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17 therefore all things hereafter accord with truth. Then Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife 18 and his maid servants and they bore children. For the Lord had shut up every womb in Abimelech's family on the account of Sarah the wife of Abraham.

XXI. Now the Lord visited Sarah as he had said. And the Lord 2 did for Sarah as he had spoken, and she conceived and bare a son to Abraham in old age at the set time, of which the Lord 3 had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son 4 who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaak. And

Abraham circumcised Isaak on the eighth day, as God had com5 manded him. Now Abraham was a hundred years old when 6 his son Isaak was born to him. And Sarah said, The Lord hath made laughter for me; for whoever shall hear will rejoice 7 with me. And she said, Who will tell Abraham that Sarah is 8 suckling a child-that I have born a son in my old age! And the child grew and was weaned and Abraham made a great en9 tertainment on the day his son Isaak was weaned. And when Sarah saw the son of Agar the Egyptian who was born to Abraham sporting with her son Isaak, she said to Abraham, 10 Send away this girl and her son; for the son of this girl shall 11 not be heir with my son Isaak. And the thing appeared very 12 hard in Abraham's view, touching his son. But God said to

Abraham, Let not this respecting thy son and respecting the handmaid appear hard in thy view. Hearken to the voice of 13 Sarah in whatever she may have said to thee. For in Isaak a seed shall be called for thee. Nevertheless I will make the son 14 of this handmaid a great nation, because he is thy seed. So

Abraham arose early the next morning and took loaves and a skin full of water, and when he had put them on her shoulder he gave the boy to Agar and sent her away. And she departing 15 lost her way between the wilderness and Well of the Oath; And the water in the skin being spent she laid the boy under the first pine tree and going away sat down over against him at the 16 distance of about a bow shot. For she said, I cannot behold the

death of my son. So she sat over against him and the lad wept 17 with a loud voice. And God heard the voice of the lad from the place where he was. And an angel of God called to Agar out of heaven and said, What is the matter, Agar? Fear not.

For God hath heard the voice of the lad from the place where 18 he is. Arise and take up the boy and support him with thy 19 hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened

her eyes and she saw a well of spring water. So she went and 20 filled the vessel with water and gave the boy drink. And God

was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and 21 became a bowman. Thus he dwelt in the wilderness, and his mother took for him a wife from Pharan of Egypt.

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Now it happened at that time that Abimelech, accompanied with Ochozath his chamberlain and Phichol the general of his 23 army, spoke to Abraham saying, God is with thee in all that thou dost. Now therefore swear to me by God, that thou wilt not injure me nor my seed nor my name; but that according to the kindness with which I have treated thee, thou wilt deal 24 with me and this land in which thou hast sojourned. And Abra25 ham said, I swear. Then Abraham expostulated with Abime

lech touching the wells of water which the servants of Abime26 lech had taken. And Abimelech said to him, I did not know that any one had done this to thee. Thou didst not tell me, nor 27 did I hear of it till this day. Then Abraham took sheep and

oxen and gave them to Abimelech; and they both made a co28 venant. Now Abraham had set seven ewe lambs by them29 selves; And Abimelech said to Abraham, What are these se30 ven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? Upon which

Abraham said, These seven ewe lambs thou wilt take of me that they may be a witness for me, that I digged this well. 31 For this cause he called the name of that place, Well of the

Oath, because both of them swore there and made a covenant 32 at Well of the Oath. Then arose Abimelech and Ochozath his

chamberlain and Phichol the general of his army and returned 33 to the land of the Philistines; and Abraham planted a field at Well of the Oath and there invoked the name of the Lord, the 34 everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

XXII. And it came to pass after these things that God tried

Abraham and said to him, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, 2 Here I am. And he said, Take thy son, thy dear son whom thou hast loved-Isaak; and go to the hilly country and offer him up there for a whole homage offering on one of the hills which I

eyes

3 will point out to thee. So Abraham arose in the morning and saddled his ass and took with him two servants and his son Isaak: and having split wood for the whole homage offering he set out on the journey and came to the place which God 4 told him on the third day. Now when Abraham raised his 5 and saw the place at a distance he said to his servants, Stay here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder, and when 6 we have worshipped we will return to you. Then Abraham took the wood of the whole homage offering and laid it on his son Isaak; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife, and 7 they both proceeded on together. And Isaak said to his father Abraham, Father. And he said, What is the matter, son? And Isaak said, Here is the fire and the wood; where is the 8 sheep for a whole homage offering? And Abraham said, My son! God will provide for himself a sheep for a whole homage 9 offering. So they both proceeded on together and came to the place which God told him. And Abraham built there the altar, and placed thereon the wood; and having bound his son Isaak 10 he laid him on the altar above the wood. And when Abraham

stretched forth his hand to take hold of the knife to slay his 11 son, the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven and said, 12 Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Here I am. And he said,

Lay not thy hand on the lad, nor do any thing to him; for now I know that thou fearest God and on my account hast not spared 13 thy darling son. Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and lo! a ram caught by the horns in a sabek bush. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for an homage offer14 ing instead of his son Isaak. And Abraham called the name of

that place, The Lord hath seen, that at this day they might 15 say, On this mountain, The Lord was seen. Then the angel 16 of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 17 saying, By myself I have sworn, saith the Lord, Because thou hast done this, and for my sake hast not spared thy beloved son; with blessings I will indeed bless thee; and I will multiply thy seed abundantly as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the sea shore: and thy seed shall inherit the cities of their 18 adversaries; and by the seed of thee all the nations of the earth

shall be blessed, because thou hast hearkened to my voice. 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants and they arose and

came together to Well of the Oath, for Abraham lived at Well 20 of the Oath. And after these things it was told Abraham say

ing, With regard to Melcha, behold she also hath born sons to 21 thy brother Nachor, Ouz the first born, and Baux his brother, 22 and Hamuel, the father of the Syrians, and Chazad and Azau, 23 and Phaldes and Jeldaph and Bathuel; and Bathuel begot Re

bekka. These were the eight sons, whom Melcha bore to Na24 chor the brother of Abraham. And his concubine whose name was Reuma bore also Tabek and Gaam and Tochos and Mo

cha. XXIII. Now the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty seven 2 years. And Sarah died in the city Arbok, which is in the vale, the same is Chebron in the land of Chanaan. And Abraham went 3 to mourn for Sarah and to make lamentation. And Abraham arose from before his dead and spoke to the children of Chet, 4 saying, I am a stranger and sojourner among you, give me therefore the possession of a burying place among you, that I 5 may bury my dead from before me. And the children of Chet

answered and said to Abraham, Nay, Sir, rather hearken to us. 6 Thou art a king from God among us. In the choice of our tombs bury thy dead; for there is none of us who will deny 7 thee his tomb to bury there thy dead. Then Abraham standing up made obeisance to the people of the land-the children 8 of Chet. And Abraham spoke to them saying, If it be your

wish that I should bury this my dead out of my sight, hearken 9 to me and speak for me to Ephron the son of Saar. And let him give me the double cave which belongeth to him-that which is in a part of his field. Let him give it to me for the full value 10 of it, among you, for a possession of a burying place. Now Ephron was sitting among the children of Chet; And Ephron the Chettite answered Abraham and said in the hearing of the children of Chet and of all coming into the city, Attend, Sir, 11 and hearken to me. The field and the cave which is in it I give thee. In the presence of my fellow citizens I have given them 12 to thee. Bury thy dead. And when Abraham had made obei

sance before all the people of the land, he said to Ephron in the 13 hearing of all the people of the land, As thou art here before me, hearken to me. Take of me in silver the value of the field 14 and I will bury my dead there. Whereupon Ephron answered

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15 Abraham, saying, Nay, Sir, I have indeed heard that the land is worth four hundred didrachms of silver; but what can that 16 be between me and thee? But bury thou thy dead. And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham paid down to Ephron the money which he mentioned in the hearing of the children of Chet, four hundred didrachms of silver current among mer17 chants. So the field of Ephron including the double cave which is situate before Mambre, the field and the cave in it and all the wood in the field and all within the bounds thereof round about 18 were conveyed to Abraham for a possession in the presence of 19 the children of Chet and of all who entered the city. After this

Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the double cave of the field which is over against Mambre (the same is Chebron in the land 20 of Chanaan.) And the property of the field and the cave in it was confirmed to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Chet.

XXIV. Now Abraham was old and far advanced in years, and the 2 Lord had blessed him in all things. And Abraham said to his

servant, the oldest of his family and who was ruler over all 3 that he had, Put thy hand under my thigh, and let me cause thee to swear by the Lord the God of heaven and the God of earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son Isaak, of the 4 daughters of the Chananites among whom I dwell; but that

thou wilt go to the land where I was born, and to my tribe and 5 take thence a wife for my son Isaak. And the servant said to

him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to come with me 6 to this land; shall I take back thy son to the land from which

thou camest? Whereupon Abraham said to him, Beware that 7 thou take not back my son thither. The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my nativity; who spoke to me, and who sware to me saying, "To thee I will give this land and to thy seed;" he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take 8 thence a wife for my son. But if the woman will not come with thee into this land, thou shalt be absolved from this my oath, 9 save that thou must not take my son back thither. Then the servant put his hand under his master Abraham's thigh, and 10 swore to him respecting this matter. And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master; and of all the goods of his

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