisconsin. Northwestern College has since merged (as of 1995) with the former Dr. Martin Luther College to form the present Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. He finally received nearly two years of seminary training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin. He enjoys writing, reading, singing in the church choir, ushering and leading Bible studies at his chosen place of worship, Celebration Church--Bayside in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank members of the Celebration Church- Bayside men's Bible study on Genesis during the year 2008, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Discussion was stimulating, ideas were free-flowing and sincere, with inspiration derived purely from a love for truth, God's word and what it can do for our lives. Thank-you especially to Robert Graycarek, group leader for the Bible study. Your willingness to endure my trial readings of what I was tinkering with at the time gave me hope. Thank-you also to Andrew Prescher for your encouragement to go on with the project when self-doubts assailed me. Your gift of encouragement is truly comparable to the type of spiritual gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12. Our Heavenly Father rewards people who exercise such gifts, the fruits of the spirit. Thank-you, finally, to my beloved wife, Becca, whose patience helped make this happen for me: You are truly the "wife of noble character" described in Proverbs 31:10-31 and are God's gift to me that I never deserved but for which I will be forever grateful . DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the memory of my loving parents--Lewis and Fay Manthey, two people who loved and feared God all their lives and raised each of their seven kids to do the same. Thank-you, mom and dad, for never giving up on any of us and for showing us that with God, all things are possible and the sky is the limit. SUMMARY OF THIS BOOK The purpose is twofold: To give glory to God for the privilege of studying and interpreting His word as He reveals it to those willing and able to search Him out; also, to put the interpretation in modern terms that all can understand and many, hopefully, can relate to. The latter reflects a conviction that Bible interpretation expressed in too lofty of terms goes at worst unread and, at best, unappreciated. If some are offended by the too familiar language or by the comparisons from popular culture please know this: prayers motivated from the love of Jesus and that the Spirit of God would be honored were always in mind. By the grace of God, the Apostle Paul also has encouraged us and we are both explicitly and implicitly invited to become all things to all people in order to win more souls for Christ. In conclusion, if others are motivated by its format to pick up this book and derive learning and joy from communing with God the effort has been worth the time and trouble.