21The LORD kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.H3068H6485H8283H559H3068H6213H8283H1696 2She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.H8283H2029H3205H85H1121H2208H4150H430H1696 3And Abraham named their son Isaac.H85H7121H8034H1121H3205H8283H3205H3327 4Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded.H85H4135H1121H3327H8083H3117H1121H430H6680 5Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.H85H3967H8141H1121H1121H3327H3205 6And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.H8283H559H430H6213H6712H8085H6711 7Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!"H559H4448H85H8283H1121H3243H3205H1121H2208 8When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion.H3206H1431H1580H85H6213H1419H4960H3117H3327H1580 9But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac.H8283H7200H1121H1904H4713H3205H85H6711 10So she turned to Abraham and demanded, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won't have it!"H559H85H1644H519H1121H1121H519H3423H1121H3327 11This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son.H1697H3966H3415H85H5869H182H1121 12But God told Abraham, "Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.H430H559H85H3415H5869H5288H519H8283H559H8085H6963H3327H2233H7121 13But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he is your son, too."H1121H519H7760H1471H2233 14So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar's shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.H85H7925H1242H3947H3899H2573H4325H5414H1904H7760H7926H3206H7971H3212H8582H4057H884 15When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush.H4325H3615H4480H2573H7993H3206H259H7880 16Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. "I don't want to watch the boy die," she said, as she burst into tears.H3212H3427H5048H7368H2909H7198H559H7200H4194H3206H3427H5375H6963H1058 17But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, "Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.H430H8085H6963H5288H4397H430H7121H1904H8064H559H1904H3372H430H8085H6963H5288 18Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants."H6965H5375H5288H2388H3027H7760H1419H1471 19Then God opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.H430H6491H5869H7200H875H4325H3212H4390H2573H4325H8248H5288H8248 20And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer,H430H5288H1431H3427H4057H7235H7199 21and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.H3427H4057H6290H517H3947H802H776H4714 22About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. "God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do," Abimelech said.H6256H40H6369H8269H6635H559H85H559H430H6213 23"Swear to me in God's name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner."H7650H2008H430H8266H5209H5220H2617H6213H6213H776H1481 24Abraham replied, "Yes, I swear to it!"H85H559H7650 25Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's servants had taken by force from Abraham's servants.H85H3198H40H182H875H4325H40H5650H1497 26"This is the first I've heard of it," Abimelech answered. "I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before."H40H559H3045H6213H1697H3808H5046H3808H8085H1115H3117 27Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty.H85H3947H6629H1241H5414H40H8147H3772H1285 28But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves.H85H5324H7651H3535H6629 29Abimelech asked, "Why have you set these seven apart from the others?"H40H559H85H2008H7651H3535H5324 30Abraham replied, "Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well."H559H7651H3535H3947H3027H5668H5713H2658H875 31Then he named the place Beersheba (which means "well of the oath"), because that was where they had sworn the oath.H7121H4725H884H7650H8147 32After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines.H3772H1285H884H40H6965H6369H8269H6635H7725H776H6430 33Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God.H5193H815H884H7121H8034H3068H5769H410 34And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.H85H1481H6430H776H7227H3117
22Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes," he replied. "Here I am."H310H1697H430H5254H85H559H85H559 2"Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."H559H3947H1121H3173H3327H157H3212H776H4179H5927H5930H259H2022H559 3The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.H85H7925H1242H2280H2543H3947H8147H5288H3327H1121H1234H6086H5930H6965H3212H4725H430H559 4On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.H7992H3117H85H5375H5869H7200H4725H7350 5"Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the servants. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."H85H559H5288H3427H2543H5288H3212H3541H7812H7725 6So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,H85H3947H6086H5930H7760H3327H1121H3947H784H3027H3979H3212H8147H3162 7Isaac turned to Abraham and said, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "We have the fire and the wood," the boy said, "but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"H3327H559H85H1H559H1H559H1121H559H784H6086H7716H5930 8"God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.H85H559H1121H430H7200H7716H5930H3212H8147H3162 9When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.H935H4725H430H559H85H1129H4196H6186H6086H6186H6123H3327H1121H7760H4196H4605H6086 10And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.H85H7971H3027H3947H3979H7819H1121 11At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," Abraham replied. "Here I am!"H4397H3068H7121H8064H559H85H85H559 12"Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son."H559H7971H3027H413H5288H6213H3972H6258H3045H3373H430H3808H2820H1121H3173 13Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.H85H5375H5869H7200H310H352H270H5442H7161H85H3212H3947H352H5927H5930H8478H1121 14Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the LORD will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."H85H7121H8034H4725H3070H834H559H3117H2022H3068H7200 15Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven.H4397H3068H7121H85H8064H8145 16"This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name thatH559H7650H5002H3068H3282H834H6213H1697H3808H2820H1121H3173 17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.H1288H1288H7235H7235H2233H3556H8064H2344H3220H8193H2233H3423H8179H341 18And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me."H2233H1471H776H1288H834H6118H8085H6963 19Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.H85H7725H5288H6965H3212H3162H884H85H3427H884 20Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor's wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.H310H1697H5046H85H559H4435H3205H1121H251H5152 21The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans),H5780H1060H938H251H7055H1H758 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.H3777H2375H6394H3044H1328 23(Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah,H1328H3205H7259H8083H4435H3205H5152H85H251 24Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.H6370H8034H7208H3205H2875H1514H8477H4601
23When Sarah was 127 years old,H8283H3967H8141H7651H8141H6242H8141H2416H8141H2416H82832she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.H8283H4191H7153H2275H776H3667H85H935H5594H8283H10583Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,H85H6965H6440H4191H1696H1121H2845H5594"Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial."H1616H8453H5414H272H6913H6912H4191H64405The Hittites replied to Abraham,H1121H2845H6030H85H5596"Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way."H8085H113H430H5387H8432H4005H6913H6912H4191H3808H376H3607H6913H6912H41917Then Abraham bowed low before the HittitesH85H6965H7812H5971H776H1121H28458and said, "Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of ZoharH1696H559H3426H5315H6912H4191H6440H8085H6293H6085H1121H67149to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family."H5414H4631H4375H7097H7704H4392H3701H4392H5414H272H6913H843210Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town.H6085H3427H8432H1121H2845H6085H2850H6030H85H241H1121H2845H935H8179H5892H55911"No, my lord," he said to Abraham, "please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead."H3808H113H8085H7704H5414H4631H5414H5869H1121H5971H5414H6912H419112Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land,H85H7812H6440H5971H77613and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. "No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there."H1696H6085H241H5971H776H559H3863H8085H5414H3701H7704H3947H6912H419114Ephron answered Abraham,H6085H6030H85H55915"My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead."H113H8085H776H702H3967H8255H3701H996H6912H419116So Abraham agreed to Ephron's price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.H85H8085H6085H85H8254H6085H3701H1696H241H1121H2845H702H3967H8255H3701H5674H550317So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees.H7704H6085H4375H6440H4471H7704H4631H6086H7704H1366H5439H696518It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate.H85H4736H5869H1121H2845H935H8179H589219Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).H310H3651H85H6912H8283H802H4631H7704H4375H6440H4471H2275H776H366720So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.H7704H4631H6965H85H272H6913H1121H2845
Dublin, OH
. All who hear about this will laugh with me.H8283
