face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and ch. 18. 12. shall Sarah, that is ninety years old,

& 21. 6.

bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and

with his seed after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 T And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

CHAPTER XVIII.

1 Abraham entertaineth three angels. 9 Sarah is reproved for laughing at the strange promise. 17 The destruction of Sodom is revealed to Abraham. 23 Abraham maketh intercession for the men thereof.

A him in the placa ed unto ND the LORD appeared unto and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2 b And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy

servant:

Sarah is reproved.

4. Let a a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

BEFORE CHRIST 1898.

d ch. 19. 2. & 43. 24.

& 13. 15. 2 Heb. stay. f Judg. 19.5.

5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and 2f comfort ye your hearts; Judg.6.13. after that ye shall pass on: 8 for therefore 3are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou Ps. 104. 15. hast said.

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man ; and he hasted to dress it.

g ch. 19.8. & 33. 10.

Heb. you have passed.

4 Heb. Hasten.

8 And he took butter, and milk, ch. 19. 3. and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

9 T And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, 'in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, m Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

1 ch. 24. 67.

k ver. 14.

12 Kings 4.

16.

m ch. 17. 19,

21. & 21. 2.

Rom. 9.9.

n ch. 17. 17. Rom. 4. 19.

11 Now "Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it Heb. 11. 11, ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12, 19. o cho 31. 35.

q Luke 1.18.

12 Therefore Sarah Plaughed with- p ch. 17. 17. in herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a

son.

r 1 Pet. 3. 6.

Jer. 32. 17. Matt. 3.9. 19. 20.

Zech. 8. 6.

Luke 1. 37. t ver. 10. ch. 17. 21. 2 Kings 4.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I 16. laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them " to bring them on the way.

17 And the LORD said, w Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ;

u Rom. 15. 24.

3 John 6. Ps. 25. 14.

John 15. 15.

Amos 3. 7.

ch. 12. 3. Acts 3. 25.

& 22. 18.

Gal. 3. 8.

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For know him, that he will Eph. 6.4.

y Deut. 4.9, 10. & 6. 7. Josh.24. 15.

Abraham's intercession

BEFORE CHRIST 1898.

z ch. 4. 10. & 19. 13.

Jam. 5. 4.

a ch. 11. 5. Ex. 3. 8.

b Deut. 8. 2. & 13. 3. Josh. 22. 22. Luke 16. 15. 2 Cor. 11.11.

• ch. 19. 1.

d ver 1.

• Heb.10.22.

22.

command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is

for the men of Sodom.

be found there. And he said, I will BEFORE not destroy it for ten's sake.

33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

CHAPTER XIX.

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

с

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

23 ¶ And Abraham drew near, Num. 16. and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

2 Sam. 24. 17.

8 Jer. 5. 1.

h Job 8. 20.

24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

CHRIST 1898.

• Jam. 5. 16.

ND there & came two angels to a ch. 18. 22. ;

the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

32 And he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall

14 And Lot went out, and spake Matt. 1.18. unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, "Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. I But he Luke 17.28. seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

I Ex. 9. 21.

& 24. 11.

e1 Kings 19.3.

d ver. 26.

Matt. 24. 16, Luke 9. 62.

17, 18.

Phil. 3. 13, 14.

Acts 10.14.

15¶ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the 3 iniquity of the city.

16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: band they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

с

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; d look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:

19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little Job 42.8.9. one?) and my soul shall live.

Ps. 145. 19. 4 Heb. thy face.

4

21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this Deut. 9. 14. city, for the which thou hast spoken.

* See ch. 32. 25, 26. Ex. 32. 10.

Mark 6. 5.

h ch. 13. 10. & 14. 2.

6 That is, Little. ver. 20.

22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called "Zoar.

the upon

BEFORE CHRIST 1898.

23 T The sun was 2risen earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brim- forth. stone and fire from the LORD out of Deut.29.23. heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

2 Heb. gone

Is. 13. 19. Jer. 20. 16. & 50. 40.

Ezek. 16.49,

Hos. 11. 8.

Amos 4. 11.

Zeph. 2. 9. Luke 17.29. 2 Pet. 2. 6. Jude 7.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became ch. 14. 3. a pillar of salt.

27 ¶ And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where m he stood before the LORD:

Ps. 107. 34. 1 Luke17.32.

m ch. 18. 22.

28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, "the smoke of the country went up n Rev. 18.9. as the smoke of a furnace.

& 18. 23.

29 ¶ And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, ch. 8. 1. and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and Pdwelt in the mountain, and P ver. 17, 19. his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth 4 to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink

wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

ach. 16. 2,4. Deut. 25.5.

& 38. 8, 9.

r Mark12.19.

1897.

s Deut. 2. 9.

k 2 Kings 20. 3.

2 Cor. 1. 12. 8 Or, simpli

city, or, sincerity.

1 ch. 31. 7. & 35. 5.

Ex. 34. 24.

1 Sam. 25.

26, 34.

m ch. 39. 9. Lev. 6. 2. Ps. 51. 4.

i

5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: * in the 3integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Isaac is born.

but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 1898.

x ch. 12. 1, 9, 11, &c.

13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my fa-. ther's house, that I said unto her, Heb. 11. 8. This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenham, and restored him Sarah his wife. servants, and gave them unto Abra

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell 2 where it pleaseth thee.

y ch. 12. 13.

z ch. 12. 16.

ch. 13. 9.

2 Heb. as is thine eyes.

b ver. 5.

c ch. 26. 11.

16 And unto Sarah he said, Be-good in hold, I have given b bthy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, & ch. 24. 65. unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

10.

17 So Abraham prayed unto e Job 42. 9, God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

18 For the LORD f had fast closed fch. 12. 17.

up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

CHAPTER XXI.

this in the integrity of thy heart; for 1 I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered thee not to touch her.

m

7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and 1 Sam.7.5. he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely 1 John 5. 16. die, thou, and all that are thine.

2 Kings 5. 11.

Job 42. 8. Jam. 5. 14, 15.

o ch. 2. 17. p Num. 16. 32, 33.

a ch. 26. 10. Josh. 7. 25.

Ex. 32. 21.

r ch. 34. 7.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears and the men were sore afraid.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

9 And Sarah saw the son of

12.

Hagar the Egyptian, "which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, P Cast out this bondwoman and Gal. 4. 29. her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, 6. & 36. 6,7. even with Isaac.

p Gal. 4. 30. 8ee ch. 25.

q ch. 17. 18.

Rom. 9. 7, Heb. 11. 18.

&

ver, 18. ch. 16. 10. & 17.20.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, John & 35. and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

u Ex. 3. 7.

w ver. 13.

I Num. 22.

31.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for wI will make him a great nation.

19 And God opened her eyes, and

The trial of Abraham's faith.

ing to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

24 And Abraham said, I will swear. 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

e

26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

h

30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31 Wherefore he called that place 2Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.

32 Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

BEFORE CHRIST cir. 1892.

• See ch. 26. 15, 18, 20, 21, 22.

f ch. 26. 31.

g ch. 33. 8.

3

Or, tree.
ch. 4. 26.

1 Deut. 33.
27.

18. 40. 28.

Rom.16.26. 1 Tim. 1. 17.

1872. Jos. Ant.

13.

things, that God did tempt A-1 Cor. 10. braham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

4

2 And he said, Take now thy son, bthine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4 Then on the third day Abraham

Heb. 11. 17. Jam. 1. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 7.

Heb. Behold me.

b Heb.11.17. • 2 Chron. 3.1.