The 20th Chapter
And Abraham departed there toward the south country and dwelled between Cades and Sur and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sara his wife, that she was his sister. Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent and fetched Sara away.
And God came to Abimelech by night in a dream and said to him: See, you are but a dead man for the womans sake which you have taken away, for she is a man s wife. But Abimelech had not yet come near her, and therefore said: Lord will you slay righteous people? said not he unto me, that she was his sister? yea and said not she herself that he was her brother? with a pure heart and innocent hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream. I know it well that you did it in pureness of your heart. And therefore I kept you that you should not sin against me, neither *suffered (allowed) I you to come near her. Now therefore deliver the man his wife again, for he is a prophet. And let him pray for you that you may live. But and if you deliver her not again, be sure that you shall die the death, with all that you hast.
Then Abimelech rose up be times in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears, and the men were sore afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him: What have you done unto us, and what have I offended you, that you should bring on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? you have done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said moreover unto Abraham: What saw you that moved you to do this thing?
And Abraham answered. I thought that peradventure the fear of God was not in this place, and that they should slay me for my wifes sake: yet in very deed she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not of my mother: and became my wife. And after God caused me to wander out of my fathers house, I said unto her: This kindness shall you show unto me in all places where we come, that you say of me, how that I am your brother.
Then took Abimelech sheep and oxen, menservants and womenservants and gave them unto Abraham, and delivered him Sara his wife again. And Abimelech said: behold the land lies before you, dwell where it pleases you best. And unto Sara he said: See I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver, behold this thing shall be a covering to your eyes unto all that are with you and unto all men and an excuse.
And so Abraham prayed unto God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidens, so that they bare. For the Lord had closed too, all the matrices of the house of Abimelech, because of Sara Abrahams wife.
The 21st Chapter
The Lord visited Sara as he had said and did unto her according as he had promised. And Sara was with child and bare Abraham a son in his old age even the same season which the Lord had appointed. And Abraham called his sons name that was born unto him which Sara bare him Isaac and Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sara said: God has made me a laughing stock: for all that hear, will laugh at me. She said also: who would have said unto Abraham, that Sara should have given children suck, or that I should have borne him a son in his old age: The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast, the same day that Isaac was weaned. Sara saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian which she had borne unto Abraham, a mocking. Then she said unto Abraham: put away this bondmaid and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac: But the word seemed very grievous in Abrahams sight, because of his son. Then the Lord said unto Abraham: let it not be grievous unto you, because of the lad and of your bondmaid: But in all that Sara has said unto you, hear her voice, for in Isaac shall your seed be called. Moreover of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is your seed.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle with water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulders with the lad also, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered up and down in the wilderness of Berseba. When the water was spent that was in the bottle, she cast the lad under a bush and went and sat her out of sight a great way, as it were a bowshot off: For she said: I will not see the lad die. And she sat down out of sight, and lifted up her voice and wept.
And God heard the voice of the child. And the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven and said unto her: What ails you Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the child where he lies. Arise and lift up the lad, and take him in your hand, for I will make of him a great people. And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew and dwelled in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelled in the wilderness of Pharan. And his mother got him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
And it chanced the same season, that Abimelech and Phicol his chief captain spoke unto Abraham saying: God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore swear unto me even here by God, that you will not hurt me nor my children, nor my children's children. But that you shall deal with me and the country where you are a stranger, according unto the kindness that I have showed you. Then said Abraham: I will swear.
And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelechs servants had taken away. And Abimelech answered I know not who did it: Also you told me not, neither heard I of it, but this day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech. And they made both of them a bond together. And Abraham set seven lambs by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham: what mean these seven lambs which you have set by themselves. And he answered: seven lambs shall you take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well: Wherefore the place is called Berseba, because they sware both of them. Thus made they a bond together at Berseba. Then Abimelech and Phicol his chief Captain rose up and turned again unto the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a wood in Berseba, and called there, on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God: and dwelt in the Philistine land a long season.
The 22nd Chapter
After these deeds, God did prove Abraham and said unto him: Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he said: take your only son Isaac whom you love, and get you unto the land of Moria, and sacrifice him there for a sacrifice upon one of the mountains which I will show you. Then Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his *meiny (many/OE mein; like minded) with him, and Isaac his son: and clove wood for the sacrifice, and rose up and got him to the place which God had appointed him.
The third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off, and said unto his young men: bide here with the ass. I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again unto you. And Abraham took the wood of the sacrifice and laid it upon Isaac his son, and took fire in his hand and a knife. And they went both of them together.
Then spoke Isaac unto Abraham his father and said: My father? And he answered here am I my son. And he said: See here is fire and wood, but where is the sheep for sacrifice? And Abraham said: my son, God will provide him a sheep for sacrifice. So went they both together.
And when they came unto the place which God showed him, Abraham made an altar there and dressed the wood, and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, above upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to have killed his son. Then the angel of the Lord called unto him from heaven saying: Abraham, Abraham? And he answered: here am I. And he said: lay not your hands upon the child, neither do anything at all unto him, for now I know that you fear God, in that you have not kept your only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked about: and behold, there was a ram caught by the horns in a thicket. And he went and took the ram and offered him up for a sacrifice in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, the Lord will see: wherefore it is a common saying this day: in the mount will the Lord be seen.
And the angel of the Lord cried unto Abraham from heaven the second time saying: by myself have I sworn (says the Lord) because you have done this thing and have not spared your only son, that I will bless you and multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand upon the sea side. And your seed shall possess the gates of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. So turned Abraham again unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Berseba. And Abraham dwelt at Berseba. And it chanced after these things, that one told Abraham saying: Behold, Milcha she has also born children unto your brother Nachor: Hus his eldest son and Bus his brother, and Kemuel the father of the Sirians, and Cesed, and Haso, and Pildas, and Jedlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These eight did Milcha bear to Nachor Abrahams brother. And his concubine called Rheuma she bare also Tebah, Gaham, Thaas and Maacha.
The 23rd Chapter
Sara was an hundred and twenty seven years old (for so long lived she) and then died in a head city called Hebron in the land of Canaan. Then Abraham came to mourn Sara, and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from the corpse, and talked with the sons of Heth saying: I am a stranger and a foreigner among you, give me a possession to bury in with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham saying unto him: Hear us Lord, you are a prince of God among us. In the chiefest of our sepulchers bury your dead: None of us shall forbid you his sepulcher, that you should not bury your dead therein. Abraham stood up, and bowed himself before the people of the land the children of Heth. And he communed with them saying: If it be your minds that I shall bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and speak for me to Ephron the son of Zoar: and let him give me the double cave which he has in the end of his field, for as much money as it is worth, let him give it me in the presence of you, for a possession to bury in. For Ephron dwelled among the children of Heth.
Then Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his city, saying: Not so, my lord, but hear me: The field give I you, and the cave that therein is give I you also: And even in the presence of the sons of my people give I it you to bury your dead in. Then Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land, and spoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the country saying: I pray you hear me, I will give silver for the field, take it of me, and so will I bury my dead there. Ephron answered Abraham saying unto him: My lord, hearken unto me. The land is worth four hundred sickles of silver: But what is that between you and me? bury your dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron and weighed him the silver which he had said in the audience of the sons of Heth. Even four hundred silver sickles of current money among merchants. Thus was the field of Ephron wherein the double cave is before Mamre: even the field and the cave that is therein and all the trees of the field which grow in all the borders round about, made sure unto Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth, and of all that went in at the gates of the city. And then Abraham buried Sara his wife in the double cave of the field that lies before Mamre, otherwise called Ebron in the land of Canaan. And so both the field and the cave that is therein, was made unto Abraham, a sure possession to bury in, of the sons of Heth.