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Genesis 20-22
Common English Bible
Genesis 20-22
Common English Bible
Abraham and Sarah visit Gerar
20 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the arid southern plain, and he settled as an immigrant in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. 2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She’s my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar took her into his household.
3 But God appeared to Abimelech that night in a dream and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of this woman you have taken. She is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelech hadn’t gone near her, and he said, “Lord, will you really put an innocent nation to death? 5 Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister,’ and didn’t she—even she—say, ‘He’s my brother’? My intentions were pure, and I acted innocently when I did this.”
6 God said to him in the dream, “I know that your intentions were pure when you did this. In fact, I kept you from sinning against me. That’s why I didn’t allow you to touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife. He’s a prophet; he will pray for you so you may live. But if you don’t return her, know that you and everyone with you will die!”
8 Abimelech got up early in the morning and summoned all of his servants. When he told them everything that had happened, the men were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that you have brought this terrible sin to me and my kingdom, by doing to me something that simply isn’t done?” 10 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking when you did this thing?”
11 Abraham said, “I thought to myself, No one reveres God here and they will kill me to get my wife. 12 She is, truthfully, my sister—my father’s daughter but not my mother’s daughter—and she’s now my wife. 13 When God led me away from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is the loyalty I expect from you: in each place we visit, tell them, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Abimelech took flocks, cattle, male servants, and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and Abimelech returned his wife Sarah. 15 Abimelech said, “My land is here available to you. Live wherever you wish.” 16 To Sarah, he said, “I’ve given your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It means that neither you nor anyone with you has done anything wrong. Everything has been set right.” 17 Abraham prayed to God; and God restored Abimelech, his wife, and his women servants to health, and they were able to have children. 18 Because of the incident with Abraham’s wife Sarah, the Lord had kept all of the women in Abimelech’s household from having children.
Isaac’s birth
21 The Lord was attentive to Sarah just as he had said, and the Lord carried out just what he had promised her. 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was old, at the very time God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son—the one Sarah bore him—Isaac.[a] 4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 Sarah said, “God has given me laughter. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.”[b] 7 She said, “Who could have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? But now I’ve given birth to a son when he was old!”
Hagar and Ishmael evicted
8 The boy grew and stopped nursing. On the day he stopped nursing, Abraham prepared a huge banquet. 9 Sarah saw Hagar’s son laughing, the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Send this servant away with her son! This servant’s son won’t share the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
11 This upset Abraham terribly because the boy was his son. 12 God said to Abraham, “Don’t be upset about the boy and your servant. Do everything Sarah tells you to do because your descendants will be traced through Isaac. 13 But I will make of your servant’s son a great nation too, because he is also your descendant.” 14 Abraham got up early in the morning, took some bread and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar. He put the boy in her shoulder sling and sent her away.
She left and wandered through the desert near Beer-sheba. 15 Finally the water in the flask ran out, and she put the boy down under one of the desert shrubs. 16 She walked away from him about as far as a bow shot and sat down, telling herself, I can’t bear to see the boy die. She sat at a distance, cried out in grief, and wept.
17 God heard the boy’s cries, and God’s messenger called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “Hagar! What’s wrong? Don’t be afraid. God has heard the boy’s cries over there. 18 Get up, pick up the boy, and take him by the hand because I will make of him a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went over, filled the water flask, and gave the boy a drink. 20 God remained with the boy; he grew up, lived in the desert, and became an expert archer. 21 He lived in the Paran desert, and his mother found him an Egyptian wife.
Abraham’s treaty with the Philistines
22 At that time Abimelech, and Phicol commander of his forces, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything that you do. 23 So give me your word under God that you won’t cheat me, my children, or my descendants. Just as I have treated you fairly, so you must treat me and the land in which you are an immigrant.”
24 Abraham said, “I give you my word.” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this, and you didn’t tell me. I didn’t even hear about it until today.” 27 Abraham took flocks and cattle, gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them drew up a treaty.[c] 28 Abraham set aside, by themselves, seven female lambs from the flock. 29 So Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are these seven lambs you’ve set apart?”
30 Abraham said, “These seven lambs that you take from me will attest that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore, the name of that place is Beer-sheba[d] because there they gave each other their word. 32 After they drew up a treaty[e] at Beer-sheba, Abimelech, and Phicol commander of his forces, returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and he worshipped there in the name of the Lord, El Olam.[f] 34 Abraham lived as an immigrant in the Philistines’ land for a long time.
Binding of Isaac
22 After these events, God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”
Abraham answered, “I’m here.”
2 God said, “Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up as an entirely burned offering there on one of the mountains that I will show you.” 3 Abraham got up early in the morning, harnessed his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, together with his son Isaac. He split the wood for the entirely burned offering, set out, and went to the place God had described to him.
4 On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place at a distance. 5 Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will walk up there, worship, and then come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the entirely burned offering and laid it on his son Isaac. He took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father?”
Abraham said, “I’m here, my son.”
Isaac said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the entirely burned offering?”
8 Abraham said, “The lamb for the entirely burned offering? God will see to it,[g] my son.” The two of them walked on together.
9 They arrived at the place God had described to him. Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 But the Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven, “Abraham? Abraham?”
Abraham said, “I’m here.”
12 The messenger said, “Don’t stretch out your hand against the young man, and don’t do anything to him. I now know that you revere God and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a single ram[h] caught by its horns in the dense underbrush. Abraham went over, took the ram, and offered it as an entirely burned offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place “the Lord sees.”[i] That is the reason people today say, “On this mountain the Lord is seen.”[j]
15 The Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I give my word as the Lord that because you did this and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, 17 I will bless you richly and I will give you countless descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies’ cities. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your descendants, because you obeyed me.” 19 After Abraham returned to the young men, they got up and went to Beer-sheba where Abraham lived.
Abraham’s nephews in Syria
20 After these events, Abraham was told: “Milcah has now also given birth to sons for your brother Nahor. 21 They are Uz his oldest son, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These are the eight Milcah bore for Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His secondary wife’s name was Reumah, and she gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:3 Or he laughs
- Genesis 21:6 Or God has made a joke of me. Everyone who hears about it will laugh at me.
- Genesis 21:27 Or covenant
- Genesis 21:31 Or Well of seven; or Well of giving one’s word
- Genesis 21:32 Or covenant
- Genesis 21:33 Or the eternal God
- Genesis 22:8 Or God will see; or God will provide
- Genesis 22:13 LXX, Sam, Syr, Tg; MT a ram behind
- Genesis 22:14 Or the Lord is seen; or the Lord provides
- Genesis 22:14 Or the Lord sees; or on the Lord’s mountain, it will be provided
Genesis 20-22
New International Version
Genesis 20-22
New International Version
Abraham and Abimelek(A)
20 Now Abraham moved on from there(B) into the region of the Negev(C) and lived between Kadesh(D) and Shur.(E) For a while(F) he stayed in Gerar,(G) 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.(H)” Then Abimelek(I) king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.(J)
3 But God came to Abimelek(K) in a dream(L) one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead(M) because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”(N)
4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?(O) 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,(P)’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience(Q) and clean hands.(R)”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept(S) you from sinning against me.(T) That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet,(U) and he will pray for you(V) and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”(W)
8 Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.(X)” 10 And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”
11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God(Y) in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’(Z) 12 Besides, she really is my sister,(AA) the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And when God had me wander(AB) from my father’s household,(AC) I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelek(AD) brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham,(AE) and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”(AF)
16 To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels[a] of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God,(AG) and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.(AH)
The Birth of Isaac
21 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah(AI) as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.(AJ) 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son(AK) to Abraham in his old age,(AL) at the very time God had promised him.(AM) 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac[b](AN) to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,(AO) as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old(AP) when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,(AQ) and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”(AR)
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8 The child grew and was weaned,(AS) and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham(AT) was mocking,(AU) 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman(AV) and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”(AW)
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.(AX) 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[c] will be reckoned.(AY) 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation(AZ) also, because he is your offspring.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar.(BA) He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.(BB)
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she[d] began to sob.(BC)
17 God heard the boy crying,(BD) and the angel of God(BE) called to Hagar from heaven(BF) and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid;(BG) God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.(BH)”
19 Then God opened her eyes(BI) and she saw a well of water.(BJ) So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy(BK) as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran,(BL) his mother got a wife for him(BM) from Egypt.
The Treaty at Beersheba
22 At that time Abimelek(BN) and Phicol the commander of his forces(BO) said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.(BP) 23 Now swear(BQ) to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.(BR) Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”(BS)
24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.(BT) 26 But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”
27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.(BU) 28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”
30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness(BV) that I dug this well.(BW)”
31 So that place was called Beersheba,[e](BX) because the two men swore an oath(BY) there.
32 After the treaty(BZ) had been made at Beersheba,(CA) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces(CB) returned to the land of the Philistines.(CC) 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree(CD) in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord,(CE) the Eternal God.(CF) 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines(CG) for a long time.
Abraham Tested
22 Some time later God tested(CH) Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,”(CI) he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son(CJ), your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.(CK) Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering(CL) on a mountain I will show you.(CM)”
3 Early the next morning(CN) Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.(CO)”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,(CP) and he himself carried the fire and the knife.(CQ) As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb(CR) for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide(CS) the lamb(CT) for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about,(CU) Abraham built an altar(CV) there and arranged the wood(CW) on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,(CX) on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife(CY) to slay his son.(CZ) 11 But the angel of the Lord(DA) called out to him from heaven,(DB) “Abraham! Abraham!”(DC)
“Here I am,”(DD) he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,(DE) because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.(DF)”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[f] caught by its horns.(DG) He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.(DH) 14 So Abraham called(DI) that place The Lord(DJ) Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.(DK)”
15 The angel of the Lord(DL) called to Abraham from heaven(DM) a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself,(DN) declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,(DO) 17 I will surely bless you(DP) and make your descendants(DQ) as numerous as the stars in the sky(DR) and as the sand on the seashore.(DS) Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,(DT) 18 and through your offspring[g] all nations on earth will be blessed,[h](DU) because you have obeyed me.”(DV)
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.(DW) And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Nahor’s Sons
20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:(DX) 21 Uz(DY) the firstborn, Buz(DZ) his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.(EA)” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.(EB) Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.(EC) 24 His concubine,(ED) whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 20:16 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
- Genesis 21:3 Isaac means he laughs.
- Genesis 21:12 Or seed
- Genesis 21:16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child
- Genesis 21:31 Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath.
- Genesis 22:13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him
- Genesis 22:18 Or seed
- Genesis 22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.