benwisdom

He said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”

It happened, when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” that he came to the man. Behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.

Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.

The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words.

He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me in the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”

The man bowed his head, and worshiped Yahweh.

She said moreover to him, “We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.”

She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge in?”

It happened, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,

The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not.

She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

When she had done giving him drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have done drinking.”

She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him drink.

The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”

The young lady was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, neither had any man known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up.

It happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder.

Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’–let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

He said, “Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water.

The servant took ten camels, of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath. Only you shall not bring my son there again.”

Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your seed.’ He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t bring my son there again.

The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?”

But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.

Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh.

Abraham was old, and well stricken in age. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.

The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.

After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.

to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded

Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants’ standard.

“My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead.”

Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”

Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.

“No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”

Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying,

that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me among you for a possession of a burying-place.”

He talked with them, saying, “If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

“Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”

The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

“I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,

Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life.

His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,

It happened after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.

In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.

and said, “I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,

The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of the sky,

Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.”

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

The angel of Yahweh called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”

Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.

Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.

Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.

Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you.”

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.

Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.

He said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”

It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”

Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.

So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there.

He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”

Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?”

Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.

Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today.”

Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

Abraham said, “I will swear.”

Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner.”

It happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer.

God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink.

Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”

God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

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

Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

I will also make a nation of the son of the handmaid, because he is your seed.”

God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your handmaid. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For from Isaac will your seed be called.

The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.

Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this handmaid and her son! For the son of this handmaid will not be heir with my son, Isaac.”