Abraham’s Treachery

Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived for a time in Gerar.

And Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent men and took Sarah.

Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”

And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?”

Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him.

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children.

For the Lord had completely closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”

And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac.

Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!”

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael.

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.

So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a 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.

Covenant with Abimelech

Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do;

Abraham said, “I swear it.”

But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

But Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?”