Study Desk

When Abram heard that his relative^(ah) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained^(ai) men born in his household^(aj) and went in pursuit as far as Dan.^(ak)

During the night Abram divided his men^(al) to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.^(am)

He recovered^(an) all the goods^(ao) and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer^(ap) and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom^(aq) came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).^(ar)

Then Melchizedek^(as) king of Salem^(at) brought out bread^(au) and wine.^(av) He was priest of God Most High,^(aw)

and he blessed Abram,^(ax) saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High,^(ay) Creator of heaven and earth.^(az)

And praise be to God Most High,^(ba) who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.^(bb)

The king of Sodom^(bc) said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods^(bd) for yourself."

But Abram said to the king of Sodom,^(be) "With raised hand^(bf) I have sworn an oath to the Lord , God Most High,^(bg) Creator of heaven and earth,^(bh)

that I will accept nothing belonging to you,^(bi) not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.'

I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre.^(bj) Let them have their share."

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram^(a) in a vision:^(b) "Do not be afraid,^(c) Abram. I am your shield,^[a](d) your very great reward.^[b](e)"

But Abram said, "Sovereign Lord ,^(f) what can you give me since I remain childless^(g) and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?^(h)"

And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant⁽ⁱ⁾ in my household^(j) will be my heir."

Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.^(k)"

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars^(l)—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring^[d] be."^(m)

Abram believed the Lord , and he credited it to him as righteousness.⁽ⁿ⁾

He also said to him, "I am the Lord , who brought you out^(o) of Ur of the Chaldeans^(p) to give you this land to take possession of it."^(q)

But Abram said, "Sovereign Lord ,^(r) how can I know^(s) that I will gain possession of it?"^(t)

So the Lord said to him, "Bring me a heifer,^(u) a goat and a ram, each three years old,^(v) along with a dove and a young pigeon.^(w)"

Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other;^(x) the birds, however, he did not cut in half.^(y)

Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses,^(z) but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,^(aa) and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that for four hundred years^(ab) your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved^(ac) and mistreated there.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out^(ad) with great possessions.^(ae)

You, however, will go to your ancestors^(af) in peace and be buried at a good old age.^(ag)

In the fourth generation^(ah) your descendants will come back here,^(ai) for the sin of the Amorites^(aj) has not yet reached its full measure."

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch^(ak) appeared and passed between the pieces.^(al)

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram^(am) and said, "To your descendants I give this land,^(an) from the Wadi^[e] of Egypt^(ao) to the great river, the Euphrates^(ap)—

the land of the Kenites,^(aq) Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

Hittites,^(ar) Perizzites,^(as) Rephaites,^(at)

Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."^(au)

Hagar and Ishmael

Now Sarai,^(a) Abram's wife, had borne him no children.^(b) But she had an Egyptian slave^(c) named Hagar;^(d)

so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children.^(e) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her."^(f) Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

So after Abram had been living in Canaan^(g) ten years,^(h) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.

He slept with Hagar,⁽ⁱ⁾ and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.^(j)

Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me."^(k)

"Your slave is in your hands,^(l)" Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated^(m) Hagar; so she fled from her.

The angel of the Lord ⁽ⁿ⁾ found Hagar near a spring^(o) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.^(p)

And he said, "Hagar,^(q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"^(r) "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her."

The angel added, "I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count."^(s)

The angel of the Lord ^(t) also said to her: "You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son.^(u) You shall name him^(v) Ishmael,^[a](w) for the Lord has heard of your misery.^(x)

He will be a wild donkey^(y) of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward^[b] all his brothers.^(z)"

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me,^(aa)" for she said, "I have now seen^[c] the One who sees me."^(ab)

That is why the well^(ac) was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d];^(ad) it is still there, between Kadesh^(ae) and Bered.

So Hagar^(af) bore Abram a son,^(ag) and Abram gave the name Ishmael^(ah) to the son she had borne.

Abram was eighty-six years old^(ai) when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The Covenant of Circumcision

When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(a) the Lord appeared to him^(b) and said, "I am God Almighty^[a];^(c) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^(d)

Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(e) and will greatly increase your numbers."^(f)

Abram fell facedown,^(g) and God said to him,

"As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(h) You will be the father of many nations.⁽ⁱ⁾

No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c](j) for I have made you a father of many nations.^(k)

I will make you very fruitful;^(l) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^(m)

I will establish my covenant⁽ⁿ⁾ as an everlasting covenant^(o) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(p) and the God of your descendants after you.^(q)

The whole land of Canaan,^(r) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(s) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(t) and I will be their God.^(u)"

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(v) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^(w)

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^(x)

You are to undergo circumcision,^(y) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(z) between me and you.

For the generations to come^(aa) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(ab) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.

Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(ac) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^(ad)

Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(ae) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(af) he has broken my covenant.^(ag)"

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai^(ah) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.^(ai)

I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.^(aj) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;^(ak) kings of peoples will come from her."

Abraham fell facedown;^(al) he laughed^(am) and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?^(an) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"^(ao)

And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael^(ap) might live under your blessing!"^(aq)

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(ar) and you will call him Isaac.^[d](as) I will establish my covenant with him^(at) as an everlasting covenant^(au) for his descendants after him.

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.^(av) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(aw) and I will make him into a great nation.^(ax)

But my covenant^(ay) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(az) by this time next year."^(ba)

When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(bb)

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household^(bc) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.^(bd)

Abraham was ninety-nine years old^(be) when he was circumcised,^(bf)

and his son Ishmael^(bg) was thirteen;

Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.

And every male in Abraham's household^(bh), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors

The Lord appeared to Abraham^(a) near the great trees of Mamre^(b) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent^(c) in the heat of the day.

Abraham looked up^(d) and saw three men^(e) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.^(f)

He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes,^(g) my lord,^[a] do not pass your servant^(h) by.

Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet⁽ⁱ⁾ and rest under this tree.

Let me get you something to eat,^(j) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say."

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs^[b] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread."^(k)

Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf^(l) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.

He then brought some curds^(m) and milk⁽ⁿ⁾ and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.^(o) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.