Genesis

             2:4 the heavens and the earth.
             5:1 Adam.
             6:9 Noah.
             10:1 Noah's sons.
             11:10 Shem.
             11:27 Terah [the father of Abram (Abraham)].
             25:12 Ishmael.
             25:19 Isaac.
             36:1 Esau (This line about Esau is repeated in 36:9).
             37:2 Jacob (38).
             Genesis begins with the story of creation and is based largely on the oral traditions passed down over the years. Like most of the stories in Genesis, there is no precise date or accurate way of finding when the creation actually occurred. The most commonly accepted date is based on the genealogies in both Genesis and later parts of the Bible, and theologians have been able to estimate that the "creation of the world occurred in 4004 B.C." (Thompson, 11). This date, like all the dates of the stories in Genesis, is more of a guess than an actual fact. The creation story is a seven day story. On the first day God created light; on the second, the firmament of heaven; on the third, the separation between water and land, and the creation of plant life; on the fourth day the sun, moon, and stars; on the fifth day marine life and birds; on the sixth day land animals, and man. Finally on the seventh day, the Sabbath, God rested and pronounced that day holy. Many of the main themes of Genesis are derived from this story one of which causes this story to be considered one of the most important stories in Genesis. This particular theme establishes God as the sole Creator of the entire Universe. The story also focuses more on God than on what he creates. These two facts also serve to set Israel's creation story apart from the creation stories of other religions as most other religions focus on what is created and has multiple gods. Another important theme derived from this story is that mankind is the crowning achievement of creation as it is man who is created in God's own image.
             Following the story of creation is the story of Adam and Eve, the first two humans, in the Garden of Eden.