Genesis 20-22
New American Standard Bible
Abraham’s Treachery
20 Now Abraham journeyed from (A)there toward the land of (B)the [a]Negev, and [b]settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived for a time in (C)Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “(D)She is my sister.” So (E)Abimelech king of Gerar sent men and took Sarah. 3 (F)But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, (G)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is [c]married.” 4 Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, (H)will You kill a nation, even though [d]blameless? 5 Did he himself not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she (I)herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In (J)the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my [e]hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also [f](K)kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for (L)he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”
8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their [g]presence; and the people were greatly frightened. 9 (M)Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And [h]how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom (N)a great sin? You have done to me [i]things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you [j]encountered, that you have done this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no (O)fear of God in this place, and (P)they will kill me because of my wife. 12 Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife; 13 and it came about, when (Q)God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is [k]the kindness which you will show to me: [l]everywhere we go, (R)say of me, “He is my brother.”’” 14 (S)Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 Abimelech said, “(T)Behold, my land is before you; [m]settle wherever [n]you please.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your (U)brother a thousand pieces of silver. [o]It is [p]your vindication before all who are with you, and before everyone you are cleared.” 17 Then (V)Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children. 18 (W)For the Lord had completely closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Isaac Is Born
21 (X)Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had [q]promised. 2 (Y)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (Z)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, (AA)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (AB)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (AC)a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has made (AD)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [r]with me.” 7 And she said, “(AE)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”
8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
9 Now Sarah saw (AF)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, (AG)mocking Isaac. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(AH)Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son [s]Isaac!” 11 (AI)The matter [t]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “[u]Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for (AJ)through Isaac [v]your descendants shall be named. 13 And of (AK)the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your [w]descendant.” 14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a [x]skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was used up, she [y]left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not [z]see the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and (AL)raised her voice and wept. 17 God (AM)heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “[aa]What is the matter with you, Hagar? (AN)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by [ab]the hand, (AO)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (AP)opened her eyes, and she saw (AQ)a well of water; and she went and filled the [ac]skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 And (AR)God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 (AS)He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Covenant with Abimelech
22 Now it came about at that time that (AT)Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “(AU)God is with you in all that you do; 23 so now, (AV)swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my descendants, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have resided.” 24 Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25 But Abraham [ad]complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech (AW)had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it [ae]until today.”
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and (AX)the two of them made a covenant. 28 But Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 30 He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a (AY)witness for me, that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place [af](AZ)Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there (BA)he called on the name of the Lord, the (BB)Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham resided (BC)in the land of the Philistines for many days.
The Offering of Isaac
22 Now it came about after these things, that (BD)God tested Abraham, and said to him, “(BE)Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now (BF)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of (BG)Moriah, and offer him there as a (BH)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and (BI)laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the (BJ)lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will [ag]provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
9 Then they came to (BK)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (BL)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and (BM)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to [ah]slaughter his son. 11 But (BN)the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now (BO)I know that you [ai]fear God, since you have not withheld (BP)your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place [aj]The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord (BQ)it will [ak]be provided.”
15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “(BR)By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly (BS)multiply your [al]seed as the stars of the heavens and as (BT)the sand, which is on the seashore; and (BU)your [am]seed shall possess the gate of [an]their enemies. 18 And (BV)in your [ao]seed all the nations of the earth shall [ap]be blessed, because you have (BW)obeyed My voice.” 19 (BX)So Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived in Beersheba.
20 Now it came about after these things, that Abraham was told, saying, “Behold, (BY)Milcah [aq]also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel”— 23 and it was Bethuel who fathered (BZ)Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, [ar]also gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Notas al pie
- Genesis 20:1 I.e., South country
- Genesis 20:1 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 20:3 Lit married to a husband
- Genesis 20:4 Lit righteous
- Genesis 20:5 Lit palms
- Genesis 20:6 Lit restrained
- Genesis 20:8 Lit ears
- Genesis 20:9 Lit what
- Genesis 20:9 Lit deeds
- Genesis 20:10 Lit seen
- Genesis 20:13 Lit your
- Genesis 20:13 Lit at every place where
- Genesis 20:15 Lit dwell
- Genesis 20:15 Lit it is good in your sight
- Genesis 20:16 Lit Behold, it is
- Genesis 20:16 Lit for you a covering of the eyes
- Genesis 21:1 Lit spoken
- Genesis 21:6 Lit for
- Genesis 21:10 Lit with Isaac
- Genesis 21:11 Lit was very grievous in Abraham’s sight
- Genesis 21:12 Lit Do not let it be grievous in your sight
- Genesis 21:12 Lit your seed will be called
- Genesis 21:13 Lit seed
- Genesis 21:14 I.e., a skin used as a bottle
- Genesis 21:15 Lit cast
- Genesis 21:16 Lit look at the death of the child
- Genesis 21:17 Lit What to you; an idiom
- Genesis 21:18 Lit your
- Genesis 21:19 See note v 14
- Genesis 21:25 Lit rebuked
- Genesis 21:26 Lit except
- Genesis 21:31 I.e., well of an oath
- Genesis 22:8 Lit see
- Genesis 22:10 I.e., following prescribed ritual
- Genesis 22:12 Or revere; lit are a fearer of God
- Genesis 22:14 Heb YHWH-jireh; lit the Lord will see
- Genesis 22:14 Lit be seen
- Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
- Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
- Genesis 22:17 Lit his
- Genesis 22:18 Or descendants
- Genesis 22:18 Or bless themselves
- Genesis 22:20 Lit she also
- Genesis 22:24 Lit she also
Genesis 20-22
New Living Translation
Abraham Deceives Abimelech
20 Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, 2 Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.
3 But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”
4 But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”
6 In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”
8 Abimelech got up early the next morning and quickly called all his servants together. When he told them what had happened, his men were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! 10 Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’ 12 And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her. 13 When God called me to leave my father’s home and to travel from place to place, I told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.’”
14 Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him. 15 Then Abimelech said, “Look over my land and choose any place where you would like to live.” 16 And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver[a] in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. 18 For the Lord had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.
The Birth of Isaac
21 The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. 2 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. 3 And Abraham named their son Isaac. 4 Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter.[b] All who hear about this will laugh with me. 7 Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away
8 When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac.[c] 10 So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”
11 This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 12 But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 13 But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”
14 So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. 16 Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards[d] away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears.
17 But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.”
19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.
20 And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, 21 and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.
Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”
24 Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
26 “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”
27 Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. 28 But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. 29 Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 31 Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.
32 After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God.[e] 34 And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.
Abraham’s Faith Tested
22 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants[f] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.
20 Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. 21 The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 (Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah, 24 Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
