12:1 Now the Lord said ¹  to Abram, ² 

“Go out ³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁴ 

12:2 Then I will make you ⁵  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ⁶ 

and I will make your name great, ⁷ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ⁸ 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ¹⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ¹¹  by your name.”

12:4 So Abram left, ¹²  just as the Lord had told him to do, ¹³  and Lot went with him. (Now ¹⁴  Abram was 75 years old ¹⁵  when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew ¹⁶  Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired ¹⁷  in Haran, and they left for ¹⁸  the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ¹⁹  of Moreh ²⁰  at Shechem. ²¹  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ²²  12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants ²³  I will give this land.” So Abram ²⁴  built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ²⁵  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ²⁶  12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages ²⁷  down to the Negev. ²⁸ 

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ²⁹  to stay for a while ³⁰  because the famine was severe. ³¹  12:11 As he approached ³²  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, ³³  I know that you are a beautiful woman. ³⁴  12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. ³⁵  12:13 So tell them ³⁶  you are my sister ³⁷  so that it may go well ³⁸  for me because of you and my life will be spared ³⁹  on account of you.”

12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife ⁴⁰  was taken ⁴¹  into the household of Pharaoh, ⁴²  12:16 and he did treat Abram well ⁴³  on account of her. Abram received ⁴⁴  sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases ⁴⁵  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this ⁴⁶  you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her ⁴⁷  to be my wife? ⁴⁸  Here is your wife! ⁴⁹  Take her and go!” ⁵⁰  12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, ⁵¹  and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ⁵²  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ⁵³  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ⁵⁴  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ⁵⁵ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ⁵⁶  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁵⁷  He returned ⁵⁸  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁵⁹  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ⁶⁰  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ⁶¹ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ⁶²  with Abram, also had ⁶³  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ⁶⁴  not support them while they were living side by side. ⁶⁵  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ⁶⁶  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ⁶⁷  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ⁶⁸  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ⁶⁹ 

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. ⁷⁰  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ⁷¹  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 ⁷²  the whole region ⁷³  of the Jordan. He noticed ⁷⁴  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ⁷⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah) ⁷⁶  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ⁷⁷  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ⁷⁸  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ⁷⁹  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ⁸⁰  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ⁸¹  the people ⁸²  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ⁸³ 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ⁸⁴  “Look ⁸⁵  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 ⁸⁶  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. ⁸⁷  13:17 Get up and ⁸⁸  walk throughout ⁸⁹  the land, ⁹⁰  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ⁹¹  by the oaks ⁹²  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

14:1 At that time ⁹³  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁹⁴  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁹⁵  14:2 went to war ⁹⁶  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). ⁹⁷  14:3 These last five kings ⁹⁸  joined forces ⁹⁹  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ¹⁰⁰  14:4 For twelve years ¹⁰¹  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ¹⁰²  they rebelled. ¹⁰³  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ¹⁰⁴  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. ¹⁰⁵  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ¹⁰⁶  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 ¹⁰⁷  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ¹⁰⁸  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ¹⁰⁹  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ¹¹⁰  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ¹¹¹  but some survivors ¹¹²  fled to the hills. ¹¹³  14:11 The four victorious kings ¹¹⁴  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ¹¹⁵  Lot and his possessions when ¹¹⁶  they left, for Lot ¹¹⁷  was living in Sodom. ¹¹⁸ 

14:13 A fugitive ¹¹⁹  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ¹²⁰  Now Abram was living by the oaks ¹²¹  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ¹²²  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ¹²³  with Abram.) ¹²⁴  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ¹²⁵  had been taken captive, he mobilized ¹²⁶  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ¹²⁷  as far as Dan. ¹²⁸  14:15 Then, during the night, ¹²⁹  Abram ¹³⁰  divided his forces ¹³¹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ¹³²  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ¹³³  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ¹³⁴  the people.

14:17 After Abram ¹³⁵  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ¹³⁶  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ¹³⁷  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ¹³⁸  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ¹³⁹  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ¹⁴⁰  the Most High God,

Creator ¹⁴¹  of heaven and earth. ¹⁴² 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ¹⁴³  the Most High God,

who delivered ¹⁴⁴  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ¹⁴⁵  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 ¹⁴⁶  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ¹⁴⁷  14:23 that I will take nothing ¹⁴⁸  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ¹⁴⁹  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ¹⁵⁰  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ¹⁵¹  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 ¹⁵²  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ¹⁵³ 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹⁵⁴  what will you give me since ¹⁵⁵  I continue to be ¹⁵⁶  childless, and my heir ¹⁵⁷  is ¹⁵⁸  Eliezer of Damascus?” ¹⁵⁹  15:3 Abram added, ¹⁶⁰  “Since ¹⁶¹  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ¹⁶² 

15:4 But look, ¹⁶³  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ¹⁶⁴  will not be your heir, ¹⁶⁵  but instead ¹⁶⁶  a son ¹⁶⁷  who comes from your own body will be ¹⁶⁸  your heir.” ¹⁶⁹  15:5 The Lord ¹⁷⁰  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 ¹⁷¹  the Lord, and the Lord ¹⁷²  considered his response of faith ¹⁷³  as proof of genuine loyalty. ¹⁷⁴ 

15:7 The Lord said ¹⁷⁵  to him, “I am the Lord ¹⁷⁶  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ¹⁷⁷  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ¹⁷⁸  Abram ¹⁷⁹  said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹⁸⁰  by what ¹⁸¹  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ¹⁸²  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 ¹⁸³  took all these for him and then cut them in two ¹⁸⁴  and placed each half opposite the other, ¹⁸⁵  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, ¹⁸⁶  and great terror overwhelmed him. ¹⁸⁷  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ¹⁸⁸  that your descendants will be strangers ¹⁸⁹  in a foreign country. ¹⁹⁰  They will be enslaved and oppressed ¹⁹¹  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ¹⁹²  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ¹⁹³  you will go to your ancestors ¹⁹⁴  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁹⁵  15:16 In the fourth generation ¹⁹⁶  your descendants ¹⁹⁷  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ¹⁹⁸ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ¹⁹⁹  passed between the animal parts. ²⁰⁰  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ²⁰¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ²⁰²  this land, from the river of Egypt ²⁰³  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ²⁰⁴  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ²⁰⁵ 

16:1 Now Sarai, ²⁰⁶  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ²⁰⁷  but she had an Egyptian servant ²⁰⁸  named Hagar. ²⁰⁹  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ²¹⁰  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ²¹¹  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ²¹²  Abram did what ²¹³  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ²¹⁴  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ²¹⁵  to her husband to be his wife. ²¹⁶  16:4 He had sexual relations with ²¹⁷  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ²¹⁸  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ²¹⁹  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ²²⁰  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ²²¹  but when she realized ²²²  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ²²³  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ²²⁴ 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ²²⁵  servant is under your authority, ²²⁶  do to her whatever you think best.” ²²⁷  Then Sarai treated Hagar ²²⁸  harshly, ²²⁹  so she ran away from Sarai. ²³⁰ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ²³¹  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ²³²  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 ²³³  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ²³⁴  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ²³⁵  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ²³⁶  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ²³⁷  pregnant

and are about to give birth ²³⁸  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ²³⁹ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ²⁴⁰ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ²⁴¹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ²⁴² 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ²⁴³ 

He will live away from ²⁴⁴  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ²⁴⁵  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ²⁴⁶  16:14 That is why the well was called ²⁴⁷  Beer Lahai Roi. ²⁴⁸  (It is located ²⁴⁹  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ²⁵⁰  16:16 (Now ²⁵¹  Abram was 86 years old ²⁵²  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ²⁵³ 

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ²⁵⁴  the Lord appeared to him and said, ²⁵⁵  “I am the sovereign God. ²⁵⁶  Walk ²⁵⁷  before me ²⁵⁸  and be blameless. ²⁵⁹  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ²⁶⁰  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ²⁶¹ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ²⁶²  and God said to him, ²⁶³  17:4 “As for me, ²⁶⁴  this ²⁶⁵  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ²⁶⁶  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ²⁶⁷  because I will make you ²⁶⁸  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ²⁶⁹  extremely ²⁷⁰  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ²⁷¹  17:7 I will confirm ²⁷²  my covenant as a perpetual ²⁷³  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. ²⁷⁴  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ²⁷⁵  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ²⁷⁶  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²⁷⁷  the covenantal requirement ²⁷⁸  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: ²⁷⁹  Every male among you must be circumcised. ²⁸⁰  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ²⁸¹  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ²⁸²  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, ²⁸³  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ²⁸⁴  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ²⁸⁵  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ²⁸⁶  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ²⁸⁷  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ²⁸⁸ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ²⁸⁹  Sarah ²⁹⁰  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. ²⁹¹  Kings of countries ²⁹²  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ²⁹³  as he said to himself, ²⁹⁴  “Can ²⁹⁵  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ²⁹⁶  Can Sarah ²⁹⁷  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁹⁸  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ²⁹⁹  Ishmael might live before you!” ³⁰⁰ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ³⁰¹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ³⁰²  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ³⁰³  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ³⁰⁴  He will become the father of twelve princes; ³⁰⁵  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. ³⁰⁶ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ³⁰⁷  and circumcised them ³⁰⁸  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ³⁰⁹  when he was circumcised; ³¹⁰  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ³¹¹  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 ³¹²  by the oaks ³¹³  of Mamre while ³¹⁴  he was sitting at the entrance ³¹⁵  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ³¹⁶  looked up ³¹⁷  and saw ³¹⁸  three men standing across ³¹⁹  from him. When he saw them ³²⁰  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ³²¹  to the ground. ³²² 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ³²³  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ³²⁴  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ³²⁵  you may all ³²⁶  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ³²⁷  a bit of food ³²⁸  so that you may refresh yourselves ³²⁹  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ³³⁰  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ³³¹  three measures ³³²  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ³³³  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ³³⁴  who quickly prepared it. ³³⁵  18:8 Abraham ³³⁶  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ³³⁷  before them. They ate while ³³⁸  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ³³⁹  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ³⁴⁰  said, “I will surely return ³⁴¹  to you when the season comes round again, ³⁴²  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ³⁴³  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ³⁴⁴  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ³⁴⁵  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ³⁴⁶  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ³⁴⁷  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ³⁴⁸  especially when my husband is old too?” ³⁴⁹ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ³⁵⁰  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ³⁵¹  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ³⁵²  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ³⁵³  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ³⁵⁴ 

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ³⁵⁵  they looked out over ³⁵⁶  Sodom. (Now ³⁵⁷  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ³⁵⁸  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ³⁵⁹  18:18 After all, Abraham ³⁶⁰  will surely become ³⁶¹  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³⁶²  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ³⁶³  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ³⁶⁴  the way of the Lord by doing ³⁶⁵  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ³⁶⁶  to Abraham what he promised ³⁶⁷  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ³⁶⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ³⁶⁹  18:21 that I must go down ³⁷⁰  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ³⁷¹  If not, ³⁷²  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ³⁷³  and headed ³⁷⁴  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ³⁷⁵  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 ³⁷⁶  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 ³⁷⁷  of the whole earth do what is right?” ³⁷⁸ 

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 ³⁷⁹  (although I am but dust and ashes), ³⁸⁰  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ³⁸¹  the whole city because five are lacking?” ³⁸²  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ³⁸³  spoke to him again, ³⁸⁴  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ³⁸⁵  said, “May the Lord not be angry ³⁸⁶  so that I may speak! ³⁸⁷  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ³⁸⁸  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 ³⁸⁹  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 ³⁹⁰  when he had finished speaking ³⁹¹  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ³⁹² 

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ³⁹³  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ³⁹⁴  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 ³⁹⁵  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ³⁹⁶  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ³⁹⁷ 

19:3 But he urged ³⁹⁸  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, ³⁹⁹  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ⁴⁰⁰  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ⁴⁰¹  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ⁴⁰²  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! ⁴⁰³  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ⁴⁰⁴  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ⁴⁰⁵  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ⁴⁰⁶  of my roof.” ⁴⁰⁷ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ⁴⁰⁸  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ⁴⁰⁹  and now he dares to judge us! ⁴¹⁰  We’ll do more harm ⁴¹¹  to you than to them!” They kept ⁴¹²  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ⁴¹³  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ⁴¹⁴  reached out ⁴¹⁵  and pulled Lot back into the house ⁴¹⁶  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, ⁴¹⁷  with blindness. The men outside ⁴¹⁸  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ⁴¹⁹  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ⁴²⁰  Do you have ⁴²¹  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ⁴²²  Get them out of this ⁴²³  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ⁴²⁴  it. The outcry against this place ⁴²⁵  is so great before the Lord that he ⁴²⁶  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. ⁴²⁷  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ⁴²⁸  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ⁴²⁹ 

19:15 At dawn ⁴³⁰  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ⁴³¹  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ⁴³²  19:16 When Lot ⁴³³  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ⁴³⁴  They led them away and placed them ⁴³⁵  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ⁴³⁶  said, “Run ⁴³⁷  for your lives! Don’t look ⁴³⁸  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ⁴³⁹  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ⁴⁴⁰  19:19 Your ⁴⁴¹  servant has found favor with you, ⁴⁴²  and you have shown me great ⁴⁴³  kindness ⁴⁴⁴  by sparing ⁴⁴⁵  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ⁴⁴⁶  this disaster will overtake ⁴⁴⁷  me and I’ll die. ⁴⁴⁸  19:20 Look, this town ⁴⁴⁹  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ⁴⁵⁰  Let me go there. ⁴⁵¹  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ⁴⁵²  Then I’ll survive.” ⁴⁵³ 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ⁴⁵⁴  “I will grant this request too ⁴⁵⁵  and will not overthrow ⁴⁵⁶  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ⁴⁵⁷  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ⁴⁵⁸ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ⁴⁵⁹  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ⁴⁶⁰  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ⁴⁶¹  sulfur and fire ⁴⁶²  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ⁴⁶³  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ⁴⁶⁴  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ⁴⁶⁵  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ⁴⁶⁶  wife looked back longingly ⁴⁶⁷  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ⁴⁶⁸  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ⁴⁶⁹  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ⁴⁷⁰  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ⁴⁷¹ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ⁴⁷²  the cities of the region, ⁴⁷³  God honored ⁴⁷⁴  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ⁴⁷⁵  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ⁴⁷⁶  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 ⁴⁷⁷  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ⁴⁷⁸  to have sexual relations with us, ⁴⁷⁹  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ⁴⁸⁰  so we can have sexual relations ⁴⁸¹  with him and preserve ⁴⁸²  our family line through our father.” ⁴⁸³ 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ⁴⁸⁴  and the older daughter ⁴⁸⁵  came and had sexual relations with her father. ⁴⁸⁶  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴⁸⁷  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ⁴⁸⁸  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ⁴⁸⁹  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ⁴⁹⁰  19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁴⁹¹  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁴⁹²  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴⁹³ 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ⁴⁹⁴  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ⁴⁹⁵  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. ⁴⁹⁶  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁴⁹⁷  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁴⁹⁸  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 ⁴⁹⁹  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ⁵⁰⁰  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁵⁰¹ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ⁵⁰²  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁵⁰³  20:5 Did Abraham ⁵⁰⁴  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ⁵⁰⁵  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ⁵⁰⁶  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. ⁵⁰⁷  That is why I have kept you ⁵⁰⁸  from sinning against me and why ⁵⁰⁹  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁵¹⁰  he is a prophet ⁵¹¹  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ⁵¹²  But if you don’t give her back, ⁵¹³  know that you will surely die ⁵¹⁴  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ⁵¹⁵  Abimelech summoned ⁵¹⁶  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ⁵¹⁷  they ⁵¹⁸  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? ⁵¹⁹  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁵²⁰  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ⁵²¹  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ⁵²² 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ⁵²³  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ⁵²⁴  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ⁵²⁵  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 ⁵²⁶  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ⁵²⁷  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ⁵²⁸  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.” ⁵²⁹ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ⁵³⁰  to your ‘brother.’ ⁵³¹  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ⁵³² 

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 ⁵³³  had caused infertility to strike every woman ⁵³⁴  in the household of Abimelech because he took ⁵³⁵  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

21:1 The Lord visited ⁵³⁶  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁵³⁷  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁵³⁸  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ⁵³⁹  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. ⁵⁴⁰  21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, ⁵⁴¹  Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. ⁵⁴²  21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) ⁵⁴³ 

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ⁵⁴⁴  Everyone who hears about this ⁵⁴⁵  will laugh ⁵⁴⁶  with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, ⁵⁴⁷  “Who would ⁵⁴⁸  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 ⁵⁴⁹  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁵⁵⁰  21:9 But Sarah noticed ⁵⁵¹  the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. ⁵⁵²  21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ⁵⁵³  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. ⁵⁵⁴  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ⁵⁵⁵  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ⁵⁵⁶  all that Sarah is telling ⁵⁵⁷  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ⁵⁵⁸  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 ⁵⁵⁹  some food ⁵⁶⁰  and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, ⁵⁶¹  and sent her away. So she went wandering ⁵⁶²  aimlessly through the wilderness ⁵⁶³  of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved ⁵⁶⁴  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 ⁵⁶⁵  away; for she thought, ⁵⁶⁶  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ⁵⁶⁷  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ⁵⁶⁸ 

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ⁵⁶⁹  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ⁵⁷⁰  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ⁵⁷¹  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. ⁵⁷²  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. ⁵⁷³  His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷⁴ 

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ⁵⁷⁵  in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ⁵⁷⁶  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ⁵⁷⁷  Show me, and the land ⁵⁷⁸  where you are staying, ⁵⁷⁹  the same loyalty ⁵⁸⁰  that I have shown you.” ⁵⁸¹ 

21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” ⁵⁸²  21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ⁵⁸³  against Abimelech concerning a well ⁵⁸⁴  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ⁵⁸⁵  21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ⁵⁸⁶  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. ⁵⁸⁷  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 ⁵⁸⁸  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 ⁵⁸⁹  that I dug this well.” ⁵⁹⁰  21:31 That is why he named that place ⁵⁹¹  Beer Sheba, ⁵⁹²  because the two of them swore ⁵⁹³  an oath there.

21:32 So they made a treaty ⁵⁹⁴  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ⁵⁹⁵  to the land of the Philistines. ⁵⁹⁶  21:33 Abraham ⁵⁹⁷  planted a tamarisk tree ⁵⁹⁸  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, ⁵⁹⁹  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. ⁶⁰⁰ 

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁶⁰¹  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁶⁰²  replied. 22:2 God ⁶⁰³  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ⁶⁰⁴  – and go to the land of Moriah! ⁶⁰⁵  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ⁶⁰⁶  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ⁶⁰⁷  you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ⁶⁰⁸  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 ⁶⁰⁹  for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ⁶¹⁰  the place in the distance. 22:5 So he ⁶¹¹  said to his servants, “You two stay ⁶¹²  here with the donkey while ⁶¹³  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ⁶¹⁴  and then return to you.” ⁶¹⁵ 

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, ⁶¹⁶  and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ⁶¹⁷  “My father?” “What is it, ⁶¹⁸  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ⁶¹⁹  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide ⁶²⁰  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 ⁶²¹  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ⁶²²  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 ⁶²³  his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel ⁶²⁴  called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ⁶²⁵  the angel said. ⁶²⁶  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ⁶²⁷  that you fear ⁶²⁸  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up ⁶²⁹  and saw ⁶³⁰  behind him ⁶³¹  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ⁶³²  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.” ⁶³³  It is said to this day, ⁶³⁴  “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ⁶³⁵ 

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,’ ⁶³⁶  decrees the Lord, ⁶³⁷  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, ⁶³⁸  and I will greatly multiply ⁶³⁹  your descendants ⁶⁴⁰  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 ⁶⁴¹  of the strongholds ⁶⁴²  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ⁶⁴³  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁶⁴⁴  using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ⁶⁴⁵  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ⁶⁴⁶ 

22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah ⁶⁴⁷  also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ⁶⁴⁸  22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now ⁶⁴⁹  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. ⁶⁵⁰  23:2 Then she ⁶⁵¹  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ⁶⁵² 

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife ⁶⁵³  and said to the sons of Heth, ⁶⁵⁴  23:4 “I am a temporary settler ⁶⁵⁵  among you. Grant ⁶⁵⁶  me ownership ⁶⁵⁷  of a burial site among you so that I may ⁶⁵⁸  bury my dead.” ⁶⁵⁹ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ⁶⁶⁰  23:6 “Listen, sir, ⁶⁶¹  you are a mighty prince ⁶⁶²  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ⁶⁶³  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ⁶⁶⁴  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ⁶⁶⁵  that I may bury my dead, ⁶⁶⁶  then hear me out. ⁶⁶⁷  Ask ⁶⁶⁸  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell ⁶⁶⁹  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly ⁶⁷⁰  for the full price, ⁶⁷¹  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ⁶⁷²  replied to Abraham in the hearing ⁶⁷³  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ⁶⁷⁴  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell ⁶⁷⁵  you both the field and the cave that is in it. ⁶⁷⁶  In the presence of my people ⁶⁷⁷  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 ⁶⁷⁸  to you the price ⁶⁷⁹  of the field. Take it from me so that I may ⁶⁸⁰  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ⁶⁸¹  400 pieces of silver, ⁶⁸²  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ⁶⁸³  and weighed ⁶⁸⁴  out for him ⁶⁸⁵  the price ⁶⁸⁶  that Ephron had quoted ⁶⁸⁷  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ⁶⁸⁸ 

23:17 So Abraham secured ⁶⁸⁹  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. ⁶⁹⁰ 

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 ⁶⁹¹  from the sons of Heth.