both small and great so that they wearied themselves to find the
door. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides ?
son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever
thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place for we will 100
destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before
the face of Jehovah; and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it.
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which were
about to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this
place; for Jehovah will destroy this city. But he seemed as 105
one that mocked unto his sons in law. And when the morning
arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife,
and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed
in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men
laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and 110
upon the hand of his two daughters; Jehovah being merciful
unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the
city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee,
neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest 115
thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so,
my 3 Lord: behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy
sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast
shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the
mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: behold now, 120
this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me
escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this
thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which
thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do 125
any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the
city was called 4 Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when
Lot entered into Zoar. Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of
heaven;
and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and 130
all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the
ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she
became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the

3 The Hebrew word is Adonai, a word used as a title of God.
4 Zoar means "Little."

morning to the place where he stood before Jehovah and he 135 looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

LESSON V

ABIMELECH, ISAAC, AND ISHMAEL

GENESIS 20.1 to 22.19

20.1. And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took 5 Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? 10 and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 15 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in 20 their ears and the men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us ? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, 25 What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but

i.e. from Mamre.

not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my 30 father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And 35 Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, it is to thee a covering of the eyes, to all that are with thee; and so in the sight of all thou art righted. So Abraham prayed unto God: 40 and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants.

21.1. And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age. And Sarah 45 said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck for I have born him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and was weaned : and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was 50 weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight 55 because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of the bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he 60 is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child 65 under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down. over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over JUNIOR

с

against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard 70 the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

Arise, lift up

the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; 75 and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

80

22.1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did make trial of Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of 85 the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham 90 lifted his up eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a 95 knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself the lamb for a 100 burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 105 And the angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, 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 from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him 110 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 Abraham called the name of that place 2 Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be 3 provided. And the angel of Jehovah 115 called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, 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 120 which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and by thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves; 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. 125

LESSON VI

REBEKAH

GENESIS 24

24.1. And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven, and 5 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 said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto 10 this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, Beware

2 i.e. "Jehovah will see."

3 This appears to have been a proverb current in the time of the writer. It refers to the worship at the Temple, and means that God will aid those who seek Him in His temple.