7:1 Now ¹  the Pharisees ²  and some of the experts in the law ³  who came from Jerusalem ⁴  gathered around him. 7:2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, ⁵  holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 7:4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches. ⁶ ) ⁷  7:5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat ⁸  with unwashed hands?” 7:6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart ⁹  is far from me.

7:7 They worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ ¹⁰ 

7:8 Having no regard ¹¹  for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.” ¹²  7:9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up ¹³  your tradition. 7:10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ ¹⁴  and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹⁵  7:11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’ ¹⁶  (that is, a gift for God), 7:12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. 7:13 Thus you nullify ¹⁷  the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”

7:14 Then ¹⁸  he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 7:15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ¹  the Lord appeared to him and said, ²  “I am the sovereign God. ³  Walk ⁴  before me ⁵  and be blameless. ⁶  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ⁷  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ⁸ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ⁹  and God said to him, ¹⁰  17:4 “As for me, ¹¹  this ¹²  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ¹³  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ¹⁴  because I will make you ¹⁵  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ¹⁶  extremely ¹⁷  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ¹⁸  17:7 I will confirm ¹⁹  my covenant as a perpetual ²⁰  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. ²¹  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ²²  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ²³  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²⁴  the covenantal requirement ²⁵  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: ²⁶  Every male among you must be circumcised. ²⁷  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ²⁸  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ²⁹  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, ³⁰  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ³¹  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ³²  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ³³  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ³⁴  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ³⁵ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ³⁶  Sarah ³⁷  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. ³⁸  Kings of countries ³⁹  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁴⁰  as he said to himself, ⁴¹  “Can ⁴²  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁴³  Can Sarah ⁴⁴  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁴⁵  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ⁴⁶  Ishmael might live before you!” ⁴⁷ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ⁴⁸  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ⁴⁹  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ⁵⁰  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ⁵¹  He will become the father of twelve princes; ⁵²  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. ⁵³ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ⁵⁴  and circumcised them ⁵⁵  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ⁵⁶  when he was circumcised; ⁵⁷  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ⁵⁸  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 ⁵⁹  by the oaks ⁶⁰  of Mamre while ⁶¹  he was sitting at the entrance ⁶²  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ⁶³  looked up ⁶⁴  and saw ⁶⁵  three men standing across ⁶⁶  from him. When he saw them ⁶⁷  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁶⁸  to the ground. ⁶⁹ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ⁷⁰  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ⁷¹  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ⁷²  you may all ⁷³  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ⁷⁴  a bit of food ⁷⁵  so that you may refresh yourselves ⁷⁶  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ⁷⁷  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ⁷⁸  three measures ⁷⁹  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ⁸⁰  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ⁸¹  who quickly prepared it. ⁸²  18:8 Abraham ⁸³  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ⁸⁴  before them. They ate while ⁸⁵  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ⁸⁶  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ⁸⁷  said, “I will surely return ⁸⁸  to you when the season comes round again, ⁸⁹  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ⁹⁰  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ⁹¹  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ⁹²  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ⁹³  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ⁹⁴  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ⁹⁵  especially when my husband is old too?” ⁹⁶ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ⁹⁷  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ⁹⁸  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ⁹⁹  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁰⁰  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ¹⁰¹ 

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ¹⁰²  they looked out over ¹⁰³  Sodom. (Now ¹⁰⁴  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ¹⁰⁵  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁰⁶  18:18 After all, Abraham ¹⁰⁷  will surely become ¹⁰⁸  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ¹⁰⁹  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ¹¹⁰  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ¹¹¹  the way of the Lord by doing ¹¹²  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ¹¹³  to Abraham what he promised ¹¹⁴  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ¹¹⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ¹¹⁶  18:21 that I must go down ¹¹⁷  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ¹¹⁸  If not, ¹¹⁹  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ¹²⁰  and headed ¹²¹  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ¹²²  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 ¹²³  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 ¹²⁴  of the whole earth do what is right?” ¹²⁵ 

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 ¹²⁶  (although I am but dust and ashes), ¹²⁷  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ¹²⁸  the whole city because five are lacking?” ¹²⁹  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ¹³⁰  spoke to him again, ¹³¹  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ¹³²  said, “May the Lord not be angry ¹³³  so that I may speak! ¹³⁴  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ¹³⁵  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 ¹³⁶  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 ¹³⁷  when he had finished speaking ¹³⁸  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ¹³⁹ 

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ¹⁴⁰  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ¹⁴¹  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 ¹⁴²  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ¹⁴³  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ¹⁴⁴ 

19:3 But he urged ¹⁴⁵  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, ¹⁴⁶  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ¹⁴⁷  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ¹⁴⁸  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ¹⁴⁹  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! ¹⁵⁰  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ¹⁵¹  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ¹⁵²  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ¹⁵³  of my roof.” ¹⁵⁴ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ¹⁵⁵  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ¹⁵⁶  and now he dares to judge us! ¹⁵⁷  We’ll do more harm ¹⁵⁸  to you than to them!” They kept ¹⁵⁹  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ¹⁶⁰  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ¹⁶¹  reached out ¹⁶²  and pulled Lot back into the house ¹⁶³  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, ¹⁶⁴  with blindness. The men outside ¹⁶⁵  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ¹⁶⁶  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ¹⁶⁷  Do you have ¹⁶⁸  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ¹⁶⁹  Get them out of this ¹⁷⁰  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ¹⁷¹  it. The outcry against this place ¹⁷²  is so great before the Lord that he ¹⁷³  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. ¹⁷⁴  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ¹⁷⁵  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ¹⁷⁶ 

19:15 At dawn ¹⁷⁷  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ¹⁷⁸  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ¹⁷⁹  19:16 When Lot ¹⁸⁰  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ¹⁸¹  They led them away and placed them ¹⁸²  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ¹⁸³  said, “Run ¹⁸⁴  for your lives! Don’t look ¹⁸⁵  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ¹⁸⁶  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ¹⁸⁷  19:19 Your ¹⁸⁸  servant has found favor with you, ¹⁸⁹  and you have shown me great ¹⁹⁰  kindness ¹⁹¹  by sparing ¹⁹²  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ¹⁹³  this disaster will overtake ¹⁹⁴  me and I’ll die. ¹⁹⁵  19:20 Look, this town ¹⁹⁶  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ¹⁹⁷  Let me go there. ¹⁹⁸  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ¹⁹⁹  Then I’ll survive.” ²⁰⁰ 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ²⁰¹  “I will grant this request too ²⁰²  and will not overthrow ²⁰³  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ²⁰⁴  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ²⁰⁵ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ²⁰⁶  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ²⁰⁷  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ²⁰⁸  sulfur and fire ²⁰⁹  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ²¹⁰  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ²¹¹  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ²¹²  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ²¹³  wife looked back longingly ²¹⁴  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ²¹⁵  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ²¹⁶  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ²¹⁷  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ²¹⁸ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ²¹⁹  the cities of the region, ²²⁰  God honored ²²¹  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ²²²  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ²²³  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 ²²⁴  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ²²⁵  to have sexual relations with us, ²²⁶  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ²²⁷  so we can have sexual relations ²²⁸  with him and preserve ²²⁹  our family line through our father.” ²³⁰ 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ²³¹  and the older daughter ²³²  came and had sexual relations with her father. ²³³  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ²³⁴  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ²³⁵  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ²³⁶  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ²³⁷  19:35 So they made their father drunk ²³⁸  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ²³⁹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ²⁴⁰ 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ²⁴¹  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ²⁴²  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. ²⁴³  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ²⁴⁴  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ²⁴⁵  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 ²⁴⁶  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ²⁴⁷  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ²⁴⁸ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ²⁴⁹  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ²⁵⁰  20:5 Did Abraham ²⁵¹  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ²⁵²  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ²⁵³  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. ²⁵⁴  That is why I have kept you ²⁵⁵  from sinning against me and why ²⁵⁶  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ²⁵⁷  he is a prophet ²⁵⁸  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ²⁵⁹  But if you don’t give her back, ²⁶⁰  know that you will surely die ²⁶¹  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ²⁶²  Abimelech summoned ²⁶³  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ²⁶⁴  they ²⁶⁵  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? ²⁶⁶  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ²⁶⁷  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ²⁶⁸  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ²⁶⁹ 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ²⁷⁰  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ²⁷¹  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ²⁷²  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 ²⁷³  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ²⁷⁴  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ²⁷⁵  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.” ²⁷⁶ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ²⁷⁷  to your ‘brother.’ ²⁷⁸  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ²⁷⁹ 

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 ²⁸⁰  had caused infertility to strike every woman ²⁸¹  in the household of Abimelech because he took ²⁸²  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

21:1 The Lord visited ²⁸³  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ²⁸⁴  for Sarah what he had promised. ²⁸⁵  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ²⁸⁶  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. ²⁸⁷  21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, ²⁸⁸  Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. ²⁸⁹  21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) ²⁹⁰ 

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ²⁹¹  Everyone who hears about this ²⁹²  will laugh ²⁹³  with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, ²⁹⁴  “Who would ²⁹⁵  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 ²⁹⁶  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ²⁹⁷  21:9 But Sarah noticed ²⁹⁸  the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. ²⁹⁹  21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ³⁰⁰  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. ³⁰¹  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ³⁰²  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ³⁰³  all that Sarah is telling ³⁰⁴  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ³⁰⁵  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 ³⁰⁶  some food ³⁰⁷  and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, ³⁰⁸  and sent her away. So she went wandering ³⁰⁹  aimlessly through the wilderness ³¹⁰  of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved ³¹¹  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 ³¹²  away; for she thought, ³¹³  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ³¹⁴  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ³¹⁵ 

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ³¹⁶  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ³¹⁷  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ³¹⁸  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. ³¹⁹  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. ³²⁰  His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ³²¹ 

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ³²²  in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ³²³  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ³²⁴  Show me, and the land ³²⁵  where you are staying, ³²⁶  the same loyalty ³²⁷  that I have shown you.” ³²⁸ 

21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” ³²⁹  21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ³³⁰  against Abimelech concerning a well ³³¹  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ³³²  21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ³³³  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. ³³⁴  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 ³³⁵  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 ³³⁶  that I dug this well.” ³³⁷  21:31 That is why he named that place ³³⁸  Beer Sheba, ³³⁹  because the two of them swore ³⁴⁰  an oath there.

21:32 So they made a treaty ³⁴¹  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ³⁴²  to the land of the Philistines. ³⁴³  21:33 Abraham ³⁴⁴  planted a tamarisk tree ³⁴⁵  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, ³⁴⁶  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. ³⁴⁷ 

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ³⁴⁸  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ³⁴⁹  replied. 22:2 God ³⁵⁰  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ³⁵¹  – and go to the land of Moriah! ³⁵²  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ³⁵³  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ³⁵⁴  you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ³⁵⁵  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 ³⁵⁶  for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ³⁵⁷  the place in the distance. 22:5 So he ³⁵⁸  said to his servants, “You two stay ³⁵⁹  here with the donkey while ³⁶⁰  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ³⁶¹  and then return to you.” ³⁶² 

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, ³⁶³  and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ³⁶⁴  “My father?” “What is it, ³⁶⁵  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ³⁶⁶  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide ³⁶⁷  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 ³⁶⁸  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ³⁶⁹  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 ³⁷⁰  his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel ³⁷¹  called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ³⁷²  the angel said. ³⁷³  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ³⁷⁴  that you fear ³⁷⁵  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up ³⁷⁶  and saw ³⁷⁷  behind him ³⁷⁸  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ³⁷⁹  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.” ³⁸⁰  It is said to this day, ³⁸¹  “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ³⁸² 

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,’ ³⁸³  decrees the Lord, ³⁸⁴  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, ³⁸⁵  and I will greatly multiply ³⁸⁶  your descendants ³⁸⁷  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 ³⁸⁸  of the strongholds ³⁸⁹  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ³⁹⁰  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³⁹¹  using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ³⁹²  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ³⁹³ 

22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah ³⁹⁴  also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ³⁹⁵  22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now ³⁹⁶  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. ³⁹⁷  23:2 Then she ³⁹⁸  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ³⁹⁹ 

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife ⁴⁰⁰  and said to the sons of Heth, ⁴⁰¹  23:4 “I am a temporary settler ⁴⁰²  among you. Grant ⁴⁰³  me ownership ⁴⁰⁴  of a burial site among you so that I may ⁴⁰⁵  bury my dead.” ⁴⁰⁶ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ⁴⁰⁷  23:6 “Listen, sir, ⁴⁰⁸  you are a mighty prince ⁴⁰⁹  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ⁴¹⁰  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ⁴¹¹  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ⁴¹²  that I may bury my dead, ⁴¹³  then hear me out. ⁴¹⁴  Ask ⁴¹⁵  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell ⁴¹⁶  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly ⁴¹⁷  for the full price, ⁴¹⁸  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ⁴¹⁹  replied to Abraham in the hearing ⁴²⁰  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ⁴²¹  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell ⁴²²  you both the field and the cave that is in it. ⁴²³  In the presence of my people ⁴²⁴  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 ⁴²⁵  to you the price ⁴²⁶  of the field. Take it from me so that I may ⁴²⁷  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ⁴²⁸  400 pieces of silver, ⁴²⁹  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ⁴³⁰  and weighed ⁴³¹  out for him ⁴³²  the price ⁴³³  that Ephron had quoted ⁴³⁴  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ⁴³⁵ 

23:17 So Abraham secured ⁴³⁶  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. ⁴³⁷ 

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 ⁴³⁸  from the sons of Heth.