Genesis 20-24

Contemporary English Version

Abraham and Sarah at Gerar

20 Abraham moved to the Southern Desert, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur. Later he went to Gerar, and while there ^2 (A) he told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You have taken a married woman into your home, and for this you will die!”

^4-5 Abimelech said to the Lord, “Don't kill me! I haven't slept with Sarah. Didn't they say they were brother and sister? I am completely innocent.”

⁶ Then God continued:

I know you are innocent. That's why I kept you from sleeping with Sarah and doing anything wrong. ⁷ Her husband is a prophet. Let her go back to him, and his prayers will save you from death. But if you don't return her, you and all your people will die.

⁸ Early the next morning Abimelech sent for his officials, and when he told them what had happened, they were frightened. ⁹ Abimelech then called in Abraham and said:

Look what you've done to us! What have I ever done to you? Why did you make me and my nation guilty of such a terrible sin? ¹⁰ What were you thinking when you did this?

¹¹ Abraham answered:

I did it because I didn't think any of you respected God, and I was sure that someone would kill me to get my wife. ¹² Besides, she is my half sister. We have the same father, but different mothers. ¹³ When God made us leave my father's home and start wandering, I told her, “If you really love me, then tell everyone that I am your brother.”

¹⁴ After Abimelech had given Abraham some sheep, cattle, and slaves, he sent Sarah back ¹⁵ and told Abraham he could settle anywhere in his country. ¹⁶ Then he said to Sarah, “I have given your brother 1,000 pieces of silver as proof to everyone that you have done nothing wrong.”^[a]

^17-18 Meanwhile, God had kept Abimelech's wife and slaves from having children. But Abraham prayed, and God let them start having children again.

Sarah Has a Son

21 The Lord was good to Sarah and kept his promise. ^2 (B) Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said. ³ Abraham named his son Isaac, ^4 (C) and when the boy was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded.

⁵ Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, ⁶ and Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.^[b] And now everyone will laugh with me. ⁷ Who would have dared to tell Abraham that someday I would have a child? But in his old age, I have given him a son.”

⁸ The time came when Sarah no longer had to nurse Isaac,^[c] and on that day Abraham gave a big feast.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

^9-10 (D) One day, Sarah noticed Hagar's son Ishmael^[d] playing,^[e] and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that Egyptian slave woman and her son! I don't want him to inherit anything. It should all go to my son.”^[f]

¹¹ Abraham was worried about Ishmael. ^12 (E) But God said, “Abraham, don't worry about your slave woman and the boy. Just do what Sarah tells you. Isaac will inherit your family name, ¹³ but the son of the slave woman is also your son, and I will make his descendants into a great nation.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away.

They wandered around in the desert near Beersheba, ¹⁵ and after they had run out of water, Hagar put her son under a bush. ¹⁶ Then she sat down a long way off, because she could not bear to watch him die. And she cried bitterly.

¹⁷ When God heard the boy crying, the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven and said, “Hagar, why are you worried? Don't be afraid. I have heard your son crying. ¹⁸ Help him up and hold his hand, because I will make him the father of a great nation.” ¹⁹ Then God let her see a well. So she went to the well and filled the skin with water, then gave some to her son.

^20-21 God blessed Ishmael, and as the boy grew older, he became an expert at hunting with his bow and arrows. He lived in the Paran Desert, and his mother chose an Egyptian woman for him to marry.

A Peace Treaty

^22 (F) About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, “God blesses everything you do! ²³ Now I want you to promise in the name of God that you will always be loyal to me and my descendants, just as I have always been loyal to you in this land where you have lived as a foreigner.” ²⁴ And so, Abraham promised he would.

²⁵ One day, Abraham told Abimelech, “Some of your servants have taken over one of my wells.”

²⁶ “This is the first I've heard about it,” Abimelech replied. “Why haven't you said something before? I don't have any idea who did it.” ²⁷ Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, then the two men made a peace treaty.

²⁸ Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock of sheep, ²⁹ and Abimelech asked, “Why have you done this?”

³⁰ Abraham replied, “I want you to accept these seven lambs as proof that I dug this well.” ³¹ So they called the place Beersheba,^[g] because they made a treaty there.

³² When the treaty was completed, Abimelech and his army commander Phicol went back to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^[h] in Beersheba and worshiped the eternal Lord God. ³⁴ Then Abraham lived a long time as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines.

The Lord Tells Abraham To Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice

22 ^(G) Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him.

Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

^2 (H) The Lord said, “Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.” ³ So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and set out with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.

⁴ Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. ⁵ He told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.”

⁶ Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, ^7-8 Isaac said, “Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.”

The two of them walked on, and ^9 (I) when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. ^10 (J) He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. ¹¹ But the Lord's angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

¹² “Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son.

¹⁴ Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.” And even now people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”^[i]

¹⁵ The Lord's angel called out from heaven a second time:

^16 (K) You were willing to offer your only son to the Lord, and so he makes you this solemn promise, ^17 (L) “I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live. ^18 (M) You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth.”

¹⁹ Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.

The Children of Nahor

^20-23 Abraham's brother Nahor had married Milcah, and Abraham was later told that they had eight sons. Uz was their first-born; Buz was next, and then there was Kemuel the father of Aram; their other five sons were: Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel the father of Rebekah. ²⁴ Nahor also had another wife.^[j] Her name was Reumah, and she had four sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Sarah's Death and Burial

23 ^1-2 When Sarah was 127 years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her, ³ he went to the Hittites and said, ^4 (N) “I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land.”

^5-6 “Sir,” they answered, “you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead.”

⁷ Abraham bowed down ⁸ and replied, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife here, please ask Zohar's son Ephron ⁹ to sell me Machpelah Cave at the end of his field. I'll pay what it's worth, and all of you can be witnesses.”

¹⁰ Ephron was sitting there near the city gate, when Abraham made this request, and he answered, ¹¹ “Sir, the whole field, including the cave, is yours. With my own people as witnesses, I freely give it to you as a burial place for your dead.”

¹² Once again, Abraham bowed down ¹³ and said to Ephron, “In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer.”

^14-15 “But sir,” the man replied, “the property is worth only 400 pieces of silver. Why should we haggle over such a small amount? Take the land. It's yours.”

^16-18 Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the 400 pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham came to own Ephron's property east of Mamre,^[k] which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field. ¹⁹ So Abraham buried his wife Sarah in Machpelah Cave that was in the field ²⁰ he had bought from the Hittites.

A Wife for Isaac

24 Abraham was now a very old man. The Lord had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did. ² One day, Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said to him, “Solemnly promise me ³ in the name of the Lord, who rules heaven and earth, that you won't choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan. ⁴ Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for him from among my relatives.”

⁵ But the servant asked, “What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?”

⁶ “No!” Abraham answered. “Don't ever do that, no matter what. ⁷ The Lord who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the Lord will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son. ⁸ If the woman refuses to come along, you don't have to keep this promise. But don't ever take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do.

¹⁰ Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria,^[l] where Abraham's brother Nahor lived.

¹¹ When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water. ¹² The servant prayed:

You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today. ¹³ The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water, ¹⁴ and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.

^15-16 While he was still praying, a beautiful unmarried young woman came by with a water jar on her shoulder. She was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. Rebekah walked past Abraham's servant, then went over to the well, and filled her water jar. When she started back, ¹⁷ Abraham's servant ran to her and said, “Please let me have a drink of water.”

¹⁸ “I'll be glad to,” she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank. ^19-20 After he had finished, she said, “Now I'll give your camels all the water they want.” She quickly poured out water for them, and she kept going back for more, until his camels had drunk all they wanted. ²¹ Abraham's servant did not say a word, but he watched everything Rebekah did, because he wanted to know for certain if this was the woman the Lord had chosen.

²² The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose^[m] and the bracelets for her arms. ²³ Then he said, “Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”

²⁴ She answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah. ²⁵ We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels.”

²⁶ Then the servant bowed his head and prayed, ²⁷ “I thank you, Lord God of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him.”

²⁸ Rebekah ran straight home and told her family everything. ^29-30 Her brother Laban heard her tell what the servant had said, and he saw the ring and the bracelets she was wearing. So Laban ran out to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well. ³¹ Then Laban said, “The Lord has brought you safely here. Come home with me. There's no need for you to keep on standing outside. I have a room ready for you in our house, and there's also a place for your camels.”

³² Abraham's servant went home with Laban, where Laban's servants unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then they brought water into the house, so Abraham's servant and his men could wash their feet. ³³ After that, they brought in food. But the servant said, “Before I eat, I must tell you why I have come.”

“Go ahead and tell us,” Laban answered.

³⁴ The servant explained:

I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵ The Lord has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves. ³⁶ Sarah, my master's wife, didn't have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything. ³⁷ I solemnly promised my master that I would do what he said. And he told me, “Don't choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan. ³⁸ Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives.”

³⁹ I asked my master, “What if the young woman refuses to come with me?”

⁴⁰ My master answered, “I have always obeyed the Lord, and he will send his angel to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives. ⁴¹ But if they refuse to let her come back with you, then you are freed from your promise.”

⁴² When I came to the well today, I silently prayed, “You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships, so please lead me to a wife for his son ⁴³ while I am here at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I'll ask her to give me a drink. ⁴⁴ If she gives me a drink and offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen.”

⁴⁵ Even before I had finished praying, Rebekah came by with a water jar on her shoulder. When she had filled the jar, I asked her for a drink. ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, “Have a drink. Then I'll get water for your camels.” So I drank, and after that she got some water for my camels. ⁴⁷ I asked her who her father was, and she answered, “My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor and Milcah.” At once I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. ⁴⁸ Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the God my master Abraham worships. The Lord had led me straight to my master's relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.

⁴⁹ Now please tell me if you are willing to do the right thing for my master. Will you treat him fairly, or do I have to look for another young woman?

⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “The Lord has done this. We have no choice in the matter. ⁵¹ Take Rebekah with you; she can marry your master's son, just as the Lord has said.” ⁵² Abraham's servant bowed down and thanked the Lord. ⁵³ Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁵⁴ Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah's mother and brother, “I would like to go back to my master now.”

⁵⁵ “Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days,” they answered. “Then she may go.”

⁵⁶ But he said, “Don't make me stay any longer. The Lord has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return.”

⁵⁷ They answered, “Let's ask Rebekah what she wants to do.” ⁵⁸ They called her and asked, “Are you willing to leave with this man at once?”

“Yes,” she answered.

⁵⁹ So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant woman^[n] leave immediately with Abraham's servant and his men. ⁶⁰ They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, “We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies.” ⁶¹ Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham's servant and his men.

⁶² At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”^{[o] 63-65} One evening he was walking^[p] out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, “Who is that man?”

“He is my master Isaac,” the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil.^[q]

⁶⁶ The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.

⁶⁷ Isaac took Rebekah into the tent^[r] where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.