Study Desk

At that time Abimelek^(af) and Phicol the commander of his forces^(ag) said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.^(ah)

Now swear^(ai) to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.^(aj) Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you."^(ak)

Abraham said, "I swear it."

Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek's servants had seized.^(al)

But Abimelek said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today."

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.^(am)

Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock,

and Abimelek asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?"

He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness^(an) that I dug this well.^(ao)"

So that place was called Beersheba,^[d](ap) because the two men swore an oath^(aq) there.

After the treaty^(ar) had been made at Beersheba,^(as) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces^(at) returned to the land of the Philistines.^(au)

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^(av) in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord ,^(aw) the Eternal God.^(ax)

And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines^(ay) for a long time.

Some time later God tested^(a) Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am,"^(b) he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son^(c), your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.^(d) Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering^(e) on a mountain I will show you.^(f)"

Early the next morning^(g) Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.^(h)"

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,⁽ⁱ⁾ and he himself carried the fire and the knife.^(j) As the two of them went on together,

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb^(k) for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide^(l) the lamb^(m) for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about,⁽ⁿ⁾ Abraham built an altar^(o) there and arranged the wood^(p) on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,^(q) on top of the wood.

Then he reached out his hand and took the knife^(r) to slay his son.^(s)

But the angel of the Lord ^(t) called out to him from heaven,^(u) "Abraham! Abraham!"^(v) "Here I am,"^(w) he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,^(x) because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.^(y)"

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram^[a] caught by its horns.^(z) He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.^(aa)

So Abraham called^(ab) that place The Lord ^(ac) Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.^(ad)"

The angel of the Lord ^(ae) called to Abraham from heaven^(af) a second time

and said, "I swear by myself,^(ag) declares the Lord , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,^(ah)

I will surely bless you^(ai) and make your descendants^(aj) as numerous as the stars in the sky^(ak) and as the sand on the seashore.^(al) Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,^(am)

and through your offspring^[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,^[c](an) because you have obeyed me."^(ao)

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.^(ap) And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Some time later Abraham was told, "Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:^(aq)

Uz^(ar) the firstborn, Buz^(as) his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram),

Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.^(at)"

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.^(au) Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor.^(av)

His concubine,^(aw) whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

The Death of Sarah

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.

She died at Kiriath Arba^(a) (that is, Hebron)^(b) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.^(c)

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.^[a](d) He said,

"I am a foreigner and stranger^(e) among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.^(f)"

The Hittites replied to Abraham,

"Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince^(g) among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar^(h) on my behalf

so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,⁽ⁱ⁾ which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you."

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites^(j) who had come to the gate^(k) of his city.

"No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give^[b](l) you the field, and I give^[c] you the cave that is in it. I give^[d] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead."

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there."

Ephron answered Abraham,

"Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels^[e] of silver,^(m) but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead."

Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,⁽ⁿ⁾ according to the weight current among the merchants.^(o)

So Ephron's field in Machpelah^(p) near Mamre^(q)—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded

to Abraham as his property^(r) in the presence of all the Hittites^(s) who had come to the gate^(t) of the city.

Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah^(u) near Mamre (which is at Hebron^(v)) in the land of Canaan.^(w)

So the field and the cave in it were deeded^(x) to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.^(y)

Isaac and Rebekah

Abraham was now very old,^(a) and the Lord had blessed^(b) him in every way.^(c)

He said to the senior servant^(d) in his household, the one in charge of all that he had,^(e) "Put your hand under my thigh.^(f)

I want you to swear^(g) by the Lord , the God of heaven^(h) and the God of earth,⁽ⁱ⁾ that you will not get a wife for my son^(j) from the daughters of the Canaanites,^(k) among whom I am living,^(l)

but will go to my country and my own relatives^(m) and get a wife for my son Isaac.⁽ⁿ⁾"

The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?^(o) Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?^(p)"

"Make sure that you do not take my son back there,"^(q) Abraham said.

"The Lord , the God of heaven,^(r) who brought me out of my father's household and my native land^(s) and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring^[a](t) I will give this land'^(u)—he will send his angel before you^(v) so that you can get a wife for my son from there.

If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath^(w) of mine. Only do not take my son back there."^(x)

So the servant put his hand under the thigh^(y) of his master^(z) Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master's camels^(aa) loaded with all kinds of good things^(ab) from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim^[b](ac) and made his way to the town of Nahor.^(ad)

He had the camels kneel down near the well^(ae) outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.^(af)

Then he prayed, " Lord , God of my master Abraham,^(ag) make me successful^(ah) today, and show kindness^(ai) to my master Abraham.

See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.^(aj)

May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, ‘Drink,^(ak) and I'll water your camels too'^(al)—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.^(am) By this I will know^(an) that you have shown kindness to my master."

Before he had finished praying,^(ao) Rebekah^(ap) came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel^(aq) son of Milkah,^(ar) who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.^(as)

The woman was very beautiful,^(at) a virgin;^(au) no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."^(av)

"Drink,^(aw) my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels^(ax) too,^(ay) until they have had enough to drink."

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.^(az)

Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.^(ba)

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring^(bb) weighing a beka^[c] and two gold bracelets^(bc) weighing ten shekels.^[d]

Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you?^(bd) Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?^(be)"

She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.^(bf)"

And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder,^(bg) as well as room for you to spend the night."

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord ,^(bh)

saying, "Praise be to the Lord ,^(bi) the God of my master Abraham,^(bj) who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness^(bk) to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey^(bl) to the house of my master's relatives."^(bm)