friends that had affifted him in the battle. The firft of them was called Efchol, and then Enner, and Mambre.

3. And God commended his virtue, and faid, Thou shalt not however lofe the rewards thou haft deserved to receive by fuch thy glorious actions. He anfwered, And what advantage will it be to me to have fuch rewards, when I have none to enjoy them after me? For he was hitherto childlefs. And God promised that he should have a fon, and that his pofterity fhould be very numerous, infomuch, that their number should be like the ftars. When he heard that, he offered a facrifice to God, as he commanded him. The manner of the facrifice was this: He took an heifer of three years old, and a the goat of three years old, and a ram in like manner of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a pigeon; and, as he was enjoined, he divided the three former, but the birds he did not divide. After which, before he built his altar, where the birds of prey flew about as defirous of blood, a divine voice came to him, declaring that their neighbours would be grievous to his pofterity, when they fhould be in Egypt, for + four hundred years; during which time they fhould be afflicted, but afterward fhould overcome their enemies, fhould conquer the Canaanites in war, and poffefs themselves of their land, and of their cities.

4. Now Abram dwelt near the oak called Ogyges; the place belongs to Canaan, not far from the city of Hebron. But being uneafy at his wife's barrennefs, he entreated God to grant that he might have male iffue; and God required of him to be of good courage; and faid, that he would add to all the reft of the benefits that he had beffowed upon him, ever fince he led him out of Mefopotamia, the gift of children. Accordingly Sarai, at God's command, brought to his bed one of her handmaidens, a woman of Egyptian defcent, in order to obtain children by her; and when this handmaid was with child, the triumphed, and ventured to affront Sarai, as if the dominion were to come to a fon to be born of her. But when Abram refigned her into the hands of Sarai, to punish her, fhe contrived to flee away, as not able to bear the inftances of Sarai's feverity to her; and fhe entreated God to have compaffion on her. Now a divine Angel met her, as he was going forward in the wilderness, and bid her return to her master and miftrefs, for if the would fubmit to that wife advice, fhe would live better hereafter; for that the reafon of her being in fuch a miferable cafe was this, that fhe had been ungrateful and arrogant towards her miftrefs. He alfo told her, that if the difo

*It is worth noting here, that God required no other facrifices under the law of Mofes, than what were taken from thefe five kinds of animals which he here required of Abram Nor did the Jews feed upon any other domeftic animals than the three here named, as Reland obferves on Antiq. B. IV. Ch. iv. § 4.

As to this affliction of Abraham's pofterity, for 400 years, fee Antiq. B. II. Ch. ix. § 1.

beyed God, and went on ftill in her way, fhe fhould perifh; but if the would return back, fhe fhould become the mother of a fon who fhould reign over that country. These admonitions the obeyed, and returned to her mafter and miftrefs, and obtained forgivenefs. A little while afterwards, fhe bare Ifmael, which may be interpreted, Heard of God, becaufe God had heard his mother's prayer.

5. The fore-mentioned fon was born to Abram when he was eighty fix years old. But when he was ninety-nine, God appeared to him, and promised him, that he should have a fon by Sarai, and commanded that his name fhould be Ifaac; and fhewed him, that from this fon fhould fpring great nations and kings, and that they fhould obtain all the land of Canaan by war, from Sidon to Egypt. But he charged him, in order to keep his pofterity unmixed with others, that they fhould be circumcifed in the flesh of their forefkin, and that this thould be done on the eighth day after they were born. The reafon of which circumcifion I will explain in another place. And Abram inquiring alfo concerning Ifmael, whether he fhould live or not, God fignified to him, that he fhould live to be very old, and fhould be the father of great nations: Abram therefore gave thanks to God for thele bleflings; and then he, and all his family, and his fon Ifmael, were circumcifed immediately; the fon being that day thirteen years of age, and he ninety

nine.

CHAP. XI.

How God overthrew the Nation of the Sodomites, out of his Wrath against them for their Sins:

§ I.

BOUT this time the Sodomites grew proud, on accout of their riches and great wealth. They became unjuft towards men, and impious towards God, infomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him. They hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices. God was therefore much difpleafed at them, and determined to punish them for their pride, and to overthrow their city, and to lay waste their country, until there fhould neither plant nor fruit grow out of it.

2. When God had thus refolved concerning the Sodomites, Abraham, as he fat by the Oak of Mambre, at the door of his tent, faw three angels; and thinking them to be ftrangers, he rofe up, and faluted them, and defired they would accept of an entertainment, and abide with him; to which, when they agreed, he ordered cakes of meal to be made prefently; and when he had flain a calf, he roafted it, and brought it to them, as they fat under the oak. Now they made a thew of eating; and befides, they asked him about his wife Sarah, where he

was; and when he laid fhe was within, they faid, they fhould come again hereafter, and find her become a mother. Upon which the woman laughed, and faid, that it was impoffible the hould bear children, fince fhe was ninety years of age, and her hulband was an hundred. Then they concealed themselves no longer, but declared that they were angels of God; and that one of them was lent to inform them about the child, and two for the overthrow of Sodom.

3. When Abraham heard this, he was grieved for the Sodomites; and he rofe up, and befought God for them, and entreated him that he would not destroy the righteous with the wicked. And when God had replied that there was no good man among the Sodomites; for if there were but ten fuch men among them, he would not punith any of them for their fins Abraham held his peace. And the angels came to the city of the Sodomites, and Lot entreated them to accept of a lodging with him; for he was a very generous and hofpitable man, and one that had learned to imitate the goodness of Abraham. Now when the Sodomites faw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they refolved themfelves to enjoy thofe beautiful boys by force and violence; and when Lot exhorted them to fobriety, and not to offer any thing immodeft to the ftrangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his houfe; and promifed, that if their inclinations could not be governed, he would expofe his daughters to their luft, instead of these ftrangers; neither thus were they made alhamed.

4. But God was much difpleafed at their impudent behaviour, fo that he both fmote these men with blindness, and condemned the Sodomites to univeral deftruétion. But Lot, upon God's informing him of the future deftruction of the Sodomites, went away, taking with him his wite and daughters, who were two, and ftill virgins; for those that were betrothed to them, were above the thoughts of going, and deemed that Lot's words were triffling. God then caft a thunderbolt upon the city, and fet it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid wafte the country with the like burning, as Iformerly faid when I wrote the Jewish war. But Lot's wite continually turning back to view the city, as fhe went from it; and being too nicely inquifitive what would become of it, although God had forbidden her fo to do, was changed into a pillar of fait.

Thele fons-in-law to Lot, as they are called, Gen. xix. 12--14. might be fa filed, because they were betrothed to Lot's daughters, though not yet married to them. See the note on Antiq. B. XIV. Ch. xiii. § 1. Vol. II.

Of the war, B. IV. Ch. viii § 4. Vol III.

This pillar of falt was, we tee here, ftanding in the days of Jofephus, and he had feen it. That it was flanding then, is all attefted to by Clement of Rome, contemporary with Jofephus; as also that it was fo in the next century, is attefted by Irenæus, with the addition of an hypothesis, how it came to last so long, with VOL. I

E

For I have seen it, and it remains at this day. Now he and his daughters fled to a certain fmall place, encompaffed with the fire, and 'ettled in it. It is to this day called Zoar, forthat is the word which the Hebrews ufe for a fmail thing. There it was that he lived a miferable life, on account of his having no company, and his want of provifions.

*

5. But his daughters thinking that all mankind were deftroyed, approached to their father, though taking care not to be perceived. This they did, that human kind might not utterly fail. And they bare fons; the fon of the elder was nained Moab, which denotes one derived from his father. The younger bare Ammon, which name denotes one derived from a kinfman. The former of whom was the father of the Moabites, which is even ftill a great nation; the latter was the father of the Ammonites; and both of them are inhabitants of Cele-Syria. And fuch was the departure of Lot from among the Sodomites..

CHAP. XII.

Concerning Abimelech ; and concerning Ifmael the Son of Abraham; and concerning the Arabians, which were his Pofterity.

§ 1. ABRAHAM now removed to Gerar of Palestine, lead

ing Sarah along with him, under the notion of his fifter, ufing the like diffimulation that he had ufed before, and this out of fear. For he was atraid of Abimelech, the king of that country, who did alío himfelf fall in love with Sarah, and was difpofed to corrupt her; but he was reftrained from fatisfying his luft, by a dangerous diffemper, which befel him from God. Now, when his phyficians defpaired of curing him, he. fell asleep, and faw a dream, warning him not to abufe the

all its members entire. Whether the account that fome modern travellers give be true. that it is still ftanding, I do not know. Its remote fituations, at the utmost fouthern point of the fea of Sodom, in the wild and dangerous deferts of Arabia, makes it exceeding difficult for inquifitive travellers to examine the place; and for common reports of country people, at a diftance, they are not very fatisfactory. In the mean time, I have no opinion of Le Clerc's differtation or hypothefis about this queftion, which can only be determined by eye-witnelles. When Christian princes, fo called, lay afide their foolish and unchristian wars and quarrels, and fend a body of fit perfons to travel over the caft, and bring us faithful accounts of all ancient monuments, and procure us copies of all ancient records, at prefent loft among us, we may hope for full fatisfaction in fuch enquiries; but hardly before.

* I fee no proper wicked intention in thefe daughters of Lot, when, in a cafe. which appeared to them of unavoidable neceflity, they procured themselves to be with child to their father. Without fuch an unavoidable necessity, inceft is an horrid crime; but whether in fuch a cafe of necessity as they apprehended this to be, according to Jofephus, it was any fuch crime, I am not fatisfied. In the mean time, their making their father drunk, and their folicitous concealment of what they did from him, fhows that they despaired of perfuading him to an action which, at the beft, could not but be very lufpicious and fhocking to fo good a man.

ftranger's wife; and when he recovered, he told his friends that God had inflicted that difeafe upon him, by way of punishment for his injury to the ftranger; and in order to preferve the chaftity of his wife, for that he did not accompany him as his fifter, but as his legitimate wile; and that God had promifed to be gracious to him for the time to come, if this perfon be once fecure of his wife's chaflity. When he had faid this, by the advice of his friends he fent for Abraham, and bid him not be concerned about his wife, or fear the corruption of her chaftity; for that God took care of him, and that it was by his Providence that he received his wife again, without her fuffering any aoufe. And he appealed to God, and to his wife's confcience; and faid, that he had not had any inclination at first to enjoy her, if he had known the was his wife; but fince, faid he, thou ledft her about as thy fifter, I was guilty of no offence. He alfo entreated him to be at peace with him, and to make God propitious to him; and that, if he thought fit to continue with him, he should have what he wanted in abundance; but that if he defigned to go away, he should be honourably conducted, and have what foever fupply he wanted when he came thither. Upon his faying this, Abraham told him that his pretence of kindred to his wife was no lie, because fhe was his brother's daughter; and that he did not think himfelf fate in his travels abroad, without this fort of diflimulation; and that he was not the caufe of his diftemper, but was only folicitous for his own fafety. He faid alfo, that he was ready to ftay with him. Whereupon Abimelech affigned him land and money; and they covenanted to live together without guile, and took an oath at a certain weil called Beerfheba, which may be interpreted, The Well of the Oath. And fo it is named by the people of the country unto this day.

2. Now in a little time Abraham had a fon by Sarah, as God had foretold to him, whom he named Ifaac, which fignifies laughter. And indeed they fo called him, becaufe Sarah laughed when God faid that the fhould hear a fon, fhe not expecting fuch a thing, as being past the age of child-bearing, for the was ninety years old, and Abraham an hundred; fo that this fon was born to them both in the last year of each of thofe decimal numbers. And they circumcifed him upon the eighth day. And from that time the Jews continue the cuftom of circumciting their fons within that number of days. But as for the Arabians, they circumcife after the thirteenth year, because Ifmael, the founder of their nation, who was born to Abraham

* It is well worth obfervation, that Jofephus here calls that principal angel, who appeared to Abraham, and foretold the birth of Haac, directly God; which language of Josephus's here, prepare, us to believe thole other expressions of his that Jefus was a wife man, if it be lawful to call him a man, Antiq B XVIII. chap.

3. vol. II. and of God, Word, in his homily concerning Hades, may be both genuine. Nor is the other expression of divine angel, ufed prefently, and b.fore, alfo of any other fignification.