Abraham and Abimelech

20 Abraham traveled from there to the land of the Negev, and made his home between Kadesh and Shur. Then he lived for a time in Gerar. ² Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her for his wife. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said, “See, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken. For she is already married.” ⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will You destroy a nation who is without blame? ⁵ Did the man not tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a heart of honor and with hands that are not guilty.”

⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a heart of honor. And I kept you from sinning against Me. I did not let you touch her. ⁷ So now return the man’s wife. For he is one who speaks for Me. Then he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you and all who are yours will die for sure.”

⁸ So Abimelech got up early in the morning. He called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. ⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and said, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you, that made you bring a great sin upon me and my nation? You have done to me what should not have been done.” ¹⁰ Abimelech said to Abraham, “What made you do such a thing?” ¹¹ Abraham said, “I did it because I thought there was no fear of God in this place. I thought they would kill me because of my wife. ¹² And it is true she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother. And she became my wife. ¹³ When God made me go from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is the kindness you must show me. Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” ¹⁴ Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and cattle, and men and women servants. And he returned his wife Sarah to him. ¹⁵ Abimelech said, “See, my land is in front of you. Make your home any place you want.” ¹⁶ He said to Sarah, “See, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is to pay you for all that has happened. Your honor is made right in the eyes of all men.”

¹⁷ So Abraham prayed to God. And God healed Abimelech, his wife and the women who served him, so that they gave birth to children. ¹⁸ For the Lord had stopped all births in the house of Abimelech because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

The Birth of Isaac

21 Then the Lord visited Sarah as He had said and did for her as He had promised. ² Sarah was able to have a child and she gave birth to a son when Abraham was very old. He was born at the time the Lord said it would happen. ³ Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son who was born to him by Sarah. ⁴ Then Abraham did the religious act of the Jews on Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had told him to do. ⁵ Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. ⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. All who hear will laugh with me.” ⁷ She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet when he is so old I have given him a son.” ⁸ When the child grew old enough to stop nursing, Abraham made a special supper on that day.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

⁹ But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian make fun of Isaac. Abraham was the father of Hagar’s son. ¹⁰ So Sarah said to Abraham, “Put this woman servant and her son out of your home. The son of this woman servant will never get any of the riches of the family as will my son Isaac.” ¹¹ And the thing brought much sorrow to Abraham because of his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, “Do not be full of sorrow because of the boy and the woman who serves you. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you. For your children and all their children’s children after you will be given a name through Isaac. ¹³ But I will also make a nation of the son of the woman who serves you, because he is your son.”

¹⁴ So Abraham got up early in the morning. He took bread and a leather bag of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy, and sent her away. She left, and went from place to place in the desert in Beersheba. ¹⁵ When the water was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she sat down as far away from him as an arrow flies. For she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” As she sat there, she cried a loud cry. ¹⁷ But God heard the voice of the boy. Then the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said, “Why are you so troubled, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heard the cry of the boy. ¹⁸ Get up. Lift up the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make a great nation of him.”

¹⁹ Then God opened Hagar’s eyes. And she saw a well of water. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰ God was with the boy and he grew. He lived in the desert, and became very good in using the bow. ²¹ While living in the desert of Paran, his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

The Agreement at Beersheba

²² At that time, Abimelech with Phicol, the head of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. ²³ So promise me here by God that you will not work against me, or my son, or any children after me. I have shown you kindness. So return kindness to me and to the land where you have come.” ²⁴ Abraham said, “I promise.” ²⁵ But Abraham spoke to Abimelech about a well of water that the servants of Abimelech had taken. ²⁶ Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this. You never told me. And I did not hear about it until today.” ²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. Then the two men made an agreement. ²⁸ Abraham set seven lambs of the flock away from the others. ²⁹ Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven lambs that you have set apart mean?” ³⁰ Abraham said, “Take these seven lambs from me as an agreement to me that I dug this well.” ³¹ So he gave that place the name Beersheba because both of them made a promise there. ³² So they made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the head of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tree at Beersheba. He called there on the name of the Lord, the God Who lives forever. ³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Abraham Is Tested

22 Later God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” Abraham said, “Here I am.” ² God said, “Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. And go to the land of Moriah. Give him as a burnt gift on the altar in worship, on one of the mountains I will show you.” ³ So Abraham got up early in the morning and got his donkey ready. He took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac. He cut wood for the burnt gift. And he went to the place where God told him to go. ⁴ Abraham looked up on the third day and saw the place far away. ⁵ He said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go to that place and worship, and return to you.” ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt gift and had Isaac carry it. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together. ⁷ Then Isaac said to Abraham, “My father!” Abraham answered, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “See, here is the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for the burnt gift?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will have for Himself a lamb ready for the burnt gift, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

⁹ Then they came to the place that God told them about. Abraham built the altar there, and set the wood in place. Then he tied rope around his son Isaac, and laid him upon the wood on the altar. ¹⁰ And Abraham put out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And Abraham said, “Here I am.” ¹² The angel of the Lord said, “Do not put out your hand against the boy. Do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God. You have not kept from Me your son, your only son.” ¹³ Then Abraham looked and saw a ram behind him, with his horns caught in the bushes. Abraham went and took the ram, and gave him as a burnt gift instead of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham gave that place the name “The Lord will give us what we need.” And it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be given.”

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time. ¹⁶ He said, “I have promised by Myself, says the Lord, because you have done this and have not kept from Me your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will bring good to you. I will add many to the number of your children and all who come after them, like the stars of the heavens and the sand beside the sea. They will take over the cities of those who hate them. ¹⁸ Good will come to all the nations of the earth by your children and their children’s children. Because you have obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men. And they got up and went with him to Beersheba. Abraham made his home there.

²⁰ Later it was told to Abraham, “Milcah also has given birth to the children of your brother Nahor: ²¹ Uz the first-born, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah gave birth to these eight by Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ And Reumah, the woman he kept who acted as his wife, gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.