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and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said—

'Abraham, Abraham:'

And he said, 'Here am I.' And He said

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'Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest GOD, 'seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.'

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. And the angel of

the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said

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By myself have I sworn,' saith the LORD, for because 'thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy 'son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, ' and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars ' of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea 'shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his ene

mies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth

'be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.'

So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old. And Sarah died in Hebron in the land of Canaan : and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 'I am a stranger and a

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sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying

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place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.'

And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 'Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.'

And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. And he communed with them, saying, 'If it be your mind that I 'should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and in'treat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the ' end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he 'shall give it me for a possession of a burying-place amongst 'you.'

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And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 'Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.'

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And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, 'But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; 'take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.'

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And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 'My 'lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred 'shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury 'therefore thy dead.'

And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre : the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the sons of Heth.

And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, 'I will make thee swear by the 'LORD, the GOD of heaven, and the GOD of the earth, that 'thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters ' of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell but thou shalt 'go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife 'unto my son Isaac.'

And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand : and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

And he said, 'O LORD GOD of my master Abraham, I

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pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show 'kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men ' of the city come out to draw water: let it come to pass, 'that the damsel to whom I shall say, "Let down thy 'pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink;" and she shall 'say, "Drink, and I will give they camels drink also:" 'let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac.'

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And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, (who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother,) with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, 'Let me, I pray thee, drink a little ' water of thy pitcher.' And she said, Drink, my lord ;' and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, 'I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.' And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

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And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, 'Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee is there room in thy father's house for us to < lodge in?' And she said unto him, 'I am the daughter ' of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.'

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She said moreover unto him, 'We have both straw and ' provender enough, and room to lodge in.' And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. And he said, 'Blessed be the LORD GOD of my master Abraham, 'who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth I being in the way, the LORD led me to the 'house of my master's brethren.'

And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. And he said, 'Come in, thou blessed of the 'LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have pre'pared the house, and room for the camels.' And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him to eat but he said, 'I will not eat, until I have told mine errand.' And he said, 'Speak on.'

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And he said, 'I am Abraham's servant. And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great : and He hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and 'gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my 'master when she was old and unto him hath he given 'all that he hath. And my master made me swear, saying, "Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but 'thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son." And I said unto my master, "Peradventure the woman will not follow me. 'And he said unto me, "The LORD, before whom I walk,

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