Study Desk

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled^[f] his 318 trained men, born in his household,^(o) and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.^(p)

And he and his servants deployed against them by night, attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus.

He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.

After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley^(q)).

Then Melchizedek, king of Salem,^[g](r) brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.^(s)

He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator^[h] of heaven and earth,

and I give praise to^[i] God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.^(t)

Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself."

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand in an oath to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.'

I will take nothing^[j] except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share."

After these events, the word of the Lord came^(a) to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid,^(b) Abram. I am your shield;^(c) your reward will be very great.

But Abram said, "Lord God , what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"^[a]

Abram continued, "Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in^[b] my house will be my heir."

Now the word of the Lord came to him: "This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body^[c] will be your heir."

He took him outside and said, "Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "Your offspring will be that numerous."^(d)

Abram believed the Lord , and He credited it to him as righteousness.^(e)

He also said to him, "I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess."^(f)

But he said, "Lord God , how can I know^(g) that I will possess it?"

He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

So he brought all these to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds.^(h)

Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, a deep sleep⁽ⁱ⁾ fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

Then the Lord said to Abram,^(j) "Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners^(k) in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed^[d] 400 years.^(l)

However, I will judge the nation they serve,^(m) and afterward they will go out with many possessions.⁽ⁿ⁾

But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.^(o)

In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."^[e](p)

When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals.

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "I give this land to your offspring,^(q) from the brook of Egypt^(r) to the Euphrates River:^[f]

the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim,

Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."

Abram's wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

Sarai said to Abram, "Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family." And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.^[a]

So Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years.

He slept with^[b] Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she treated her mistress with contempt.

Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for my suffering!^[c] I put my slave in your arms,^[d] and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you."^(a)

Abram replied to Sarai, "Here, your slave is in your hands; do whatever you want with her." Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.

The Angel of the Lord ^(b) found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.

He said, "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She replied, "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai."

Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, "You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment."^[e]

The Angel of the Lord also said to her, "I will greatly multiply your offspring,^(c) and they will be too many to count."

Then the Angel of the Lord said to her: You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael,^[f] for the Lord has heard your cry of affliction.

This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him; he will live at odds with^[g] all his brothers.^(d)

So she called the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees,^[h] for she said, "In this place, have I actually seen^(e) the One who sees me?"^[i]

That is why she named the spring, "A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."^[j] It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son Hagar had.

Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, "I am God Almighty.^(a) Live in My presence and be blameless.^(b)

I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly."

Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him:

"As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations.^[a]

Your name will no longer be Abram,^[b] but your name will be Abraham,^[c] for I will make you the father of many nations.^(c)

I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant^(d) to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.^(e)

And to you and your future offspring^(f) I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession,^(g) and I will be their God."

God also said to Abraham, "As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep My covenant.

This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised.

You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and you.^[d](h)

Throughout your generations, every male among you at eight days old is to be circumcised.⁽ⁱ⁾ This includes a slave born in your house and one purchased with money from any foreigner. The one who is not your offspring,

a slave born in your house, as well as one purchased with money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

God said to Abraham, "As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah^[e] will be her name.

I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.^(j) I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed^(k) and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?"

So Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!"^[f]

But God said, "No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.^[g] I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders,^(l) and I will make him into a great nation.

But I will confirm My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."^(m)

When He finished talking with him, God withdrew^[h] from Abraham.⁽ⁿ⁾

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham's household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him.

Abraham was 99 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,

and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.

On that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

And all the men of his household—both slaves born in his house and those purchased with money from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.

Then the Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre^(a) while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day.

He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him.^(b) When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground.

Then he said, "My lord,^[a] if I have found favor in your sight, please do not go on past your servant.

Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.

I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves.^[b] This is why you have passed your servant's way. Later, you can continue on." "Yes," they replied, "do as you have said."

So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Knead three measures^[c] of fine flour and make bread."^[d]

Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it.

Then Abraham took curds^[e] and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served^[f] them as they ate under the tree.