20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 1 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 2 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 3 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 4 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 5
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 6 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 7 20:5 Did Abraham 8 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 9 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 10 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. 11 That is why I have kept you 12 from sinning against me and why 13 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 14 he is a prophet 15 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 16 But if you don’t give her back, 17 know that you will surely die 18 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 19 Abimelech summoned 20 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 21 they 22 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? 23 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 24 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 25 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 26
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 27 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 28 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 29 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 30 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 31 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 32 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.” 33
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 34 to your ‘brother.’ 35 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 36
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 37 had caused infertility to strike every woman 38 in the household of Abimelech because he took 39 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
12:1 Now the Lord said 40 to Abram, 41
“Go out 42 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 43
12:2 Then I will make you 44 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 45
and I will make your name great, 46
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 47
2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; 48
I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. 49
So all my accomplishments gave me joy; 50
this was my reward for all my effort. 51
2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished 52
and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, 53
I concluded: 54 “All these 55 achievements and possessions 56 are ultimately 57 profitless 58 –
like chasing the wind!
There is nothing gained 59 from them 60 on earth.” 61
2:12 Next, I decided to consider 62 wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. 63
For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king 64 has already done?
2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, 65
just as light is preferable to darkness:
2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, 66 but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also realized that the same fate 67 happens to them both. 68
2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! 69
Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively 70 wise?” 71
So I lamented to myself, 72
“The benefits of wisdom 73 are ultimately 74 meaningless!”
2:16 For the wise man, like 75 the fool, will not be remembered for very long, 76
because 77 in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. 78
Alas, 79 the wise man dies – just like 80 the fool!
2:17 So I loathed 81 life 82 because what
happens 83 on earth 84 seems awful to me;
for all the benefits of wisdom 85 are futile – like chasing the wind.
2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of 86 my effort, 87
for which I worked so hard 88 on earth, 89
because 90 I must leave it 91 behind 92 in the hands of my successor. 93
1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, 115 even prophesied of them, 116 saying, “Look! The Lord is coming 117 with thousands and thousands 118 of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on 119 all, and to convict every person 120 of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds 121 that they have committed, 122 and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 123 1:16 These people are grumblers and 124 fault-finders who go 125 wherever their desires lead them, 126 and they give bombastic speeches, 127 enchanting folks 128 for their own gain. 129
1:17 But you, dear friends – recall the predictions 130 foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 131 1:18 For they said to you, “In the end time there will come 132 scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires.” 133 1:19 These people are divisive, 134 worldly, 135 devoid of the Spirit. 136