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but the Lord appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then built an altar there for the Lord .

The crops failed, and there was no food anywhere in the land. So Abram and his wife Sarai went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, he said, "Sarai, you are really beautiful!

When the Egyptians see how lovely you are, they will murder me because I am your husband. But they won't kill you.

Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. But Lot settled near the cities of the valley and put up his tents not far from Sodom,

King Chedorlaomer and his allies had ruled these last five kings for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year the kings rebelled and came together in Siddim Valley, which is now covered by the southern part of the Dead Sea.

That night, Abram divided up his troops, attacked from all sides, and won a great victory. But some of the enemy escaped to the town of Hobah north of Damascus,

Let my share be the food that my men have eaten. But Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre went with me, so give them their share of what we brought back.

But Abram answered, " Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own.

Abram obeyed the Lord . Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half.

Then the Lord said: Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace. But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.

Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,

Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the Lord for this."

Abram said, "All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her." But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him."

But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.

The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the Lord stayed with Abraham,

But suppose there are only forty-five good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?" "If I find forty-five good people," the Lord replied, "I won't destroy the city."

Then Abraham said, "I don't have any right to ask you, Lord , but what would you do if you find only twenty?" "Because of them, I won't destroy the city," was the Lord 's answer.

But Lot kept insisting, until they finally agreed and went home with him. He baked some bread, cooked a meal, and they ate.