2:4 The one who says “I have come to know God” ¹  and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person. 2:5 But whoever obeys his ²  word, truly in this person ³  the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him. 2:6 The one who says he resides ⁴  in God ⁵  ought himself to walk ⁶  just as Jesus ⁷  walked.

2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. ⁸  The old commandment is the word that you have already ⁹  heard. 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him ¹⁰  and in you, because ¹¹  the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ¹²  2:9 The one who says he is in the light but still hates ¹³  his fellow Christian ¹⁴  is still in the darkness. 2:10 The one who loves his fellow Christian ¹⁵  resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹⁶  2:11 But the one who hates his fellow Christian ¹⁷  is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. ¹⁸ 

3:10 The man replied, ¹  “I heard you moving about ²  in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God ³  said, “Who told you that you were naked? ⁴  Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ⁵ 

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ¹  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ²  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ³  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ⁴ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ⁵  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁶  He returned ⁷  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁸  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ⁹  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ¹⁰ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ¹¹  with Abram, also had ¹²  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ¹³  not support them while they were living side by side. ¹⁴  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ¹⁵  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ¹⁶  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ¹⁷  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ¹⁸ 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. ¹⁹  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ²⁰  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ²¹  the whole region ²²  of the Jordan. He noticed ²³  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ²⁴  Sodom and Gomorrah) ²⁵  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ²⁶  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ²⁷  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ²⁸  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ²⁹  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ³⁰  the people ³¹  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ³² 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ³³  “Look ³⁴  from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants ³⁵  forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. ³⁶  13:17 Get up and ³⁷  walk throughout ³⁸  the land, ³⁹  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ⁴⁰  by the oaks ⁴¹  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

14:1 At that time ⁴²  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁴³  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁴⁴  14:2 went to war ⁴⁵  against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ⁴⁶  14:3 These last five kings ⁴⁷  joined forces ⁴⁸  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁴⁹  14:4 For twelve years ⁵⁰  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ⁵¹  they rebelled. ⁵²  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ⁵³  the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. ⁵⁴  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ⁵⁵  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met ⁵⁶  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ⁵⁷  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ⁵⁸  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ⁵⁹  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ⁶⁰  but some survivors ⁶¹  fled to the hills. ⁶²  14:11 The four victorious kings ⁶³  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ⁶⁴  Lot and his possessions when ⁶⁵  they left, for Lot ⁶⁶  was living in Sodom. ⁶⁷ 

14:13 A fugitive ⁶⁸  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ⁶⁹  Now Abram was living by the oaks ⁷⁰  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ⁷¹  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ⁷²  with Abram.) ⁷³  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ⁷⁴  had been taken captive, he mobilized ⁷⁵  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ⁷⁶  as far as Dan. ⁷⁷  14:15 Then, during the night, ⁷⁸  Abram ⁷⁹  divided his forces ⁸⁰  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁸¹  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ⁸²  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ⁸³  the people.

14:17 After Abram ⁸⁴  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ⁸⁵  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ⁸⁶  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ⁸⁷  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ⁸⁸  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ⁸⁹  the Most High God,

Creator ⁹⁰  of heaven and earth. ⁹¹ 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ⁹²  the Most High God,

who delivered ⁹³  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ⁹⁴  a tenth of everything.

14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand ⁹⁵  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ⁹⁶  14:23 that I will take nothing ⁹⁷  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ⁹⁸  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ⁹⁹  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ¹⁰⁰  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹⁰¹  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ¹⁰² 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹⁰³  what will you give me since ¹⁰⁴  I continue to be ¹⁰⁵  childless, and my heir ¹⁰⁶  is ¹⁰⁷  Eliezer of Damascus?” ¹⁰⁸  15:3 Abram added, ¹⁰⁹  “Since ¹¹⁰  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ¹¹¹ 

15:4 But look, ¹¹²  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ¹¹³  will not be your heir, ¹¹⁴  but instead ¹¹⁵  a son ¹¹⁶  who comes from your own body will be ¹¹⁷  your heir.” ¹¹⁸  15:5 The Lord ¹¹⁹  took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

15:6 Abram believed ¹²⁰  the Lord, and the Lord ¹²¹  considered his response of faith ¹²²  as proof of genuine loyalty. ¹²³ 

15:7 The Lord said ¹²⁴  to him, “I am the Lord ¹²⁵  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ¹²⁶  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ¹²⁷  Abram ¹²⁸  said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹²⁹  by what ¹³⁰  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ¹³¹  said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram ¹³²  took all these for him and then cut them in two ¹³³  and placed each half opposite the other, ¹³⁴  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, ¹³⁵  and great terror overwhelmed him. ¹³⁶  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ¹³⁷  that your descendants will be strangers ¹³⁸  in a foreign country. ¹³⁹  They will be enslaved and oppressed ¹⁴⁰  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ¹⁴¹  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ¹⁴²  you will go to your ancestors ¹⁴³  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁴⁴  15:16 In the fourth generation ¹⁴⁵  your descendants ¹⁴⁶  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ¹⁴⁷ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ¹⁴⁸  passed between the animal parts. ¹⁴⁹  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹⁵⁰  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ¹⁵¹  this land, from the river of Egypt ¹⁵²  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ¹⁵³  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ¹⁵⁴ 

16:1 Now Sarai, ¹⁵⁵  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ¹⁵⁶  but she had an Egyptian servant ¹⁵⁷  named Hagar. ¹⁵⁸  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ¹⁵⁹  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ¹⁶⁰  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ¹⁶¹  Abram did what ¹⁶²  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ¹⁶³  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ¹⁶⁴  to her husband to be his wife. ¹⁶⁵  16:4 He had sexual relations with ¹⁶⁶  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ¹⁶⁷  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ¹⁶⁸  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ¹⁶⁹  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ¹⁷⁰  but when she realized ¹⁷¹  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ¹⁷²  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ¹⁷³ 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ¹⁷⁴  servant is under your authority, ¹⁷⁵  do to her whatever you think best.” ¹⁷⁶  Then Sarai treated Hagar ¹⁷⁷  harshly, ¹⁷⁸  so she ran away from Sarai. ¹⁷⁹ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ¹⁸⁰  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ¹⁸¹  16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from ¹⁸²  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ¹⁸³  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ¹⁸⁴  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ¹⁸⁵  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ¹⁸⁶  pregnant

and are about to give birth ¹⁸⁷  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ¹⁸⁸ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ¹⁸⁹ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ¹⁹⁰  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ¹⁹¹ 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ¹⁹² 

He will live away from ¹⁹³  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ¹⁹⁴  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ¹⁹⁵  16:14 That is why the well was called ¹⁹⁶  Beer Lahai Roi. ¹⁹⁷  (It is located ¹⁹⁸  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ¹⁹⁹  16:16 (Now ²⁰⁰  Abram was 86 years old ²⁰¹  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ²⁰² 

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ²⁰³  the Lord appeared to him and said, ²⁰⁴  “I am the sovereign God. ²⁰⁵  Walk ²⁰⁶  before me ²⁰⁷  and be blameless. ²⁰⁸  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ²⁰⁹  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ²¹⁰ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ²¹¹  and God said to him, ²¹²  17:4 “As for me, ²¹³  this ²¹⁴  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ²¹⁵  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ²¹⁶  because I will make you ²¹⁷  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ²¹⁸  extremely ²¹⁹  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ²²⁰  17:7 I will confirm ²²¹  my covenant as a perpetual ²²²  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ²²³  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ²²⁴  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ²²⁵  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²²⁶  the covenantal requirement ²²⁷  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: ²²⁸  Every male among you must be circumcised. ²²⁹  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ²³⁰  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ²³¹  must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, ²³²  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ²³³  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ²³⁴  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ²³⁵  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ²³⁶  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ²³⁷ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ²³⁸  Sarah ²³⁹  will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. ²⁴⁰  Kings of countries ²⁴¹  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ²⁴²  as he said to himself, ²⁴³  “Can ²⁴⁴  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ²⁴⁵  Can Sarah ²⁴⁶  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁴⁷  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ²⁴⁸  Ishmael might live before you!” ²⁴⁹ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ²⁵⁰  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ²⁵¹  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ²⁵²  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ²⁵³  He will become the father of twelve princes; ²⁵⁴  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. ²⁵⁵ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ²⁵⁶  and circumcised them ²⁵⁷  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ²⁵⁸  when he was circumcised; ²⁵⁹  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ²⁶⁰  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ²⁶¹  by the oaks ²⁶²  of Mamre while ²⁶³  he was sitting at the entrance ²⁶⁴  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ²⁶⁵  looked up ²⁶⁶  and saw ²⁶⁷  three men standing across ²⁶⁸  from him. When he saw them ²⁶⁹  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ²⁷⁰  to the ground. ²⁷¹ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ²⁷²  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ²⁷³  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ²⁷⁴  you may all ²⁷⁵  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ²⁷⁶  a bit of food ²⁷⁷  so that you may refresh yourselves ²⁷⁸  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ²⁷⁹  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ²⁸⁰  three measures ²⁸¹  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²⁸²  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ²⁸³  who quickly prepared it. ²⁸⁴  18:8 Abraham ²⁸⁵  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ²⁸⁶  before them. They ate while ²⁸⁷  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ²⁸⁸  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ²⁸⁹  said, “I will surely return ²⁹⁰  to you when the season comes round again, ²⁹¹  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ²⁹²  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ²⁹³  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ²⁹⁴  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ²⁹⁵  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ²⁹⁶  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ²⁹⁷  especially when my husband is old too?” ²⁹⁸ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ²⁹⁹  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ³⁰⁰  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ³⁰¹  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ³⁰²  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ³⁰³ 

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ³⁰⁴  they looked out over ³⁰⁵  Sodom. (Now ³⁰⁶  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ³⁰⁷  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ³⁰⁸  18:18 After all, Abraham ³⁰⁹  will surely become ³¹⁰  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³¹¹  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ³¹²  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ³¹³  the way of the Lord by doing ³¹⁴  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ³¹⁵  to Abraham what he promised ³¹⁶  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ³¹⁷  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ³¹⁸  18:21 that I must go down ³¹⁹  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ³²⁰  If not, ³²¹  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ³²²  and headed ³²³  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ³²⁴  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 ³²⁵  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 ³²⁶  of the whole earth do what is right?” ³²⁷ 

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 ³²⁸  (although I am but dust and ashes), ³²⁹  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ³³⁰  the whole city because five are lacking?” ³³¹  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ³³²  spoke to him again, ³³³  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ³³⁴  said, “May the Lord not be angry ³³⁵  so that I may speak! ³³⁶  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ³³⁷  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 ³³⁸  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 ³³⁹  when he had finished speaking ³⁴⁰  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ³⁴¹ 

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ³⁴²  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ³⁴³  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 ³⁴⁴  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ³⁴⁵  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ³⁴⁶ 

19:3 But he urged ³⁴⁷  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, ³⁴⁸  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ³⁴⁹  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ³⁵⁰  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ³⁵¹  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! ³⁵²  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ³⁵³  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ³⁵⁴  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ³⁵⁵  of my roof.” ³⁵⁶ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ³⁵⁷  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ³⁵⁸  and now he dares to judge us! ³⁵⁹  We’ll do more harm ³⁶⁰  to you than to them!” They kept ³⁶¹  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ³⁶²  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ³⁶³  reached out ³⁶⁴  and pulled Lot back into the house ³⁶⁵  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, ³⁶⁶  with blindness. The men outside ³⁶⁷  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ³⁶⁸  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ³⁶⁹  Do you have ³⁷⁰  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ³⁷¹  Get them out of this ³⁷²  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ³⁷³  it. The outcry against this place ³⁷⁴  is so great before the Lord that he ³⁷⁵  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. ³⁷⁶  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ³⁷⁷  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ³⁷⁸ 

19:15 At dawn ³⁷⁹  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ³⁸⁰  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ³⁸¹  19:16 When Lot ³⁸²  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ³⁸³  They led them away and placed them ³⁸⁴  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ³⁸⁵  said, “Run ³⁸⁶  for your lives! Don’t look ³⁸⁷  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ³⁸⁸  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ³⁸⁹  19:19 Your ³⁹⁰  servant has found favor with you, ³⁹¹  and you have shown me great ³⁹²  kindness ³⁹³  by sparing ³⁹⁴  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ³⁹⁵  this disaster will overtake ³⁹⁶  me and I’ll die. ³⁹⁷  19:20 Look, this town ³⁹⁸  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ³⁹⁹  Let me go there. ⁴⁰⁰  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ⁴⁰¹  Then I’ll survive.” ⁴⁰² 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ⁴⁰³  “I will grant this request too ⁴⁰⁴  and will not overthrow ⁴⁰⁵  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ⁴⁰⁶  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ⁴⁰⁷ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ⁴⁰⁸  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ⁴⁰⁹  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ⁴¹⁰  sulfur and fire ⁴¹¹  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ⁴¹²  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ⁴¹³  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ⁴¹⁴  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ⁴¹⁵  wife looked back longingly ⁴¹⁶  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ⁴¹⁷  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ⁴¹⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ⁴¹⁹  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ⁴²⁰ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ⁴²¹  the cities of the region, ⁴²²  God honored ⁴²³  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ⁴²⁴  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ⁴²⁵  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 ⁴²⁶  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ⁴²⁷  to have sexual relations with us, ⁴²⁸  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ⁴²⁹  so we can have sexual relations ⁴³⁰  with him and preserve ⁴³¹  our family line through our father.” ⁴³² 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ⁴³³  and the older daughter ⁴³⁴  came and had sexual relations with her father. ⁴³⁵  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴³⁶  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ⁴³⁷  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ⁴³⁸  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ⁴³⁹  19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁴⁴⁰  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁴⁴¹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴⁴² 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ⁴⁴³  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ⁴⁴⁴  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. ⁴⁴⁵  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁴⁴⁶  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁴⁴⁷  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 ⁴⁴⁸  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ⁴⁴⁹  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁴⁵⁰ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ⁴⁵¹  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁴⁵²  20:5 Did Abraham ⁴⁵³  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ⁴⁵⁴  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ⁴⁵⁵  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. ⁴⁵⁶  That is why I have kept you ⁴⁵⁷  from sinning against me and why ⁴⁵⁸  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁴⁵⁹  he is a prophet ⁴⁶⁰  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ⁴⁶¹  But if you don’t give her back, ⁴⁶²  know that you will surely die ⁴⁶³  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ⁴⁶⁴  Abimelech summoned ⁴⁶⁵  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ⁴⁶⁶  they ⁴⁶⁷  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? ⁴⁶⁸  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁴⁶⁹  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ⁴⁷⁰  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ⁴⁷¹ 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ⁴⁷²  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ⁴⁷³  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ⁴⁷⁴  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 ⁴⁷⁵  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ⁴⁷⁶  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ⁴⁷⁷  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.” ⁴⁷⁸ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ⁴⁷⁹  to your ‘brother.’ ⁴⁸⁰  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ⁴⁸¹ 

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 ⁴⁸²  had caused infertility to strike every woman ⁴⁸³  in the household of Abimelech because he took ⁴⁸⁴  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

21:1 The Lord visited ⁴⁸⁵  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁴⁸⁶  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁴⁸⁷  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ⁴⁸⁸  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. ⁴⁸⁹  21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, ⁴⁹⁰  Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. ⁴⁹¹  21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) ⁴⁹² 

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ⁴⁹³  Everyone who hears about this ⁴⁹⁴  will laugh ⁴⁹⁵  with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, ⁴⁹⁶  “Who would ⁴⁹⁷  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 ⁴⁹⁸  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁴⁹⁹  21:9 But Sarah noticed ⁵⁰⁰  the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. ⁵⁰¹  21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ⁵⁰²  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. ⁵⁰³  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ⁵⁰⁴  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ⁵⁰⁵  all that Sarah is telling ⁵⁰⁶  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ⁵⁰⁷  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 ⁵⁰⁸  some food ⁵⁰⁹  and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, ⁵¹⁰  and sent her away. So she went wandering ⁵¹¹  aimlessly through the wilderness ⁵¹²  of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved ⁵¹³  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 ⁵¹⁴  away; for she thought, ⁵¹⁵  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ⁵¹⁶  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ⁵¹⁷ 

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ⁵¹⁸  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ⁵¹⁹  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ⁵²⁰  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. ⁵²¹  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. ⁵²²  His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ⁵²³ 

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ⁵²⁴  in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ⁵²⁵  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ⁵²⁶  Show me, and the land ⁵²⁷  where you are staying, ⁵²⁸  the same loyalty ⁵²⁹  that I have shown you.” ⁵³⁰ 

21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” ⁵³¹  21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ⁵³²  against Abimelech concerning a well ⁵³³  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ⁵³⁴  21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ⁵³⁵  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. ⁵³⁶  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 ⁵³⁷  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 ⁵³⁸  that I dug this well.” ⁵³⁹  21:31 That is why he named that place ⁵⁴⁰  Beer Sheba, ⁵⁴¹  because the two of them swore ⁵⁴²  an oath there.

21:32 So they made a treaty ⁵⁴³  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ⁵⁴⁴  to the land of the Philistines. ⁵⁴⁵  21:33 Abraham ⁵⁴⁶  planted a tamarisk tree ⁵⁴⁷  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, ⁵⁴⁸  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. ⁵⁴⁹ 

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁵⁵⁰  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁵⁵¹  replied. 22:2 God ⁵⁵²  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ⁵⁵³  – and go to the land of Moriah! ⁵⁵⁴  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ⁵⁵⁵  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ⁵⁵⁶  you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ⁵⁵⁷  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 ⁵⁵⁸  for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ⁵⁵⁹  the place in the distance. 22:5 So he ⁵⁶⁰  said to his servants, “You two stay ⁵⁶¹  here with the donkey while ⁵⁶²  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ⁵⁶³  and then return to you.” ⁵⁶⁴ 

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, ⁵⁶⁵  and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ⁵⁶⁶  “My father?” “What is it, ⁵⁶⁷  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ⁵⁶⁸  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide ⁵⁶⁹  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 ⁵⁷⁰  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ⁵⁷¹  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 ⁵⁷²  his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel ⁵⁷³  called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ⁵⁷⁴  the angel said. ⁵⁷⁵  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ⁵⁷⁶  that you fear ⁵⁷⁷  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up ⁵⁷⁸  and saw ⁵⁷⁹  behind him ⁵⁸⁰  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ⁵⁸¹  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.” ⁵⁸²  It is said to this day, ⁵⁸³  “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ⁵⁸⁴ 

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,’ ⁵⁸⁵  decrees the Lord, ⁵⁸⁶  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, ⁵⁸⁷  and I will greatly multiply ⁵⁸⁸  your descendants ⁵⁸⁹  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 ⁵⁹⁰  of the strongholds ⁵⁹¹  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ⁵⁹²  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁵⁹³  using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ⁵⁹⁴  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ⁵⁹⁵ 

22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah ⁵⁹⁶  also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ⁵⁹⁷  22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now ⁵⁹⁸  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. ⁵⁹⁹  23:2 Then she ⁶⁰⁰  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ⁶⁰¹ 

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife ⁶⁰²  and said to the sons of Heth, ⁶⁰³  23:4 “I am a temporary settler ⁶⁰⁴  among you. Grant ⁶⁰⁵  me ownership ⁶⁰⁶  of a burial site among you so that I may ⁶⁰⁷  bury my dead.” ⁶⁰⁸ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ⁶⁰⁹  23:6 “Listen, sir, ⁶¹⁰  you are a mighty prince ⁶¹¹  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ⁶¹²  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ⁶¹³  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ⁶¹⁴  that I may bury my dead, ⁶¹⁵  then hear me out. ⁶¹⁶  Ask ⁶¹⁷  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell ⁶¹⁸  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly ⁶¹⁹  for the full price, ⁶²⁰  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ⁶²¹  replied to Abraham in the hearing ⁶²²  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ⁶²³  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell ⁶²⁴  you both the field and the cave that is in it. ⁶²⁵  In the presence of my people ⁶²⁶  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 ⁶²⁷  to you the price ⁶²⁸  of the field. Take it from me so that I may ⁶²⁹  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ⁶³⁰  400 pieces of silver, ⁶³¹  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ⁶³²  and weighed ⁶³³  out for him ⁶³⁴  the price ⁶³⁵  that Ephron had quoted ⁶³⁶  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ⁶³⁷ 

23:17 So Abraham secured ⁶³⁸  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. ⁶³⁹ 

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 ⁶⁴⁰  from the sons of Heth.

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ⁶⁴¹  and the Lord had blessed him ⁶⁴²  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ⁶⁴³  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ⁶⁴⁴  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ⁶⁴⁵  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ⁶⁴⁶  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 ⁶⁴⁷  to find ⁶⁴⁸  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ⁶⁴⁹  to this land? Must I then ⁶⁵⁰  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ⁶⁵¹  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ⁶⁵²  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ⁶⁵³  promised me with a solemn oath, ⁶⁵⁴  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ⁶⁵⁵  before you so that you may find ⁶⁵⁶  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ⁶⁵⁷  you will be free ⁶⁵⁸  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. ⁶⁵⁹ 

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. ⁶⁶⁰  He journeyed ⁶⁶¹  to the region of Aram Naharaim ⁶⁶²  and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ⁶⁶³  outside the city. It was evening, ⁶⁶⁴  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. ⁶⁶⁵  Be faithful ⁶⁶⁶  to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, ⁶⁶⁷  and the daughters of the people ⁶⁶⁸  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.’ ⁶⁶⁹  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ⁶⁷⁰ 

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ⁶⁷¹  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). ⁶⁷²  24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ⁶⁷³  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant ⁶⁷⁴  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 ⁶⁷⁵  her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, ⁶⁷⁶  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied ⁶⁷⁷  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 ⁶⁷⁸  if the Lord had made his journey successful ⁶⁷⁹  or not.

24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka ⁶⁸⁰  and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels ⁶⁸¹  and gave them to her. ⁶⁸²  24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. ⁶⁸³  “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. ⁶⁸⁴  24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, ⁶⁸⁵  “and room for you ⁶⁸⁶  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 ⁶⁸⁷  for my master! The Lord has led me ⁶⁸⁸  to the house ⁶⁸⁹  of my master’s relatives!” ⁶⁹⁰ 

24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about ⁶⁹¹  these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ⁶⁹²  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 ⁶⁹³  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ⁶⁹⁴  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ⁶⁹⁵  by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, ⁶⁹⁶  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ⁶⁹⁷  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ⁶⁹⁸  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ⁶⁹⁹  went to the house and unloaded ⁷⁰⁰  the camels. Straw and feed were given ⁷⁰¹  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ⁷⁰²  24:33 When food was served, ⁷⁰³  he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” ⁷⁰⁴  “Tell us,” Laban said. ⁷⁰⁵ 

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. ⁷⁰⁶  The Lord ⁷⁰⁷  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 ⁷⁰⁸  when she was old, ⁷⁰⁹  and my master ⁷¹⁰  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 ⁷¹¹  a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ⁷¹²  with me?’ ⁷¹³  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ⁷¹⁴  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 ⁷¹⁵  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, ⁷¹⁶  may events unfold as follows: ⁷¹⁷  24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. ⁷¹⁸  When ⁷¹⁹  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, ⁷²⁰  along came Rebekah ⁷²¹  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.’ ⁷²²  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 ⁷²³  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.” ⁷²⁴ 

24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. ⁷²⁵  Our wishes are of no concern. ⁷²⁶  24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ⁷²⁷  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ⁷²⁸ 

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he ⁷²⁹  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. ⁷³⁰ 

When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” ⁷³¹  24:55 But Rebekah’s ⁷³²  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 ⁷³³  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ⁷³⁴  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ⁷³⁵  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ⁷³⁶  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: ⁷³⁷ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁷³⁸  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁷³⁹  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ⁷⁴⁰  the man. So Abraham’s servant ⁷⁴¹  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ⁷⁴²  Isaac came from ⁷⁴³  Beer Lahai Roi, ⁷⁴⁴  for ⁷⁴⁵  he was living in the Negev. ⁷⁴⁶  24:63 He ⁷⁴⁷  went out to relax ⁷⁴⁸  in the field in the early evening. ⁷⁴⁹  Then he looked up ⁷⁵⁰  and saw that ⁷⁵¹  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ⁷⁵²  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ⁷⁵³  Abraham’s servant, ⁷⁵⁴  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ⁷⁵⁵  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ⁷⁵⁶  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ⁷⁵⁷  as his wife and loved her. ⁷⁵⁸  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ⁷⁵⁹ 

4:7 Is it not true ¹  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? ²  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching ³  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” ⁴ 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” ⁵  While they were in the field, Cain attacked ⁶  his brother ⁷  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ⁸  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ⁹  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? ¹⁰  The voice ¹¹  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished ¹²  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.