4:19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see ¹  that you are a prophet. 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, ²  and you people ³  say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” ⁴  4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, ⁵  a time ⁶  is coming when you will worship ⁷  the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 4:22 You people ⁸  worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. ⁹  4:23 But a time ¹⁰  is coming – and now is here ¹¹  – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks ¹²  such people to be ¹³  his worshipers. ¹⁴  4:24 God is spirit, ¹⁵  and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); ¹⁶  “whenever he ¹⁷  comes, he will tell ¹⁸  us everything.” ¹⁹  4:26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

14:1 At that time ¹  Amraphel king of Shinar, ²  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ³  14:2 went to war ⁴  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). ⁵  14:3 These last five kings ⁶  joined forces ⁷  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁸  14:4 For twelve years ⁹  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ¹⁰  they rebelled. ¹¹  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ¹²  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. ¹³  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ¹⁶  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ¹⁷  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ¹⁸  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ¹⁹  but some survivors ²⁰  fled to the hills. ²¹  14:11 The four victorious kings ²²  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ²³  Lot and his possessions when ²⁴  they left, for Lot ²⁵  was living in Sodom. ²⁶ 

14:13 A fugitive ²⁷  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ²⁸  Now Abram was living by the oaks ²⁹  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ³⁰  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ³¹  with Abram.) ³²  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ³³  had been taken captive, he mobilized ³⁴  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ³⁵  as far as Dan. ³⁶  14:15 Then, during the night, ³⁷  Abram ³⁸  divided his forces ³⁹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁴⁰  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ⁴¹  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ⁴²  the people.

14:17 After Abram ⁴³  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ⁴⁴  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ⁴⁵  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ⁴⁶  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ⁴⁷  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ⁴⁸  the Most High God,

Creator ⁴⁹  of heaven and earth. ⁵⁰ 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ⁵¹  the Most High God,

who delivered ⁵²  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ⁵³  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 ⁵⁴  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ⁵⁵  14:23 that I will take nothing ⁵⁶  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ⁵⁷  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ⁵⁸  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ⁵⁹  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 ⁶⁰  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ⁶¹ 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁶²  what will you give me since ⁶³  I continue to be ⁶⁴  childless, and my heir ⁶⁵  is ⁶⁶  Eliezer of Damascus?” ⁶⁷  15:3 Abram added, ⁶⁸  “Since ⁶⁹  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ⁷⁰ 

15:4 But look, ⁷¹  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ⁷²  will not be your heir, ⁷³  but instead ⁷⁴  a son ⁷⁵  who comes from your own body will be ⁷⁶  your heir.” ⁷⁷  15:5 The Lord ⁷⁸  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 ⁷⁹  the Lord, and the Lord ⁸⁰  considered his response of faith ⁸¹  as proof of genuine loyalty. ⁸² 

15:7 The Lord said ⁸³  to him, “I am the Lord ⁸⁴  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ⁸⁵  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ⁸⁶  Abram ⁸⁷  said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁸⁸  by what ⁸⁹  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ⁹⁰  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 ⁹¹  took all these for him and then cut them in two ⁹²  and placed each half opposite the other, ⁹³  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, ⁹⁴  and great terror overwhelmed him. ⁹⁵  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ⁹⁶  that your descendants will be strangers ⁹⁷  in a foreign country. ⁹⁸  They will be enslaved and oppressed ⁹⁹  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ¹⁰⁰  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ¹⁰¹  you will go to your ancestors ¹⁰²  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁰³  15:16 In the fourth generation ¹⁰⁴  your descendants ¹⁰⁵  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ¹⁰⁶ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ¹⁰⁷  passed between the animal parts. ¹⁰⁸  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹⁰⁹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ¹¹⁰  this land, from the river of Egypt ¹¹¹  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ¹¹²  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ¹¹³ 

16:1 Now Sarai, ¹¹⁴  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ¹¹⁵  but she had an Egyptian servant ¹¹⁶  named Hagar. ¹¹⁷  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ¹¹⁸  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ¹¹⁹  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ¹²⁰  Abram did what ¹²¹  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ¹²²  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ¹²³  to her husband to be his wife. ¹²⁴  16:4 He had sexual relations with ¹²⁵  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ¹²⁶  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ¹²⁷  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ¹²⁸  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ¹²⁹  but when she realized ¹³⁰  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ¹³¹  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ¹³² 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ¹³³  servant is under your authority, ¹³⁴  do to her whatever you think best.” ¹³⁵  Then Sarai treated Hagar ¹³⁶  harshly, ¹³⁷  so she ran away from Sarai. ¹³⁸ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ¹³⁹  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ¹⁴⁰  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 ¹⁴¹  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ¹⁴²  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ¹⁴³  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ¹⁴⁴  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ¹⁴⁵  pregnant

and are about to give birth ¹⁴⁶  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ¹⁴⁷ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ¹⁴⁸ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ¹⁴⁹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ¹⁵⁰ 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ¹⁵¹ 

He will live away from ¹⁵²  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ¹⁵³  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ¹⁵⁴  16:14 That is why the well was called ¹⁵⁵  Beer Lahai Roi. ¹⁵⁶  (It is located ¹⁵⁷  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ¹⁵⁸  16:16 (Now ¹⁵⁹  Abram was 86 years old ¹⁶⁰  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ¹⁶¹ 

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ¹⁶²  the Lord appeared to him and said, ¹⁶³  “I am the sovereign God. ¹⁶⁴  Walk ¹⁶⁵  before me ¹⁶⁶  and be blameless. ¹⁶⁷  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ¹⁶⁸  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ¹⁶⁹ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ¹⁷⁰  and God said to him, ¹⁷¹  17:4 “As for me, ¹⁷²  this ¹⁷³  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ¹⁷⁴  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ¹⁷⁵  because I will make you ¹⁷⁶  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ¹⁷⁷  extremely ¹⁷⁸  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ¹⁷⁹  17:7 I will confirm ¹⁸⁰  my covenant as a perpetual ¹⁸¹  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. ¹⁸²  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ¹⁸³  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ¹⁸⁴  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ¹⁸⁵  the covenantal requirement ¹⁸⁶  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: ¹⁸⁷  Every male among you must be circumcised. ¹⁸⁸  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ¹⁸⁹  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ¹⁹⁰  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, ¹⁹¹  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ¹⁹²  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ¹⁹³  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ¹⁹⁴  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ¹⁹⁵  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ¹⁹⁶ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ¹⁹⁷  Sarah ¹⁹⁸  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. ¹⁹⁹  Kings of countries ²⁰⁰  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ²⁰¹  as he said to himself, ²⁰²  “Can ²⁰³  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ²⁰⁴  Can Sarah ²⁰⁵  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁰⁶  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ²⁰⁷  Ishmael might live before you!” ²⁰⁸ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ²⁰⁹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ²¹⁰  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ²¹¹  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ²¹²  He will become the father of twelve princes; ²¹³  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. ²¹⁴ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ²¹⁵  and circumcised them ²¹⁶  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ²¹⁷  when he was circumcised; ²¹⁸  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ²¹⁹  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.