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Abraham Tricks Abimelech
20 Abraham left Hebron [13:18] and traveled to ·southern Canaan [L the Negev; 13:1] where he stayed awhile between Kadesh [16:14] and Shur [16:7]. When he ·moved to [sojourned/lived as an alien in] Gerar [C north of Kadesh and Shur; present-day Tell Abu Hureirah], 2 he said to people about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister” [12:10–20; 26:1–11]. Abimelech king of Gerar heard this, so he sent some servants to take her. 3 But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You will die. The woman you took is married.”
4 But Abimelech had not gone near Sarah, so he said, “Lord, would you ·destroy [L kill; slay] an innocent nation? 5 ·Abraham himself told [L Did he not tell…?] me, ‘This woman is my sister,’ and ·she also said [L did she not also say…?], ‘He is my brother.’ I ·am innocent and did not know I was doing anything wrong [L did this with a pure conscience/blameless heart and innocent hands].”
6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know you did ·not realize what you were doing [this with a pure conscience/L blameless heart]. So I ·did not allow you to sin [restrained you from sinning] against me and touch her. 7 Give ·Abraham [L the man] his wife back. He is a prophet [C one who interceded for others]. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all ·your family [L who belong to you] will surely die.”
8 So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his ·officers [L servants] and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, “What have you done to us? What ·wrong [offense; sin] did I do against you? Why did you bring this ·trouble [great offense/guilt; L great sin] to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me. 10 What ·were you thinking [possessed you] that caused you to do this?”
11 Then Abraham answered, “I thought no one in this place ·respected [feared] God and that someone would kill me to get ·Sarah [L my wife]. 12 And it is true that she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but she is not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 When God ·told me to leave my father’s house and wander in many different places [L caused me to wander from my father’s home; 12:1], I told Sarah, ‘You must ·do a special favor for [or show loyalty to] me. Everywhere we go tell people, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelech gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves. He also gave Sarah, Abraham’s wife, back to him 15 and said, “·Look around you at my land [L My land is before you]. You may live anywhere you want.”
16 Abimelech said to Sarah, “I gave your brother Abraham ·twenty-five pounds [L one thousand pieces] of silver ·to make up for any wrong that people may think about you [L —a covering of the eyes to all who are with you; C an indication that nothing improper happened]. I want everyone to know that you are innocent.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servant girls so they could have children. 18 The Lord had ·kept all the women in Abimelech’s house from having children [L closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech] ·as a punishment on Abimelech for taking [L on account of] Abraham’s wife Sarah.
A Baby for Sarah
21 The Lord ·cared for [visited] Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised. 2 Sarah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would. 3 Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to. 4 He circumcised [17:10] Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh [C the name Isaac is related to a Hebrew word meaning “laugh”]. Everyone who hears about this will laugh ·with [or at] me. 7 No one thought that I would ·be able to have Abraham’s child [L suckle/nurse children], but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son.”
Hagar and Ishmael Leave
8 Isaac grew, and when he ·became old enough to eat food [was weaned], Abraham gave a great feast [L on the day of his weaning]. 9 But Sarah saw ·Ishmael [L the son of Hagar the Egyptian] ·making fun of Isaac [laughing; or playing]. 10 So Sarah said to Abraham, “·Throw [Drive] out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all [Gal. 4:21—5:1].”
11 This ·troubled [distressed; upset] Abraham very much because Ishmael was also his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be ·troubled [distressed; upset] about the boy and the slave woman. Do ·whatever [all] Sarah tells you. ·The descendants I promised you will be from [L The seed will be named for you through] Isaac. 13 I will also make the ·descendants of Ishmael [L the son of your slave woman] into a great nation because he is your ·son [L seed], too.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham [L got up and] took some food and a ·leather bag full [skin] of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Carrying these things and her son [L on her shoulder], Hagar went and wandered [C the verb may imply moving aimlessly and without hope] in the ·desert [wilderness] of Beersheba [C an area in the northern part of the Negev, southern Canaan].
15 Later, when all the water was ·gone [finished] from the ·bag [skin], Hagar put her son under a bush. 16 Then she went a good way off, the distance of a bowshot, and sat down across from him. She thought, “My son will die, and I cannot watch this happen.” She sat there across from him and began to cry.
17 God heard the ·boy crying [L sound/voice of the boy], and God’s ·angel [messenger; 16:7] called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the ·boy crying [L the sound/voice of the boy] there. 18 ·Help [Get up and lift] him up and take him by the hand. I will make ·his descendants [L him] into a great nation.” [C Ishmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people.]
19 Then God [L opened her eyes and] showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her ·bag [skin] with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. Ishmael lived in the ·desert [wilderness] and became an archer. 21 He lived in the Desert of Paran [C a region in the eastern Sinai peninsula], and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt [C Hagar’s original homeland].
Abraham’s Bargain with Abimelech
22 ·Then [At that time] Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 So ·make a promise to me here before [swear to me by] God that you will ·be fair [L not deal falsely] with me and my children and my descendants. Be ·kind [loyal] to me and to this land where you have lived as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien]—as ·kind [loyal] as I have been to you.”
24 And Abraham said, “I ·promise [swear].” 25 Then Abraham ·complained to [reproved; reproached] Abimelech about Abimelech’s servants who had seized a well of water.
26 But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me [L and I have not heard] about this before today.”
27 Then Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and they made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. 28 Abraham also put seven female lambs ·in front of Abimelech [L apart by themselves].
29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?”
30 Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from ·me [L my hand] to ·prove that you believe [verify/witness that] I dug this well.”
31 So that place was called Beersheba [21:14; C meaning either “well of seven” or “well of promise”] because they ·made a promise to each other [swore an oath] there.
32 After Abraham and Abimelech ·made the agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines [C a region on the southern Mediterranean coast of Canaan].
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord, the ·God who lives forever [eternal God]. 34 And Abraham lived as a ·stranger [wanderer; sojourner; resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for ·a long time [L many days].
God Tests Abraham
22 After these things God tested ·Abraham’s faith [L Abraham]. God said to him, “Abraham!”
And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 Then God said, “Take your ·only [or precious] son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah [2 Chr. 3:1; C the temple would later be built here]. Offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two ·servants [or young men] with him. After he cut the wood for the sacrifice, they went to the place God had told them to go. 4 On the third day Abraham ·looked up [L lifted his eyes] and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his ·servants [or young men], “Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the ·sacrifice [L whole burnt offering] and ·gave it to his son to carry [L placed it on his son], but he himself took the knife and the ·fire [or tinder]. So he and his son went on together.
7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!”
Abraham answered, “Yes, my son.”
Isaac said, “We have the ·fire [or tinder] and the wood, but where is the ·lamb [sheep] ·we will burn as a sacrifice [L for the whole burnt offering]?”
8 Abraham answered, “God will ·give us [provide; L see for] the ·lamb [sheep] for the ·sacrifice [whole burnt offering], my son.”
So Abraham and his son went on together 9 and came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar there. He ·laid [arranged] the wood on it and then ·tied up [bound] his son Isaac and laid him on the wood on the altar. 10 Then Abraham [L sent his hand and] took his knife and was about to ·kill [slaughter] his son.
11 But the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”
Abraham answered, “Yes.”
12 The angel said, “Don’t ·kill [L send out your hand against] your son or ·hurt [L do anything to] him in any way. Now I can see that you ·trust [L fear] God and that you have not ·kept [withheld] your son, your ·only [or precious] son, from me [Heb. 11:17–19; James 2:21–23].”
13 Then Abraham ·looked up [L lifted his eyes] and saw ·a [or another] ·male sheep [ram] caught in a ·bush [thicket] by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, ·and his son was saved [L … in the place of his son]. 14 So Abraham named that place The Lord ·Provides [or Sees; C Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be ·provided [or seen].”
15 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “The Lord says, ‘Because you did not ·keep back [withhold] your son, your ·only [precious] son, from me, I ·make you this promise by my own name [L swear by myself]: 17 I will surely bless you and ·give you many descendants [L multiply your seed]. They will be as many as the stars in the ·sky [heavens] and the sand on the seashore, and they will ·capture [L possess] the ·cities [L gates] of their enemies. 18 Through your ·descendants [L seed] all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you ·obeyed [listened to] me [12:1–3].’ ”
19 Then Abraham returned to his ·servants [young men]. They all traveled back to Beersheba, and Abraham ·stayed there [L resided in Beersheba; 21:14].
20 After these things happened, someone told Abraham: “·Your brother Nahor and his wife Milcah have children now [L Milcah has born sons to Nahor your brother; 11:29]. 21 The ·first son [firstborn] is Uz, and ·the second [L his brother] is Buz. ·The third son is […and] Kemuel (the father of Aram). 22 Then there are Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah was the mother of these eight sons, and Nahor, Abraham’s brother, was the father. 24 Also Nahor had four other sons by his ·slave woman [concubine; C a secondary wife] Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah [C Nahor’s offspring may have been the ancestors of the Aramaean tribes in Syria].
People Know You by Your Actions(A)
15 “·Be careful of [Beware of; Watch out for] false prophets. They come to you ·looking gentle like sheep [disguised like sheep; L in sheep’s clothing], but ·they are really dangerous like wolves [L underneath/inwardly they are ravenous/vicious/ferocious wolves]. 16 You will know these people by ·what they do [L their fruit]. ·Grapes don’t come [L Can you pick grapes…?] from thornbushes, ·and figs don’t come from [L and figs from…?] ·thorny weeds [thistles]. 17 In the same way, every ·good [healthy; sound] tree produces good fruit, but a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree produces bad fruit. 18 A ·good [healthy; sound] tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 In the same way, you will know ·these false prophets [L them] by ·what they do [L their fruit].
21 “Not all those who say [L to me] ·‘You are our Lord’ [L ‘Lord! Lord!’] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven]. 22 On ·the last day [judgment day; L that day] many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, ·we spoke for you [L Did we not prophesy in your name…?], and ·through you we forced out demons [L cast out demons in your name…?] and did many ·miracles [L mighty works in your name…?].’ 23 Then I will ·tell them clearly [declare to them; publicly announce to them], ‘I never knew you. ·Get away [Depart] from me, you who ·do evil [break God’s law; practice lawlessness; Ps. 6:8].’
Two Kinds of People(B)
24 “Everyone who hears my words and ·obeys [acts on; practices] them is like a ·wise [sensible] man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house. But it did not ·fall [collapse], because it was built on rock. 26 Everyone who hears my words and does not ·obey [act on; practice] them is like a ·foolish [stupid] man who built his house on sand. 27 It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house, and it ·fell [collapsed] with a big crash.”
28 When Jesus finished ·saying these things [L these words; C the end of the first of five major discourses in Matthew, all of which conclude with a similar phrase; see also 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1], the ·people [crowds] were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he did not teach like their ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He taught like a person who had authority.
Thanksgiving for Victory
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
9 I will ·praise [or give thanks to] you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will ·tell [recount] all ·the miracles you have done [your wonderful deeds].
2 I will be happy and rejoice because of you;
God Most High, I will sing praises to your name.
3 My enemies turn back;
they ·are overwhelmed [L stumble] and ·die [perish] ·because of [or before] you.
4 You have ·heard [upheld; maintained] my ·complaint [just cause; or right and my cause];
you sat on your throne and judged ·by what was right [righteously].
5 You ·spoke strongly against the [rebuked; reproved] foreign nations and destroyed the wicked;
you ·wiped out [blotted out; erased] their names forever and ever.
6 The enemy is ·gone [done; a ruin] forever.
You ·destroyed [uprooted] their cities;
·no one even remembers them [L their memory perishes].
7 But the Lord ·rules [is enthroned; L sits] forever.
He ·sits on his throne to judge [L has established his throne for justice/judgment],
8 and he will judge the world ·in fairness [with righteousness];
he will decide what is fair for the ·nations [peoples; 96:10; 98:9].
9 The Lord ·defends [L is a refuge for] those who ·suffer [are oppressed/exploited];
·he defends them [L a refuge] in times of ·trouble [distress].
10 Those who know ·the Lord [L your name] trust ·him [L you],
because ·he [L you] will not ·leave [abandon; forsake] those who ·come to him [L seek you; Deut. 31:6, 8; Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5].
11 Sing praises to the Lord who ·is king on Mount [L dwells on] Zion [C the location of the Temple].
Tell ·the nations [L among the peoples] what he has done.
12 ·He remembers who the murderers are [or The one who avenges blood remembers them; C God];
he will not forget the cries of those who suffer.
16 It [C Wisdom] will save you from the ·unfaithful wife [L strange woman]
·who tries to lead you into adultery [L from the foreign woman] with ·pleasing words [flattery; compliments].
17 She leaves ·the husband she married when she was young [L the intimate relationship of her youth].
She ·ignores [forgets] ·the promise she made before [L her covenant with] God.
18 Her house ·is on the way [L sinks down] to death;
·those who took that path are now all dead [or her paths come down to her dead ancestors].
19 No one who goes to her comes back
or walks the path of life again.
20 ·But wisdom will help you be good [or Stay on the path of good people]
and ·do what is right [guard the road of the righteous].
21 Those who ·are honest [have integrity/virtue] will live in the land,
and those who are ·innocent [blameless] will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be ·removed [L cut off] from the land,
and the unfaithful will be ·thrown out of [L uprooted from] it.
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