This volume investigates the plots of the Genesis stories. Rather than fragmenting Genesis into hypothetical sources and reading each in isolation from the others, as has often been the case in scholarship, this final-form reading exposes the coherence and complexity of the book. In particular, the initial ""announcements of plot"", prefacing each major block of the book are shown to exercise an intimate yet surprising influence over the narratives they govern. The seemingly naive stories of Genesis, when read wholistically, offer profound insights into the interplay between divine providence and human free will.