18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 1 by the oaks 2 of Mamre while 3 he was sitting at the entrance 4 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 5 looked up 6 and saw 7 three men standing across 8 from him. When he saw them 9 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 10 to the ground. 11
18:3 He said, “My lord, 12 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 13 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 14 you may all 15 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 16 a bit of food 17 so that you may refresh yourselves 18 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 19 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 20 three measures 21 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 22 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 23 who quickly prepared it. 24 18:8 Abraham 25 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 26 before them. They ate while 27 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 28 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 29 said, “I will surely return 30 to you when the season comes round again, 31 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 32 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 33 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 34 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 35 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 36 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 37 especially when my husband is old too?” 38
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 39 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 40 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 41 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 42 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 43
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 44 they looked out over 45 Sodom. (Now 46 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 47 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 48 18:18 After all, Abraham 49 will surely become 50 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 51 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 52 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 53 the way of the Lord by doing 54 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 55 to Abraham what he promised 56 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 57 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 58 18:21 that I must go down 59 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 60 If not, 61 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 62 and headed 63 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 64 18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 65 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 66 of the whole earth do what is right?” 67
18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord 68 (although I am but dust and ashes), 69 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 70 the whole city because five are lacking?” 71 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 72 spoke to him again, 73 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 74 said, “May the Lord not be angry 75 so that I may speak! 76 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 77 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 78 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 79 when he had finished speaking 80 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 81
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 82 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 83 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 84 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 85 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 86
19:3 But he urged 87 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 88 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 89 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 90 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 91 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 92 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 93 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 94 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 95 of my roof.” 96
19:9 “Out of our way!” 97 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 98 and now he dares to judge us! 99 We’ll do more harm 100 to you than to them!” They kept 101 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 102 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 103 reached out 104 and pulled Lot back into the house 105 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 106 with blindness. The men outside 107 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 108 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 109 Do you have 110 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 111 Get them out of this 112 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 113 it. The outcry against this place 114 is so great before the Lord that he 115 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 116 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 117 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 118
19:15 At dawn 119 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 120 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 121 19:16 When Lot 122 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 123 They led them away and placed them 124 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 125 said, “Run 126 for your lives! Don’t look 127 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 128 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 129 19:19 Your 130 servant has found favor with you, 131 and you have shown me great 132 kindness 133 by sparing 134 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 135 this disaster will overtake 136 me and I’ll die. 137 19:20 Look, this town 138 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 139 Let me go there. 140 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 141 Then I’ll survive.” 142
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 143 “I will grant this request too 144 and will not overthrow 145 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 146 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 147
19:23 The sun had just risen 148 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 149 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 150 sulfur and fire 151 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 152 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 153 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 154 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 155 wife looked back longingly 156 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 157 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 158 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 159 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 160
19:29 So when God destroyed 161 the cities of the region, 162 God honored 163 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 164 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 165 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 166 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 167 to have sexual relations with us, 168 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 169 so we can have sexual relations 170 with him and preserve 171 our family line through our father.” 172
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 173 and the older daughter 174 came and had sexual relations with her father. 175 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 176 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 177 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 178 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 179 19:35 So they made their father drunk 180 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 181 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 182
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 183 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 184 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 185 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 186 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 187 in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God appeared 188 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 189 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 190
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 191 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 192 20:5 Did Abraham 193 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 194 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 195 and with innocent hands!”
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 196 That is why I have kept you 197 from sinning against me and why 198 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 199 he is a prophet 200 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 201 But if you don’t give her back, 202 know that you will surely die 203 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 204 Abimelech summoned 205 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 206 they 207 were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? 208 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 209 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 210 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 211
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 212 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 213 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 214 she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander 215 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 216 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 217 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” 218
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 219 to your ‘brother.’ 220 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 221
20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord 222 had caused infertility to strike every woman 223 in the household of Abimelech because he took 224 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 225 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 226 for Sarah what he had promised. 227 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 228 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 229 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 230 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 231 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 232
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 233 Everyone who hears about this 234 will laugh 235 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 236 “Who would 237 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 238 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 239 21:9 But Sarah noticed 240 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 241 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 242 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 243 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 244 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 245 all that Sarah is telling 246 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 247 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 248 some food 249 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 250 and sent her away. So she went wandering 251 aimlessly through the wilderness 252 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 253 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 254 away; for she thought, 255 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 256 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 257
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 258 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 259 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 260 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 261 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 262 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 263
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 264 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 265 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 266 Show me, and the land 267 where you are staying, 268 the same loyalty 269 that I have shown you.” 270
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 271 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 272 against Abimelech concerning a well 273 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 274 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 275 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 276 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 277 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 278 that I dug this well.” 279 21:31 That is why he named that place 280 Beer Sheba, 281 because the two of them swore 282 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 283 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 284 to the land of the Philistines. 285 21:33 Abraham 286 planted a tamarisk tree 287 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 288 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 289
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 290 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 291 replied. 22:2 God 292 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 293 – and go to the land of Moriah! 294 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 295 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 296 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 297 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 298 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 299 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 300 said to his servants, “You two stay 301 here with the donkey while 302 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 303 and then return to you.” 304
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 305 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 306 “My father?” “What is it, 307 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 308 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 309 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 310 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 311 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 312 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 313 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 314 the angel said. 315 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 316 that you fear 317 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 318 and saw 319 behind him 320 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 321 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 322 It is said to this day, 323 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 324
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 325 decrees the Lord, 326 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 327 and I will greatly multiply 328 your descendants 329 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 330 of the strongholds 331 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 332 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 333 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 334 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 335
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 336 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 337 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 338 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 339 23:2 Then she 340 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 341
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 342 and said to the sons of Heth, 343 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 344 among you. Grant 345 me ownership 346 of a burial site among you so that I may 347 bury my dead.” 348
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 349 23:6 “Listen, sir, 350 you are a mighty prince 351 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 352 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 353 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 354 that I may bury my dead, 355 then hear me out. 356 Ask 357 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 358 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 359 for the full price, 360 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 361 replied to Abraham in the hearing 362 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 363 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 364 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 365 In the presence of my people 366 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 367 to you the price 368 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 369 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 370 400 pieces of silver, 371 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 372 and weighed 373 out for him 374 the price 375 that Ephron had quoted 376 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 377
23:17 So Abraham secured 378 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 379
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 380 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 381 and the Lord had blessed him 382 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 383 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 384 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 385 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 386 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 387 to find 388 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 389 to this land? Must I then 390 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 391 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 392 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 393 promised me with a solemn oath, 394 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 395 before you so that you may find 396 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 397 you will be free 398 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 399
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 400 He journeyed 401 to the region of Aram Naharaim 402 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 403 outside the city. It was evening, 404 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 405 Be faithful 406 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 407 and the daughters of the people 408 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 409 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 410
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 411 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 412 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 413 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 414 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 415 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 416 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 417 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 418 if the Lord had made his journey successful 419 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 420 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 421 and gave them to her. 422 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 423 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 424 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 425 “and room for you 426 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 427 for my master! The Lord has led me 428 to the house 429 of my master’s relatives!” 430
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 431 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 432 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 433 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 434 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 435 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 436 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 437 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 438 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 439 went to the house and unloaded 440 the camels. Straw and feed were given 441 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 442 24:33 When food was served, 443 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 444 “Tell us,” Laban said. 445
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 446 The Lord 447 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 448 when she was old, 449 and my master 450 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 451 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 452 with me?’ 453 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 454 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 455 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 456 may events unfold as follows: 457 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 458 When 459 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 460 along came Rebekah 461 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 462 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 463 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 464
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 465 Our wishes are of no concern. 466 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 467 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 468
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 469 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 470
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 471 24:55 But Rebekah’s 472 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 473 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 474 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 475 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 476 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 477
“Our sister, may you become the mother 478 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 479 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 480 the man. So Abraham’s servant 481 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 482 Isaac came from 483 Beer Lahai Roi, 484 for 485 he was living in the Negev. 486 24:63 He 487 went out to relax 488 in the field in the early evening. 489 Then he looked up 490 and saw that 491 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 492 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 493 Abraham’s servant, 494 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 495 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 496 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 497 as his wife and loved her. 498 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 499
25:1 Abraham had taken 500 another 501 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 502 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 503 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 504 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 505
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 506 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 507 He joined his ancestors. 508 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 509 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 510 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 511 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 512
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 513 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 514 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 515 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 516 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 517 25:18 His descendants 518 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 519 to Egypt all the way 520 to Asshur. 521 They settled 522 away from all their relatives. 523
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 524 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 525 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 526
25:21 Isaac prayed to 527 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 528 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 529 So she asked the Lord, 530 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 531 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 532 there were 533 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 534 all over, 535 like a hairy 536 garment, so they named him Esau. 537 25:26 When his brother came out with 538 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 539 Isaac was sixty years old 540 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 541 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 542 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 543 but Rebekah loved 544 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 545 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 546 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 547 Edom.) 548
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 549 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 550 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 551 So Esau 552 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 553 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 554 So Esau despised his birthright. 555
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 556 in the days of Abraham. 557 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 558 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 559 26:3 Stay 560 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 561 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 562 and I will fulfill 563 the solemn promise I made 564 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 565 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 566 26:5 All this will come to pass 567 because Abraham obeyed me 568 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 569 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 570 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 571 “The men of this place will kill me to get 572 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 573 had been there a long time, 574 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 575 Isaac caressing 576 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 577 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 578
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 579 One of the men 580 might easily have had sexual relations with 581 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 582 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 583
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 584 because the Lord blessed him. 585 26:13 The man became wealthy. 586 His influence continued to grow 587 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 588 so many sheep 589 and cattle 590 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 591 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 592 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 593 for you have become much more powerful 594 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 595 26:18 Isaac reopened 596 the wells that had been dug 597 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 598 after Abraham died. Isaac 599 gave these wells 600 the same names his father had given them. 601
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 602 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 603 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 604 named the well 605 Esek 606 because they argued with him about it. 607 26:21 His servants 608 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 609 Sitnah. 610 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 611 named it 612 Rehoboth, 613 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 614 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 615 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 616
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 617 to him from Gerar along with 618 Ahuzzah his friend 619 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 620 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 621 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 622 a pact between us 623 – between us 624 and you. Allow us to make 625 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 626 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 627 you, but have always treated you well 628 before sending you away 629 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 630
26:30 So Isaac 631 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 632 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 633 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 634
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 635 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 636 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 637 to this day.
26:34 When 638 Esau was forty years old, 639 he married 640 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 641
27:1 When 642 Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, 643 he called his older 644 son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau 645 replied. 27:2 Isaac 646 said, “Since 647 I am so old, I could die at any time. 648 27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game 649 for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then 650 I will eat it so that I may bless you 651 before I die.”
27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 652 When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 653 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 27:7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat 654 it and bless you 655 in the presence of the Lord 656 before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do 657 exactly what I tell you! 658 27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare 659 them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take 660 it to your father. Thus he will eat it 661 and 662 bless you before he dies.”
27:11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 663 27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him 664 and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 27:13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, 665 my son! Just obey me! 666 Go and get them for me!”
27:14 So he went and got the goats 667 and brought them to his mother. She 668 prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 27:15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 27:16 She put the skins of the young goats 669 on his hands 670 and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed 671 the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
27:18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac 672 replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” 673 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up 674 and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” 675 27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world 676 did you find it so quickly, 677 my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” 678 he replied. 679 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, 680 my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” 681 27:22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 682 27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob 683 replied. 27:25 Isaac 684 said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. 685 Then I will bless you.” 686 So Jacob 687 brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac 688 drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob 689 went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent 690 of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,
“Yes, 691 my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
27:28 May God give you
the dew of the sky 692
and the richness 693 of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
27:29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be 694 lord 695 over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. 696
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
27:30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left 697 his father’s 698 presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 699 27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau 700 said to him, “My father, get up 701 and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 702 27:32 His father Isaac asked, 703 “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” 704 he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently 705 and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. 706 He will indeed be blessed!”
27:34 When Esau heard 707 his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. 708 He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac 709 replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away 710 your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! 711 He has tripped me up 712 two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
27:37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” 713 Then Esau wept loudly. 714
27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, 715 your home will be
away from the richness 716 of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
27:40 You will live by your sword
but you will serve your brother.
When you grow restless,
you will tear off his yoke
from your neck.” 717
27:41 So Esau hated 718 Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. 719 Esau said privately, 720 “The time 721 of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill 722 my brother Jacob!”
27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, 723 she quickly summoned 724 her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 725 27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. 726 Run away immediately 727 to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while 728 until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there 729 until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. 730 Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 731
27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed 732 because of these daughters of Heth. 733 If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” 734
28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 735 28:2 Leave immediately 736 for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God 737 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 738 Then you will become 739 a large nation. 740 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 741 so that you may possess the land 742 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 743 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 744 As he blessed him, 745 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 746 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 747 that the Canaanite women 748 were displeasing to 749 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 750 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 751 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 752 He took one of the stones 753 and placed it near his head. 754 Then he fell asleep 755 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 756 He saw 757 a stairway 758 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 759 I will give you and your descendants the ground 760 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 761 and you will spread out 762 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 763 using your name and that of your descendants. 764 28:15 I am with you! 765 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 766 and thought, 767 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 768 in the morning Jacob 769 took the stone he had placed near his head 770 and set it up as a sacred stone. 771 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 772 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 773 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 774 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 775 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 776 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 777
1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: 778 plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, 779 and 780 trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so.
63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,
of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.
I will tell about all 781 the Lord did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel, 782
because of 783 his compassion and great faithfulness.
63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,
children who are not disloyal.” 784
He became their deliverer.
63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. 785
The messenger sent from his very presence 786 delivered them.
In his love and mercy he protected 787 them;
he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. 788
12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased 789 to give you the kingdom.