- And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken by the mouth of his angels, for Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which the angels of God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore unto him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God has made me to rejoice, and also all that know me will rejoice with me. And she said unto Abraham, Who would have said that Sarah should have given children suck? For I was barren, but the Lord promised, and I have borne unto Abraham a son in his old age.
- And the child grew and was weaned. And the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a great feast. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom Hagar had borne unto Abraham, mocking, and she was troubled. Wherefore, she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac. And the thing was very grievous unto Abraham because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad and because of your bondwoman. In all that Sarah has said unto you, listen unto her voice, for in Isaac shall your seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation because he is your seed.
- And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave unto Hagar. And she took the child and he sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And it came to pass that the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat herself down away from the child a good way off, about a bowshot, for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat away from the child and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of the Lord called to Hagar out of Heaven and said unto her, What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he lies. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in your hand, for I will make of him a great nation. And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad. And he grew, and dwelled in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelled in the wilderness of Paran, he and his mother, and he took himself a wife out of the land of Egypt.
- And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the chief captain of his host, spoke unto Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore swear unto me here that by the help of God you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son, but that according to the kindness that I have shown unto you, you shall do unto me and to the land wherein you have sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, You did not tell me and I know not who has done this thing, neither yet have I heard that it was done until this day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech, and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What will you do with these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves? And he said, Seven ewe lambs shall you take at my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have dug this well. And because they swore, both of them, wherefore he called that place Beersheba. And thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the chief captain of his host, rose up, and they planted a grove in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord. And they returned into the land of the Philistines. And Abraham worshipped the everlasting God and sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
- And it came to pass after these things that God did try Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. And Abraham said, Behold, here am I. And the Lord said, Take now your son, your only Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and cleaved the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then, on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide here with the ass, and I and the lad will go off there and worship, and come to you again. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon his back, and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and Isaac his son, and they went both of them together. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together.
- And they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood; and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of Heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And Abraham said, Here am I. And the angel said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do anything unto him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only Isaac, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, behind a thicket, there was a ram caught in it by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said unto this day: In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
- And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time and said, Thus says the Lord: I have sworn by myself that because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only Isaac, from me, that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelled at Beersheba.
- And it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she has also borne children unto your brother Nahor. Huz is his first born, and Buz is his brother, and Kemuel is the father of Aram, and Chesed, and Hazo, and Bildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel (and Bethuel begot Rebekah). These eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bore also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maacah.
- And Sarah was a hundred twenty-seven years old, and she died. And thus ended the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiriath-Arba, the same is now called Hebron in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her, his wife who was dead. And Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us. In the choicest of our sepulchers bury your dead. None of us shall withhold from you his sepulcher, but that you may bury your dead. And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land and to the children of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, If it is your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has in the end of his field. For as much money as it is worth, he shall have, if he will give it to me for a possession of a burying-place among you.
- And Ephron dwelled among the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, among all of them that went in at the gates of his city, saying, Listen, my lord, and hear me. The field I give you, and the cave that is therein; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. And I give it to you, therefore bury your dead. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, I ask that you hear me. If you will take it of me, I will give you money for the field; and I will bury my dead there, but I will give you money for it. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, listen unto me. The land you shall have for four hundred shekels of silver; what shall that be between me and you? Bury therefore your dead. And Abraham listened unto Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth — four hundred shekels of silver — which was current with the merchant. And the field of Ephron — which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre — the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field and that were in all the borders round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gates of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre; the same is called Hebron in the land of Canaan. And the field and the cave that were therein were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the sons of Heth.
- And now Abraham was old, being well stricken in age. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put forth, I pray you, your hand under my head, and I will make you swear before the Lord, the God of Heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But you shall go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And the servant said unto him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Then I must bring your son again unto the land from which you came. And Abraham said unto him, Beware that you bring not my son there again. The Lord God of Heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke unto me, and that swore unto me, saying, Unto you will I give this land — he shall send his angel before you and you shall take a wife unto my son from there. And if the woman will not be willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath, only bring not my son there again. And the servant put his hand under the head of Abraham, his master, and swore to him concerning that matter.
- And the servant took ten camels of his master and departed, for all the goods of his master was in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening, the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I ask of you this day that you would show kindness to my master Abraham and send me good fortune. Behold, I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. And let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down your pitcher, I pray you, that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also — let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that you have shown kindness unto my master.
- And it came to pass before he was done speaking that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel being a virgin, very fair to look upon, such as the servant of Abraham had not seen, neither had any man known the like unto her. And she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
- And the servant ran to meet her and said, Let me, I pray you, drink a little water of your pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink. And when she was done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for your camels also, until they are done drinking. And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. And the man, wondering at her, held his peace, pondering in his heart whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
- And it came to pass as the camels were done drinking that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, and said, Whose daughter are you? Tell me, I pray you. And is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah whom she bore unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. And he said, Blessed is the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not left my master destitute of his mercy and his truth. And when I was in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
- And the damsel ran to the house and told her mother these things. And Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man, unto the well. (And it came to pass when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spoke the man unto me, and I came unto the man; and behold, he stood by the camels at the well.) And he said, Come in, you blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house. And he unburdened his camels, and gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the men’s feet that came with him. And there was set before him food to eat. But he said, I will not eat till I have told my errand. And Laban said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great. And he has given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. And unto him has he given all that he has. And my master made me swear, saying, You shall not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. But you shall go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. And I said unto my master, Perhaps the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son, of my kindred, and of my father’s house. Then shall you be clear of my oath. When you come to my kindred, and if they give you not a wife for my son, you shall be clear from my oath. And I came this day unto the well and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now you will prosper my way which I go, behold, I stand by the well of water. And it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray you, a little water of your pitcher to drink, and if she say to me, Both drink — you, and I will also draw for your camels — the same is the woman whom the Lord has appointed out for my master’s son. And before I was done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down unto the well and drew water. And I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray you. And she made haste and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also. So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her and said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son whom Milcah bore unto him. And I gave the earrings unto her, to put into her ears, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeds from the Lord, we cannot speak unto you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.
- And it came to pass that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave to Rebekah. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. And they did eat, and drink, he and the men that were with him, and stayed all night. And they arose up in the morning and he said, Send me away unto my master. And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us at the least ten days; after that, she shall go. And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go unto my master. And they said, We will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah and said unto her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her, O you our sister, be you blessed of thousands of millions, and let your seed possess the gate of those who hate them. And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
- And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi, for he dwelled in the south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel, for she said unto the servant, What man is this that walks in the field to meet us? And the servant said, It is my master. Therefore, she took a veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
- Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines whom Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts and sent them away from Isaac his son while he yet lived, eastward unto the east country.
- And these are the number of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: a hundred seventy-five years. Then Abraham gave up the ghost and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre. The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth, there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelled by the well Lahairoi.
- Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bore unto Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns and by their castles, twelve princes according to their nations. And these are the number of the years of the life of Ishmael: a hundred thirty-seven years. And he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people. And they dwelled from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt as you go toward Assyria. And he died in the presence of all his brethren.
A son born to Abraham, etc., Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant, etc.
Chapter 8
Abraham was commanded to offer his only son Isaac for a burnt offering, etc.
Abraham swears his eldest servant that he should not take a wife to his son Isaac of the Canaanites, etc.