Bible in 90 Days

God Appears to Abram

17 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and announced, “I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I’m always with you,^[a] and be blameless. ² I’ll establish my covenant between me and you, and I’ll greatly increase your numbers.” ³ Then Abram fell to the ground^[b] as God continued speaking to him. ⁴ “Look, I’ve made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ Your name is no longer to be Abram.^[c] Instead your name will be Abraham,^[d] since I’ll make you the father of many nations. ⁶ I’m going to cause you to have many descendants, and I’ll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. ⁷ I’m establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants’ God after you. ⁸ I’ll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession. I will be their God.”

The Sign of the Covenant

⁹ God continued to speak to Abraham, “You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant—that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. ¹⁰ Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. ¹¹ You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth,^[e] including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. ¹³ The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day^[f] after his birth^[g] is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant.”

Sarah’s Pregnancy Foretold

¹⁵ God told Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer,^[h] because her name is to be Sarah.^{[i] 16} I will bless her. Furthermore, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her, so that nations, kings, and people will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell to the ground,^[j] laughed, and told himself, “Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?” ¹⁸ So Abraham responded to God, “If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you’re always with him!”^[k]

¹⁹ But God replied, “No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac.^[l] I’ll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I’ve heard you. I’ll bless him, and he’ll have many descendants.^[m] I will multiply him greatly, he’ll father twelve tribal leaders, and I’ll cause his descendants^[n] to become a great nation. ²¹ Now as to Isaac, I’ll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year.” ²² With that, God finished talking to Abraham, and ascended, leaving him.

²³ Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the servants born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the men of his household—and circumcised them^[o] that very day, just as God had spoken to him. ²⁴ Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised,^{[p] 25} and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.^{[q] 26} Both Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ Every man born in his household—as well as those who had been purchased with money from a foreigner—was circumcised with him.

Abraham’s Three Visitors

18 Later, the Lord appeared to Abraham^[r] by the oaks^[s] belonging to Mamre. As Abraham^[t] was sitting near the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day, ² he glanced up and saw three men standing there, not far from him. As soon as he noticed them, Abraham^[u] ran from the tent entrance to greet them and bowed low to the ground. ³ “My lords,” he told them, “if I have found favor with you,^[v] please don’t leave your servant. ⁴ I’ll have some water brought to wash your feet while you rest under the tree. ⁵ I’ll bring some food for you,^[w] and after that you may continue your journey, since you have come to visit your servant.”

So they replied, “Very well! Do what you’ve proposed.”

⁶ Abraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah, “Quick! Take three measures^[x] of the best flour, knead it, and make some flat bread.”

⁷ Next, Abraham ran to the herd, found a choice and tender calf, and gave it to the young men, who went off in a hurry to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, placed the food in front of them, and stood near them under the tree while they ate.

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

⁹ The men asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

“There, in the tent,” he replied.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will certainly return to you in about a year’s time.^[y] By then, your wife Sarah will have borne a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were old—really old^[z]—and Sarah was beyond the age of childbearing.^{[aa] 12} That’s why Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, “After I’m so old and my husband is old, too, am I going to have sex?”^[ab]

¹³ The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and think, ‘Am I really going to bear a child, since I’m so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything impossible^[ac] for the Lord? At the time set for it, I will return to you—about a year from now—and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ But Sarah denied it. “I didn’t laugh,” she claimed, because she was afraid.

The Lord^[ad] replied, “No! You did laugh!”

God Reveals His Plans to Abraham

¹⁶ After this, the men set out from there and looked out over Sodom. Abraham went with them to send them off.

¹⁷ “Should I hide from Abraham what I’m about to do,” the Lord asked, ¹⁸ “since Abraham’s descendants will become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? ¹⁹ Indeed, I’ve made myself known to him in order that he may encourage his sons and his household that is born after him to keep the way of the Lord, and to do what is right and just, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised.” ²⁰ The Lord also said, “How great is the disapproval of Sodom and Gomorrah! Their sin is so very serious! ²¹ I’m going down to see whether they’ve acted according to the protests that have reached me. If not, I wish to know.”

²² Then two of^[ae] the men turned away from there and walked toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing in the presence of the Lord.

Abraham Negotiates with God

²³ Abraham approached and asked, “Will you actually destroy the righteous along with the wicked? ²⁴ Perhaps there are 50 righteous ones within the city. Will you actually destroy it and not forgive the place for the sake of the 50 righteous that are found there? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won’t he?”

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find 50 righteous people within Sodom, I’ll forgive the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Abraham answered, “Look, even though I am only dust and ashes, I’ve ventured to speak to my Lord. ²⁸ What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?”

The Lord^[af] said, “I won’t destroy it if I find 45 there.”

²⁹ Abraham^[ag] continued to speak to him, asking, “What if 40 are found there?”

The Lord^[ah] replied, “I won’t do it for the sake of those 40.”

³⁰ Abraham^[ai] then asked, “I hope my Lord will not be angry if I speak. What if 30 are found there?”

The Lord^[aj] answered, “I won’t do it for the sake of those 30.”

³¹ “Look,” Abraham^[ak] said, “I’ve presumed to speak to my Lord… so what if 20 are found there?”

“For the sake of those 20,” the Lord^[al] responded, “I won’t destroy it.”

³² Finally, Abraham^[am] inquired, “I hope my Lord will not be angry if I speak only once more. What if ten are found there?”

He replied, “For the sake of those ten I won’t destroy it.”

³³ As soon as he finished talking to Abraham, the Lord left and Abraham returned to where he had been sitting.^[an]

Sodom’s Depravity

19 The two angels entered Sodom at sunset while Lot was sitting in the gate area of the city.^[ao] When Lot saw them,^[ap] he got up, greeted them, bowed low with his face to the ground, ² and said, “Look, my lords! Please come inside your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and be on your way.”

But they responded, “No, we would rather spend the night in the town square.”

³ But Lot^[aq] kept urging them strongly, so they turned aside and entered his house. He prepared a festival and baked unleavened flat bread for them, and they ate.

⁴ Before they could lie down, all the men of Sodom and its outskirts, both young and old, surrounded the house. ⁵ They called out to Lot and asked, “Where are the men who came to visit^[ar] you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with^[as] them!”

⁶ Lot went outside to them, shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, “I urge you, my brothers, don’t do such a wicked thing. ⁸ Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins.^[at] Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish,^[au] only don’t do anything to these men, because they’re here under my protection.”^[av]

⁹ But they replied, “Get out of the way! This man came here as a foreigner, and now he’s acting like a judge! So we’re going to deal more harshly with you than with them.” Then they pushed hard against the man (that is, against Lot), intending to break down the door.

¹⁰ But the angels^[aw] inside reached out, dragged Lot back into the house with them, shut the door, ¹¹ and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway.

Lot Negotiates with the Angels

¹² “Do you have anyone else here in the city?” the angels^[ax] asked Lot. “A son-in-law? Sons? Daughters? Get them out of this place, ¹³ because we’re going to destroy it. Their outcry has come to the attention of the Lord, so he^[ay] sent us here to destroy it!”

¹⁴ Lot then went out and told his sons-in-law (they had married his daughters), “Get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy this city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

¹⁵ As dawn was breaking, the angels pressured Lot. “Get going!” they told him. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be engulfed by the devastation that’s coming to this city.”

¹⁶ But Lot kept lingering in the city,^[az] so the men^[ba] grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters (because of the Lord’s compassion for him!), brought them out of the city, and left them outside. ¹⁷ Then one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the plain. Escape to the hills, or you’ll be swept away!”

¹⁸ “No! Please, my lords!” Lot pleaded with them. ¹⁹ “Your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me your gracious love in how you have dealt with me by keeping me alive. I cannot escape to the hills, because I’m afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. ²⁰ Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it’s a small one. Let me escape there! It’s a small one, isn’t it? That way I’ll stay alive!”

²¹ “All right,” the angel replied to Lot,^[bb] “I’ll agree with your request!^[bc] I won’t overthrow the town that you mentioned. ²² Hurry up and flee there, because I cannot do anything until you get to that town.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.^[bd]

Lot’s Wife Becomes a Pillar of Salt

²³ The sun had risen over the land about the time Lot reached Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained sulfur and fire out of the sky from the Lord on Sodom and Gomorrah, ²⁵ overthrowing those cities, all of the plain, and everyone who lived in the cities. He also destroyed the plants that grew out of the ground. ²⁶ But Lot’s^[be] wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord earlier. ²⁸ He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire^[bf] plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace. ²⁹ And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

The Origin of Moab and Ammon

³⁰ Later on, Lot and his two daughters abandoned Zoar and settled in the hills because Lot was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived there in a cave, along with his two daughters. ³¹ One day the firstborn told the younger one, “Our father is old, and there’s no man in the land to have sex with us,^[bg] as everybody else throughout all the earth does. ³² Come on! Let’s make our father drink wine, and then we’ll have sex with him so we can preserve our father’s lineage.”

³³ So they had their father drink wine that night, and the older one had sexual relations with her father, but he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁴ The next day the firstborn told the younger one, “Look! I had sex with my father last night. Let’s make him drink wine tonight again as well. Then you have sex with him, too. That way we’ll preserve our father’s lineage.” ³⁵ So they made their father drink wine that night as well, so he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.

³⁶ That’s how both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab,^[bh] and he is the ancestor of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-ammi,^[bi] and he is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.

Abraham and Abimelech

20 Abraham traveled from there to the Negev^[bj] and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was living in Gerar as an outsider, ² because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister,” King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.^[bk]

³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and spoke to him, “Pay attention! You’re about to die, because the woman you have taken is a man’s wife!”

⁴ Now Abimelech had not yet come near her, so he asked, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? ⁵ Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister’? And she also said, ‘He’s my brother.’ I did this with pure intentions and clean hands.”

⁶ Then God replied to him in the dream, “I know that you did this with pure intentions, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I didn’t allow you to touch her. ⁷ Now then, return the man’s wife. As a matter of fact, he’s a prophet and can intercede for you so you’ll live. But if you don’t return her, be aware that you and all who are yours will certainly die.”

⁸ So Abimelech got up early the next morning, summoned all his servants, and told them all these things. The men became terrified.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You’ve done things to me that ought not to have been done.”

¹⁰ Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What could you have been thinking when you did this?”

¹¹ “I thought that there’s no fear of God in this place,” Abraham replied, “and that they would kill me because of my wife. ¹² Besides, she really is my sister—she’s my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter—so she could become my wife. ¹³ When God caused me to journey from my father’s house, I asked her to do me this favor and say,^[bl] ‘He’s my brother.’”

¹⁴ So Abimelech took some sheep and oxen, and some male and female servants, gave them to Abraham, returned his wife Sarah to him, ¹⁵ and said, “Look! My land is available to you, so settle wherever you please.”

¹⁶ Abimelech also told Sarah, “Look! I am giving your brother 1,000 pieces of silver to vindicate^[bm] you in the eyes of all who are with you. As a result, you will be completely vindicated.”

¹⁷ Then Abraham interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants so they could bear children, ¹⁸ since the Lord had made all the women barren^[bn] in Abimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

Isaac is Born

21 The Lord came to Sarah, just as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. ² Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the very time that God had told him.

³ Abraham named his son who was born to him Isaac—the very one whom Sarah bore for him! ⁴ On the eighth day after his son Isaac had been born,^[bo] Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶ Now Sarah had said, “God has caused me to laugh,^[bp] and all who hear about it^[bq] will laugh with me.” ⁷ She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? Yet I have given birth to a son in my husband’s^[br] old age!”

Hagar and Ishmael Leave

⁸ The child grew and eventually was weaned, so Abraham threw a tremendous banquet on the very day Isaac was weaned. ⁹ Nevertheless, when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian—whom Hagar had borne to Abraham—making fun of Isaac,^{[bs] 10} she told Abraham, “Throw out this slave girl, along with her son, because this slave’s son will never be a co-heir with my son Isaac!”

¹¹ Abraham was very troubled about what was being said about his son, ¹² but God told Abraham, “Don’t be troubled about the youth and your slave girl. Pay attention to Sarah in everything she tells you, because your offspring are to be named through Isaac. ¹³ Nevertheless, I will make the slave girl’s son into a nation, since he, too, is your offspring.”

¹⁴ So early the next morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a leather bottle of water, gave them to Hagar, and placed them on her shoulder. He then sent her away, along with the child. She went off and roamed in the Beer-sheba wilderness. ¹⁵ Eventually, the water in the leather bottle ran out, so she placed the child under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went and sat by herself about a distance of a bowshot away, because she kept saying to herself, “I can’t bear to watch the child die!” That’s why she sat a short distance away, crying aloud and weeping.

The Lord Rescues Hagar and Ishmael

¹⁷ God heard the boy’s voice, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. He asked her, “What’s wrong with you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, because God has heard the voice of the youth where he is. ¹⁸ Get up! Pick up the youth and grab his hand, because I will make a great nation of his descendants.”^{[bt] 19} Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went, filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. He settled in the wilderness and became an expert archer. ²¹ Later he settled in the desert area of Paran, and his mother chose a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

A Covenant with Abimelech

²² About that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, told Abraham, “God is with you in everything that you’re doing. ²³ Therefore swear an oath here by God that you won’t deal falsely with me, my sons, or my descendants. Just as I’ve dealt graciously with you, won’t you do so with me and with the land in which you live as a foreigner?”

²⁴ And Abraham replied, “I agree!” ²⁵ But then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

²⁶ “I don’t know who did this thing,” Abimelech replied. “You didn’t report this to me, and I didn’t hear about it until today.”

²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and oxen and presented them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ²⁸ Then Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs, ²⁹ so Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set aside?”

³⁰ He replied, “You are to accept from me these seven ewe lambs as a witness that I have dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba, because the two of them swore an oath.^{[bu] 32} So after they had made a covenant in Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to Philistine territory.

³³ Abraham^[bv] planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord God Everlasting. ³⁴ After this, Abraham resided as a foreigner in Philistine territory for a long period of time.

The Command to Offer Isaac

22 Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He called out to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

² God^[bw] said, “Please take your son, your unique son whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him as a burnt offering there on one of the mountains that I will point out to you.”

³ So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his male servants^[bx] with him, along with his son Isaac. He cut the wood for the burnt offering and set out to go to the place about which God had spoken to him. ⁴ On the third day he looked ahead and saw the place from a distance.

⁵ Abraham ordered his two servants,^[by] “Both of you are to stay here with the donkey. Now as for the youth and me, we’ll go up there, we’ll worship, and then we’ll return to you.” ⁶ Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. Abraham^[bz] carried the fire and the knife. And so the two of them went on together.

Abraham Answers Isaac’s Question

⁷ Isaac addressed his father Abraham: “My father!”

“I’m here, my son,” Abraham replied.

Isaac asked, “The fire and the wood are here, but where’s the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God will provide^[ca] himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

The two of them went on together ⁹ and came to the place about which God had spoken. Abraham built an altar there, arranged the wood, tied up his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he stretched out his hand and grabbed the knife to slaughter his son.

The Angel of the Lord Intervenes

¹¹ Just then, an angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

¹² “Don’t lay your hand on the youth!” he said. “Don’t do anything to him, because I’ve just demonstrated^[cb] that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me.”

¹³ Then Abraham looked up and behind him to see a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went over, grabbed the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham named that place, “The Lord Will Provide,”^[cc] as it is told this day, “On the Lord’s mountain, he will provide.”^[cd]

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said, “I have taken an oath to swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that since you have carried this out and have not withheld your only unique^[ce] son, ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates^[cf] of their enemies. ¹⁸ Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed,^[cg] because you have obeyed my command.”

¹⁹ After this, Abraham returned to his servants^[ch] and they set out together for Beer-sheba, where Abraham settled.

Nahor’s Children

²⁰ Now after these things somebody told Abraham, “Look, Milcah has given birth to sons for your brother Nahor. ²¹ Uz is his firstborn, Buz is his brother, and Kemuel is the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ Also, his concubine Reumah gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

A Burial Place for Sarah

23 Sarah lived for 127 years. That’s how long Sarah’s life was. ² She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in^[ci] to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ³ Then Abraham stood up from beside his dead wife^[cj] and addressed the Hittites. He said, ⁴ “I am an alien and an outsider among you. Give me a cemetery among you where I can bury my dead away from my presence.”

⁵ The Hittites responded to Abraham, ⁶ “Listen to us, sir.^[ck] You are a mighty prince^[cl] among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial tombs. None of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

⁷ Abraham rose and bowed before the Hittites, the people of the land, ⁸ and addressed them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and make a request of Zohar’s son Ephron on my behalf. ⁹ Give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him, at the end of his field. He should sell^[cm] it to me in your presence at full price for a burial site.”

¹⁰ Now since Ephron the Hittite had taken a seat there among the Hittites, he responded publicly to Abraham where the Hittites and everyone who was entering the gate of his city could hear him: ¹¹ “No, sir.^[cn] Listen to me! I’ll give you the field, and I’ll give you the cave that’s in it. I give it to you publicly, in the sight of my people. Bury your dead.”

¹² Abraham bowed before the people of the land ¹³ and then addressed Ephron so all the people of the land could hear him: “Please listen to me! I’m willing to pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, so I may bury my dead there.”

¹⁴ So Ephron answered Abraham, ¹⁵ “Sir,^[co] listen to me! The land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what’s that between us? You may bury your dead.”

¹⁶ Abraham agreed with Ephron, so he^[cp] weighed out to Ephron the money to which he had agreed publicly while the Hittites were listening: 400 shekels of silver at the current merchant rate.

¹⁷ That’s how Ephron’s field in Machpelah, east of^[cq] Mamre—the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were within the boundaries of^[cr] the field—came to be deeded ¹⁸ to Abraham in the presence of all the Hittites and everyone who was entering the city gate. ¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave at the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ And so the field with its cave was deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.

Finding a Bride for Isaac

24 Now Abraham had grown old, was well advanced in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. ² So Abraham instructed his servant, who was the oldest member of his household and in charge of everything he owned, “Make this solemn oath to me^{[cs] 3} as a promise to the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you won’t acquire a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I’m living. ⁴ Instead, you are to go to my country and to my family and acquire a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵ “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me to this land?” the servant asked. “Shouldn’t I have your son go to the land from which you came?”

⁶ “Make sure not to take my son there,” Abraham replied. ⁷ “The Lord God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and from my family’s land, who spoke to me and promised me ‘I will give this land to your descendants,’ will send his angel ahead of you, and you are to acquire a wife for my son from there. ⁸ If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you’ll be free from this oath to me. Just don’t take my son back there!” ⁹ So the servant made a solemn oath^[ct] to his master Abraham regarding this matter.

The Servant Encounters Rebekah

¹⁰ Then Abraham’s servant took ten camels from his master’s herd of^[cu] camels and left on his journey with all kinds of gifts from his master’s inventory. Eventually, he traveled as far as Aram-naharaim, Nahor’s home town. ¹¹ As evening approached, he had the camels kneel outside the town at the water well, right about the time when women customarily went out to draw water.

¹² That’s when he prayed, “Lord God of my master Abraham, help me to succeed today. Please show your gracious love to my master Abraham. ¹³ I’ve stationed myself here by the spring as the women of the town come to draw water. ¹⁴ May it be that the young woman to whom I ask, ‘Please, lower your jug so that I may drink,’ responds, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll water your camels as well.’ May she be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This is how I’ll know that you have shown your gracious love to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah’s son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder. ¹⁶ The woman was very beautiful, young, and had not had sexual relations with a man. Going down to the spring, she filled her jug and turned for home. ¹⁷ Then Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and asked her, “Please, let me have a sip of water from your jug.”

¹⁸ “Drink, sir!” she replied as she quickly lowered her jug on her arm to offer him a drink. ¹⁹ When she had finished giving him a drink, she also said, “I’ll also draw water^[cv] for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.”

²⁰ She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran to the well to draw again until she had drawn enough water^[cw] for all ten of the servant’s^[cx] camels. ²¹ The man stared at her in silence, waiting to see whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. ²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for her wrists, weighing 10 shekels and presented them to her.^[cy]

²³ He asked her, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

²⁴ “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she answered. “He’s the son of Milcah and Nahor. ²⁵ And yes,” she continued, “we have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night.”

²⁶ At this, the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord. ²⁷ “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hasn’t held back his gracious love and faithfulness from my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”

²⁸ The young woman then ran ahead and informed her mother’s household what had happened.

Rebekah’s Brother Laban

²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to the man and met him^[cz] at the spring. ³⁰ And so it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and as soon as he heard what his sister Rebekah was saying about what the man had spoken to her,^[da] he went out to the man who was still standing by the camels at the spring! ³¹ “Come on,” Laban^[db] said. “The Lord has blessed you! So why are you standing out here when I’ve prepared some space in the house and a place for the camels?”

³² So the servant went to the house and unbridled the camels. They provided straw and feed for the camels and water for washing his feet and those of the men with him. ³³ But when they had prepared a meal and set it in front of him, he said, “I’m not eating until I’ve spoken.”

“Speak up!” Laban^[dc] exclaimed.

The Servant Relates His Adventures

³⁴ “I’m Abraham’s servant,” he said. ³⁵ “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. ³⁶ My master’s wife Sarah gave birth to my master’s son in her old age, and Abraham^[dd] has given him everything that belongs to him. ³⁷ My master made me swear this oath: ‘You are not to select a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in this land where I live. ³⁸ Instead, you are to go to my father’s household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.’

³⁹ “So I asked my master, ‘What if the woman won’t come back with me?’

⁴⁰ “Abraham^[de] told me, ‘The Lord, who is with me wherever I go, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. So you are to choose a wife for my son from my family, from my father’s household. ⁴¹ Only then will you be released from fulfilling^[df] my oath. However, when you come to my family, if they don’t give her to you, you’ll be released from fulfilling^[dg] my oath.’

⁴² “So today I arrived at the spring and prayed, ‘Lord God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the journey that I have traveled successful, ⁴³ here I am standing by the spring. May it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water, from whom I request a little water from her^[dh] jug to drink, ⁴⁴ if she tells me to drink and also draws water for the^[di] camels, may she be the woman that the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

⁴⁵ “Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink. ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder^[dj] and told me, ‘Have a drink while I also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also gave my camels water^[dk] to drink.

⁴⁷ “That’s when I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

“She replied, ‘I’m the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore for him.’

“So I gave her a ring for her nose and bracelets for her wrists. ⁴⁸ I bowed down and worshipped the Lord, and I praised the Lord God of my master Abraham, who led me on the true way to request^[dl] the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ So now, if you wish to show gracious love and truth toward my master, tell me so. But if not, tell me, so that I may go elsewhere.”^[dm]

Laban and Bethuel Acquiesce

⁵⁰ “Since this has come from the Lord,” Laban and Bethuel both replied, “we cannot speak one way or another.^{[dn] 51} So here’s Rebekah—she’s right in front of you. Take her and go, so she can become a wife for your master’s son, just as the Lord has decreed.”

⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard what they had said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. ⁵³ Then the servant brought out some silver and gold items, along with some clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother. ⁵⁴ He and the men with him ate and drank, and then they spent the night.

The Servant Prepares to Leave

When they got up the next morning, the servant^[do] requested, “Send me off to my master.”

⁵⁵ But her brother and mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days—at least ten—and after that she may go.”

⁵⁶ “Please don’t delay me,” the servant^[dp] answered them. “The Lord has made my journey successful. Send me off so I can return to my master.”

⁵⁷ But they said, “We’ll call the young lady and see what she has to say about this.”^[dq]

⁵⁸ So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?”

“I will go,” she replied.

⁵⁹ So they sent off their sister Rebekah, along with her personal assistant,^[dr] Abraham’s servant, and his men. ⁶⁰ As they were leaving, they all blessed Rebekah by^[ds] saying,

⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her young servant women got up, mounted their camels, and followed Abraham’s servant, who took Rebekah and went on his way.

Isaac Marries Rebekah

⁶² Later on, as Isaac was returning one evening from Beer-lahai-roi^[dw] (he had been living in the Negev^[dx]), ⁶³ Isaac^[dy] went out walking^[dz] in a field. He looked up, and all of a sudden there were some camels coming. ⁶⁴ Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel ⁶⁵ and asked the servant, “Who is that man coming in the field to meet us?”

“That’s my master,” the servant told her. So she reached for a veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶ Then the servant informed Isaac about everything he had done. ⁶⁷ Later, Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah and married her. Isaac loved her, and that’s how he was comforted following the loss of^[ea] his mother.

Abraham Names Isaac to be His Heir

25 Abraham had taken another wife whose name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. ⁴ Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s descendants.

⁵ Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. ⁶ While he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to his concubines^[eb] and sent them to the east country in order to keep them away from his son Isaac.

⁷ Abraham lived for 175 years,^{[ec] 8} then passed away, dying at a ripe old age, having lived a full life, and joined his ancestors.^{[ed] 9} His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field that used to belong to Zohar the Hittite’s son Ephron. ¹⁰ This was the same field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites, where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. ¹¹ After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who continued to live near Beer-lahai-roi.

A Summary of Ishmael’s Life

¹² Now this is what happened to Ishmael, whom Sarah’s Egyptian servant Hagar bore for Abraham. ¹³ Here’s a list of the names of Ishmael’s sons, recorded by their names and descendants: Nebaioth was the firstborn, followed by^[ee] Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were Ishmael’s children, listed by their names according to their villages and their camps. There were a total of twelve tribal chiefs, according to their clans. ¹⁷ Ishmael lived^[ef] for 137 years, then he took his last breath, died, and joined his ancestors.^{[eg] 18} His descendants^[eh] settled from Havilah to Shur (that’s near Egypt), all the way to Assyria, in defiance^[ei] of all of his relatives.

The Births of Esau and Jacob

¹⁹ This is the account of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham fathered Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he married^[ej] Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean^[ek] from Paddan-aram^[el] and sister of Laban the Aramean.^{[em] 21} Later, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, since she was unable to conceive children, and the Lord responded to him—his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

²² But when the infants^[en] kept on wrestling each other inside her womb,^[eo] she asked herself, “Why is this happening?”^[ep] So she asked the Lord for an explanation.^[eq]

²³ “Two nations^[er] are in your womb,” the Lord responded, “and two separate people will emerge. One people will be the stronger, and the older one will serve the younger.”

²⁴ Sure enough, when her due date arrived, she delivered twin sons.^{[es] 25} The first son came out reddish—his entire body was covered with hair—so they named him Esau.^{[et] 26} After that, his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, so they named him Jacob.^[eu] Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

²⁷ As the boys were growing up, Esau became skilled at hunting and was a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was the quiet type who tended to stay indoors. ²⁸ Isaac loved Esau, because he loved to hunt, while Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau happened to come in from being outdoors, and he was feeling famished.

³⁰ Esau told Jacob, “Let me gobble down some of this red stuff, since I’m starving.” (That’s how Esau got his nickname “Edom”.)^[ev]

³¹ But Jacob responded, “Sell me your birthright. Do it now.”^[ew]

³² “Look! I’m about to die,” Esau replied. “What good is this birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob insisted, “Swear it by an oath right now.” So he swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some of his food, along with some boiled stew. So Esau ate, drank, got up, and left, after having belittled his own birthright.

Isaac Lives in Philistia for a While

26 Later on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham’s lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

² That’s when the Lord appeared to Isaac.^[ex] “You are not to go down to Egypt,” he said. “Instead, you are to settle down in an area within this land where I’ll tell you. ³ Remain in this land, and I’ll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham. ⁴ I’ll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I’ll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another. ⁵ I’m going to do this because Abraham did what I told him to do. He kept my instructions, commands, statutes, and laws.”

⁶ So Isaac lived in Gerar.

Isaac Lies about His Wife

⁷ Later on, the men of that place asked about his wife, so he replied, “She’s my sister,” because he was afraid to call her “my wife.” He kept thinking, “…otherwise, the men around here will kill me on account of Rebekah, since she’s very beautiful.”

⁸ After he had been there awhile, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out through a window and saw Isaac caressing^[ey] his wife Rebekah.

⁹ So Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him. “She is definitely your wife!” he accused him, “So why did you claim, ‘She’s my sister?’”

Isaac responded, “Because I had thought ‘…otherwise, I’ll die on account of her.’”

¹⁰ “What have you done to us?” Abimelech asked. “Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty.” ¹¹ So he issued this order to everyone: “Whoever touches this man or his wife is to be executed.”

Isaac Grows Wealthy

¹² Isaac received a 100-fold return on what he planted that year in the land he received,^[ez] because the Lord blessed him. ¹³ He^[fa] became very wealthy and lived a life of wealth,^[fb] becoming more and more wealthy. ¹⁴ He owned so many sheep, cattle, and servants that the Philistines eventually became envious of him. ¹⁵ They^[fc] filled in with sand all of the wells that Isaac’s^[fd] father Abraham’s servants had dug during his lifetime. ¹⁶ Then Abimelech ordered Isaac, “Move away from us! You’ve become more powerful than we are.” ¹⁷ So Isaac moved from there and encamped in the Gerar Valley, where he settled.

Disputes over Water Rights

¹⁸ Isaac re-excavated some wells that his father had first dug during his lifetime, because the Philistines had filled them with sand^[fe] after Abraham’s death. Isaac^[ff] renamed those wells with the same names that his father had called them.

¹⁹ While Isaac’s servants were digging in the valley, they discovered a well with flowing water. ²⁰ But the herdsmen who lived in Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen. “The water is ours,” they said. As a result, Isaac named the well Esek,^[fg] for they had fiercely disputed with him about it. ²¹ When his workers started digging another well, those herdsmen^[fh] quarreled about that one, too, so Isaac^[fi] named it Sitnah.^{[fj] 22} Then he left that area and dug still another well. Because they did not quarrel over that one, Isaac^[fk] named it Rehoboth,^[fl] because he used to say, “The Lord has enlarged the territory^[fm] for us. We will prosper in the land.”

God Renews His Promise to Isaac

²³ Later on, he left there and went to Beer-sheba, ²⁴ where one night the Lord appeared to him. “I am the God of your father Abraham,” he told him. “Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you. I’m going to bless you and multiply your descendants on account of my servant Abraham.” ²⁵ In response, Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. He also pitched his tents there and his servants dug a well.

Abimelech Requests a Covenant

²⁶ Later, Abimelech traveled from Gerar to visit Isaac^[fn]. He arrived with Ahuzzath, his staff advisor, and Phicol, the commanding officer of his army.

²⁷ “Why have you come to see me,” Isaac asked them, “since you hate me so much that you sent me away from you?”

²⁸ “We’ve seen that the Lord is with you,” they responded, “so we’re proposing an agreement^[fo] between us—between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you ²⁹ by which you’ll agree not to do us any harm, just as we haven’t harmed^[fp] you, since we’ve done nothing but good for you after we sent you away in peace. As a result, you’ve been tremendously blessed by the Lord.” ³⁰ So Isaac^[fq] held a festival for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ They woke up early the next morning and made the treaty.^[fr] After this, Isaac sent them off and they left on peaceful terms.

³² That very same day, Isaac’s servants arrived and reported to him about a well that they had just completed digging. “We’ve found water!” they said. ³³ So Isaac^[fs] named the well Shebah,^[ft] which is why the city is named Beer-sheba^[fu] to this day.

Esau Causes Trouble for Isaac

³⁴ When Esau was 40 years old, he married^[fv] Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ This brought extreme grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

The Theft of Esau’s Blessing

27 Eventually, Isaac grew so old that he could not see.^[fw] One day, he called his eldest son Esau. “My son,” he called out to him. ² “Look how old I am! I could die any day now,^{[fx] 3} so go find your weapons, take your bow and arrows, go outside, and hunt some game for me. ⁴ Then prepare some food, just the way I like it, and bring it to me so that I can eat and bless you before I die.”

⁵ Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game, ⁶ Rebekah gave these instructions to her son Jacob: “Quick! Pay attention!” she said. “I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. He told him, ⁷ ‘Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ ⁸ So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I’m about to tell you. ⁹ Go to the flock and bring me two healthy young goats. I’ll prepare some delicious food for your father, just the way he loves it. ¹⁰ Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies.”

¹¹ “But look!” Jacob pointed out to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, but I’m smooth skinned. ¹² My father might touch me and he’ll realize that I’m deceiving him. Then, I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”

¹³ “My son,” she replied, “let any curse against you fall on me. Just listen to me, then go and get them for me.” ¹⁴ So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food, just the way his father liked it.

Rebekah and Jacob Deceive Isaac

¹⁵ Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau—the best ones available—and put them on her younger son Jacob. ¹⁶ She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared to her son Jacob, ¹⁸ who went to his father and said, “My father…”

“It’s me!” he replied. “Which one are you, my son?”

¹⁹ “I’m Esau, your firstborn!” Jacob told his father. “I’ve done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me.”

²⁰ “How did you get it so quickly, my son?” Isaac asked.

Jacob^[fy] responded, “…because the Lord your God made me successful.”

²¹ So Isaac told Jacob, “Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you’re my son Esau.”

²² So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, “It’s Jacob’s voice, but Esau’s hands.” ²³ He didn’t recognize Jacob,^[fz] because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau, so Isaac^[ga] blessed him.

²⁴ He asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

“I am,” Jacob^[gb] replied.

²⁵ “Come closer to me,” Isaac replied, “so I can eat some of the game, my son, and then bless you.” So Jacob came closer, and Isaac ate. Jacob also brought wine so his father^[gc] could drink. ²⁶ After this, Jacob’s father Isaac told him, “Come closer and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ So Jacob^[gd] drew closer to kiss him. When Isaac^[ge] smelled the scent of his son’s^[gf] clothes, he blessed him and said,

Esau Learns of Isaac’s Deception

³⁰ Just after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left his father Isaac, Jacob’s^[gi] brother Esau returned from hunting, ³¹ prepared some delicious food, brought it to his father, and told him, “Can you get up now, father, so you may eat some of your son’s game and then bless me?”

³² But his father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I’m Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.

³³ At this, Isaac began to tremble violently. “Who then,” he asked, “hunted some game and brought it to me to eat before you arrived, so that I’ve blessed him? Indeed, he is blessed.”

³⁴ When Esau realized^[gj] what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. “Bless me,” he cried, “even me, too, my father!”

³⁵ Isaac^[gk] replied, “Your brother came here deceitfully and stole your blessing.”

³⁶ Then he said, “Isn’t his name rightly called Jacob?”^[gl] Esau asked. “He has circumvented me this second time. First,^[gm] he took away my birthright, and now, look how he also stole my blessing.” Then he added, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”

³⁷ In response, Isaac told Esau, “Look! I’ve predicted that he’s going^[gn] to become your master, and I’ve assigned all his brothers to be his servants. What then can I do for you, my son?”

³⁸ Then Esau implored his father, “Don’t you have even one blessing for me, my father? Bless me, even me too, my father!” Then Esau lifted his voice and wept bitterly.

³⁹ At this, his father Isaac replied to him,

⁴¹ So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying to himself,^[go] “The time^[gp] to mourn for my father is very near. That’s when I’m going to kill my brother Jacob.”

⁴² Eventually, what Rebekah’s older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, “Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.^{[gq] 43} Son, you’d better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran, ⁴⁴ and stay there with him a few days until your brother’s fury subsides.^{[gr] 45} After that happens^[gs] and he has forgotten what you’ve done to him, I’ll send for you so you can return from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

⁴⁶ Rebekah also told herself,^[gt] “Heth’s daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth’s daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women,^[gu] what kind of life would there be left for me?”

Isaac Sends Jacob to Paddan-aram

28 Later, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, instructing him, “Don’t marry a wife from the local Canaanite women. ² Instead, get up, travel to Paddan-aram,^[gv] and visit the household of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of Laban’s daughters, since he’s your mother’s brother. ³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful so that your descendants^[gw] become a whole group of people. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessings that he gave Abraham. May you possess the land where you have lived^[gx] that God gave to Abraham.”

⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob off toward Paddan-aram^[gy] to visit Bethuel’s son Laban, the Aramean^[gz] and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Esau Marries a Canaanite Woman

⁶ Esau noticed that after Isaac had blessed Jacob as he was sending him off to Paddan-aram^[ha] to marry a wife from there, he had instructed Jacob,^[hb] “Don’t marry a Canaanite woman.” ⁷ After Jacob had obeyed his father and mother’s instructions to set out for Paddan-aram,^{[hc] 8} Esau realized^[hd] that Canaan women didn’t please his father Isaac, ⁹ so he went to Abraham’s son Ishmael and married Ishmael’s daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.

God Visits Jacob in a Dream

¹⁰ Meanwhile, Jacob had left^[he] Beer-sheba and was on his way to Haran. ¹¹ He reached a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun was setting. He found a stone there, used it for a pillow,^[hf] and slept there for the night, ¹² when he had a dream! He saw a raised highway that had been built with its ending point on earth and its beginning point in heaven. God’s angels were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ And there was the Lord, standing above it and telling Jacob, “I am the Lord God of your grandfather Abraham. I’m Isaac’s God, too. I’m giving you and your descendants the ground on which you’re sleeping. ¹⁴ Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth^[hg] will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ Now pay attention! I’m here with you, and I’m going to be watching over you wherever you go. I’m going to bring you back to this land, because I won’t ever leave you until I’ve accomplished what I’ve promised about you.”

Jacob Worships God in Bethel

¹⁶ Then Jacob woke up during the night^[hh] and told himself,^[hi] “Surely, the Lord is in this place and I never knew it!” ¹⁷ In mounting terror, he cried out, “How scary this place is! This is nothing less than God’s house and the gateway to heaven!” ¹⁸ When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the stone that he had used for his pillow,^[hj] set it up as a pillar, drenched it with oil, ¹⁹ and named^[hk] the place Beth-el, although previously^[hl] the city had been named Luz.