after seeing him?"
016:014 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi.{Beer Lahai Roi
means "well of the one who lives and sees me."} Behold,
it is between Kadesh and Bered.
016:015 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son,
whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
016:016 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
017:001 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram,
and said to him, "I am God Almighty. Walk before me,
and be blameless.
017:002 I will make my covenant between me and you, and will
multiply you exceedingly."
017:003 Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
017:004 "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be
the father of a multitude of nations.
017:005 Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your
name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a
multitude of nations.
017:006 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you.
Kings will come out of you.
017:007 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed
after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant,
to be a God to you and to your seed after you.
017:008 I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land
where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession. I will be their God."
017:009 God said to Abraham, "As for you, you will keep my covenant,
you and your seed after you throughout their generations.
017:010 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me
and you and your seed after you. Every male among you
shall be circumcised.
017:011 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin.
It will be a token of the covenant between me and you.
017:012 He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you,
every male throughout your generations, he who is born
in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is
not of your seed.
017:013 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money,
must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh
for an everlasting covenant.
017:014 The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh
of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
He has broken my covenant."
017:015 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not
call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah.
017:016 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her.
Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations.
Kings of peoples will come from her."
017:017 Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart,
"Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old?
Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"
017:018 Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"
017:019 God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son.
You shall call his name Isaac.{Isaac means "he laughs."} I
will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant
for his seed after him.
017:020 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him,
and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly.
He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make
him a great nation.
017:021 But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear
to you at this set time next year."
017:022 When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
017:023 Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house,
and all who were bought with his money; every male among
the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their
foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.
017:024 Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin.
017:025 Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin.
017:026 In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.
017:027 All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those
bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
018:001 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat
in the tent door in the heat of the day.
018:002 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men
stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them
from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,
018:003 and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight,
please don't go away from your servant.
018:004 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree.
018:005 I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart.
After that you may go your way, now that you have come to
your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."
018:006 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly make
ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."
018:007 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf,
and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.
018:008 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed,
and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree,
and they ate.
018:009 They said to him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?
He said, "See, in the tent."
018:010 He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season
comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son."
Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
018:011 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age.
It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
018:012 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old
will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
018:013 Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I
really bear a child, yet I am old?'
018:014 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return
to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."
018:015 Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid.
He said, "No, but you did laugh."
018:016 The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom.
Abraham went with them to see them on their way.
018:017 Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
018:018 seeing that Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
018:019 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his
children and his household after him, that they may keep
the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice;
to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has
spoken of him."
018:020 Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great,
and because their sin is very grievous,
018:021 I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad
as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."
018:022 The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham
stood yet before Yahweh.
018:023 Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous
with the wicked?
018:024 What if there are fifty righteous within the city?
Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous who are in it?
018:025 Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous
with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked.
May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all
the earth do right?"
018:026 Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city,
then I will spare all the place for their sake."
018:027 Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak
to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.
018:028 What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous?
Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said,
"I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."
018:029 He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty
found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."
018:030 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak.
What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not
do it, if I find thirty there."
018:031 He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord.
What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not
destroy it for the twenty's sake."
018:032 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will
speak just once more. What if ten are found there?"
He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."
018:033 Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing
with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
019:001 The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate
of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them.
He bowed himself with his face to the earth,
019:002 and he said, "See now, my lords, please turn aside into
your servant's house, stay all night, wash your feet,
and you will rise up early, and go on your way."
They said, "No, but we will stay in the street all night."
019:003 He urged them greatly, and they came in with him, and entered
into his house. He made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread,
and they ate.
019:004 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom,
surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people
from every quarter.
019:005 They called to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men
who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us,
that we may have sex with them."
019:006 Lot went out to them to the door, and shut the door after him.
019:007 He said, "Please, my brothers, don't act so wickedly.
019:008 See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them
out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you.
Only don't do anything to these men, because they have come
under the shadow of my roof."
019:009 They said, "Stand back!" They said, "This one fellow came
in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge.
Now will we deal worse with you, than with them!"
They pressed hard on the man Lot, and drew near to break the door.
019:010 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house
to them, and shut the door.
019:011 They struck the men who were at the door of the house
with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied
themselves to find the door.
019:012 The men said to Lot, "Do you have anybody else here?
Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whoever you
have in the city, bring them out of the place:
019:013 for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against
them has grown great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent us
to destroy it."
019:014 Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were
pledged to marry his daughters, and said, "Get up!
Get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city."
But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.
019:015 When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, "Get up!
Take your wife, and your two daughters who are here,
lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
019:016 But he lingered; and the men grabbed his hand, his wife's hand,
and his two daughters' hands, Yahweh being merciful to him;
and they took him out, and set him outside of the city.
019:017 It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said,
"Escape for your life! Don't look behind you, and don't
stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains,
lest you be consumed!"
019:018 Lot said to them, "Oh, not so, my lord.
019:019 See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you
have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown
to me in saving my life. I can't escape to the mountain,
lest evil overtake me, and I die.
019:020 See now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one.
Oh let me escape there (isn't it a little one?), and my
soul will live."
019:021 He said to him, "Behold, I have granted your request concerning
this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which
you have spoken.
019:022 Hurry, escape there, for I can't do anything until you get there."
Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.{Zoar means "little."}
019:023 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
019:024 Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire
from Yahweh out of the sky.
019:025 He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants
of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
019:026 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became
a pillar of salt.
019:027 Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had
stood before Yahweh.
019:028 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land
of the plain, and looked, and saw that the smoke of the land
went up as the smoke of a furnace.
019:029 It happened, when God destroyed the cities of the plain,
that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle
of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
019:030 Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his
two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar.
He lived in a cave with his two daughters.
019:031 The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old,
and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after
the manner of all the earth.
019:032 Come, let's make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him,
that we may preserve our father's seed."
019:033 They made their father drink wine that night:
and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father.
He didn't know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
019:034 It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said
to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father.
Let us make him drink wine again, tonight. You go in,
and lie with him, that we may preserve our father's seed."
019:035 They made their father drink wine that night also.
The younger went and lay with him. He didn't know when she
lay down, nor when she got up.
019:036 Thus both of Lot's daughters were with child by their father.
019:037 The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. He is the father
of the Moabites to this day.
019:038 The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi.
He is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.
020:001 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived
between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar.
020:002 Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister."
Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
020:003 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said
to him, "Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman
whom you have taken. For she is a man's wife."
020:004 Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will you
kill even a righteous nation?
020:005 Didn't he tell me, 'She is my sister?' She, even she herself,
said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart
and the innocence of my hands have I done this."
020:006 God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity
of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you
from sinning against me. Therefore I didn't allow you
to touch her.
020:007 Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet,
and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't
restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all
who are yours."
020:008 Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all
his servants, and told all these things in their ear.
The men were very scared.
020:009 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him,
"What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you,
that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?
You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!"
020:010 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you have
done this thing?"
020:011 Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely the fear of God is
not in this place. They will kill me for my wife's sake.'
020:012 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father,
but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
020:013 It happened, when God caused me to wander from my father's house,
that I said to her, 'This is your kindness which you shall show
to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"
020:014 Abimelech took sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants,
and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him.
020:015 Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you.
Dwell where it pleases you."
020:016 To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand
pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes
to all that are with you. In front of all you are vindicated."
020:017 Abraham prayed to God. God healed Abimelech, and his wife,
and his female servants, and they bore children.
020:018 For Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house
of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
021:001 Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah
as he had spoken.
021:002 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age,
at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
021:003 Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore
to him, Isaac.{Isaac means "He laughs."}
021:004 Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old,
as God had commanded him.
021:005 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac,
was born to him.
021:006 Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will
laugh with me."
021:007 She said, "Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah would
nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age."
021:008 The child grew, and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast
on the day that Isaac was weaned.
021:009 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne
to Abraham, mocking.
021:010 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this handmaid and her son!
For the son of this handmaid will not be heir with my son, Isaac."
021:011 The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account
of his son.
021:012 God said to Abraham, "Don't let it be grievous in your
sight because of the boy, and because of your handmaid.
In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice.
For from Isaac will your seed be called.
021:013 I will also make a nation of the son of the handmaid,
because he is your seed."
021:014 Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle
of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder;
and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed,
and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
021:015 The water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child
under one of the shrubs.
021:016 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow
shot away. For she said, "Don't let me see the death of the child."
She sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
021:017 God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called
to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, "What ails
you, Hagar? Don't be afraid. For God has heard the voice
of the boy where he is.
021:018 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your hand.
For I will make him a great nation."
021:019 God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went,
filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink.
021:020 God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness,
and became, as he grew up, an archer.
021:021 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took a wife
for him out of the land of Egypt.
021:022 It happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain
of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all
that you do.
021:023 Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal
falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son.
But according to the kindness that I have done to you,
you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived
as a foreigner."
021:024 Abraham said, "I will swear."
021:025 Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well,
which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
021:026 Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this thing.
Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today."
021:027 Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech.
Those two made a covenant.
021:028 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
021:029 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs
which you have set by themselves mean?"
021:030 He said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand,
that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well."
021:031 Therefore he called that place Beersheba,{Beersheba can
mean "well of the oath" or "well of seven."} because they
both swore there.
021:032 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up
with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned
into the land of the Philistines.
021:033 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there
on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.
021:034 Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines
many days.
022:001 It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham,
and said to him, "Abraham!" He said, "Here I am."
022:002 He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love,
even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there
for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will
tell you of."
022:003 Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son.
He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up,
and went to the place of which God had told him.
022:004 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw
the place far off.
022:005 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey.
The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come
back to you."
022:006 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on
Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife.
They both went together.
022:007 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father?"
He said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "Here is the fire
and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
022:008 Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering,
my son." So they both went together.
022:009 They came to the place which God had told him of.
Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order,
bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.
022:010 Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to
kill his son.
022:011 The angel of Yahweh called to him out of the sky, and said,
"Abraham, Abraham!" He said, "Here I am."
022:012 He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from me."
022:013 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind
him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.
Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt
offering instead of his son.
022:014 Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide{or,
Yahweh-Jireh, or, Yahweh-Seeing}. As it is said to this day,
"On Yahweh's mountain, it will be provided."
022:015 The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out
of the sky,
022:016 and said, "I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you
have done this thing, and have not withheld your son,
your only son,
022:017 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed
greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand
which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate
of his enemies.
022:018 In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice."
022:019 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went
together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
022:020 It happened after these things, that it was told Abraham,
saying, "Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to
your brother Nahor:
022:021 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
022:022 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
022:023 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore
to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
022:024 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore
Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
023:001 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length
of Sarah's life.
023:002 Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), in the land
of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
023:003 Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children
of Heth, saying,
023:004 "I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you.
Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I
may bury my dead out of my sight."
023:005 The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
023:006 "Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us.
Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will