Genesis 21

Isaac is Born

1 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to himwhom Sarah bore to him Isaac.4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.6 And Sarah said, God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.7 She also said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

Hagar and Ishmael Depart

8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.10 Therefore she said to Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abrahams sight because of his son.12 But God said to Abraham, Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, Let me not see the death of the boy. So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

A Covenant with Abimelech

22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do.23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.24 And Abraham said, I will swear.25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelechs servants had seized.26 And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?30 And he said, You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.

Genesis 22

Abrahams Faith Confirmed

1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.2 Then He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.5 And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father! And he said, Here I am, my son. Then he said, Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together.9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! So he said, Here I am.12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,16 and said: By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

The Family of Nahor

20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:21 Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abrahams brother.24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

Genesis 23

Sarahs Death and Burial

1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,4 I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,6 Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.8 And he spoke with them, saying, If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,11 No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,15 My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.