Study Desk

"As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him a child, but she had an Egyptian slave woman whose name was Hagar.

Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

The angel of the LORD said to her further, "Behold, you are pregnant, And you will give birth to a son; And you shall name him Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction.

"But he will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live in defiance of all his brothers."

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees me"; for she said, "Have I even seen Him here and lived after He saw me?"

So Hagar bore a son to Abram; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, Ishmael.

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

"No longer shall you be named Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

"And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

"And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

"A slave who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

"I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?"

But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

"As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

And all the men of his household, those who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

"Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and make yourselves comfortable under the tree;