Genesis 20–24

Abraham and Abimelek

20:1-18^Ref — Ge 12:10–20; 26:1–11

Now Abraham moved on from there^a into the region of the Negev^b and lived between Kadesh^c and Shur.^d For a while^e he stayed in Gerar,^f and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.^g” Then Abimelek^h king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.ⁱ

But God came to Abimelek^j in a dream^k one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead^l because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”^m

Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?ⁿ Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,^o’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience^p and clean hands.^q”

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept^r you from sinning against me.^s That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet,^t and he will pray for you^u and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”^v

Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.^w” And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”

Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God^x in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’^y Besides, she really is my sister,^z the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God had me wander^a from my father’s household,^b I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

Then Abimelek^c brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham,^d and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”^e

To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”

Then Abraham prayed to God,^f and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.^g

The Birth of Isaac

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah^a as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.^b Sarah became pregnant and bore a son^c to Abraham in his old age,^d at the very time God had promised him.^e Abraham gave the name Isaac^f to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,^g as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old^h when his son Isaac was born to him.

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,ⁱ and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”^j

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

The child grew and was weaned,^a and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham^b was mocking,^c and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman^d and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”^e

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.^f But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your servant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.^g I will make the son of the servant into a nation^h also, because he is your offspring.”

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar.ⁱ He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.^j

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.^k

God heard the boy crying,^l and the angel of God^m called to Hagar from heavenⁿ and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid;^o God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.^p”

Then God opened her eyes^q and she saw a well of water.^r So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy^s as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran,^t his mother got a wife for him^u from Egypt.

The Treaty at Beersheba

At that time Abimelek^a and Phicol the commander of his forces^b said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.^c Now swear^d to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.^e Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”^f

Abraham said, “I swear it.”

Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.^g But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.^h Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witnessⁱ that I dug this well.^j”

So that place was called Beersheba,^k because the two men swore an oath^l there.

After the treaty^m had been made at Beersheba,ⁿ Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces^o returned to the land of the Philistines.^p Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^q in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord,^r the Eternal God.^s And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines^t for a long time.

Abraham Tested

Some time later God tested^a Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,”^b he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son^c, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.^d Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering^e on a mountain I will show you.^f”

Early the next morning^g Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.^h”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,ⁱ and he himself carried the fire and the knife.^j As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb^k for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide^l the lamb^m for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about,ⁿ Abraham built an altar^o there and arranged the wood^p on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,^q on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife^r to slay his son.^s But the angel of the Lord^t called out to him from heaven,^u “Abraham! Abraham!”^v

“Here I am,”^w he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,^x because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.^y”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns.^z He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.^a So Abraham called^b that place The Lord^c Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.^d”

The angel of the Lord^e called to Abraham from heaven^f a second time and said, “I swear by myself,^g declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,^h I will surely bless youⁱ and make your descendants^j as numerous as the stars in the sky^k and as the sand on the seashore.^l Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,^m and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,ⁿ because you have obeyed me.”^o

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.^p And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s Sons

Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:^a Uz^b the firstborn, Buz^c his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.^d” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.^e Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.^f His concubine,^g whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

The Death of Sarah

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba^a (that is, Hebron)^b in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.^c

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.^d He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger^e among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.^f”

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince^g among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar^h on my behalf so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,ⁱ which belongs…