Abraham and Abimelech

¹Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar,

²he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

³One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, “You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married.”

⁴But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy me and my people?

⁵Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong.”

⁶God replied in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did it with a clear conscience; so I kept you from sinning against me and did not let you touch her.

⁷But now, give the woman back to her husband. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will not die. But if you do not give her back, I warn you that you are going to die, you and all your people.”

⁸Early the next morning Abimelech called all his officials and told them what had happened, and they were terrified.

⁹Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you to make you bring this disaster on me and my kingdom? No one should ever do what you have done to me.

¹⁰Why did you do it?”

¹¹Abraham answered, “I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife.

¹²She really is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother, and I married her.

¹³So when God sent me from my father's house into foreign lands, I said to her, ‘You can show how loyal you are to me by telling everyone that I am your brother.’”

¹⁴Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and at the same time he gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves.

¹⁵He said to Abraham, “Here is my whole land; live anywhere you like.”

¹⁶He said to Sarah, “I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to all who are with you that you are innocent; everyone will know that you have done no wrong.”

^17-18Because of what had happened to Sarah, Abraham's wife, the Lord had made it impossible for any woman in Abimelech's palace to have children. So Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed him. He also healed his wife and his slave women, so that they could have children.

The Birth of Isaac

¹The Lord blessed Sarah, as he had promised,

²and she became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham when he was old. The boy was born at the time God had said he would be born.

³Abraham named him Isaac,

⁴and when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded.

⁵Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born.

⁶Sarah said, “God has brought me joy and laughter. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.”

⁷Then she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

⁸The child grew, and on the day that he was weaned, Abraham gave a great feast.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

⁹One day Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, was playing with Sarah's son Isaac.

¹⁰Sarah saw them and said to Abraham, “Send this slave and her son away. The son of this woman must not get any part of your wealth, which my son Isaac should inherit.”

¹¹This troubled Abraham very much, because Ishmael also was his son.

¹²But God said to Abraham, “Don't be worried about the boy and your slave Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I have promised.

¹³I will also give many children to the son of the slave woman, so that they will become a nation. He too is your son.”

¹⁴Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar some food and a leather bag full of water. He put the child on her back and sent her away. She left and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

¹⁵When the water was all gone, she left the child under a bush

¹⁶and sat down about a hundred yards away. She said to herself, “I can't bear to see my child die.” While she was sitting there, she began to cry.

¹⁷God heard the boy crying, and from heaven the angel of God spoke to Hagar, “What are you troubled about, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy crying.

¹⁸Get up, go and pick him up, and comfort him. I will make a great nation out of his descendants.”

¹⁹Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave some to the boy.

²⁰God was with the boy as he grew up; he lived in the wilderness of Paran and became a skillful hunter.

²¹His mother got an Egyptian wife for him.

The Agreement between Abraham and Abimelech

²²At that time Abimelech went with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

²³So make a vow here in the presence of God that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so promise that you will also be loyal to me and to this country in which you are living.”

²⁴Abraham said, “I promise.”

²⁵Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

²⁶Abimelech said, “I don't know who did this. You didn't tell me about it, and this is the first I have heard of it.”

²⁷Then Abraham gave some sheep and cattle to Abimelech, and the two of them made an agreement.

²⁸Abraham separated seven lambs from his flock,

²⁹and Abimelech asked him, “Why did you do that?”

³⁰Abraham answered, “Accept these seven lambs. By doing this, you admit that I am the one who dug this well.”

³¹And so the place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them made a vow.

³²After they had made this agreement at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol went back to Philistia.

³³Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped the Lord, the Everlasting God.

³⁴Abraham lived in Philistia for a long time.

^1-2Yes, I've heard all that before. But how can a human being win a case against God?

³How can anyone argue with him? He can ask a thousand questions that no one could ever answer.

⁴God is so wise and powerful; no one can stand up against him.

⁵Without warning he moves mountains and in anger he destroys them.

⁶God sends earthquakes and shakes the ground; he rocks the pillars that support the earth.

⁷He can keep the sun from rising, and the stars from shining at night.

⁸No one helped God spread out the heavens or trample the sea monster's back.

⁹God hung the stars in the sky—the Dipper, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars of the south.

¹⁰We cannot understand the great things he does, and to his miracles there is no end.

¹¹God passes by, but I cannot see him.

¹²He takes what he wants, and no one can stop him; no one dares ask him, “What are you doing?”

¹³God's anger is constant. He crushed his enemies who helped Rahab, the sea monster, oppose him.

¹⁴So how can I find words to answer God?

¹⁵Though I am innocent, all I can do is beg for mercy from God my judge.

¹⁶Yet even then, if he lets me speak, I can't believe he would listen to me.

¹⁷He sends storms to batter and bruise me without any reason at all.

¹⁸He won't let me catch my breath; he has filled my life with bitterness.

¹⁹Should I try force? Try force on God? Should I take him to court? Could anyone make him go?

²⁰I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty, and everything I say seems to condemn me.

^21-22I am innocent, but I no longer care. I am sick of living. Nothing matters; innocent or guilty, God will destroy us.

²³When an innocent person suddenly dies, God laughs.

²⁴God gave the world to the wicked. He made all the judges blind. And if God didn't do it, who did?

²⁵My days race by, not one of them good.

²⁶My life passes like the swiftest boat, as fast as an eagle swooping down on a rabbit.

^27-28If I smile and try to forget my pain, all my suffering comes back to haunt me; I know that God does hold me guilty.

²⁹Since I am held guilty, why should I bother?

³⁰No soap can wash away my sins.

³¹God throws me into a pit with filth, and even my clothes are ashamed of me.

³²If God were human, I could answer him; we could go to court to decide our quarrel.

³³But there is no one to step between us— no one to judge both God and me.

³⁴Stop punishing me, God! Keep your terrors away!

³⁵I am not afraid. I am going to talk because I know my own heart.

¹I am tired of living. Listen to my bitter complaint.

²Don't condemn me, God. Tell me! What is the charge against me?

³Is it right for you to be so cruel? To despise what you yourself have made? And then to smile on the schemes of wicked people?

⁴Do you see things as we do?

⁵Is your life as short as ours?

⁶Then why do you track down all my sins and hunt down every fault I have?

⁷You know that I am not guilty, that no one can save me from you.

⁸Your hands formed and shaped me, and now those same hands destroy me.

⁹Remember that you made me from clay; are you going to crush me back to dust?

¹⁰You gave my father strength to beget me; you made me grow in my mother's womb.

¹¹You formed my body with bones and sinews and covered the bones with muscles and skin.

¹²You have given me life and constant love, and your care has kept me alive.

¹³But now I know that all that time you were secretly planning to harm me.

¹⁴You were watching to see if I would sin, so that you could refuse to forgive me.

¹⁵As soon as I sin, I'm in trouble with you, but when I do right, I get no credit. I am miserable and covered with shame.

¹⁶If I have any success at all, you hunt me down like a lion; to hurt me you even work miracles.

¹⁷You always have some witness against me; your anger toward me grows and grows; you always plan some new attack.

¹⁸Why, God, did you let me be born? I should have died before anyone saw me.

¹⁹To go from the womb straight to the grave would have been as good as never existing.

²⁰Isn't my life almost over? Leave me alone! Let me enjoy the time I have left.

²¹I am going soon and will never come back— going to a land that is dark and gloomy,

²²a land of darkness, shadows, and confusion, where the light itself is darkness.

⁶It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.

⁷He provides help and protection for those who are righteous and honest.

⁸He protects those who treat others fairly, and guards those who are devoted to him.