Genesis: Abram

These are the generations of Terah –  

Terah [at 70 years old] had three sons he named, Abram, Nahor and Haran.  

Haran had sons named Lot and Isacah and a daughter named Milcah. Haran died before his father in the land of Ur of the Caldees. 

Abram took Sarai as his wife and Nahor married Milcah. 

Terah took Abram, his wife and Lot out of Ur to go to the land of Canaan. They came to and lived in Haran, where Terah died.  

The Lord came to Abram and said to leave his father and this land; Abram did so and departed at 75 years old with his wife and Lot [Haran’s son] out of the land of Haran to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land into Shechem and the plains of Moreh where the Lord appeared; He said, “unto thy seed will I give this land.” On a mountain between Bethel and Haai, he pitched his tent and built an altar. He journeyed south to Egypt where famine was in the land.

Abram told Sarai that the Egyptians would kill him as her husband, and that he would introduce her as his sister; as so, the Pharaoh took Sarai into his house and treated Abram well for her sake. The Lord plagued the Pharoah’s house due to this, and he sent Abram and Sarai away with all their belongings and his nephew, Lot. Abram was rich in cattle, silver and gold; he journeyed south toward Bethel with Lot, who had cattle, sheep and tents. Their substance was great and the land was divided. 

Abram lived in the land of Canaan and Lot chose the plains of Jordan and pitched his tent near Sodom. The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the Lord. The Lord spoke with Abram saying, all the land North, South, East and West, all that you see, I will give to you and your children. After, Abram left and came to live in Mamre, in Hebron, and built an altar. 

Amraphel [King of Shinar], Arioch [King of Ellasar], Chedorlaomer [King of Elam] and Tidal [King of the nations] made war against Bera King of Sodom, Birsha King of Gomorah, Shinab King of Admah, Shemeber King of Zeboiim and Zoar King of Bela. All joined together in the cale of Siddim [the salt sea.]

12 years they served Chedorlaomer and rebelled in the 13^th year. The next year, Cherdorlaomer and the Kings with him killed the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzims in Ham, Emims in Shaueh Kiriathaim, the Horites in mount Seir into Paran by the wilderness. They returned to Enmishpat in Kadesh and killed the Amalekites and Amorites in Hazezon-tamar. The Kings of Sodom, Gomorah, Admah, Zaboiim and Bela joined battle with him in Siddim. 5 kings against 4. The vale of Siddim was full of slime pits which the Kings of Sodom and Gomorah fled and fell into, the rest fled to the mountains. The Kings took all the vitailes [food and provisions] along with Lot and his substances and they departed. 

One man escaped and told Abram of his brother’s situation. Abram took 318 men, along with Aner, Eshcol and Mamre went to Dan and divided them in the night to kill them. They pursued them into Hobah [on the left side of Damascus] and recovered all the vitailes, Lot, his good and the women and people. After Abram slaughtered Chedorlaomer and the Kings with him, the King of Sodom met him in the valley of Shalem along with Melchizedek King of Shalem brought bread and wine. Melchizedek was Priest of the most high God, he blessed Abram and Abram gave him a tithe of all they had recovered. The King of Sodom asked for the people only, which Abram denied saying, I will accept nothing that belongs to you, from thread to a sandal strap, for you will say, “I have made Abram rich.” 

After, the Lord came to Abram and said, “I am thy buckler [shield] and thine exceeding great reward.” Abram responded, what can you give me, seeing me go childless [as Sarai was barren] as a servant of my house will be my heir. The Lord said, one will come out of your bowels and will be your heir; now, look unto heaven, your seed will be as the stars, unnumbered and this land you will inherit. He told Abram to bring him a 3 year old heifer, goat and ram, a turtle dove and pigeon; which he did. The sun went down and Abram fell into a deep sleep, a fearful darkness fell over him and the Lord said, ‘thy seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, they will serve them and be treated evil. I will judge this nation they serve, and they will come out with great substance. You will go unto your fathers in peace and be buried in a good age. In the fourth generation, they’ll come here again, the wickedness of the Amorites is not yet full.’ The darkness of the night held a smoking furnace and a firebrand, which went between those pieces. In this covenant, the Lord gave Abram the land, from the river of Egypt into the great river of the Euphrates; the Kenizites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites,Canaanites, Girgshites and Jebusites. 

Since Sarai was barren, she gave Abram her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, in hopes that she would have a child by her. Abram obeyed Sarai and conceived. Once Hagar became pregnant, Sarai told Abram she was despised in her eyes and dealt roughly with her causing Hagar to run. An angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness by a fountain [later named Beerlahai-roi] in Shur and told her to return to Sarai and she would have a son and call him Ishmael [for the Lord heard my tribulation.] Ishmael will be a wild man, his hand against every man, every man’s hand against him and he will dwell in the presence of all his brothers. Hagar returned and Abram had a son he called, Ishmael, when he was 86 years old.  

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared and made a covenant with him, saying, you will be a father of nations. I will call you Abraham, you will be exceedingly fruitful, and Kings will proceed you. Your seed and following generations will be given this land for an everlasting possession and I will be their God. In return, let every man child among you circumcise the foreskin of their flesh as a sign of this covenant. The uncircumcised will be cut off from his people. 

He continued, your wife will be called Sarah, I will bless her and give her a son, she will be the mother of nations; Kings will come of her. Abram laughed, as Sarah was 90 years old! He told Abram that Sarah would have a son the next year and he will name him, Izhak/Issac. As for Ishmael, I will bless him and multiply him exceedingly; he will have 12 princes, and I will make a great nation of him.

Abraham returned to circumcise all the men of his house, both born and bought; Ishmael was 13 years old. 

The Lord appeared in Mamre with two men at Abraham’s door, he bowed and offered water to wash their feet and a place to rest in the shade. Sarah kneaded cakes of fine meal to cook on the hearth. Abraham brought a cooked calf, butter and milk to them and they ate. Sarah heard them speak of her having a son when they return, to which she laughed saying, “I am waxed old, shall I have lust?” He replied, “shall anything be hard to the Lord?” The men rose and looked toward Sodom saying, the cry of Sodom and Gomorah is great, their sin is exceedingly grievous. Abraham conversed with the Lord regarding Sodom being spared if any righteous lived among them? The Lord agreed that if ten be among them, he would spare the city.  

Two angels came into Sodom, Lot sat at the gate and saw them. He rose to meet them and bowed with his face to the ground. He offered them a place to rest, which they denied saying they would stay in the streets all night. Lot was adamant, the men agreed and feasted with Lot. Before bed, men surrounded the house asking Lot to send the men out so that they may know him. Lot went out and prayed out; my brothers do not so wickedly. I have two daughters I will bring out, and you do to them as you see good, but the men, leave them while they are here. The men raged against Lot, breaking the door. The men pulled Lot into his house and smote the men with blindness great and small. The men told Lot to take his family and leave because the Lord planned to destroy city as punishment for their sins. Lot warned his son in laws who mocked him.  

In the morning, the angels hurried Lot to leave with his wife and two daughters. As they left, the angel said, “Escape for thy life, do not look behind you, escape to the mountains so you won’t be destroyed.” Lot said he couldn’t make it to the mountains and asked if he could flee to a little city nearby, they called Zoar. God then rained brimstone and fire out of heaven onto Sodom and Gomorah, overthrowing those cities, all the plains, their inhabitants and all that grew there. Lot’s wife looked back against the advice of the angel, and she is turned into a pillar of salt. 

Abraham rose early and saw the smoke rising like a furnace. 

Lot left Zoar, for fear of it and lived in a mountain cave with his two daughters. The oldest daughter told the younger that their father was old and there was not a man in the earth to come in unto them; to preserve his seed, they had their father drink wine, and he conceived with the oldest, then the youngest. Lot knew not that they had lay down nor when they arose. The oldest had a son named Moab [father of the Moabites] and the younger had a son named Ben-ammi [father of the Ammonites.] 

After this Abraham lived in Gerar, between Cadesh and Shur and told Abimelech, the King, that Sarah was his sister, as he did before. Abimelech took Sarah and God came to him in a dream and told him that he would die because he had taken a man’s wife [ Abimelech had not yet come near Sarah.] He said that his hands were innocent, and they were a righteous nation to which God responded, deliver this man to his wife, for he is a prophet. Ambimelech rose early and went to Abraham asking, what have you done to us? Why would you bring this in upon our nation? Abraham said, I surely thought the fear of God was not in this place and I would be killed for my wife’s sake; she is indeed my sister, she is the daughter of my father and not my mother. Abimelech took Sarah, sheep, beeves [cattle and oxen], men servants, women servants and 1000 pieces of silver and gave them to Abraham so that he may go dwell where he pleases. Abraham prayed to God to heal Abimelech, his wife and his women servants so that they may bare children. The Lord has shut every womb in his house because of Sarah. 

Sarah conceived, as the Lord said, a son named Izhak/Issac when Abraham was 100 years old. He was circumcised at 8 days old as God commanded. Sarah rejoiced and the child grew and a feast was had the day he was weaned. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking and told Abraham to cast out Hagar because her son would not be an heir with hers. This was painful for Abraham, because of his son. God spoke, “let it not be grievous in they sight for the child… in all that Sarah says to you, hear her voice, for in Issac shall your seed be called. I will make Ishmael a nation too because he is your seed. 

Abraham rose early and took bread and bottled water to Hagar and sent her and her son away. They wandered the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water was gone, she placed Ishmael under and tree and went away from him saying, “I will not see the death of my child.” She lifted her voice and cried. An angel called Hagar from heaven saying fear not, God has heard the child’s voice. Rise and take the child for I will make him a great people. God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, she filled the bottle and gave it to Ishmael. God was with him, as an archer in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took him a wife out of Egypt. 

Abimelech came to speak with Abram in Beer-sheba after his men took away a well of water; Abimelech said he did not know of their doing and asked Abraham for a covenant between them. He asked that no harm come to him and the generations after him because he had shown Abraham kindness. Abraham swore before God and gave sheep and beeves to Abimelech. He took 7 lambs as witness to the well he was digging, that it be his. They both swore and Abimelech returned to the land of the Philistims, where Abraham was a stranger. Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba and there on the Name of ye Lord. 

God said to Abraham, take your son Issac and go to Moriah, offer him on one of the mountains, as a burnt offering. Abraham went up with two servants, Issac and wood. When he saw a place far off, he told his servants to wait there for him. He took Issac, wood, fire and a knife; during the journey Issac asked his father where the lamb was for the offering? He told his son that God would provide him a lamb. When they arrived, Abraham built an alter and bound Issac and laid him on the alter; as he took the knife to kill his son, an angel called to him saying, do not touch your son, for now I know that you fear God since you were willing to give your only son. Just as Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught in a bush, he offered him instead of his son. Abraham called this place, lehouah-ijreh/jehovah-jireh and returned with his servants and son to Beer-sheba. 

Milcah had children with Nahor; the eldest, Uz/Huz and then Buz and Kemuel. Kemuel is the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. Bethuel conceived a daughter named Rebekah. 

Nahor’s concubine, Reumah, bare Tebah, Gahan, Thahash and Maachah. 

Sarah was 127 years old when she died in Kiriath-arba, Hebron in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned Sarah and asked the Hittites for possession of a place to bury his wife. Ephron spoke up and gave him the field and the cave that was in Machpelah, near Mamre to bury his dead. Abraham bowed himself before the Hittites and gave Ephron 400 pieces of silver. Sarah was buried in a cave of the field of Machpelah, in the land of Canaan. 

Abraham was now old; he called to his eldest servant asking that he swear by the Lord that his son would not take a wife from the Canaanites where they lived. He told him to go into his country, his kin and find a wife for Issac. His servant put his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swore. He took 10 camels and his master’s goods and departed to the city of Nahor. He lay the camels near a well of water as the women came out to draw water. He prayed to find a woman to give him water to drink and his camels as well; before he was done speaking, Rebekah came out with a pitcher on her shoulder. She was beautiful and unknown to man. The servant ran to meet her and asked to drink from her pitcher which she gave him. Rebekah then said, I will draw water for your camels, too. After, he gave her gifts of gold and asked who she was and if her father had room for him to stay; she replied she was the daughter of Bethuel, granddaughter of Nahor & Milcah and they did have room. 

Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who came to greet Abraham’s servant after seeing the gifts and hearing of his journey. He brought him back to their home and served him and his camels. The servant told of his promise, his journey and his talks with the Lord; Bethual said, this thing is proceeded of the Lord: Take her and go as the Lord said. Rebekah agreed; after giving Rebekah and her family gift of silver and gold, her and her nurse [Deborah] left with the servant and his men.  

Issac went out of from Beer-lahai-roi to pray in a field and saw camels coming; when Rebekah saw him, she got off her camel and asked who he was. After learning it was the servant’s master, she covered with a vail. He told Issac of his journey and Issac took her into his mother’s tent, he took Rebekah and she was his wife. Issac loved Rebekah and was comforted after his mother’s death. 

Abraham married another named, Keturah; Their children were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.  

Jokshan had children named Sheba & Dedan.  

Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushin and Leummim. 

Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, Eldaah. 

All of these were the sons of Keturah. 

Abraham gave all his goods to Issac and sent his concubine’s sons eastward. 

Abraham died at 175 years old and was buried in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah. 

kbyeluhyou.